قُل هُوَ الَّذي أَنشَأَكُم وَجَعَلَ لَكُمُ السَّمعَ وَالأَبصارَ وَالأَفئِدَةَ ۖ قَليلًا ما تَشكُرونَ
Say: ‘It is He who created you, and made for you hearing, eyesight, and hearts. Little do you thank.’
EXEGESIS
Anshaʾa is used for creation, origination, and fostering. Therefore it sometimes involves an element of continuation and subsistence (after origination). Its usage in the Quran about the creation of mankind can be translated as ‘He has brought you about’ or ‘He has brought you out’ – that is out of the earth (11:61, 53:32), out of a single soul (6:98), after the previous generations and tribes (6:133), or has brought you about as immaterial spirits after you completed a series of material evolution (23:12-14).
EXPOSITION
The previous verses argued that other-than-God has no share in creation or subsistence; this verse argues that, instead, God should be believed in and worshipped. The argument posited in this verse is very tangible and practical, and talks to the heart and conscious of every human being. Upon introspection, every soul would admit this argument and submit to God out of love and yearning.
It is He who created you, and made for you hearing, eyesight, and hearts: not only is God your only source of help and sustenance, but you were created by Him to begin with, and your hearing, sight, and hearts are also in His hands and under His command. The stages of mankind’s creation by God, followed by the endowment of hearing, sight, and heart have been elaborated elsewhere in the Quran as follows: He commenced man’s creation from clay. Then He made his progeny from an extract of a base fluid. Then He proportioned him and breathed into him of His spirit, and made for you the hearing, the sight, and the hearts. Little do you thank (32:7-9).
This verse essentially entails the following argument: 1. God has created you and made for you hearing, eyesight, and hearts. 2. One who does so should be thanked. 3. Thus you should give thanks to God. The second premise is an intuitive and inherent ruling that includes its proof in itself. And as with the first premise, the proof for it is that mankind has not created himself (52:35-36), nor has any other creature created him (43:87); and neither he nor anyone else owns his hearing, sight, or heart: Say: ‘Tell me, should Allah take away your hearing and your sight and set a seal on your hearts, which god other than Allah can bring it [back] to you?’ Look, how We paraphrase the signs variously; nevertheless they turn away (6:46).
This verse is also closely related to verse 2 of this surah, which talks about the testing of mankind as the purpose of creation. Indeed, mankind has been endowed with hearing, eyesight, and heart so that he may be tested – in other words, so that he may show gratitude: Indeed We created man from the drop of a mixed fluid [that is, from the mixing of sperm and ovum] so that We may test him. So We made him endowed with hearing and sight. Indeed We have guided him to the way, be he grateful or ungrateful (76:2-3); Allah has brought you forth from the bellies of your mothers while you did not know anything. He made for you hearing, eyesight, and hearts so that you may give thanks (16:78).
The last part of the verse – Little do you thank – is a very strong and effective awakener of our hearts. It appeals to our own judgement: is it right and appropriate that you are so ungrateful to your Lord? O man! What has deceived you about your generous Lord, who created you and proportioned you, and gave you an upright nature? (82:6-7). The fact that God has mentioned the bounties of hearing, sight, and heart in many verses in the Quran indicates that these are great bounties of God that should really be pondered upon and thanked for. One may argue that hearing and eyesight have been mentioned here as a reference to all senses and faculties. Therefore, they are two crucial senses that nevertheless represent all five senses.
Of course, God is needless of people and their gratitude, and He is far more bountiful and compassionate than one who would reproach or punish his servants because of his bounties. All He wants from His servants is to use these bounties in the way of their own good and perfection. That is the meaning of showing gratitude for the bounties of God.
REVIEW OF TAFSĪR LITERATURE
There is certainly some wisdom and explanation behind the words that are chosen to appear in the Quran and the order in which they appear. However, this wisdom or explanation may not always be so clear. This verse and many other verses in the Quran have mentioned hearing before eyesight. As a result, some exegetes have argued that hearing is superior to vision in terms of function and importance. Others have tried to make biological or psychological inferences from this order. However, there is no solid ground, whether from within or without the Quran, for such loose interpretations. If such an order was because of importance and superiority, it should also be argued that hearing and eyesight are superior to the heart, which is certainly not true. It might actually be the other way around, for the main theme of the verse is describing God’s bounties and the need for gratitude. Therefore, one may argue that hearing is a great bounty of God; eyesight is greater; and the heart is the greatest of the three. God knows best.
INSIGHTS FROM OTHER TRADITIONS
- The hearing ear, and the seeing eye, the LORD hath made even both of them.
[1] Raghib; Tahqiq, under n-sh-ʾ.
[2] Mizan, 19/363.
[3] Razi, 30/595.
[4] Kashif, 7/382.
[5] Proverbs 20:12.