And He likewise said concerning those who neither comprehend nor contemplate His signs:

“Had Allah known any good in them, He would have made them hear; and even if He had made them hear, they would still have turned away in aversion.” [8:23]

Here He condemns them for failing to understand; and even if they had understood, they would not have acted on what they knew.

The Exalted also says:

“Do not be like those who say, ‘We hear,’ while they do not hear. The worst of creatures in Allah’s sight are the deaf and the mute who do not use reason. Had Allah known any good in them, He would have made them hear.” [8:21, 23]

And He says:

“Those who, when reminded of the revelations of their Lord, do not fall upon them as though deaf and blind.” [25:73]

Ibn Qutaybah commented: “They did not pretend to ignore the verses, as though they were deaf who had never heard them, blind who had never seen them.”

Another scholar of language said: “They did not remain in their former state.”