إِنَّ رَبَّكَ يَقْضِي بَيْنَهُمْ بِحُكْمِهِ وَهُوَ الْعَزِيزُ الْعَلِيمُ ﴿۷۸﴾ فَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَى اللَّهِ إِنَّكَ عَلَى الْحَقِّ الْمُبِينِ ﴿۷۹﴾ إِنَّكَ لَا تُسْمِعُ الْمَوْتَى وَلَا تُسْمِعُ الصُّمَّ الدُّعَاءَ إِذَا وَلَّوْا مُدْبِرِينَ ﴿۸۰﴾ وَمَا أَنْتَ بِهَادِي الْعُمْيِ عَنْ ضَلَالَتِهِمْ إِنْ تُسْمِعُ إِلَّا مَنْ يُؤْمِنُ بِآيَاتِنَا فَهُمْ مُسْلِمُونَ ﴿۸۱﴾

﴾78﴿ Inna Rabbaka yaqdee bainahum bihukmih; wa Huwal 'Azeezul 'Aleem
﴾79﴿ Fatawakkal 'alal laahi innaka 'alal haqqil mubeen
﴾80﴿ Innaka laa tusmi'ul mawtaa wa laa tusmi'us summad du'aaa izaa wallaw mudbireen
﴾81﴿ Wa maaa anta bihaadil 'umyi 'an dalaalatihim in tusmi'u illaa mai yu'minu bi aayaatinaa fahum muslimoon

﴾78﴿ Indeed, your Lord will judge between them by His decree, and He is the Almighty, the All-Knowing of all things
﴾79﴿ So place your trust in Allah; indeed, you are upon the clear truth
﴾80﴿ Indeed, you cannot make the dead hear, nor can you make the deaf hear the call when they turn their backs, retreating
﴾81﴿ And you cannot guide the blind out of their misguidance, nor can you make anyone hear except those who believe in Our signs, and they are submissive

[78] This verse is a consolation (tasliyyah) to the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and give him peace), and it is the eleventh address to him.
The intended meaning of “ḥukm” (judgment) is the ruling of the Qur’an—this would be a worldly judgment, making the verse an encouragement toward the Qur’an.
Alternatively, if “ḥukm” refers to the judgment of the Hereafter, then it serves as an otherworldly warning (takhwīf ukhrawī) for the opposers.
[79] This verse is also a consolation (tasliyyah) and encouragement (tashjī‘) to the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and give him peace).
It contains the twelfth and thirteenth addresses to him in this Surah.
[80,81] This verse is also a consolation (tasliyyah) to the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and give him peace), and it contains the fourteenth and fifteenth addresses to him.
It is also a response to a possible misconception: if the Prophet’s call is one of clear truth, then why does it not impact the disbelievers?
The answer is given: the reason your speech has no effect on them lies within them—it is not due to any deficiency on your part.
They are like the dead—completely void of perception. Like the deaf—unable to hear. Like the blind—unable to see.
In other words, the means of understanding (the heart), hearing (ears), and seeing (eyes) are non-functional in them—just as a dead person, a deaf person, and a blind person lack these faculties.
This is similar to: “Allah has set a seal upon their hearts and upon their hearing, and over their eyes is a veil” (Surah Al-Baqarah, 2:7).
Since the dead and the deaf share the trait of not hearing, they are mentioned together, and the phrase “you cannot make them hear” (لَا تُسْمِعُ) is mentioned with both—symbolizing the rejecters’ total resistance to truth.
These three comparisons are made by way of descending stages (tadarruj):
The first comparison (to the dead) is the highest level, as they lack all senses. The second (to the deaf) still allows for reasoning. Or, these similes may represent three different types of rejecters.
(Note: The remaining issue about whether the dead can hear or not will be discussed in detail in the commentary on Surah Ar-Rūm, in shā’ Allah.)
“Idhā wallaw” (إِذَا وَلَّوْا) is for strong emphasis—just as the deaf cannot hear, once they turn away, they become even more unresponsive. Similarly, these disbelievers have completely turned their backs on the Qur’an.
“You can only make hear those who believe in Our signs, so they submit.” (إِنْ تُسْمِعُ إِلَّا مَنْ يُؤْمِنُ بِآيَاتِنَا فَهُمْ مُسْلِمُونَ)—this shows that a complete believer is the one who can fully benefit from the Qur’an.
In this verse: Īmān refers to affirmation of the heart. Islām refers to outward actions and obedience. The hearing mentioned here is beneficial hearing—i.e., hearing that leads to understanding and acceptance.