Tafsir of Al-Baqarah 2:14-15

Al-Baqarah (2:14-15)

وَإِذَا لَقُوا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا قَالُوا آمَنَّا وَإِذَا خَلَوْا إِلَىٰ شَيَاطِينِهِمْ قَالُوا إِنَّا مَعَكُمْ إِنَّمَا نَحْنُ مُسْتَهْزِئُونَ

This is the fourth type of their reprehensible actions. The phrase laqītuhu (I met him) means to encounter someone nearby. Abu Hanifa recited it as wa idhā lāqū (and when they meet).

As for His saying: {قَالُوا آمَنَّا} (They said, "We believe"), it means they professed sincerity in their hearts. There are two pieces of evidence for this:

1. The verbal affirmation (confession by the tongue) was already known from them, so there was no need to state it. What was in doubt was the sincerity of the heart; therefore, this statement must refer to that.
2. Their statement to the believers, "We believe," must be interpreted as the opposite of what they showed their devils. Since they showed their devils disbelief in their hearts, their statement to the believers must mean affirmation in the heart.

As for His saying: {وَإِذَا خَلَوْا إِلَىٰ شَيَاطِينِهِمْ} (And when they retire to their devils), the author of Al-Kashshāf said that khalawtu bi-fulānin wa ilayhi means to be alone with someone. It could also derive from khalā meaning "passed away," as in al-qurūn al-khāliyah (the past generations). Another meaning of khalawtu bihi is to mock him, from the expression khalā fulānun bi-‘irdi fulānin (so-and-so mocked the honor of so-and-so). This implies that they reported their mockery of the believers to their devils and spoke to them about it, similar to saying, "I praise so-and-so to you, and I blame so-and-so to you."

As for {شَيَاطِينِهِمْ} (their devils), they are those who resemble devils in their rebellion.

Regarding His saying: {إِنَّا مَعَكُمْ} (Indeed, we are with you), there are two questions:

Question 1: Is the speaker all the hypocrites or some of them? Answer: There is a difference of opinion on this. Those who interpret "devils" as the leaders of the hypocrites hold that this statement comes from the lesser hypocrites. They would say "We believe" to the believers, but when they returned to their leaders, they would say, "Indeed, we are with you," so that the leaders would not suspect them of divergence. Those who interpret "devils" as the disbelievers do not prevent this statement from being attributed to all hypocrites. There is no doubt that "their devils" refers to their leaders, who are either the disbelievers or the leaders of the hypocrites, as they are the ones capable of causing corruption on earth, unlike the lesser ones.

Question 2: Why did they address the believers with a verbal sentence structure, but their devils with an emphatic nominal sentence structure (using inna)? Answer: The statement they made to the believers was not worthy of the strongest form of speech because they were claiming the occurrence of faith in themselves, not claiming the perfect degree of it. This is either because their souls did not allow them to exaggerate—as speech stemming from hypocrisy and hatred rarely involves exaggeration—or because they knew that claiming perfection in faith would not be accepted by the Muslims. However, their speech to their brethren (the devils) was based on their actual belief, and they knew the listeners would accept it, so emphasis was appropriate.

As for His saying: {إِنَّمَا نَحْنُ مُسْتَهْزِئُونَ} (We are only mocking), there are two questions:

Question 1: What is mockery (istihzā’)? Answer: The root of the matter is lightness, from al-hazw, which means swift movement. Haz’a yahza’u means to remain stationary. A she-camel tuhzi’u bihi means she speeds up. Its definition is expressing agreement while concealing something that constitutes evil, done in a manner of derision. Based on this, their statement, {إِنَّمَا نَحْنُ مُسْتَهْزِئُونَ}, means: "We show them agreement with their religion so that we may be safe from their harm, learn their secrets, and take from their charity and spoils."

Question 2: How does {إِنَّمَا نَحْنُ مُسْتَهْزِئُونَ} relate to {إِنَّا مَعَكُمْ}? Answer: It is an emphasis on the preceding statement. {إِنَّا مَعَكُمْ} means steadfastness in disbelief, and {إِنَّمَا نَحْنُ مُسْتَهْزِئُونَ} is a rejection of Islam. Rejecting the opposite of a thing confirms its steadfastness, or it could be a substitute, because whoever belittles Islam has magnified disbelief. Alternatively, it is a new, explanatory statement: as if they were questioned when they said, "We are with you," asking, "If that is true, why do you agree with the people of Islam?" They replied, "We are only mocking."

And know that when the Almighty recounted this about them, He responded with several things.

