Why Does the Qur’an Mention Hearing Before Sight?
A newborn baby may respond to their mother’s voice by crying less or turning their head towards its source. This is because, while in the womb, the baby has become accustomed to hearing its mother’s voice, even before its sight has fully developed. Research by Anthony DeCasper and William Fifer (1980) found that babies prefer their mother’s voice to that of other women.
Research by Christine Moon and her colleagues also found that newborns can distinguish the vowel sounds of their mother’s language from those of a foreign language. These findings show that hearing and voice recognition begin to develop in the womb. This phenomenon prompts questions about why the Qur’an often mentions hearing before sight: is the wording connected to human biological development, and how does science explain the development of these senses during pregnancy?
Hearing, sight and the heart in the Qur’an
One verse addressing hearing and sight is Surah As-Sajdah, verse 9:
“Then He fashioned him and breathed into him of His spirit, and gave you hearing, sight and hearts. Little are you grateful.”
The verse presents hearing, sight and the heart (af’idah) as gifts from God that complement one another. A similar order appears in Surah An-Nahl, verse 78, and Surah Al-Mulk, verse 23, while Surah Al-Insan, verse 2, describes human beings as able to hear and see (sami’an basira).
Another notable feature is that hearing is mentioned before sight. Some Qur’anic commentators explain that hearing is one of the first means by which people receive information, learn language and acquire knowledge. It can also detect sounds from different directions and continues to function while a person is asleep. However, the order should be understood with care: the Arabic conjunction wa means “and” and does not necessarily indicate a sequence in time. Mentioning hearing first may therefore offer a point for reflection, rather than directly describing the stages of embryonic development.
In the tradition of Qur’anic commentary, fu’ad, or heart, is also associated with the ability to understand, recognise and consider things. Hearing and sight receive information, while the heart helps make sense of it. This relates to the way the brain processes sensory stimuli.
How the two senses develop in the womb
In embryology, the ears and eyes begin to form at roughly the same time, around the fourth week of pregnancy. The ear develops from the otic placode, the precursor to the inner ear, while the eye forms through the optic vesicle, which develops into the retina, and the lens placode, which forms the lens. Although they begin to form at similar times, the two senses become functional at different rates.
A foetus begins responding to sound at around 18–20 weeks of pregnancy, with hearing developing further in the third trimester. The foetus can hear its mother’s voice, particularly its rhythm, pitch and intonation. This helps the baby recognise the voice after birth.
Sight, by contrast, develops more slowly. The eyelids reopen at around the seventh month of pregnancy, but the relatively dark womb limits visual stimulation. After birth, a baby’s vision is still limited, with objects clearest at a distance of 20–30 centimetres. The fovea, the part of the retina responsible for sharp vision, also continues to develop for several years.
Thus, hearing can receive stimuli before birth, while sight develops more fully after birth. This may be considered in light of some commentators’ view of hearing as an early means of learning about the world, without equating religious interpretation with scientific findings.
How the ear turns vibrations into meaning
Sound is collected by the outer ear and travels through the ear canal, causing the eardrum to vibrate. The three small bones of the middle ear amplify the vibrations and pass them on to the cochlea. Hair cells in the organ of Corti convert them into electrical signals, which travel along the cochlear nerve to the brain. The auditory cortex then processes the signals so that sounds can be recognised and understood.
How the eye detects light
Light enters through the cornea and pupil, then is focused by the lens onto the retina. Rod and cone cells convert the light into electrical signals, which travel along the optic nerve to the visual cortex in the occipital lobe. Although the image formed on the retina is inverted, the brain processes it into a coherent picture. This shows how the brain helps interpret and make sense of sensory input.
From the womb to the family home
A baby’s language development is influenced by their environment and interactions with other people. Patricia Kuhl has explained that babies are sensitive to the sounds of language from early in life, making direct communication important to language learning.
Parents can provide stimulation during pregnancy by talking, singing and reading stories aloud. After birth, responding to a baby’s babbling with eye contact, smiles and simple replies can support communication and strengthen emotional bonds.
Stimulation should, however, be appropriate. There is limited evidence that particular music can increase a foetus’s intelligence, while loud sounds from speakers or earphones may pose a risk. Simple, warm and consistent parental voices are more advisable. The World Health Organization does not recommend screen time for babies under one, as direct interaction is more beneficial to their development.
Giving thanks through care
The verse serves as a reminder that gratitude is not only expressed in words but also through caring for the gifts one has been given. The WHO estimated in 2021 that more than 1.5 billion people had hearing loss, while in 2019 it recorded around 2.2 billion people with vision impairment. Many such cases can be prevented or treated through early detection.
Ways to protect these senses include hearing screening for newborns, regular eye examinations, limiting earphone use and resting the eyes from screens. Symptoms such as ringing in the ears, difficulty hearing, blurred vision or eye pain should also be checked promptly.
Hearing and sight help people communicate and understand their surroundings, from recognising voices to reading facial expressions. Caring for both senses is therefore one practical way to give thanks for God’s gifts.