Quran Universe
5:71

وَحَسِبُوٓاْ أَلَّا تَكُونَ فِتۡنَةٞ فَعَمُواْ وَصَمُّواْ ثُمَّ تَابَ ٱللَّهُ عَلَيۡهِمۡ ثُمَّ عَمُواْ وَصَمُّواْ كَثِيرٞ مِّنۡهُمۡۚ وَٱللَّهُ بَصِيرُۢ بِمَا يَعۡمَلُونَ

Wahasiboo alla takoona fitnatun faAAamoo wasammoo thumma taba Allahu AAalayhim thumma AAamoo wasammoo katheerun minhum waAllahu baseerun bima yaAAmaloona

And they thought there would be no [resulting] punishment, so they became blind and deaf. Then Allah turned to them in forgiveness; then [again] many of them became blind and deaf. And Allah is Seeing of what they do.

Word by word
  1. وَحَسِبُوٓاْAnd they thought
  2. أَلَّاthat not
  3. تَكُونَwill be (for them)
  4. فِتۡنَةٞa trial
  5. فَعَمُواْso they became blind
  6. وَصَمُّواْand they became deaf
  7. ثُمَّThen
  8. تَابَturned
  9. ٱللَّهُAllah
  10. عَلَيۡهِمۡto them
  11. ثُمَّthen (again)
  12. عَمُواْthey became blind
  13. وَصَمُّواْand they became deaf
  14. كَثِيرٞmany
  15. مِّنۡهُمۡۚof them
  16. وَٱللَّهُAnd Allah
  17. بَصِيرُۢ(is) All-Seer
  18. بِمَاof what
  19. يَعۡمَلُونَthey do
Al-Ma'idah · 5:71Madinah

They assumed nothing would follow, so they stopped seeing.

How feeling safe from consequences dulls the heart

The cycle
no consequencenothing will happen
so
blind and deafto the truth
then
Allah forgavea fresh start
blind againmany fell back
What fed it
I got away with itso it was fine
Allah sees what they dothe delay is not approval

Ibn Kathir explains that they thought there would be no trial or repercussion for the wrongs they did, so they became blind and deaf to the truth. Then Allah turned to them in forgiveness, and many of them went back to the same blindness. The verse ends: Allah sees what they do.

The first time you skipped a prayer, it felt heavy. Nothing happened. The second time, lighter. A year later you do not notice anymore. That quiet slide is the eyes closing slowly. And the mercy is that the door reopens, again and again. Walk through it and keep your eyes open this time.

Nothing bad happened, so it must not matter much.

Getting away with something can be the very thing that blinds me.

Try this

Name one wrong you have stopped feeling bad about. Ask Allah to make you feel it again.

Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir (shared passage from 5:70)

Verily, We took the covenant of the Children of Israel and sent Messengers to them. Whenever there came to them a Messenger with what they themselves desired not, a group of them they called liars, and others among them they killed (70)They thought there will be no Fitnah (trial or punishment), so they became blind and deaf; after that Allah turned to them (with forgiveness); yet again many of them became blind and deaf. And Allah is the All-Seer of what they do (71)

Allah reminds that He took the covenant and pledges from the Children of Israel to hear and obey Him and His Messenger. They broke these pledges and covenants and followed their lusts and desires instead of the law, and whichever part of the law they agreed with, they took it. Otherwise, they abandoned it, if it did not conform to their desires. This is why Allah said,

كُلَّمَا جَاءَهُمْ رَسُولٌ بِمَا لَا تَهْوَىٰ أَنفُسُهُمْ فَرِيقًا كَذَّبُوا وَفَرِيقًا يَقْتُلُونَ - وَحَسِبُوا أَلَّا تَكُونَ فِتْنَةٌ فَعَمُوا وَصَمُّوا

(Whenever there came to them a Messenger with what they themselves desired not - a group of them they called liars, and others among them they killed. They thought there will be no Fitnah (trial or punishment) so they became blind and deaf.)

thinking that they would suffer no repercussions for of the evil that they committed. Consequently, they were blinded from the truth and became deaf, incapable of hearing the truth. For these reasons they were unable to be guided by it. Allah forgave that, then,

عَمُوا وَصَمُّوا

(yet they became blind and deaf) again,

كَثِيرٌ مِّنْهُمْ وَاللَّهُ بَصِيرٌ بِمَا يَعْمَلُونَ

(many of them, and Allah is the All-Seer of what they do.) He has perfect knowledge of what they do and whomever among them deserves the guidance and whomever deserves misguidance.