Sickness in the hearts
فِى قُلُوبِهِم مَّرَضٌ
fī qulūbihim maraḍun — in their hearts is a sickness
Across twelve verses the phrase marks an inner condition that in most of the occurrences shows itself in outward conduct—rushing toward another party, doubting, objecting to fighting, aspiring when speech is yielding—so that reading the occurrences together shows the phrase functioning as a recurring label for people whose inner state is diagnosed from what they say and do.
The phrase appears with two constant elements: qulūb (hearts) in the genitive with a third-person pronoun, and maraḍ (sickness) as an indefinite masculine nominative, so the construction is a nominal sentence: a sickness located in hearts. In the verses given, the phrase is not a medical statement but a diagnostic label attached to observable behavior. In (2:10) the sickness is followed by increase—Allah 'has increased them in sickness'—and linked to their lying. In (5:52) those with the sickness are seen 'rushing eagerly' toward another party out of fear of a turn of fortune. In (8:49) and (33:12) they are named alongside the hypocrites as speakers of a dismissive word; in (33:60) they are listed with the hypocrites and the agitators in the city. In (9:125) the increase-motif recurs in different wording: they are increased 'in filth upon their filth'. In (22:53) what Satan casts is 'a test' for them, set parallel to 'those whose hearts are hardened'. In (24:50) the phrase appears as a question—'is there sickness in their hearts, or have they fallen into doubt'—placing the sickness alongside doubt and fear of unfair dealing. In (47:20) they react to a sūrah mentioning fighting with the look of one fainting from death; in (47:29) they are said to harbor hidden 'rancours' that Allah will bring out. In (74:31) they are paired with the deniers in asking what Allah intended by a likeness. One verse, (33:32), shifts to the singular: 'he whose heart has a sickness' who might 'aspire' if the prophet's wives speak yielding speech. Read together, the occurrences show the phrase marking a condition whose reality is displayed in speech, alliance, doubt and reluctance.
Where it occurs
- 2:10 States the sickness and its increase, tied to their lying.
- 5:52 Identifies them by their conduct: rushing eagerly toward another people out of fear.
- 8:49 Pairs them with the hypocrites as speakers of a dismissive word about others' dīn.
- 9:125 States that the sickness-led group is increased in filth and dies as deniers.
- 22:53 Makes what Satan casts a test for them, parallel to those whose hearts are hardened.
- 24:50 Posits the sickness as one of three alternatives raised about them, alongside doubt and fear of unfair dealing.
- 33:12 Pairs them with the hypocrites as those who call Allah's promise delusion.
- 33:32 Uses the singular form for an individual man who might aspire if speech is yielding.
- 33:60 Lists them with the hypocrites and the agitators in the city as those who must stop.
- 47:20 Shows them reacting to a sūrah mentioning fighting with the look of one fainting from death.
- 47:29 Attributes to them hidden rancours that Allah will bring out.
- 74:31 Pairs them with the deniers in questioning what Allah intended by a likeness.
All Qur'anic expressions