Surah Al-'Ankabut: Verses (10-11)

And of the people are those who...

We say that the accountable people are divided into three categories:

1. A believer whose outward appearance reflects good belief.
2. An open disbeliever who openly declares his disbelief and obstinacy.
3. One who is wavering between the two, showing faith with his tongue while concealing disbelief in his heart (the hypocrite).

After Allah, the Exalted, clarified the first two categories with the verse: {And Allah will surely know those who are truthful and will surely know the liars} (Al-'Ankabut: 3), and explained their states in the verses: {Or do those who do evil deeds think...} (Al-'Ankabut: 4) up to {And those who believe and do righteous deeds} (Al-'Ankabut: 7), He then addressed the third category by saying: {And of the people are those who say, "We believe in Allah..."}

In this verse, there are several issues:

He said: {And of the people are those who say, "We believe..."} and did not say, "I believe" (Āmantu), even though the subsequent actions are singular, such as: {so when he is harmed for the sake of Allah} and {made the people's trial}.

This is because the hypocrite used to liken himself to the true believer, saying, "My faith is like your faith." Therefore, Allah said {Min} (Some/Of them), meaning, "I and the true believer both believe." This signals that his faith is like the faith of the true believer.

This is analogous to a coward who joins brave warriors in battle. If the warriors defeat the enemy, the coward says, "We went out, we fought them, and we defeated them." The listener understands from his speech that his going out and fighting was like their going out and fighting. This response is valid because the listener cannot deny the mere claim of going out and fighting. Similarly, if someone says, "The King and I met so-and-so and welcomed him," this is not usually denied, because the implication is equality in the action. Since they (the hypocrites) intended to show that their faith was like that of the truthful ones, the individual used the plural form ("We believe"), meaning, "I and the truthful one."

His statement: {so when he is harmed for the sake of Allah} carries a meaning similar to His statement: {and have been driven out from their homes and persecuted in My cause} (Al 'Imran: 195).

However, the intent of that verse (Al 'Imran) refers to those who patiently endure persecution from the disbelievers. The intent here refers to those who did not remain patient.

There, He said: {and have been persecuted in My cause} (Al 'Imran: 195), but here He said: {harmed for the sake of Allah} (without fī sabīli).

The subtlety here is that Allah intended to clarify the nobility of the patient believer and the baseness of the hypocritical disbeliever. There, the believer was harmed in the cause of Allah so that he might abandon His path, yet he did not abandon it. Here, the hypocrite was harmed, yet he abandoned Allah entirely. He could have shown conformity if the harm reached the point of coercion, while his heart remained reassured with faith, and thus he would not have abandoned Allah. Yet, even without this, he abandoned Allah completely. The believer, however, was harmed but did not abandon the path of Allah; rather, he proclaimed the two testimonies of faith and remained steadfast in obedience and worship.

Al-Zamakhshari said: He made the people's trial a deterrent from faith, just as the punishment of Allah is a deterrent from disbelief. Another view is that they became distressed by the people's punishment just as they were distressed by Allah's punishment.

In summary, the meaning is that they equated the people's trial—despite its weakness and transience—with the painful and eternal punishment of Allah, causing them to hesitate. They reasoned: "If we believe, we will be harmed by people; if we abandon belief, we will be subjected to what Muhammad (peace be upon him) warned us about." They chose to avoid the immediate harm.

Hesitation only occurs when two things are considered equal. How can the torment inflicted by people be equated with the torment of Allah?

1. Severity and Duration: The torment of people is not severe, nor is it lasting. If the torment were severe, like the Fire, the person would die immediately, and the torment would not last. If it were lasting, like imprisonment, it would not be severe. Allah's punishment is both severe and lasting.
2. Defense: The torment of people has a defender/repeller, while Allah's punishment has none.
3. Consequence: The torment inflicted by people results in a great reward, whereas Allah's punishment is followed by painful torment. Hardship that is followed by great ease is considered pleasant and not counted as torment, just as removing a harmful splinter is not considered torment.

He said: {the people's trial} and did not say, "the people's punishment." This is because the action of a servant is a test and trial from Allah. Their trial is allowing some people to have power over whomever proclaims the word of faith to harm them, thereby revealing their true station—just as He made religious obligations a test and trial. This indicates that patience in affliction resulting from this trial is, for a person, like patience in acts of worship.

If someone argues: "This implies that a believer should not proclaim the word of disbelief under coercion, because one who proclaims disbelief under coercion to avoid immediate harm has made the people's trial equal to Allah's punishment."