The first is His saying: {اللَّهُ يَسْتَهْزِئُ بِهِمْ} (Allah mocks them). This raises several questions:

Question 1: How can Allah be described as mocking when mockery is inseparable from deception (talbīs), which is impossible for Allah, and from ignorance, based on His saying: {قَالَ أَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ أَنْ أَكُونَ مِنَ الْجَاهِلِينَ} (He said, "I seek refuge in Allah from being one of the ignorant")? Ignorance is impossible for Allah. Answer: Five interpretations have been mentioned:

1. What Allah does to them is a recompense for their mockery, so it is named mockery, as the consequence of an action is named after the action itself. (e.g., Jazā’ sayyi’atin sayyi’atun mithluhā [The recompense for a bad deed is a bad deed like it], and Yakhādi‘ūna Allāha wa huwa khādi‘uhum [They try to deceive Allah, but He deceives them]). The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "O Allah, so-and-so has reviled me while knowing I am not a poet, so revile him, O Allah, and curse him by the number of times he has reviled me," meaning, recompense him for his reviling.
2. The harm of their mockery against the believers returns upon themselves and does not harm the believers, so it becomes as if Allah mocked them.
3. Mockery results in humiliation and contempt; thus, mentioning mockery refers to the resulting humiliation, using the cause to signify the effect.
4. Allah’s mockery of them is that He reveals to them in this world rulings that contradict what they have with Allah in the Hereafter, just as they showed the Prophet and the believers one thing while their secret reality was the opposite. This interpretation is weak because when Allah shows them the rulings of this world, He has already shown clear evidence of the evil outcome and great punishment awaiting them in the Hereafter, so there is no contradiction with what He showed in this world.
5. Allah treats them as a mocker treats others, both in this world and the Hereafter. In this world, He reveals their secrets to the Messenger, even though they exerted great effort to conceal them. In the Hereafter, Ibn Abbas said: When the believers enter Paradise and the disbelievers enter Hell, Allah opens a door from Paradise onto Gehenna where the hypocrites reside. When the hypocrites see the door open, they begin to emerge from Hell and head toward Paradise, while the people of Paradise watch them. When they reach the gate of Paradise, the gate is shut against them. This is what is meant by His saying: {إِنَّ الَّذِينَ أَجْرَمُوا كَانُوا مِنَ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا يَضْحَكُونَ} (Indeed, the criminals used to laugh at those who believed) until {فَالْيَوْمَ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا مِنَ الْكُفَّارِ يَضْحَكُونَ} (So today, those who believed will laugh at the disbelievers). This is their mockery.

Question 2: Why did the verse begin with {اللَّهُ يَسْتَهْزِئُ بِهِمْ} without being connected (conjoined) to the preceding statement? Answer: It is a fresh, highly eloquent, and majestic start (isti’nāf). It signifies that Allah is the one mocking them with a mockery so great that their mockery becomes insignificant in comparison. It also implies that Allah Himself takes charge of mocking them as vengeance for the believers, so the believers are not required to counter them with similar mockery.

Question 3: Was it said, "Allah is a mocker" to correspond with {إِنَّمَا نَحْنُ مُسْتَهْزِئُونَ}? Answer: No, because {يَسْتَهْزِئُ} (He mocks) implies the occurrence and renewal of mockery over time. This corresponds to Allah’s afflictions upon them: {أَوَلَا يَرَوْنَ أَنَّهُمْ يُفْتَنُونَ فِي كُلِّ عَامٍ مَرَّةً أَوْ مَرَّتَيْنِ} (Do they not see that they are tried once or twice every year?). Furthermore, they were almost constantly experiencing the uncovering of their secrets and the revelation of verses warning them, such as: {يَحْذَرُ الْمُنَافِقُونَ أَنْ تُنَزَّلَ عَلَيْهِمْ سُورَةٌ تُنَبِّئُهُمْ بِمَا فِي قُلُوبِهِمْ قُلِ اسْتَهْزِئُوا إِنَّ اللَّهَ مُخْرِجٌ مَا تَحْذَرُونَ} (The hypocrites fear that a Sūrah might be sent down against them, informing them of what is in their hearts. Say, "Mock! Indeed, Allah will bring forth that which you fear.").

The second response is His saying: {وَيَمُدُّهُمْ فِي طُغْيَانِهِمْ يَعْمَهُونَ} (And He leaves them wandering in their transgression).

