Al Baqarah

وَلَقَدْ آتَيْنَا مُوسَى الْكِتَابَ وَقَفَّيْنَا مِن بَعْدِهِ بِالرُّسُلِ وَآتَيْنَا عِيسَى ابْنَ مَرْيَمَ الْبَيِّنَاتِ وَأَيَّدْنَاهُ بِرُوحِ الْقُدُسِ أَفَكُلَّمَا جَاءكُمْ رَسُولٌ بِمَا لاَ تَهْوَى أَنفُسُكُمُ اسْتَكْبَرْتُمْ فَفَرِيقاً كَذَّبْتُمْ وَفَرِيقاً تَقْتُلُونَ

And We gave Moses the Book, and after him sent Messengers in succession; and We gave Jesus, son of Mary, clear Signs, and confirmed him with the Holy Spirit. Is it that whensoever (thereafter) there came to you a Messenger, with what yourselves desire not, you became arrogant? Some you denied, and others you slay. (2:87)

وَقَالُواْ قُلُوبُنَا غُلْفٌ بَل لَّعَنَهُمُ اللَّه بِكُفْرِهِمْ فَقَلِيلاً مَّا يُؤْمِنُونَ

And they said: ‘Our hearts are covered’. Nay! Allah has cursed them for their disbelief. Little is that which they believe. (2:88)

Their Covered Hearts

In these verses, again, the Children of Israel are addressed. Yet the concepts and criteria mentioned in them are universal and apply to all. At first, it says:

And We gave Moses the Book, and after him sent Messengers in succession… (2:87)

There came Messengers such as David, Solomon, Joshua, Zacharia and John.

…and We gave Jesus, son of Mary, clear Signs, and confirmed him with the Holy Spirit… (2:87)

…Is it that whensoever (thereafter) there came to you a Messenger, with what yourselves desire not, you became arrogant? (2:87)

This domination of desire on you was so intense that from among those prophets:

…Some you denied, and others you slay. (2:87)

This verse makes a fact clear that the Divine apostles, when communicating their prophecies, on the path of Allah, were heedless of the oppositions of the materialists. And, it must be so, because a correct sincere leadership is not anything save that. If prophets tend to follow the unconditioned desires of people and adapt themselves to people’s selfish inclinations, they will be the followers of the misled, rather than being a divine leader for the followers of the path of truth.

And they said: ‘Our hearts are covered.’ Nay! Allah has cursed them for their disbelief… (2:88)

And it is for the same reason that:

…Little is that which they believe. (2:88)

The above sentence may be about the Jews who either rejected the prophets (S) or killed them. It is also probable that it refers to the Jews who were contemporary with the Holy Prophet (S) and used to inflexibly oppose him with obstinacy and enmity. However, it states the fact that Man, following his desires, may reach a point that he be cursed by Allah and be deprived of His Mercy. It is in this case that his heart is enclosed in a covering so tight that the truth can rarely penetrate into it.