What Does Their Hearts Have Been Stained (83:14) Mean?
ما معنى "ران على قلوبهم"؟
What does "their hearts have been stained" mean?
The answer explains the verse (Al-Mutaffifin 83:14): because of the many sins people committed and their persistence in them without repentance, a covering of stain and rust has wrapped their hearts and blocks the light of truth, until Allah made their hearts blind and their feeling died.
1. The Accumulation of Sins
It means that because of all the evil people have committed, a layer of stains has covered their hearts. As a direct result of the continuous accumulation of their sins without seeking forgiveness, this dark barrier forms, blocking out any light or truth from entering.
2. Spiritual Blindness
Once this layer hardens, Allah Almighty has made their hearts become blind, resulting in their complete loss of feelings. The person becomes spiritually numb, unable to distinguish between right and wrong, and feels no guilt when committing further evil.
3. The Quranic Warning
Allah Almighty explicitly warns against this dangerous spiritual condition in the Quran, confirming that evil deeds are the root cause of this heart stain.
Allah says: (But no! In fact, their hearts have been stained by all the evil they used to commit!) Surah Al Mutaffifin 83: 14.
ما معنى "ران على قلوبهم"؟
يفسر الجواب الآية (المطففين 83:14): من كثرة الذنوب وإصرار الناس على المعاصي دون توبة صارت على قلوبهم طبقة غشاوة وصدأ تمنع دخول نور الحق، حتى جعل الله قلوبهم عمياء ومات إحساسهم.
تراكم الذنوب والمعاصي
أي أن من كثرة الذنوب التي فعلها الناس، وبسبب إصرارهم على فعل المعاصي وتراكم ذنوبهم دون توبة، صار هناك طبقة غشاوة وصدأ تغلف قلوبهم وتمنع دخول نور الحق إليها.
عمى القلب وموت الإحساس
وبمجرد أن تتصلب هذه الطبقة، جعل الله تعالى قلوبهم تعمى وتصبح عمياء حتى مات إحساسهم. فيتبلد شعور الإنسان الروحي، ويفقد القدرة على التمييز بين الحق والباطل، ولا يشعر بأي ذنب عند ارتكاب المزيد من السيئات.
التحذير القرآني
يحذر الله تعالى بوضوح من هذه الحالة الروحية الخطيرة في القرآن الكريم، مؤكدا أن الأعمال السيئة هي السبب الجذري لهذا الران.
قال الله تعالى: (كَلَّا ۖ بَلْ ۜ رَانَ عَلَىٰ قُلُوبِهِم مَّا كَانُوا يَكْسِبُونَ ﴿١٤﴾) المطففين 83: 14.
1. A Black Spot on the Heart | نكتة سوداء
The Prophet said: When a servant commits a sin, a black spot is placed on his heart; if he withdraws, seeks forgiveness, and repents, his heart is polished; but if he returns to it, the spot is increased until it covers his heart, and that is the stain that Allah mentioned: no, rather, what they used to earn has stained their hearts (Jami at-Tirmidhi 3334, which al-Tirmidhi called hasan sahih).
قال رسول الله ﷺ: "إن العبد إذا أخطأ خطيئة نكتت في قلبه نكتة سوداء فإذا هو نزع واستغفر وتاب سقل قلبه وإن عاد زيد فيها حتى تعلو قلبه وهو الران الذي ذكر الله" (جامع الترمذي 3334، وقال: حسن صحيح).
2. Sin Upon Sin | الذنب على الذنب
Ibn Kathir reports from al-Hasan al-Basri: it is sin upon sin until the heart becomes blind and dies; and so said Mujahid, Qatada, Ibn Zayd, and others (Tafsir Ibn Kathir, Al-Mutaffifin 83:14). This is the blindness and loss of feeling that the answer describes.
نقل ابن كثير عن الحسن البصري: "هو الذنب على الذنب حتى يعمى القلب فيموت"، وقال: "وكذا قال مجاهد بن جبر وقتادة وابن زيد وغيرهم" (تفسير ابن كثير، المطففين 83:14). وهذا هو العمى وموت الإحساس الذي وصفه الجواب.
3. Two Kinds of Hearts | على قلبين
The Prophet said: Trials are presented to hearts like a reed mat, strand by strand; any heart that absorbs them gets a black spot, and any heart that rejects them gets a white spot, until hearts become of two kinds: white like a smooth stone, which no trial harms as long as the heavens and earth remain, and dark and dusky like an overturned jug, which knows no good and rejects no evil except what it has absorbed of its desires (Sahih Muslim 144).
قال رسول الله ﷺ: "تعرض الفتن على القلوب كالحصير عودا عودا فأي قلب أشربها نكت فيه نكتة سوداء وأي قلب أنكرها نكت فيه نكتة بيضاء حتى تصير على قلبين على أبيض مثل الصفا فلا تضره فتنة ما دامت السموات والأرض والآخر أسود مربادا كالكوز مجخيا لا يعرف معروفا ولا ينكر منكرا إلا ما أشرب من هواه" (صحيح مسلم 144).
Frequently Asked Questions | الأسئلة الشائعة
What does the stain on the hearts mean in Al-Mutaffifin 83:14?
The answer explains it as a covering of rust formed by persistent sins without repentance, until the heart is blinded and its feeling dies.
How does a sin affect the heart?
The Prophet said a sin leaves a black spot on the heart, and returning to sin increases it until it covers the heart (Jami at-Tirmidhi 3334).
Can a stained heart be cleaned?
Yes. In the same hadith, if the servant withdraws, seeks forgiveness, and repents, his heart is polished (Jami at-Tirmidhi 3334).
What did al-Hasan al-Basri say about the stain?
He said: it is sin upon sin until the heart becomes blind and dies (Tafsir Ibn Kathir).