وَأَصْحَابُ مَدْيَنَ وَكُذِّبَ مُوسَى فَأَمْلَيْتُ لِلْكَافِرِينَ ثُمَّ أَخَذْتُهُمْ فَكَيْفَ كَانَ نَكِيرِ ﴿۴۴﴾ فَكَأَيِّنْ مِنْ قَرْيَةٍ أَهْلَكْنَاهَا وَهِيَ ظَالِمَةٌ فَهِيَ خَاوِيَةٌ عَلَى عُرُوشِهَا وَبِئْرٍ مُعَطَّلَةٍ وَقَصْرٍ مَشِيدٍ ﴿۴۵﴾ أَفَلَمْ يَسِيرُوا فِي الْأَرْضِ فَتَكُونَ لَهُمْ قُلُوبٌ يَعْقِلُونَ بِهَا أَوْ آذَانٌ يَسْمَعُونَ بِهَا فَإِنَّهَا لَا تَعْمَى الْأَبْصَارُ وَلَكِنْ تَعْمَى الْقُلُوبُ الَّتِي فِي الصُّدُورِ ﴿۴۶﴾

﴾44﴿ Wa as haabu Madyana wa kuzziba Moosaa fa amlaitu lilkaafireena summa akhaztuhum fakaifa kaana nakeer
﴾45﴿ Faka ayyim min qaryatin ahlaknaahaa wa hiya zaalimatun fahiya khaawiyatun 'alaa 'urooshihaa wa bi'rim mu'at talatinw wa qasrim masheed
﴾46﴿ Afalam yaseeroo fil ardi fatakoona lahum quloobuny ya'qiloona bihaaa aw aazaanuny yasma'oona bihaa fa innahaa laa ta'mal absaaru wa laakin ta'mal quloobul latee fissudoor

﴾44﴿ And the inhabitants of Midian, and Moses was also denied. So I gave respite to the disbelievers, then I seized them. And how [terrible] was My punishment upon them
﴾45﴿ So many towns We destroyed while they were wrongdoers, and they are now fallen, overturned on their roofs. And [how many] wells lie abandoned and lofty palaces [left desolate]
﴾46﴿ Do they not travel through the land so that their hearts may understand and their ears may hear? For indeed, it is not the eyes that are blinded, but it is the hearts within the chests that are blinded

[45] This verse is also a form of worldly warning, and it mentions the reason for the punishment, which is injustice (ẓulm).
The phrase “خَاوِيَةٌ عَلَى عُرُوشِهَا” describes buildings whose roofs collapsed first, and then the walls fell upon those roofs—and over time, they became ruined mounds.
The phrase “بِئْرٍ مُعَطَّلَةٍ” refers to wells that became abandoned in the homes and villages of the destroyed nations.
Alternatively, it may refer to a specific well that dried up in the time of Ḥanẓalah ibn Ṣafwān, whose story is mentioned in Tafsīr al-Qurṭubī and others.
“قَصْرٍ مَشِيدٍ” means fortified palaces or castles. Among the destroyed peoples, even the palaces of their wealthy and powerful were left deserted and useless.
Or, it may refer specifically to the fortified structures of the Thamūd—grand buildings that were ultimately abandoned.
[46] After mentioning the punishment of past nations, the verse now shifts attention (iltifāt) to the present people, urging them to reflect upon the ruins of those destroyed civilizations.
The phrase “يَعْقِلُونَ بِهَا” indicates that the seat of intellect is the heart. From this, we understand that traveling to witness such sites increases both experience and insight, and develops a person’s ability to hear and accept the truth.
The phrase “فَإِنَّهَا لَا تَعْمَى الْأَبْصَارُ” (It is not the eyes that are blind) points out that mere physical vision is not enough—hence, the tone of speech is shifted (iltifāt) to make a deeper point.
Ibn ‘Atiyyah explains that this is a form of emphasis (mubālaghah): true blindness is not the loss of sight, but the blindness of the heart.
It does not mean that no one ever becomes physically blind—that would contradict reality. Rather, the point is that even though they travel, and even though they see these ruins with their eyes, they fail to reflect—because their hearts are blind.