any good in them, He would have made them hear. But even if He had made them hear, they would have turned away in aversion.”

Allah Most High says (35:22):

“The blind and the seeing are not equal, nor darkness and light, nor shade and scorching heat. Nor are the living and the dead equal. Allah makes whom He wills hear, but you cannot make those in the graves hear. You are only a warner.”

This being made to hear is more specific than hearing the proof and the message conveyed, for they have already experienced the latter, and the proof has thereby been established against them. That is hearing with the ears; this is hearing with the heart. Speech has both wording and meaning, and relates to both the ear and the heart. Hearing its wording is the ear’s share, while hearing its true meaning and intent is the heart’s share. Allah, Glorified is He, denies that the disbelievers hear the intended meaning, which is the heart’s share, while affirming that they hear the words, which is the ear’s share, when He says (21:2–3):

“No new reminder comes to them from their Lord but they listen to it while at play, their hearts distracted.”

The only outcome of such hearing is that the proof is established against the listener, or that he is given access to it. As for the purpose of hearing, its fruit, and what is sought through it, these are not attained while the heart is distracted, heedless, and averse. Rather, the listener leaves, saying to someone who was present with him (47:16):

“‘What did he just say?’ Those are the ones whose hearts Allah has sealed.”

The difference between this rank and the rank of being granted understanding is that this rank is attained only through the ear, whereas being granted understanding is broader. In this respect, this rank is more specific than the rank of understanding. Yet the rank of understanding is more specific in another respect: it concerns the intended meaning, its implications, its related matters, and its indications. The rank of hearing, however, centers on conveying the intended message to the heart. From this hearing follows the hearing of acceptance.

There are thus three ranks: hearing with the ear, hearing with the heart, and hearing with acceptance and response.

Section

The Ninth Rank: Inspiration

Allah Most High says (91:7–8):

“By the soul and the One who fashioned it, then inspired it with its wickedness and its righteousness.”

And the Prophet ﷺ said to Husayn ibn al-Khuzā‘ī