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Ayah
Word by Word
وَإِذَا
And when
قِيلَ
it is said
لَهُمۡ
to them
ءَامِنُواْ
Believe
كَمَآ
as
ءَامَنَ
believed
ٱلنَّاسُ
the people
قَالُوٓاْ
they say
أَنُؤۡمِنُ
Should we believe
كَمَآ
as
ءَامَنَ
believed
ٱلسُّفَهَآءُۗ
the fools
أَلَآ
Beware
إِنَّهُمۡ
certainly they
هُمُ
themselves
ٱلسُّفَهَآءُ
(are) the fools
وَلَٰكِن
[and] but
لَّا
not
يَعۡلَمُونَ
they know
وَإِذَا
And when
قِيلَ
it is said
لَهُمۡ
to them
ءَامِنُواْ
Believe
كَمَآ
as
ءَامَنَ
believed
ٱلنَّاسُ
the people
قَالُوٓاْ
they say
أَنُؤۡمِنُ
Should we believe
كَمَآ
as
ءَامَنَ
believed
ٱلسُّفَهَآءُۗ
the fools
أَلَآ
Beware
إِنَّهُمۡ
certainly they
هُمُ
themselves
ٱلسُّفَهَآءُ
(are) the fools
وَلَٰكِن
[and] but
لَّا
not
يَعۡلَمُونَ
they know
Translation
When it is said to them: "Believe as the others believe:" They say: "Shall we believe as the fools believe?" Nay, of a surety they are the fools, but they do not know.
Tafsir
When it is said to them, 'Believe as the people believe', that is, as the Companions of the Prophet may peace and salutation be upon him, They say, 'Shall we believe as fools believe?', that is, as the ignorant do? No we do not follow their way. The exalted One refutes them, saying: Truly, they are the foolish ones, but they know, this, not.
"Meaning of Mischief
Allah said,
وَإِذَا قِيلَ لَهُمۡ لَا تُفۡسِدُواۡ فِي الَارۡضِ قَالُواۡ إِنَّمَا نَحۡنُ مُصۡلِحُونَ
And when it is said to them:""Do not make mischief on the earth,"" they say:""We are only peacemakers.""
In his Tafsir, As-Suddi said that Ibn Abbas and Ibn Mas`ud commented,
""They are the hypocrites.
As for,
لَا تُفۡسِدُواۡ فِي الَارۡضِ
(""Do not make mischief on the earth""), that is disbelief and acts of disobedience.""
Abu Jafar said that Ar-Rabi bin Anas said that Abu Al-Aliyah said that Allah's statement,
وَإِذَا قِيلَ لَهُمۡ لَا تُفۡسِدُواۡ فِي الَارۡضِ
(And when it is said to them:""Do not make mischief on the earth""),
means, ""Do not commit acts of disobedience on the earth. Their mischief is disobeying Allah, because whoever disobeys Allah on the earth, or commands that Allah be disobeyed, he has committed mischief on the earth. Peace on both the earth and in the heavens is ensured (and earned) through obedience (to Allah).""
Ar-Rabi bin Anas and Qatadah said similarly.
Types of Mischief that the Hypocrites commit
Ibn Jarir said,
""The hypocrites commit mischief on earth;
by disobeying their Lord on it and continuing in the prohibited acts.
They also abandon what Allah made obligatory and doubt His religion, even though He does not accept a deed from anyone except with faith in His religion and certainty of its truth.
The hypocrites also lie to the believers by saying contrary to the doubt and hesitation their hearts harbor.
They give as much aid as they can, against Allah's loyal friends, and support those who deny Allah, His Books and His Messengers.
This is how the hypocrites commit mischief on earth, while thinking that they are doing righteous work on earth.""
The statement by Ibn Jarir is true; taking the disbelievers as friends is one of the categories of mischief on the earth.
Allah said,
وَالَّذينَ كَفَرُواۡ بَعۡضُهُمۡ أَوۡلِيَأءُ بَعۡضٍ إِلاَّ تَفۡعَلُوهُ تَكُنۡ فِتۡنَةٌ فِى الاٌّرۡضِ وَفَسَادٌ كَبِيرٌ
And those who disbelieve are allies of one another, if you do not do this (help each other), there will be turmoil and oppression on the earth, and great mischief. (8:73),
In this way Allah severed the loyalty between the believers and the disbelievers.
