أَفَمَن شَرَحَ اللَّهُ صَدرَهُ لِلإِسلامِ فَهُوَ عَلىٰ نورٍ مِن رَبِّهِ ۚ فَوَيلٌ لِلقاسِيَةِ قُلوبُهُم مِن ذِكرِ اللَّهِ ۚ أُولٰئِكَ في ضَلالٍ مُبينٍ

Is someone whose breast Allah has opened to Islam so that he follows a light from his Lord …? So woe to those whose hearts have been hardened to the remembrance of Allah. They are in manifest error.

EXEGESIS

Ṣadr: breast, chest, bosom. In the Quran, ṣadr and qalb (heart) denote the human soul, which is an immaterial entity, because of the similarity between the two: just as the physical heart and breast are central in one’s body and one’s physiological life, the soul is central in one’s reality and one’s human life. Another explanation for this meaning of ṣadr is that the activities of the bodily organs stem and emanate from (ṣadara, a verb from the same root as ṣadr) the immaterial soul. That is why it is called the ṣadr (source, origin).^{‎[1]Rahmah, 3/546.} See verse 22:46 for more discussion on the meaning of qalb and ṣadr in the Holy Quran.

The first part of the verse involves an incomplete question, as a sublime literary device, much like verses 9 and 19. But again, the second part of the verse clarifies the two sides of comparison: one whose breast Allah has opened to Islam vs. those whose hearts have been hardened to the remembrance of Allah.

In the Holy Quran, islām (submission) denotes the only recognised religion with God (3:19, 3:85). It is a universal reality that had its evolution throughout history, until it reached its perfection at the time of Prophet Muhammad (s) (5:3). In this verse, the expansion of the breast brings about a state of submission and humbleness, which makes one’s heart receptive to the light of guidance.

EXPOSITION

This verse provides yet another comparison between two groups of people. It complements another verse in the Quran: Whomever Allah desires to guide, He opens his breast to Islam, and whomever He desires to lead astray, He makes his breast narrow and straitened as if he were climbing to a height. Thus does Allah lay [spiritual] defilement on those who do not have faith (6:125). Putting the two verses together, he follows a light from his Lord means that he follows God’s guidance. Furthermore, those whose hearts have been hardened to the remembrance of Allah are the faithless, who have not qualified for God’s guidance due to their denial and defiance. Indeed, God’s guidance, whether in the form of the Quran or the Prophet, has been referred to as light (4:174-175, 5:15-16).

One difference between this verse and verse 6:125 is that here, God is credited for one’s expansion of breast but not for one’s hard-heartedness. This clarifies that the primary will and desire of God is to guide His servants, and He desires to lead astray only when a servant refuses God’s light and guidance. Hard-heartedness is the result of one’s own evil deeds, beliefs, and intentions.^{‎[2]Qaraati, 8/160.} See verses 2:26 and 4:79. It should also be noted that sometimes one’s breast is opened to disbelief, which refers to conscious denial of truth (16:106).

This verse provides a practical criterion by which we can check our share of guidance: if we do not find our hearts humbled and softened by the remembrance of God – most notably His Quran – then we are lacking God’s guidance, which is a light that expands the breast.

… he follows a light from his Lord: this description clarifies that the expansion of the breast is a state of insight and understanding that makes one follow a light from his Lord.^{‎[3]Mizan, 17/255.} The light is attributed to one’s Lord, which shows that this light is a result of God’s fostering and training of His servants. A few points can be deduced from the other verses that talk about this light: 1. This is a spiritual light, of which the faithless have no share (24:35-40). 2. The presence or absence of this light is what determines whether one is spiritually alive or dead (6:122). 3. It helps one distinguish between truth and falsehood, find the right path in society, and be a source of guidance for others (6:122, 57:28). 4. This light of guidance will manifest for the believers in the hereafter, and will show them the path to salvation and paradise (57:12-13, 66:8). 5. The conditions required to be on a light from God are to have faith in Allah, and hold fast to Him (4:175), and to follow [the course of] His pleasure (5:16).