The author of Al-Kashshāf said that yamudduhum (He extends them) is like ammaddahu (He reinforced it) when one adds what strengthens and increases it (like reinforcing an army or an inkwell). Maddadtu al-sirāj wa al-arḍ means I improved them with oil or fertilizer. Maddahu al-shayṭān fī al-ghayy means the devil continued to whisper to him. Madda and ammadda have the same meaning. Some said madda is used for evil, and ammadda for good, as in {أَيَحْسَبُونَ أَنَّمَا نُمِدُّهُمْ بِهِ مِنْ مَالٍ وَبَنِينَ} (Do they think that what We extend to them of wealth and children). Some claimed it means extending their lifespan (imlā’ and imhā’), but this is incorrect for two reasons:

1. The recitation of Ibn Kathir and Ibn Muhayṣin uses namudduhum (with an alif), and the recitation of Nafi’ uses yamudduhum (with a dāl), indicating the root madad (reinforcement) rather than madd (extension).
2. The meaning of granting respite (imhā’) is associated with madd lahu (extending for him), similar to amlay lahu.

The Mu'tazila argued that this verse cannot be taken literally for several reasons:

1. His saying {وَإِخْوَانُهُمْ يَمُدُّونَهُمْ فِي الْغَيِّ} (and their brethren extend them in error) attributes that error to their brethren; how can it then be attributed to Allah?
2. Allah condemned them for this transgression; if it were an action of Allah, how could He condemn them for it?
3. If it were an action of Allah, prophethood and the Qur'an would be nullified, making the effort to interpret it futile.
4. Allah attributes the transgression to them by saying {فِي طُغْيَانِهِمْ} (in their transgression). If it were from Allah, He would not attribute it to them. Thus, it is clear that Allah attributes it to them to show that He is not the creator of that action. This is supported by the fact that when He attributes the extension to the devils, He leaves al-ghayy unqualified in {وَإِخْوَانُهُمْ يَمُدُّونَهُمْ فِي الْغَيِّ} (Al-A'rāf: 202).

Given this, the interpretations are as follows:

1. Interpretation of Al-Ka'bi and Abu Muslim Yahya al-Isfahani: When Allah granted them the graces He grants the believers, but then forsook them due to their persistent disbelief, their hearts remained darkened by increasing darkness, while light increased in the hearts of the Muslims. This increase is called madd (extension/reinforcement) and is attributed to Allah because it results from His action toward them.
2. It is interpreted as refraining from compulsion (qasr) or coercion, similar to the saying: If a foolish person is not stopped, it is as if he is commanded [to continue].
3. The action of the devil is attributed to Allah because of His enabling, empowering, and allowing the devil to mislead His servants.
4. The view of Al-Jubba'i: He said yamudduhum means He extends their lifespan, and yet they remain wandering in their transgression. This is weak for two reasons: First, we established that linguistically, yamudduhum cannot mean extending life. Second, even if it were correct, it implies that Allah extends their lives so that they may wander in transgression, which raises the same problem. The Judge responded that the meaning is not that Allah extends their lives for the purpose of their wandering, but rather that Allah preserves them and grants them ease in obedience, yet they refuse except to wander.

Know that the discussion on this topic was covered previously in the commentary on {خَتَمَ اللَّهُ عَلَىٰ قُلُوبِهِمْ} (Allah has set a seal upon their hearts), so there is no benefit in repeating it.

Know that Ṭughyān (transgression) is extremism in disbelief and exceeding the limit in arrogance, as in {إِنَّا لَمَّا طَغَى الْمَاءُ} (Indeed, when the water overflowed), meaning it exceeded its limit, and {اذْهَبْ إِلَىٰ فِرْعَوْنَ إِنَّهُ طَغَى} (Go to Pharaoh; indeed, he has transgressed), meaning he was excessive and exceeded the limit. Zayd ibn Ali recited fī ṭughyānihim with a kasra (i.e., ṭughyānihim), and both are valid linguistic forms, like luqyān and luqyān. Al-‘Amh (wandering/bewilderment) is like blindness (al-‘amā), except that blindness is general concerning sight and opinion, whereas al-‘amh is specific to opinion—it is hesitation and confusion where one does not know where to turn.

{أُولَٰئِكَ الَّذِينَ اشْتَرَوُا الضَّلَالَةَ بِالْهُدَىٰ فَمَا رَبِحَتْ تِجَارَتُهُمْ وَمَا كَانُوا مُهْتَدِينَ}

(Those are the ones who have purchased error in exchange for guidance, so their transaction has gained no profit, and they were not guided.)