So he, peace and blessings of God be upon him, informed that when sins follow one another upon hearts, they close them; and when they close them, sealing (al-khatm) and stamping (al-ṭabʿ) then come to them from Allah, Mighty and Majestic, (1) so there remains no pathway for faith to enter them, nor any release for disbelief from them. That, then, is the stamping (al-ṭabʿ). And the sealing (al-khatm) which Allah, Blessed and Exalted, mentioned in His statement: {Allah has set a seal upon their hearts and upon their hearing}, is analogous to the stamping and sealing upon containers and vessels perceived by sight, the contents of which cannot be reached except by breaking that seal from them and then untying them. Likewise, faith does not reach the hearts of those whom Allah described as having set a seal upon their hearts, except after breaking His seal and untying His bond from them.

And it is said to the proponents of the second view, who claim that the meaning of His statement, majestic is His praise, "Allah has set a seal upon their hearts and upon their hearing," is describing them as being arrogant and turning away from that which they were called to of affirming the truth out of arrogance: Inform us about the arrogance of those whom Allah, majestic is His praise, described with this attribute, and their turning away from affirming that which they were called to of faith and all the related matters—is it an action of theirs, or an action performed upon them by Allah, exalted is His mention?

If they claim that that is an action of theirs—and that is their statement—it is said to them: Allah, Blessed and Exalted, has informed that He is the One who sealed their hearts and their hearing. How then can it be permissible for the disbeliever's turning away from faith and his arrogance against affirming it—which is his own action according to you—to be a sealing from Allah upon his heart and hearing, while His sealing upon his heart and hearing is an action of Allah, Mighty and Majestic, rather than the disbeliever?

And if they claim that it is permissible to be so—because his arrogance and turning away resulted from Allah's sealing upon his heart and hearing, and since the sealing was a cause for that, it was permissible to name its effect by it—they have abandoned their thesis and affirmed that sealing from Allah upon the hearts and hearing of the disbelievers is a meaning distinct from the disbelief of the disbeliever, and distinct from his arrogance and turning away from accepting faith and affirming it. And that is an entry into that which they denied. (2)