of someone saying: “My heart is a receptacle, and the hearts of learned believers are receptacles”—meaning vessels for knowledge?
A receptacle may contain good or bad things. Thus, describing the heart as a receptacle does not necessarily mean that it contains knowledge and wisdom. This is perfectly clear.
If it is asked: “What, then, is the meaning of the corrective ‘Rather’ according to the interpretation you have endorsed? On the other interpretation, its meaning is clear: your hearts are not repositories of knowledge and wisdom; rather, they are sealed.”
The answer is that the corrective force is perfectly clear. They argued that Allah had not opened the way for them to understand and recognize what the Messenger had brought, but had instead enclosed their hearts in coverings, preventing them from understanding it. How, then, could it establish a binding proof against them? It is as though they claimed that their hearts had been created covered, so that they were excused for not believing. Allah declared their claim false, saying:
“Rather, Allah has cursed them for their disbelief.”
And in the other verse, 4:154:
“Rather, Allah has sealed them for their disbelief.”
He, glorified is He, thus explained that their hearts were sealed and they were deprived of His enabling guidance and bounty only because of the disbelief they had chosen for themselves and preferred over faith. He therefore punished them for it with sealing and a curse.
The meaning is that He did not create their hearts covered, unable to comprehend or understand, and then command them to believe when they could not understand it. Rather, they committed deeds for which We punished them by sealing their hearts and closing them off.
[Surah al-Baqarah (2): verse 94]
“Say, ‘If the home of the Hereafter with Allah is exclusively for you and not for others, then wish for death, if you are truthful.’” (94)
There is a well-known discussion of this verse among the scholars.
They said that it is a miracle of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, through which he confounded the Jews. He challenged them to wish for death and declared that they would never wish for it. This is one of the signs of his prophethood, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, since no one