وَقَالُوا۟ قُلُوبُنَا فِىٓ أَكِنَّةٍ مِّمَّا تَدْعُونَآ إِلَيْهِ وَفِىٓ ءَاذَانِنَا وَقْرٌ وَمِنۢ بَيْنِنَا وَبَيْنِكَ حِجَابٌ فَٱعْمَلْ إِنَّنَا عَٰمِلُونَ
"They said: 'Our hearts are within coverings against that to which you call us; in our ears there is a heaviness, and between us and you there is a veil. So work; we too are working.'"
| Word | Root | Where | What |
|---|---|---|---|
| أَكِنَّة | ك-ن-ن | Heart | Coverings, sheaths |
| وَقْر | و-ق-ر | Ear | Heaviness, deafness |
| حِجَاب | ح-ج-ب | In between | A veil |
The root ك-ن-ن was analysed in al-Wāqiʿa (al-luʾluʾi'l-maknūn — the pearl kept hidden in its shell; kinān — a sheath). I do not repeat it here. The use here is turned around: there it was protection, here it is closedness.
The root و-ق-ر conveys weight (it occurred in Nūḥ and al-Dhāriyāt); waqār (gravity of bearing) is from this root too. The heaviness in the ear is the load that keeps the sound from entering.
The placement of the three obstacles is worth recording, and I give it as my own reading: one is inside (the heart), one is at the entrance (the ear), one is in between (the veil). That is, all three points of communication are described as closed.
And the most striking side of it is this: the one who says it is the other side itself. It states its own closedness not as a defect but as a declaration of position.
فَٱعْمَلْ إِنَّنَا عَٰمِلُونَ — "so work; we too are working." The argument is brought to an end, and it is proposed that the two sides go their separate ways. This is the calmest form of refusal: no quarrel, but a parting.