The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 4) — Page 610
CH. 31 LUQMAN PT. 21 وَ مِنَ النَّاسِ مَنْ يَشْتَرِي لَهْوَ الْحَدِيثِ And of men is he who takes. 7 لِيُضِلَّ عَنْ سَبِيلِ اللهِ بِغَيْرِ عِلْمٍ guidance to lead men astray b وَيَتَّخِذَهَا هُزُوًا اَولَ لَهُمْ knowledge, and to make fun of عَذَابٌ مُّهِينٌ وَإِذَا تُتْلَى عَلَيْهِ أَيْتُنَا وَلَّى مُسْتَكْبِرًا idle tales in exchange for from the path of Allah, without it. For such there will be humiliating punishment. 3036 8. And when Our Signs are recited to him, he turns away S كَأَنْ لَمْ يَسْمَعْهَا كَانَ فِي أُذُنَيْهِ وَقُرًا proudly, as though he heard them not, as if there were a heaviness in both his ears. So announce to him a painful punishment. 3037 فَبَشِّرْهُ بِعَذَابٍ أَلِيمِ اِنَّ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصلح لَهُمْ Surely, those who believe. 9 الصَّلِحَتِ جَنَّتُ النَّعِيمِن and do good works—they will have Gardens of Delight, qualifying words used for the Quran in the above-mentioned Surahs have a subtle connection with their subject matter. A deep study of the context reveals the connection between the two. 3036. Commentary: Life is a very serious thing. Man has been created to serve a very noble and grand purpose. To this seriousness and sublimity of human life, an emphatic and pointed reference has been made in the words "do you think that We have created you in vain and that you will not return to Us" (23:116). But in spite of this emphatic admonition, men of frivolous turn of mind fritter away their precious time and energy in vain pursuits and foolish diversions, treating the signs of God lightly, with the result that (as the verse says) they meet with disgrace and failure in this life, and a humiliating punishment awaits them in the Hereafter. 3037. Commentary: The verse under comment explains another verse of the Quran (2:8) wherein it is stated that God sets a seal on the hearts of disbelievers and on their ears and eyes. The present verse makes it clear that man first turns away disdainfully from truth, and behaves arrogantly, and turns a deaf ear to the Divine Message and heavenly admonition, and then, as a result of his arrogant behaviour and attitude, his heart becomes, as it were, sealed and he is rendered spiritually blind and deaf. 2524