“Among them are those who listen to you, but We have placed coverings over their hearts, lest they understand it, and deafness in their ears. Even if they were to see every sign, they would not believe in it. Then, when they come to you disputing with you, those who disbelieve say, ‘This is nothing but tales of the ancients.’ (25) They forbid others from it and keep themselves away from it. They destroy none but themselves, though they do not realize it. (26)”
His saying, exalted is He: “Among them are those who listen to you”—to the end of the verse. Al-Kalbi said: Abu Sufyan ibn Harb, Abu Jahl ibn Hisham, al-Walid ibn al-Mughirah, al-Nadr ibn al-Harith, Utbah and Shaybah, the sons of Rabi'ah, Umayyah and Ubayy, the sons of Khalaf, and al-Harith ibn Amir gathered together to listen to the Quran. They said to al-Nadr, “O Abu Qutaylah, what is Muhammad saying?” He replied, “I do not know what he is saying; all I see is that he moves his tongue and recounts tales of the ancients, like the accounts I used to tell you about bygone generations.” Al-Nadr frequently related accounts of past generations and their histories. (1)
Abu Sufyan said, “I consider some of what he says to be true.” Abu Jahl replied, “No, we shall not acknowledge any of this.” Another report states: “Death is easier for us than this.” Thereupon Allah, exalted is He, revealed: “Among them are those who listen to you,” and to your speech, “but We have placed coverings over their hearts”—that is, veils, the plural of kinan (covering), just as a'innah is the plural of 'inan (rein)—“lest they understand it,” meaning, lest they comprehend it. It was said that the meaning is: so that they do not understand it. It was also said: because they dislike understanding it. “And deafness in their ears,” meaning deafness and heaviness.
This is evidence that Allah Most High turns hearts: He opens some of them to guidance, while placing coverings over others, so that they neither comprehend the words of Allah nor believe. “Even if they were to see every sign,” among the miracles and proofs, “they would not believe in it. Then, when they come to you disputing with you, those who disbelieve say, ‘This is nothing but tales of the ancients,’” meaning their accounts and stories. Tales is the plural of usturah and istarah. It was also said that it means nonsense and falsehoods. Its origin is from satartu: “I wrote.”
“They forbid others from it,” that is, they forbid people from following Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, “and keep themselves away from it,” meaning that they themselves keep far away from him. It was revealed concerning the disbelievers of Mecca, as stated by Muhammad ibn al-Hanafiyyah, al-Suddi, and al-Dahhak. Qatadah said: They forbid people from the Quran and from the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, and keep themselves away from him.
Ibn Abbas and Muqatil (2) said that it was revealed concerning Abu Talib. He used to forbid people from harming the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, and restrain them, yet he kept himself away from believing in him—that is, he remained distant. It is related that the leading polytheists gathered before him and said, “Take one of our most handsome young men, and hand Muhammad over to us.” Abu Talib replied, “You have not dealt fairly with me: I hand my son over to you for you to kill him, while I raise