Similarly, Allah said,
يَـأَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواۡ لَا تَتَّخِذُواۡ الۡكَـفِرِينَ أَوۡلِيَأءَ مِن دُونِ الۡمُوۡمِنِينَ أَتُرِيدُونَ أَن تَجۡعَلُواۡ للَّهِ عَلَيۡكُمۡ سُلۡطَاناً مُّبِيناً
O you who believe! Do not take disbelievers as Awliya (protectors or helpers or friends) instead of believers. Do you wish to offer Allah a manifest proof against yourselves. (4:144)
Allah then said,
إِنَّ الۡمُنَـفِقِينَ فِى الدَّرۡكِ الاٌّسۡفَلِ مِنَ النَّارِ وَلَن تَجِدَ لَهُمۡ نَصِيراً
Verily, the hypocrites will be in the lowest depth of the Fire; no helper will you find for them. (4:145)
Since the outward appearance of the hypocrite displays belief, he confuses the true believers. Hence, the deceitful behavior of the hypocrites is an act of mischief, because they deceive the believers by claiming what they do not believe in, and because they give support and loyalty to the disbelievers against the believers.
If the hypocrite remains a disbeliever (rather than pretending to be Muslim), the evil that results from him would be less. Even better, if the hypocrite becomes sincere with Allah and makes the statements that he utters conform to his deeds, he will gain success.
Allah said,
وَإِذَا قِيلَ لَهُمۡ لَا تُفۡسِدُواۡ فِي الَارۡضِ قَالُواۡ إِنَّمَا نَحۡنُ مُصۡلِحُونَ
And when it is said to them:""Do not make mischief on the earth,"" they say:""We are only peacemakers.""
meaning, ""We seek to be friends with both parties, the believers and the disbelievers, and to have peace with both parties.""
Similarly, Muhammad bin Ishaq reported that Ibn Abbas commented on Allah's statement,
means, ""We seek to make amends between the believers and the People of the Book.""
Allah said,
أَلا إِنَّهُمۡ هُمُ الۡمُفۡسِدُونَ وَلَـكِن لاَّ يَشۡعُرُونَ
Verily, they are the ones who make mischief, but they perceive not.
This Ayah means that the hypocrites' behavior, and their claim that it is for peace, is itself mischief, although in their ignorance, they do not see it to be mischief
Allah tells;
وَإِذَا قِيلَ لَهُمۡ
And when it is said to them:
Allah said that if the hypocrites are told,
امِنُواۡ كَمَا امَنَ النَّاسُ
""Believe as the people believe,""
meaning, `Believe just as the believers believe in Allah, His angels, His Books, His Messengers, Resurrection after death, Paradise and Hellfire, etc. And obey Allah and His Messenger by heeding the commandments and avoiding the prohibitions.'
Yet the hypocrites answer by saying,
قَالُواۡ أَنُوۡمِنُ كَمَا امَنَ السُّفَهَاء
""Shall we believe as the fools have believed!""
they meant (may Allah curse the hypocrites) the Companions of the Messenger of Allah.
This is the same Tafsir given by Abu Al-Aliyah and As-Suddi in his Tafsir, with a chain of narration to Ibn Abbas, Ibn Mas`ud and other Companions.
This is also the Tafsir of Ar-Rabi bin Anas and Abdur-Rahman bin Zayd bin Aslam.
The hypocrites said,
""Us and them having the same status, following the same path, while they are fools!""
`The fool' is the ignorant, simple-minded person who has little knowledge in areas of benefit and harm. This is why, according to the majority of the scholars, Allah used the term foolish to include children, when He said,
وَلَا تُوۡتُواۡ السُّفَهَأءَ أَمۡوَلَكُمُ الَّتِى جَعَلَ اللَّهُ لَكُمۡ قِيَـماً
And do not give your property, which Allah has made a means of support for you, to the foolish. (4:5)
Allah answered the hypocrites in all of these instances. For instance, Allah said here,
أَلا إِنَّهُمۡ هُمُ السُّفَهَاء
Verily, they are the fools.
Allah thus affirmed that the hypocrites are indeed the fools.
yet,
وَلَـكِن لاَّ يَعۡلَمُونَ
But they know not.
Since they are so thoroughly ignorant, the hypocrites are unaware of their degree of deviation and ignorance, and such situation is more dangerous, a severer case of blindness, and further from the truth than one who is aware."
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