Quran Universe
15:15

لَقَالُوٓاْ إِنَّمَا سُكِّرَتۡ أَبۡصَٰرُنَا بَلۡ نَحۡنُ قَوۡمٞ مَّسۡحُورُونَ

Laqaloo innama sukkirat absaruna bal nahnu qawmun mashooroona

They would say, "Our eyes have only been dazzled. Rather, we are a people affected by magic."

Word by word
  1. لَقَالُوٓاْThey would surely say
  2. إِنَّمَاOnly
  3. سُكِّرَتۡhave been dazzled
  4. أَبۡصَٰرُنَاour eyes
  5. بَلۡNay
  6. نَحۡنُwe
  7. قَوۡمٞ(are) a people
  8. مَّسۡحُورُونَbewitched
Al-Hijr · 15:15Makkah

Our eyes were tricked, they would say.

Explaining away what you clearly saw

Their excuse
what they sawthe heavens themselves
explained as
dazzled eyesour vision was blocked
magicwe are bewitched
Two ways to meet a sign
it was a trickexplain it away
it was reallet it change me

Even after climbing into heaven, they would say our eyes have been dazzled, we are bewitched. Ibn Zayd said the dazzled one is like someone intoxicated, who cannot reason.

Your prayer is answered and you call it coincidence. You recover and say it was just the medicine. There is always an explanation ready. The verse asks you to notice the habit of explaining Allah away.

There is a normal explanation for everything good that happens to me.

The habit of explaining away signs can blind me as much as any spell.

Try this

Tonight, name one good thing from today and thank Allah for it by name.

Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir (shared passage from 15:14)

And even if We opened to them a gate to the heavens and they were to continue ascending through it (all day long)(14)They would surely say (in the evening): "Our eyes have been (as if) dazzled (we have not seen any angel or heaven). Nay, we are a people bewitched. (15)

The Stubborn Disbelievers will never believe, no matter what Signs and Wonders They see

Allah explains the extent of their disbelief and stubborn resistance to the truth by stating that even if a door to heaven were to be opened for them, and they were to be taken up through it, they would still not believe. Rather, they would say:

إِنَّمَا سُكِّرَتْ أَبْصَارُنَا

(Our eyes have been (as if) dazzled.) Mujahid, Ibn Kathir and Ad-Dahhak said, "[this means] our vision has been blocked." Qatadah narrated that Ibn 'Abbas said, "[this means] our eyesight has been taken away." Al-'Awfi reported that Ibn 'Abbas said, "[this means] we were confused and put under a spell."

سُكِّرَتْ أَبْصَارُنَا

(Our eyes have been (as if) dazzled.) Ibn Zayd said: "The one who is dazzled [lit. intoxicated] is the one who cannot reason."