Section
[God’s signs require comprehension and worship]
His signs—exalted be He—impose two obligations:
- To understand them and ponder them, so that one may discern what they contain.
- To worship Him and humble oneself before Him once they are heard.
Thus, the very act of reciting His revelations and listening to them entails both duties. If someone listens to them yet fails to grasp their meaning, he is blameworthy; and if he understands them but does not act on what they contain, he is likewise blameworthy. In fact, everyone who hears them must both comprehend them and put them into practice, just as everyone is required to listen to them in the first place. Whoever turns away from listening to them is an unbeliever; whoever does not understand the commands they contain is an unbeliever; and whoever knows those commands yet neither affirms their obligatoriness nor carries them out is an unbeliever. It is on this basis that the Almighty censures the disbelievers, as in His words:
“So what is the matter with them that they turn away from the reminder, as though they were startled donkeys fleeing from a lion?” (74:49–51)
and His words:
“The disbelievers said, ‘Do not listen to this Quran, and drown it out with noise so that you may prevail.’” (41:26)
and His words:
“A Book whose verses have been set forth in detail—a Quran in Arabic for a people who understand—bringing glad tidings and warnings; yet most of them turn away, so they do not listen.” (41:3–4)
There are many other verses of the same import.