of Nokounam, may his sanctity remain (Session 172)
The Holy Qur'an, like a clear mirror, reveals the inner reality of human beings. Verse 13 of Surah Al-Baqarah, وَإِذَا قِيلَ لَهُمْ آمِنُوا كَمَا آمَنَ النَّاسُ قَالُوا أَنُؤْمِنُ كَمَا آمَنَ السُّفَهَاءُ ۚ أَلَا إِنَّهُمْ هُمُ السُّفَهَاءُ وَلَٰكِنْ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ
(Translation: And when it is said to them: Believe as the people have believed, they say: Shall we believe as the fools have believed? Indeed, they themselves are the fools, but they do not know), critiques the behaviour of the hypocrites and elucidates the concept of committed faith and folly. This treatise, relying on scientific lectures and psychological, theological, and social analyses, interprets this verse in a systematic and eminent framework for specialised audiences and academic environments. Employing allegories and metaphors, this work depicts the depth of Quranic meanings within a scientific and universal context without diminishing the exalted dignity of the Divine Word.
Contrary to the preceding verses of Surah Al-Baqarah where the address was distributed over two verses, Verse 13 concentrates the discourse within a single verse emphasising faith and folly. This focus highlights faith as the central axis of spiritual life and invites the hypocrites to reflect on their inner selves.
This verse, like a condensed message, targets the heart of the hypocrites to guide them from the superficial shell of hypocritical faith towards the reality of true belief.
The verse begins with the phrase وَإِذَا قِيلَ لَهُمْ آمِنُوا
which constitutes an instructive, advisory, and request-oriented invitation to faith. Despite the hypocrisy of the hypocrites, this invitation manifests God's lack of despair in the reformation of humans. Contrary to limited human perceptions that swiftly despair of others, God invites the hypocrites to faith.
This invitation is like rain that falls upon dry and barren lands with the hope of the sprouting of faith in hardened hearts.
Despair from the reformation of others is a sign of short-sightedness and intellectual limitation. Dogmatic and closed-minded individuals quickly lose hope in others, but God, through inviting to faith, does not exclude even the worst humans from His mercy.
The invitation to faith in this verse is qualified by the phrase كَمَا آمَنَ النَّاسُ
(as the people have believed), which refers to a committed and analogous faith to that of the people (the Muhajirun and Ansar). This faith is not merely mental or superficial but one committed to God and the Messenger and accompanied by righteous deeds.
Committed faith is like a tree rooted in belief in God and the Messenger, whose fruits appear in righteous actions.
Faith without righteous deeds is hypocritical and leads to folly. The Muhajirun and Ansar manifested their committed faith through migration, sacrifice, sharing wealth, and enduring hardships. Faith devoid of accompanying action is like a tree with healthy roots but no fruit.
True faith abandons self-centredness and commits to reality. The hypocrites, immersed in self-interest, possess an apparent faith and cannot attain committed faith.
True faith is like a stream flowing from the spring of truth, whereas hypocrisy is like a swamp sinking into the self.
The hypocrites, by attributing folly to the believers, considered themselves wise; however, the verse emphasises أَلَا إِنَّهُمْ هُمُ السُّفَهَاءُ
returning folly to themselves. This folly results from arrogance, self-superiority, and immersion in materialism.
The folly of the hypocrites is like dust settled on the mirror of their intellect, obscuring the truth from their sight.
The phrase وَلَٰكِنْ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ
indicates the hypocrites' unawareness of their own folly. This inner ignorance means distance from truth and immersion in self-centredness.
The ignorance of the hypocrites is like darkness engulfing their hearts in the absence of the light of knowledge.
The Quran in earlier verses used لَا يَشْعُرُونَ
to describe the apparent unawareness of the hypocrites, whereas in this verse لَا يَعْلَمُونَ
is employed, referring to inner ignorance and lack of intellect and will. This lexical choice reveals the precise Quranic engineering in clarifying outward and inward matters.
The hypocrites, due to possessing wealth and external facilities, became arrogant and self-superior. Psychologically, external factors such as wealth or status can lead to inner disorders like hypocrisy and folly. However, true believers, like the friends of God, are immune to such changes.
External factors are like a wind that changes the direction of human behaviour, but true faith is like a rock that stands firm against these winds.
Verse 13 emphasises the necessity of purposefulness, will, and foresight in faith. The hypocrites are called fools because of the absence of these qualities, whereas the believers demonstrated their will and purposefulness through migration, sacrifice, and striving.
Committed faith is like a journey that reaches the destination of truth with will and purpose, while hypocrisy is like being lost in the desert of the self.
True believers, like the friends of God, maintain their stability against external changes such as acquiring status or wealth. Conversely, the hypocrites and weak individuals alter their behaviour and identity with changing circumstances. The hadith مَنْ كَانَ مَعَ اللَّهِ كَانَ اللَّهُ مَعَهُ
(Translation: Whoever is with God, God is with him) affirms this stability.
Human weaknesses such as arrogance and susceptibility to external factors indicate active hypocrisy. True faith, rooted in monotheism, protects man from these weaknesses. As the poet expresses: همان موحد چو در پای ریزی زرش / چو شمشیر هندی نهی بر سرش / هراس و امیدش نباشد ز کس / بر این است بنیاد توحید و بس
.
The interpretation of Verse 13 of Surah Al-Baqarah, focusing on the invitation to committed faith and criticism of the hypocrites' folly, reveals the psychological and theological depth of the Holy Qur'an. The divine invitation to faith, even for the hypocrites, reflects endless mercy and the absence of despair in human reformation. The phrase كَمَا آمَنَ النَّاسُ
confines faith to a practical and committed faith manifested in the behaviour of the Muhajirun and Ansar. The hypocrites, by attributing folly to the believers, reveal their materialistic and arrogant worldview; however, God confines folly to them, emphasising their lack of intellect, will, and faith. The distinction between لَا يَعْلَمُونَ
and لَا يَشْعُرُونَ
demonstrates the Qurans precise engineering in clarifying inner and outer ignorance. External factors like wealth and status may cause inner disorders, but true faith protects humans from such changes. This verse invites people to reflect on will, purposefulness, and foresight and warns against folly arising from hypocrisy and self-centredness. This interpretation, by providing a scientific and universal framework, offers a pathway for deeper understanding of faith and avoidance of hypocrisy.
Supervised by Sadegh Khademi