We reply: This is not the case. One who is coerced into disbelief while his heart is reassured with faith has not made the people's trial equal to Allah's punishment. This is because Allah's punishment necessitates abandoning what one is being punished for, both outwardly and inwardly. This coerced believer has not equated the people's trial with Allah's punishment to the extent of abandoning what he is outwardly being punished for; rather, faith remains in his inner self.

Then Allah, the Exalted, said: {And if victory from your Lord should come, they would surely say, "Indeed, we were with you."} (Al-'Ankabut: 10). This means it is the habit of the hypocrite: if he sees the upper hand belonging to the disbelievers, he reveals what he conceals, declares association, and claims allegiance.

We mention some benefits regarding this in the following issues:

Issue 1: Why "Your Lord" (Rabbika) and not "Allah"?

He said: {And if victory from your Lord should come} and did not say "from Allah," even though the preceding verses all mentioned Allah, such as: {harmed for the sake of Allah} and {like the punishment of Allah}.

This is because Rabb (Lord) is a name whose signified meaning specifically involves compassion and mercy. Allah is a name whose signified meaning involves awe and majesty. Therefore, concerning victory, the term indicating mercy and affection is mentioned, and concerning punishment, the term indicating majesty is mentioned.

Issue 2: Why "Victory from your Lord" and not "If it comes to you"?

He did not say, "And if it comes to you (ja'akum)" or "to you (ja'aka)," but rather said: {And if victory from your Lord should come}. If victory came to them, they would not say: {Indeed, we were with you}. This implies that they would say, "We are with you," if victory came, whether it came to them or to the believers.

We reply: This statement implies they would say, "We are with you," when victory arrives. However, victory only comes to the believer, as Allah says: {And it was incumbent upon Us to aid the believers} (Ar-Rum: 47). Furthermore, the dominance of a disbeliever over a Muslim is not victory, because victory is that which has a sound outcome. The proof is that if one of two armies is defeated immediately but then the defeated army returns and defeats the victors, the title of the victor (Mansūr) is only applied to the one who had the final outcome. Similarly, even if the Muslim is initially broken, the ultimate outcome belongs to the pious; thus, victory truly belongs to them.

Issue 3: The two readings of Layaqūlanna

There are two readings for {Layaqūlanna} (They will surely say):

1. With Fath (A-sound): Layaqūlanna. This is governed by the preceding statement: {those who say, "We believe..."}. Meaning: the one who says "We believe" when harmed abandons that statement, but when victory comes, he says, "We were with you."
2. With Ḍamm (U-sound): Layuqūlanna. This is in the plural form, attributing the saying to the entire group implied by the context, as the hypocrites were a multitude.

Then Allah, the Exalted, clarified that they intended deception (Talbīs). This deception is invalid because deception only occurs when the spoken word contradicts the heart. The listener bases the matter on what is said and is unaware of what is in the heart, thus becoming confused. However, Allah, the Exalted, is the Knower of the innermost secrets of the chests (ʿAlīm bi-dhāt aṣ-ṣudūr). He knows what is in a person's chest better than the person himself, so the matter is not confusing to Him.

This indicates that the consideration is for what is in the heart: the hypocrite who outwardly shows faith while concealing disbelief is a disbeliever, and the coerced believer who outwardly shows disbelief while concealing faith is a believer. Allah knows best what is in the chests of all beings.

After clarifying that He knows best what is in the hearts of all beings, He clarified that He knows the truthful believer even if he does not speak, and the hypocrite even if he speaks, by saying: {And Allah will surely know the believers and will surely know the hypocrites}. This has been previously explained, but there is one issue here:

There, He said: {And Allah will surely know those who are truthful} (Ṣādiqū), but here He said: {And Allah will surely know those who believe} (Āmanū).

We say: Since the mention there was about the believer and the disbeliever, the disbeliever in that context is a liar (Kādhib) because he says Allah has more than one, while the believer is truthful (Ṣādiq) because he says Allah is One. There was no mention of one who conceals the opposite of what he shows. Thus, the result there was two categories: the truthful and the liar.

Here, the hypocrite is truthful in his speech (he says Allah is One), so the matter of the heart is considered regarding him, and Allah says: {and will surely know the hypocrites}. The matter of the heart is considered regarding the believer, which is affirmation (Taṣdīq), so Allah says: {and Allah will surely know the believers}.

Verse 11

{And those who disbelieve say to those who have believed, "Follow our way, and we will carry your sins." But they will not carry any of their sins. Indeed, they are liars.}