Verse 88 of Surah Al-Baqarah, regarded as one of the majestic and profound verses of this chapter, opens a gateway towards understanding human reactions to divine guidance and the consequences of disbelief and arrogance. This verse, with its brevity and intensity of address, engages in a psychological, theological, and rhetorical analysis of human behaviours when confronted with divine truth. The claim of "قالوا قلوبنا غلف" (They said, "Our hearts are covered") and the resolute divine response "بل لعنهم الله بكفرهم" (Nay, Allah has cursed them for their disbelief) not only critiques human justifications for major sins but also emphasises accountability and the necessity of self-awareness. This writing consolidates the lecture content and exegetical analyses to present this verse in a scientific and systematic framework, utilising a refined language appropriate for an academic environment, providing specialists with a tool for profound reflection on Quranic meanings.
"Our heart is a cover" attempts to justify sins through divine nature, which God rejects.وَقَالُوا قُلُوبُنَا غُلْفٌ ۚ بَلْ لَعَنَهُمُ اللَّهُ بِكُفْرِهِمْ فَقَلِيلًا مَا يُؤْمِنُونَ
And they said: "Our hearts are enveloped." Nay, Allah has cursed them for their disbelief, so little is that which they believe.
This verse, with unparalleled brevity and an abrupt shift in rhythm from narration to direct address, invites the audience to contemplate its profound meaning. The claim "Our hearts are enveloped" by the people is an attempt to justify their incapacity to accept the truth, whereas the divine response "Nay, Allah has cursed them for their disbelief" decisively rejects this claim.
The conciseness of the verse, accompanied by the sudden transition from narrating the prophets messages to a stern address to the people, intensifies its interpretive complexity. This rhythm change, akin to the transition from the calm of a plain to a sudden storm, directs the audience towards reflection on the severity of divine rebuke. From a rhetorical perspective, this brevity draws attention and emphasises the gravity of the divine message; from a psychological perspective, it points to the challenges humans face in grasping the truth.
The opening (صدر) of the verse, concerning the prophets narratives and divine guidance, contrasts markedly in content and rhythm with the closing (ذیل), which is devoted to stern address towards the people. This difference, like two sides of a coin, portrays the relationship between divine guidance and human responses. The opening, referencing verses such as وَلَقَدْ آتَيْنَا مُوسَى الْكِتَابَ وَقَفَّيْنَا مِنْ بَعْدِهِ بِالرُّسُلِ (Al-Baqarah: 87), denotes divine favour and support for the prophets, while the closing, with its severe reprimand أَفَكُلَّمَا جَاءَكُمْ رَسُولٌ بِمَا لَا تَهْوَىٰ أَنْفُسُكُمْ اسْتَكْبَرْتُمْ (Al-Baqarah: 87), addresses human arrogance and denial.
A complete pause (وقف مطلق) at the end of the prophetic narrative section is incorrect and must be replaced by a prohibition of stopping (وقف ممنوع, la) to preserve semantic continuity with the direct address segment. This continuity, like a bridge linking two shores, connects divine guidance and human responsibility in a semantic chain. From a recitational perspective, this prohibition of pause underscores the importance of structural cohesion in the verse, and from an exegetical standpoint, it stresses the necessity of understanding guidance and rebuke as an integrated whole.
The structural and rhetorical analysis of verse 88 of Surah Al-Baqarah reveals that this verse, through brevity and intense address, serves as one of the Qurans majestic verses in elucidating the relationship between divine guidance and human reactions. The shift in rhythm from narration to address, like playing a swift tune after a calm melody, invites the audience to reflect on the seriousness of the divine message.
"قُلُوبُنَا غُلْفٌ"The phrase "Our hearts are ghulf" means Our hearts are a hard covering, not Our hearts have a covering. This claim, like a sword with only its sheath remaining and the blade lost, indicates a lack of essential heart substance, transforming the heart into a hard shell. Linguistically, "غُلْفٌ" is the plural of "غِلاف", referring to a hard and impenetrable covering, in contrast to "أَغْلَف", which denotes a softer covering. This distinction, comparable to the difference between stone and cloth, illustrates the severity of the hearts obstruction.
Some exegetes erroneously rendered "قُلُوبُنَا غُلْفٌ" as "لِقُلُوبِنَا غِلَافٌ" (Our hearts have a covering), which distorts the verses meaning. This error, like playing an incorrect melody on a musical instrument, complicates the verses semantic depth and highlights the necessity of interpretive precision. The claim Our heart is a sheath implies intrinsic obstruction, whereas has a sheath suggests an incidental condition, inconsistent with the verses text.
"Our heart is a sheath" is an attempt to justify the intrinsic nature of the hearts obstruction, but God refutes this by stating "Nay, Allah has cursed them for their disbelief", introducing disbelief as the primary cause.The claim "Our hearts are ghulf" represents a psychological defence mechanism to evade responsibility. The people endeavour to attribute their sins, including denial and killing of prophets, to an inherent flaw in their nature, like a patient blaming their illness on divine destiny. This defence, like a shield against the truth, implies denial of the pure divine innate disposition and human free will.
Gods phrase "Nay, Allah has cursed them for their disbelief" rejects the claim of ghulf and designates disbelief as the principal cause of deviation. The particle "بل" here acts as a reverse emphasis, like a gear shifting backwards from forward motion, negating the claim of inherent heart obstruction and emphasising disbelief. Theologically, this response implies human accountability for their deeds, and psychologically, it highlights the necessity of self-awareness and behavioural correction.
The divine curse, expressed by "لَعَنَهُمُ" instead of "لَعَنَكُمْ", indicates a cessation of address and the severity of divine rebuke. This change of pronoun, like closing the gate of mercy, signifies the distance of the disbelievers from divine guidance. The curse is the consequence of disbelief, arrogance, denial, and killing of prophetsnot a defect in creation. This message, like a warning amid a storm, cautions humans that their deeds lead either to ruin or salvation.
The psychological and theological analysis of verse 88 of Surah Al-Baqarah demonstrates that the claim "Our heart is a sheath" is an attempt