Az-Zukhruf: (54) So he fooled his people, and they obeyed him...

"So he fooled his people" (Fa-istakhaffa qawmahu): This means he sought lightness from them in complying with him, with the sin (in istakhaffa) being for the purpose of requesting, in its true sense. The meaning of "lightness" here is speed in answering and following him, just as it is said, "They were light (khufuf) when called," which is a well-known metaphor.

Ibn al-A‘rabi said: "He deemed their intellects light," meaning he found their intellects to be light, i.e., lacking in sense. Thus, the form istaf'ala denotes "finding" (wujdan), similar to af'ala, as one says ahmadtuhu (I found him praiseworthy). Attributing this to the people is figurative.

"And they obeyed him" (Fa-ata‘uhu): regarding what he commanded them.

"Indeed, they were a people defiantly disobedient" (Innahum kanu qawman fasiqin).

54

"Therefore, they hastened to the obedience of that deviant, corrupted one."