Al-Kahf (The Cave)

57. “And who is more unjust than he who is reminded of the sings of his Lord, then he turns away from them and forgets what his hands have forwarded? Verily We have laid veils on their hearts lest they understand it, and a heaviness in their ears: and if you call them unto guidance, even then will they never get guided in that case at all.”

Being heedless to the divine revelations, and having no contemplation on them, is the greatest injustice.

So, in this holy verse, the Qur’an says:

“And who is more unjust than he who is reminded of the sings of his Lord, then he turns away from them and forgets what his hands have forwarded?…”

The application of the term /ŏukkira/ (is reminded) in the verse, perhaps, is an indication to this meaning that the prophets’ teachings are of the remembrance of the facts which have existed naturally in the depths of man’s soul. The mission of prophets is to make these facts manifest.

In this regard, Imam Ali-ibn-Abitalib (as), qualifying the divine prophets, says:

“…Allah sent His prophets toward them (people) to get them fulfill the pledges of His creation, to recall to them His bounties...”1

It is interesting that, in this verse, the Qur’an teaches the lesson of awareness to these inwardly blind persons in three ways. The first is that these facts are quietly acquainted with their nature and conscience.

The second is that they have come from the side of their Lord. And the third is that they should not forget that they have committed some faults in their lives, and the mission of the divine prophets is to wash them out from them.

But these arrogant people, with all these indications and implications, will never believe, because the veil of sin has been laid on their hearts, and the veil of heaviness of crime has been laid on their ears and, therefore, they do not hear the sound of the Truth.

Similar to this meaning, Surah Luqman, No. 31, through verse 7 says:

“And when Our revelations are recited to him, he turns back proudly, as if he had not heard them…”

In other wards, it is like that the veils of lust, imitation from their fathers, and the temptations of Satans and men, have fallen on their hearts and, consequently, they have lost their wisdom so that they never understand and they never regret from their indecent actions and, therefore, never they renounce them.

They show that, as a deaf person, they have not heard it. Such people have lost the eligibility of being guided and have plunged in aberration.

It is in this case that Allah informs His Messenger (S) that if he invites them to the guidance and felicity, they will never be guided and they will never believe that this information has been proved. So they finally passed away with infidelity.

The verse says:

“…Verily We have laid veils on their hearts lest they understand it, and a heaviness in their ears: and if you call them unto guidance, even then will they never get guided in that case at all.”