أَلَمۡ نَجۡعَل لَّهُ ۥ عَيۡنَيۡنِ : Have We not made for him a pair of eyes?

Al Quran is the final Holy Book revealed upon the Last of Prophets Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH). The Quran & Sunnah is the only source of holy guidance as it entails detailed instructions for each and every walk of human life. Here guidance from Quran for the followers of Islam (أَلَمۡ نَجۡعَل لَّهُ ۥ عَيۡنَيۡنِ : Have We not made for him a pair of eyes?) is discussed wrt provision of eyes so that each human can see and ponder upon for better living from Quran and Hadith of Prophet ﷺ. This is an approved Jumma Khutba from the Sultanate of Oman and translated in English.

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ

In the name of ALLAH, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

أَلَمۡ نَجۡعَل لَّهُ ۥ عَيۡنَيۡنِ

Have We not made for him a pair of eyes?

All praise is due to Allah, the One who is unique in creation and perfect in His design, the sole Sovereign without partner. I bear witness that there is no god but ALLAH alone, without partner. He has bestowed upon His servants the blessing of eloquence and placed within them the secret of understanding and perfection. I bear witness that Muhammad, peace be upon him, is His servant and Messenger, the highest of people in character, and the most truthful in word and deed. May peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, upon his family, his companions, and those who follow in their footsteps. O servants of Allah, fear Allah as He deserves to be feared, and know that true piety lies in recognising one’s servitude to Allah and following His guidance.

وَاللَّهُ أَخْرَجَكُم مِّن بُطُونِ أُمَّهَاتِكُمْ لَا تَعْلَمُونَ شَيْئًا وَجَعَلَ لَكُمُ السَّمْعَ وَالْأَبْصَارَ وَالْأَفْئِدَةَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ

Allah brought you out from the wombs of your mothers knowing nothing, and He gave you hearing, sight, and hearts, that you might be grateful.

[Qur’anic Verse – Surah An-Nahl, 16:78]

Exalted is He, for He says:

لَيْسَ كَمِثْلِهِ شَيْءٌ وَهُوَ السَّمِيعُ البَصِيرُ

There is nothing like unto Him, and He is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing.

[Qur’anic Verse – Surah Ash-Shura, 42:11]

Among the great apparent and hidden blessings Allah bestows upon His servants is the blessing of the eyes and sight. These are extensions of the blessing of intellect and thought, and their purpose is the soundness of the heart and clarity of vision.

O believers, realise that Allah has honoured you with the gift of vision as a means of attaining guidance. He made eyesight a path to inner clarity.

أَلَمْ نَجْعَل لَّهُ عَيْنَيْنِ * وَلِسَانًا وَشَفَتَيْنِ * وَهَدَيْنَاهُ النَّجْدَيْنِ

Have We not given him two eyes, a tongue, and two lips? And shown him the two paths?

[Qur’anic Verse – Surah Al-Balad, 90:8-10]

إِنَّا خَلَقْنَا الْإِنسَانَ مِن نُّطْفَةٍ أَمْشَاجٍ نَّبْتَلِيهِ فَجَعَلْنَاهُ سَمِيعًا بَصِيرًا

Indeed, We created man from a drop of mixed fluid, in order to test him; and We made him hearing and seeing.

[Qur’anic Verse – Surah Al-Insan, 76:2]

Despite its small size, the eye is among the most wondrous of Allah’s creations. With it, one perceives the vastness of the heavens and galaxies, atoms and creatures—everything in between.

All instruments used for vision—microscopes, telescopes—are but extensions of the eye. Without the sense of sight, these tools would be meaningless.

O servants of Allah! In the Qur’an and the Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ, the eye’s proper use is emphasised time and again.

أَفَلَا يَنظُرُونَ إِلَى الْإِبِلِ كَيْفَ خُلِقَتْ * وَإِلَى السَّمَاءِ كَيْفَ رُفِعَتْ * وَإِلَى الْجِبَالِ كَيْفَ نُصِبَتْ * وَإِلَى الْأَرْضِ كَيْفَ سُطِحَتْ * فَذَكِّرْ إِنَّمَا أَنتَ مُذَكِّرٌ

Do they not look at the camels—how they are created? And at the sky—how it is raised? And at the mountains—how they are set up? And at the earth—how it is spread out? So remind them; you are the only one who reminds.

[Qur’anic Verse – Surah Al-Ghashiyah, 88:17-21]

The Prophet ﷺ said: “Two eyes will never be touched by the Fire: an eye that weeps out of fear of Allah, and an eye that stays awake guarding in the path of Allah.”

Among the seven who will be under the Shade of Allah’s Throne is the one who remembers Allah in solitude and whose eyes overflow with tears.

وَلَوْلَا دَفْعُ اللَّهِ النَّاسَ بَعْضَهُم بِبَعْضٍ لَّفَسَدَتِ الْأَرْضُ وَلَكِنَّ اللَّهَ ذُو فَضْلٍ عَلَى الْعَالَمِينَ

Were it not for Allah repelling some people by means of others, the earth would have been corrupted. But Allah is full of bounty to the worlds.

[Qur’anic Verse – Surah Al-Baqarah, 2:251]

Gratitude for the gift of sight lies in using it only in ways that draw one closer to Allah, not in viewing that which darkens the heart.

قُل لِّلْمُؤْمِنِينَ يَغُضُّوا مِنْ أَبْصَارِهِمْ... وَقُل لِّلْمُؤْمِنَاتِ يَغْضُضْنَ مِنْ أَبْصَارِهِنَّ

Tell the believing men to lower their gaze... and tell the believing women to lower their gaze.

[Qur’anic Verse – Surah An-Nur, 24:30-31]

The eyes are a trust from Allah and a test. Some of the blinds are blessed with true insight, while some who see are deprived of inner vision.

فَإِنَّهَا لَا تَعْمَى الْأَبْصَارُ وَلَـٰكِن تَعْمَى الْقُلُوبُ الَّتِي فِي الصُّدُورِ

Indeed, it is not the eyes that are blind, but the hearts within the breasts that are blind.

[Qur’anic Verse – Surah Al-Hajj, 22:46]

O Muslims! Be mindful of Allah, awaken your hearts through contemplation, and perfume your tongues with the remembrance of Allah.

May Allah guide us to righteous deeds, accept our repentance, and make us grateful for the blessings of sight. Ameen.