In The Name of Allah,
the Beneficent and the Most Merciful
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Volume 1: Surah Baqarah, Verses 8-20
And
there are some people who say: "We believe in Allah and in the last
day"; while they are not at all believers (8). They desire to
deceive Allah and those who believe and they do not deceive except
themselves and they do not perceive (9). There is a disease
in their hearts, so Allah added to their disease and for them is a
painful chastisement because of the lie they were saying (10). And
when it is said to them, "Do not make mischief in the land",
they say: "We are but peace-makers" (11). Now surely they
themselves are the mischief-makers, but they do not perceive (12).
And when it is said to them: "Believe as the people have
believed", they say: "Shall we believe as the fools have believed?"
Now surely they themselves are the fools, but they do not
know (13). And when they meet those who believe, they say:
"We believe"; and when they are alone with their Satans, they say:
"Surely we are with you, we were only mocking" (14). Allah
pays them back their mockery, and leaves them alone in their
rebellion blindly wandering on (15). These are they who buy
error for the guidance, so their bargain brings (them) no gain,
nor are they guided aright (16). Their parable is like the
parable of one who kindled afire, but when it had illumined all
around him, Allah took away their light, and left them in utter
darkness - they do not see (17). Deaf, dumb (and) blind, so
they will not turn back (18). Or like an abundant rain from
the heaven in which is utter darkness and thunder and lightning;
they put their fingers into their ears because of the thunder
peals, for fear of death, and Allah encompasses the unbelievers
(19). The lightning almost takes away their sight; whenever
it shines on them they walk in it, and when it becomes dark to them
they stand still; and if Allah had pleased He would certainly have
taken away their hearing and their sight; surely Allah has power
over all things (20).
* * * *
*
COMMENTARY
These thirteen verses are
about the hypocrites. We shall discuss this subject in detail in Chapter
63 (The Hypocrites) and in some other places.
QUR’AN: They
desire to deceive:
"al-Khad'ah" is
deceit, duplicity.
QUR'AN: When they
are alone with their Satans:
"ash-Shaytan" means
evil, wicked; that is why the lblis is called the Satan.
QUR'AN: Their
parable is like the parable of one who kindled a fire . . . they will not
return:
The hypocrites are like a
man who is surrounded by a blinding darkness in which he cannot
distinguish good from bad, beneficial from harmful; to remove it he
kindles a fire, and in its light is able to see to some distance around
it; then as soon as it has illumined all around, Allah, extinguishes it by
wind, rain or some other thing like it and he is left as he was before -
in utter darkness. And now he is pressed between two darkness - that of
the night and that of bewilderment and nullity of his endeavor. This
parable fits exactly on hypocrites. A hypocrite declares himself to be a
Muslim, and through it gains some benefits, as he is treated as a Muslim
in matters of marriage and inheritance etc. But as soon as death
approaches - the time when the real and complete benefits of Islam should
have appeared - Allah takes away the light, nullifies his deeds and leaves
him in utter darkness in which he cannot see at all. Thus he falls between
two darkness - his original one and the one he added with his dark
deeds.
QUR'AN: Or like
an abundant rain . . . Allah has power over all things:
"as-Sayyib"
(abundant rain); "al-barq" (lightning; flesh of lightning);
"al-ra'd" (thunder that is heard
after
lightning) ; "as - sa 'iqah" (thunderbolt, to strike with
lightning).
This is another example for
the hypocrites. A man is caught in a rain pour; darkness surrounds him, he
is unable to see around and loses his bearings. The rain tells him to run
away; to find shelter somewhere, but darkness prevents him from it;
frightening thunder and lightning-bolts have overwhelmed him, yet when
lightning appears he tries to take its advantage by walking ahead in its
light - but it appears only for a fleeting moment and then disappears;
whenever it shines he walks ahead and when darkness engulfs him again he
stops.
A hypocrite is exactly in
the same position. He does not like Islam, but has to profess to be a
Muslim. His words do no reach his heart what he says is different from
what he believes in his heart. Because of this discrepancy his path is not
illuminated as it should have been. The result is that he gropes about
aimlessly and stumbles every now and then; he walks a little and then
stops Thus Allah punishes him with disgrace; and had He wished so, He
would have taken away his sight and hearing, thereby disgracing him on the
very first day.
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