Commentary of the Quran (Chapter 2:13-15)
By: Mohammad Sobhanie
Characteristics of Hypocrites
Mocking the Faith
بِسْمِ اللَّـهِ الرَّحْمَـٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ
وَإِذَا قِيلَ لَهُمْ آمِنُوا كَمَا آمَنَ النَّاسُ قَالُوا أَنُؤْمِنُ كَمَا آمَنَ السُّفَهَاءُ ۗ أَلَا إِنَّهُمْ هُمُ السُّفَهَاءُ وَلَـٰكِن لَّا يَعْلَمُونَ ﴿١٣﴾ وَإِذَا لَقُوا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا قَالُوا آمَنَّا وَإِذَا خَلَوْا إِلَىٰ شَيَاطِينِهِمْ قَالُوا إِنَّا مَعَكُمْ إِنَّمَا نَحْنُ مُسْتَهْزِئُونَ ﴿١٤﴾ اللَّـهُ يَسْتَهْزِئُ بِهِمْ وَيَمُدُّهُمْ فِي طُغْيَانِهِمْ يَعْمَهُونَ ﴿١٥﴾
Translation: When they (hypocrites) are told to believe as the people believe, they say, “Should we believe as the fools do?” In fact, they themselves are the fools, but they do not know it.
When they meet believers, they say: We believe; and when they are alone with their Shaitans (those who turned away from God), they say: “Surely we are with you, we were only mocking.”
Allah will throw back their mockery on them, and gives them time to wander blindly on in their contumacy.
Commentary: It was common for Hypocrites to mock and insult the Prophet1 and called his followers imbeciles. Hypocrite believed that having faith and belief in God was an idiotic concept.
The divine religion2 asked people to reflect on principal of religion and invited to moral values. Indeed those who turn away from the divine faith are fools.3
Heinous action of blasphemy against the religion made hypocrites to forget the remembrance of God.4 Hence, they became an easy prey of dark forces of evil5 and insulting the religion seemed alluring to them.6 They went deeper and deeper in darkness of obscenity till there had no chance of salvation. They will carry the burden of their hypocrisy into the hellfire of the hereafter where there is no help to be found.7
Description of hypocrites in Imam Ali’s words: I advise you to piety and righteousness and warn you of hypocrites. They are misguided and misled others; they are in error and instigate others to error. They adopt many colors and use various means to deceive you at any opportunity. They lend you their support in the public, and in the private they are looking for an opportunity to ambush you.
Their hearts are afflicted with disease, inwardly are evil and outwardly have a good appearance. Their words are healing and their actions are incurable diseases. They are jealous of people’s comfort, create hardships and annihilate their hopes.8
References:
1- The Quran [37:36]
2- [3:19]
3- [2:130]
4- [23:110]
5- [43:36-37]
6- [27:4]
7- [4:145]
8- Nahjul Balagha, the sermon 194
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Commentary on Nahjul-Balaghah (Hadith 1)