LISTEN

[64:16] Therefore, you shall reverence GOD as much as you can, and listen, and obey, and give (to charity) for your own good. Anyone who is protected from his own stinginess, these are the successful ones. 

This is a commandment: “Therefore, you shall reverence God as much as you can, and listen…”

By the grace of God, I just attended an essential career skills training course that included the topic of effective listening. Ironically, one person fell asleep and was actually snoring, several others admitted they were having a hard time trying to stay awake, and as I looked around the room only a few appeared to be attentive and actually listening!

It inspired me to look at some types of listening described to us in the Quran.

[17:47] We are fully aware of what they hear, when they listen to you, and when they conspire secretly—the disbelievers say, “You are following a crazy man.”

God is showing us there are different ways to listen. A statement could be made, yet there are many ways the same statement can be heard.

In this particular verse the type of listening these people are doing is listening to conspire and be judgmental.

[6:113] This is to let the minds of those who do not believe in the Here-after listen to such fabrications, and accept them, and thus expose their real convictions.

God is showing us that people who do not believe in the Hereafter, when they are listening, their goal is to listen to find fabrications and lies, then to accept that as the truth.

[21:2] When a proof comes to them from their Lord, that is new, they listen to it heedlessly. 

[2:93] We made a covenant with you, as we raised Mount Sinai above you, saying, “You shall uphold the commandments we have given you, strongly, and listen.” They said, “We hear, but we disobey.” Their hearts became filled with adoration for the calf, due to their disbelief. Say, “Miserable indeed is what your faith dictates upon you, if you do have any faith.”

In 2:93 people are listening to God’s words, but doing so with a reckless lack of care or attention.

This is listening heedlessly, supported by their admittance of, “We hear, but we disobey.”

[26:223] They pretend to listen, but most of them are liars.  This is an example of what the course I took describes as “false” listening. This reminds me of the blank stare of a deer in your headlights. This type of listening is where people are facing you, their eyes are open, they are smiling and nodding their head, but they are not listening to a word you are saying.

[41:26] Those who disbelieved said, “Do not listen to this Quran and distort it, that you may win.”

This is closed-mind, distortion listening. 

The next verse is an example of biased listening. This is where no matter what the message is, the listener’s process is to filter the message only according to their own personal bias and opinions.

[47:16] Some of them listen to you, then as soon as they leave they ask those who were enlightened, “What did he just say?”

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