Logic For Islamic Rules

Hearing and Sight in the Holy Quran

Question: What is the reason that in the following verse of the Holy Quran the word Samaa is in singular, but Qalb and Basar are used in plural form.

Allah has set a seal upon their hearts and upon their hearing and there is a covering over their eyes. [Surah Baqarah 2:7]

Answer: Some commentators say that here, Sama is in the sense of noun of action and when on some word there is an increase of noun of action, then that noun of action gives the meaning of totality and generality. And it is not dependant on that word to be plural. But the other two words i.e. Qalb and Basar are used in the sense as a name of a specific organ. That is why they have come in plural form.

Some research scholars have described this difference that every person understands the things of various types with his heart and imagination. And in the same way he perceives colors, faces, shapes and measurements with eyes. The perception of those two organs are numerous and exceptionally of various kinds. According to this every person from among us has, so to say, numerous hearts and eyes. But everyone from among us can hear only the sound waves and for that reason the word Sama is used as a singular.

It is true that voices are also of many varieties, but not that much as those things, which can be seen with the eyes. In the same way those things are also exceptionally various and diverse, whom one imagines and understands.