Al-Anfaal 8:22

"Indeed, the worst of living creatures in the sight of Allāh are the deaf and dumb who do not use reason [i.e., the disbelievers]."

The Command to obey Allah and His Messenger

Allah commands His believing servants to obey Him and His Messenger and warns them against defying him and imitating the disbelievers who reject him. Allah said,

وَلاَ تَوَلَّوْاْ عَنْهُ

(and turn not away from him...), neither refrain from obeying him or following his commands nor indulge in what he forbade,

وَأَنتُمْ تَسْمَعُونَ

(while you are hearing.) after you gained knowledge of his Message,

وَلاَ تَكُونُواْ كَالَّذِينَ قَالُواْ سَمِعْنَا وَهُمْ لاَ يَسْمَعُونَ

(And be not like those who say: "We have heard," but they hear not.)

Ibn Ishaq said that this Ayah refers to the hypocrites, who pretend to hear and obey, while in fact they do neither. Allah declares that these are the most wicked creatures among the Children of Adam,

إِنَّ شَرَّ الدَّوَابِّ عِندَ اللَّهِ الصُّمُّ

(Verily, the worst of living creatures with Allah are the deaf) who do not hear the truth,

الْبُكْمُ

(and the dumb) who cannot comprehend it,

الَّذِينَ لاَ يَعْقِلُونَ

(who understand not. ) These indeed are the most wicked creatures, for every creature except them abide by the way that Allah created in them. These people were created to worship Allah, but instead disbelieved. This is why Allah equated them to animals, when He said,

وَمَثَلُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ كَمَثَلِ الَّذِى يَنْعِقُ بِمَا لاَ يَسْمَعُ إِلاَّ دُعَآءً وَنِدَآءً

(And the example of those who disbelieve is as that of him who shouts to those that hear nothing but calls and cries.) 2:171, and,

أُوْلَـئِكَ كَالأَنْعَـمِ بَلْ هُمْ أَضَلُّ أُوْلَـئِكَ هُمُ الْغَـفِلُونَ

(They are like cattle, nay even more astray; those! They are the heedless ones.) 7:179

It was also said that the Ayah (8:22) refers to some of the pagans of Quraysh from the tribe of Bani `Abd Ad-Dar, according to Ibn `Abbas, Mujahid and Ibn Jarir. Muhammad bin Ishaq said that this Ayah refers to hypocrites, as we stated. There is no contradiction here, because both disbelievers and hypocrites are devoid of sound comprehension, in addition to having lost the intention to do good. Allah states here that such are those who neither have sound understanding nor good intentions, even if they have some type of reason,

وَلَوْ عَلِمَ اللَّهُ فِيهِمْ خَيْرًا لأَسْمَعَهُمْ

(Had Allah known of any good in them, He would indeed have made them listen.)

He would have helped them understand. However, this did not happen because there is no goodness in such people, for Allah knows that,

وَلَوْ أَسْمَعَهُمْ

(even if He had made them listen...) and allowed them to understand,

لَتَوَلَّواْ

(they would but have turned...), intentionally and out of stubbornness, even after they comprehend,

وَهُم مُّعْرِضُونَ

(with aversion.), to the truth.

Самыми скверными из живых существ являются те, которые не извлекают пользы из знамений и назиданий. Они глухи и немы, когда речь заходит об истине. Они не способны понять, что может принести им пользу, дабы отдать этому предпочтение перед тем, что причиняет им сущий вред. Такие творения занимают перед Аллахом худшее положение, нежели самые скверные животные. Аллах одарил их слухом, зрением и разумом для того, чтобы они пользовались ими и повиновались своему Господу, а они пользуются ими для совершения грехов, лишая себя великого блага. Они - антиподы наилучших из творений; они отказались следовать прямым путем и предпочли быть худшими из существ. Слухом, которого они лишены, является способность вникать в услышанное. Однако они не лишены способности слышать вообще, и поэтому Всевышний Аллах довел до их сведения истину. Они слышали Его аяты и знамения, но это не принесло им пользы, поскольку Ему было известно, что в них нет добра и что они не достойны внимать Его знамениям надлежащим образом.

The third verse (22) strongly condemns those who do not listen to what is the truth thoughtfully and let it go unaccepted. The Qur'an has declared such people to be worse than animals. The words used are: إِنَّ شَرَّ‌ الدَّوَابِّ عِندَ اللَّـهِ الصُّمُّ الْبُكْمُ الَّذِينَ لَا يَعْقِلُونَ ﴿22﴾ (Surely, the worst of all animals in the sight of Allah are the deaf and the dumb who do not understand).

The word: دوابّ (dawabb) is the plural form of: دَآبَّۃ (dābbah). Literally, everything that walks on the earth is called 'dābbah.' But, in usage, only quadruped animals are called 'dābbah.' So, the sense of the verse is that the worst quadrupeds in the sight of Allah are the ones deaf against listening to the truth and dumb when it comes to accepting it. Even someone deaf and dumb could, if he has the least fund of reason in him, make himself understood by simple gestures in a two-way communication. But, these people are not only deaf and dumb, they are short on reason also. It is obvious that for a person, who is deaf, dumb; and devoid of reason too, the lines of communication shall remain blocked and there will be no way they would understand or be made to understand.

In this verse, Allah Ta` ala has made it clear that human beings have been created with the best of destiny. They have been made the superior-most among the created and the universe has been placed at their service. These are great blessings which lie embedded in and dependent on listening to truth and obeying it. Once human beings turn their backs on listening to the truth, understanding and accepting it, all these blessings are sucked away from them and they are relegated to some species worse than animals.

It appears in Tafsir Ruh al-Bay-an that human beings are, in terms of their original creation, superior to all animals, but are lower in rank as compared to angels. But, when human beings strive on the pathway of obedience to Allah, their creator, they rise higher in status than angels too. However, should they turn away from the pathway of obedience to Allah, they are condemned to become the lowest of the low, far too worse than animals.

Other English translations

Tafsīr · classical commentary

The Command to obey Allah and His Messenger