Intermediate
Al-Mutaffifin
Surah: Al-Mutaffifin (14)
No Indeed, but Over Their Hearts Is Rust — The Heart Corroded by Sin
كَلَّا بَلۡ رَانَ عَلَىٰ قُلُوبِهِم مَّا كَانُواْ يَكۡسِبُونَ
— المطففين الآية 14
Verse: "No indeed! Rather, what they used to earn has covered their hearts with rust"
Reflection:
"Rayn" in Arabic means the rust that covers something and obscures its shine. Here Allah describes the hearts of the deniers upon which sins have accumulated until they lost their ability to perceive truth.
The prophetic hadith explains this verse:
The Prophet said: "When the believer commits a sin, a black dot appears in his heart. If he repents, desists, and seeks forgiveness, his heart is polished. If he persists, it increases until it covers his heart — that is the rust (rayn) that Allah mentioned." [Al-Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah]
The chain of the heart's deterioration:
Reflection:
"Rayn" in Arabic means the rust that covers something and obscures its shine. Here Allah describes the hearts of the deniers upon which sins have accumulated until they lost their ability to perceive truth.
The prophetic hadith explains this verse:
The Prophet said: "When the believer commits a sin, a black dot appears in his heart. If he repents, desists, and seeks forgiveness, his heart is polished. If he persists, it increases until it covers his heart — that is the rust (rayn) that Allah mentioned." [Al-Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah]
The chain of the heart's deterioration:
- First sin → small black dot
- Repeated sins → the dot expands
- Persistence without repentance → rust covers the heart
- Complete rust → the heart neither sees truth nor is affected by it
Source: Al-Tirmidhi (3334); Ibn Kathir (8/344); Al-Sadi, Taysir Al-Karim
Test Yourself
How does "rayn" form on the heart according to the hadith?
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