The Order of Hearing and Sight in the Qur’an: An Analysis

During my classes on Tafsir (interpretation) of some Surahs of the Qur’an at Cambridge Islamic College on Saturday and Sunday, 15th–16th Ramadan, I received numerous questions. Among them was: “Why does the Qur’an sometimes place hearing (السمع) before sight (البصر), and at other times reverse the order?”

This is a frequently asked question, so I said, “It is necessary to reflect deeply to provide an accurate answer.” Upon reviewing the interpretations of exegetes and scholars regarding why hearing is sometimes mentioned before sight and vice versa, I was surprised by the superficial nature of their explanations.

I revisited the verses mentioning hearing and sight and noticed that the Qur’an frequently pairs hearing (السمع), sight (البصر), and the heart (الفؤاد). I found that whenever the heart (الفؤاد) is mentioned first, sight (البصر) precedes hearing (السمع); and when the heart is mentioned last, hearing precedes sight. From this observation, I realised that the Qur’an employs the two well-known linguistic orders present in Arabic and other languages:

Ascending Order: arranging from lesser to greater, such as counting numbers from one to a hundred, or naming children from youngest to oldest. An example from the Qur’an is the mention of prophets: Jesus (Isa), Moses (Musa), Abraham (Ibrahim), and Noah (Nuh) in ascending chronological order—this subtlety often eludes orientalists and their followers.

Descending Order: arranging from greater to lesser, such as counting numbers from a hundred down to one, or naming children from oldest to youngest. Similarly, the Qur’an often lists prophets from Noah, then Abraham, Moses, and Jesus, following their historical sequence.

Thus, the Qur’an mentions hearing and sight sometimes in ascending order, and sometimes in descending order. Below is an explanation:

Verses with Ascending Order:
Ascending order is more frequent because it provides a stronger rhetorical argument, moving from a weaker to a stronger sense. Examples include:

“And Allah has brought you forth from the wombs of your mothers knowing nothing—but He has given you hearing, sight, and hearts so that you may be grateful.” (Surah An-Nahl, 16:78)

“And He it is Who has created for you hearing, sight, and hearts; yet little do you give thanks.” (Surah Al-Mu’minun, 23:78)

“Then He fashioned him and breathed into him of His spirit; and appointed for you hearing, sight, and hearts. Yet little thanks do you give.” (Surah As-Sajdah, 32:9)

“Say, He it is Who has created you and made for you hearing, sight, and hearts—yet little thanks do you give.” (Surah Al-Mulk, 67:23)

“We had established them in positions we have not established you in; We gave them hearing, sight, and hearts; yet neither their hearing, sight, nor hearts availed them, since they rejected Allah’s signs.” (Surah Al-Ahqaf, 46:26)

“Do not pursue that of which you have no knowledge; surely the hearing, sight, and heart—all of these shall be questioned.” (Surah Al-Isra’, 17:36)

“Say, ‘Have you considered, if Allah should take away your hearing and your sight, and seal your hearts, what god other than Allah could restore them to you?'” (Surah Al-An’am, 6:46)

In all these verses, ascending order (hearing, then sight, then heart) is maintained. The same ascending order applies even in verses where the heart isn’t explicitly mentioned:

“Indeed, We created man from a drop of mixed fluid, testing him; and We gave him hearing and sight.” (Surah Al-Insan, 76:2)

“Those will not be able to escape in the land, nor have they protectors besides Allah. Their punishment will be doubled; they could neither hear nor see.” (Surah Hud, 11:20)

“Until when they come to it, their hearing, sight, and skins will testify against them regarding what they used to do…” (Surah Fussilat, 41:20-22)

Also, in the verse:

“Have you seen him who takes his own desires as his god, whom Allah has knowingly caused to stray, sealing his hearing and heart, and placing a veil upon his sight?” (Surah Al-Jathiyah, 45:23)

Here, ascending order is preserved between hearing and heart, with sight mentioned separately, thus maintaining consistency.

Verses with Descending Order:
Examples include:

“They have hearts with which they do not understand, eyes with which they do not see, ears with which they do not hear.” (Surah Al-A’raf, 7:179)

Here, the order is descending: heart, sight, then hearing, which is rare. Other examples are:

“If only you could see when the guilty ones bow their heads before their Lord, saying, ‘Our Lord, we have seen and heard.'” (Surah As-Sajdah, 32:12)

“Do they have eyes with which they see, or ears with which they hear?” (Surah Al-A’raf, 7:195)

“Those whose eyes had been covered against My remembrance, who were unable even to hear.” (Surah Al-Kahf, 18:101)

“They thought there would be no trial, thus they became blind and deaf. Then Allah turned to them in mercy, but again many of them became blind and deaf.” (Surah Al-Ma’idah, 5:71)

“Nor can you guide the blind out of their error. You can only make hear those who believe in Our revelations and have submitted.” (Surah An-Naml, 27:81)

“Say, ‘Allah knows best how long they tarried. His is the unseen of the heavens and earth. How clearly He sees and hears!'” (Surah Al-Kahf, 18:26)

Also noteworthy are verses like:

“Allah has sealed their hearts and their hearing, and there is a veil over their sight.” (Surah Al-Baqarah, 2:7)

Here, the descending order is maintained between heart and hearing, with sight mentioned separately. Another example:

“Those are the ones whom Allah has sealed their hearts, hearing, and sight—they are heedless.” (Surah An-Nahl, 16:108)

And similarly:

“They said, ‘Our hearts are covered from what you invite us to, and there is deafness in our ears, and between us and you is a barrier.'” (Surah Fussilat, 41:5)

We must not forget that the Qur’an employs each order for a particular wisdom, which becomes clear upon slight reflection. For instance, whenever human creation and accountability for their faculties are discussed, ascending order is chosen. Conversely, descending order appears when highlighting human negligence or heedlessness.

There is more depth to this discussion, but what I have mentioned suffices, and praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds.

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This article was translated by AI.
Original source: https://t.me/DrAkramNadwi/5927

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