INSIGHTS FROM HADITH

1. The Prophet said: ‘Refrain from excess speech in anything other than the remembrance of God because excess speech in anything other than the remembrance of God hardens the heart, and the farthest person from God is one with a hardened heart.’^{‎[4]Amali.T, p. 3.}
2. Prophet Jesus (a) advised his disciples: ‘Do not talk much except for the remembrance of God; that would harden your hearts. And one with a hardened heart is far away from God, even though he may not realise.’^{‎[5]Suyuti, 5/325.}
3. The Prophet said: ‘Sleeping right after eating hardens the heart.’^{‎[6]Suyuti, 5/325.}
4. The Prophet said: ‘Digest your food by invocation and prayer. Do not sleep right after, for that would harden your hearts.’^{‎[7]Suyuti, 5/325.}
5. The Prophet said: ‘Three things bring about hard-heartedness: love of food, love of sleep, and love of comfort.’^{‎[8]Suyuti, 5/325.}

Note: The above narrations are a selection of some hadiths concerning the causes of hard-heartedness.^{‎[9]Suyuti, 5/325; Tirmidhi, 4/32, h. 2523; Kanz, 1/439, h. 1894-1895.} These are very practical guidelines, but by no means do they limit the scope of the verse.

6. The Prophet was once asked: ‘What is the expansion of the breast?’ He replied: ‘When the light [of God’s guidance] enters one’s heart, the heart expands and opens.’ He was asked: ‘And what is the sign of that, O Messenger of God?’ He said: ‘Turning to the eternal abode [i.e. the hereafter], refraining from the abode of deception [i.e. this world], and preparing for death before its advent.’^{‎[10]Rawḍat al-Wāʿiẓīn, 2/448; Suyuti, 5/325; Thalabi, 4/187 and 8/229.}

Notes: 1. There are several variations of this narration, mostly reported concerning verse 6:125, which is also about the expansion of the heart. 2. The expansion of the heart means the freedom of the soul from the corporeal world, which is a realm of limitations and determinations, and instead turning one’s attention, actions, and intention toward the realm of immateriality and eternity. This complies with the common symbolism of light as a symbol of immateriality. It also connects this verse to the last one: the last verse talked about the limitation and constriction of this world, while this verse contrasts that with the expansion of one’s heart toward the light of immateriality.

REVIEW OF TAFSĪR LITERATURE

The remembrance of God expands the breast, illuminates the heart, and polishes the intellect.^{‎[11]Ghurar, h. 3629ff; Nahj, sermon 222.} So how come in this verse God’s remembrance is a source of hardening and darkening the heart? This question is applicable if the verse is translated as: So woe to those whose hearts have been hardened due to the remembrance of Allah. Some exegetes have answered this question by noting that this hard-heartedness is due to the defiance and perverseness of the people.^{‎[12]Zamakhshari, 4/122; Razi, 26/441; Daqaiq, 11/297; Alusi, 12/246-247.} Therefore, God’s remembrance is much like the Quran (which is actually the clearest example of the remembrance of Allah in this verse): We send down in the Quran that which is a cure and mercy for the faithful; and it increases the wrongdoers only in loss (17:82).

However, the verse does not mean that God’s remembrance causes or brings about hard-heartedness. Rather, it describes hearts that are closed and unreceptive to God’s remembrance in the first place, not hearts that increase in darkness and defiance in response to reminders or the Quran. The following verses clarify what is meant here: There does not come to them any new reminder from their Lord but they listen to it as they play around, their hearts set on diversions (21:2-3); There would not come to them any new reminder from the All-Beneficent but that they used to disregard it (26:5). This could also explain why the expansion of the heart is not contrasted with its contraction, but with its hardness and impenetrability.

INSIGHTS FROM OTHER TRADITIONS

1. Happy is the man that feareth always: but he that hardeneth his heart shall fall into mischief.^{‎[13]Proverbs 28:14.}

[1] Rahmah, 3/546.
[2] Qaraati, 8/160.
[3] Mizan, 17/255.
[4] Amali.T, p. 3.
[5] Suyuti, 5/325.
[6] Suyuti, 5/325.
[7] Suyuti, 5/325.
[8] Suyuti, 5/325.
[9] Suyuti, 5/325; Tirmidhi, 4/32, h. 2523; Kanz, 1/439, h. 1894-1895.
[10] Rawḍat al-Wāʿiẓīn, 2/448; Suyuti, 5/325; Thalabi, 4/187 and 8/229.
[11] Ghurar, h. 3629ff; Nahj, sermon 222.
[12] Zamakhshari, 4/122; Razi, 26/441; Daqaiq, 11/297; Alusi, 12/246-247.
[13] Proverbs 28:14.