Al-Baqarah: (13) And when it is said to them...

Know that this is the third category of the reprehensible actions of the hypocrites. This is because, after forbidding them from spreading corruption on earth in the preceding verse, the Almighty commanded them in this verse to have faith. This is because the perfection of a human being's state is only achieved by combining these two matters: the first is abandoning what is improper, which is His saying: {Believe} (Āminū). Herein lie several issues:

Issue 1: The meaning of {And when it is said to them, "Believe"}

This means believing with sincerity, far removed from hypocrisy. One might argue from this verse that mere verbal affirmation constitutes faith. If it were not faith, then the essence of faith would only be achieved if sincerity were present, making the command {Believe} sufficient to achieve the desired outcome, and the subsequent phrase {as the people have believed} would be superfluous.

The response is that true faith in the sight of God is that which is accompanied by sincerity. However, outwardly, there is no way to ascertain this except through outward affirmation. Therefore, it necessarily required emphasis by the phrase {as the people have believed}.

Issue 2: The definite article (ال) in {the people} (al-nās)

There are two interpretations for the definite article in {the people}:

1. It refers to a specific, known group (li-l-'ahd), meaning the Messenger of God and those with him, who are a known group, or 'Abdullāh ibn Salām and his followers, as they are of the same lineage.
2. It refers to the entire genus (li-l-jins). Here too, there are two views:
   • The majority of the Aws and Khazraj tribes were Muslims, and these hypocrites were few among them. The general term (plurality) is sometimes used to refer to the majority.
   • The believers are truly the people in essence, because they are the ones who have given humanity its due right. The virtue of humans over other animals lies in the guiding intellect and the leading thought.

Issue 3: The Speaker and the Response

The one who says to them, {Believe}, is either the Messenger or the believers. Then, some of them would say to others, "Shall we believe just as the fool of Banū [tribe X] and the fool of Banū [tribe Y] believed?" The Messenger was unaware of this, so God Almighty said: {Behold, it is they who are the foolish ones}.

Issue 4: The meaning of Foolishness (Sufaha')

Foolishness (Sufh) means lightness or frivolity. It is said, sahafat al-rīḥu al-shay’a (the wind stirred the thing), meaning it moved it. Dhū al-Rummah said:

And Abū Tammām al-Ṭā’ī said:

He meant the one quick to thrust with the spear, the light one. A slanderous person is called a safīh because he is light and lacks gravity. God Almighty said: {And do not give the foolish (sufahā') your property which God has made a means of sustenance for you} (An-Nisā’: 5). The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "The drinker of wine is a fool (safīh)" due to his lack of intellect.

The hypocrites attributed foolishness to the Muslims for these reasons: The hypocrites were often people of status and leadership, while most believers were poor. The hypocrites believed that the religion of Muhammad (peace be upon him) was false, and only the foolish would accept falsehood. For these reasons, they ascribed foolishness to them.

Then, God Almighty reversed this title upon them and established the truth for several reasons:

1. Whoever turns away from evidence and then attributes foolishness to the one adhering to it, he is the fool.
2. Whoever sells his Hereafter for his worldly life, he is the fool.
3. Whoever opposes Muhammad (peace be upon him) has opposed God, and that is the fool.

Issue 5: The difference between {they do not know} and {they do not perceive}

The reason why the end of this verse says {they do not know} (lā ya'lamūn), while the preceding verse used {they do not perceive} (lā yash'urūn), is twofold:

1. Recognizing that the believers are upon the truth and they (the hypocrites) are upon falsehood is an intellectual, theoretical matter. However, the fact that hypocrisy and the transgression within it lead to corruption on earth is self-evident, akin to a sensory perception.
2. Since foolishness (ignorance/lack of wisdom) was mentioned, using the term knowledge ('ilm) provides a better antithesis (contrast/parallelism). And God knows best.

7 < {And when they meet those who believe, they say, "We believe," but when they are alone with their devils, they say, "Indeed, we are with you; indeed, we are only mocking." * Allah mocks them and prolongs them in their transgression, wandering.} > 7

<