Verse 19 of Surah Al-Baqarah, akin to a masterful painting depicting the behaviour of the hypocrites, provides a profound and multilayered parable of their psychological, epistemological, and behavioural characteristics. This verse employs natural and psychological imagery to portray hypocrisy in the face of divine revelation and reveals the fearful and passive reactions of the hypocrites. This writing, by compiling and rewriting the lecture delivered on 19/1/1388 (Solar Hijri calendar), undertakes a comprehensive and scholarly analysis of this verse. The aim is to offer a systematic and refined text for erudite audiences, articulated in a specialised language utilising parables and metaphors to elucidate the psychological and epistemic dimensions of hypocrisy. This interpretation, while preserving the original content, is enriched by supplementary analyses and presented as a resource for theological and psychological research.
Verse 19 of Surah Al-Baqarah, like a new curtain in the divine display, presents the second parable of the hypocrites. Contrary to the first parable (Verses 1718), which focused on the individual hypocrite ("Their parable is like that of one who kindled a fire"), this parable emphasises the collective hypocrites and begins with "Or like a rainstorm".
Key point: The second parable, by concentrating on the collective hypocrites, demonstrates the broad social impact of hypocrisy.
أَوْ كَصَيِّبٍ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ فِيهِ ظُلُمَاتٌ وَرَعْدٌ وَبَرْقٌ يَجْعَلُونَ أَصَابِعَهُمْ فِي آذَانِهِمْ مِنَ الصَّوَاعِقِ حَذَرَ الْمَوْتِ وَاللَّهُ مُحِيطٌ بِالْكَافِرِينَ
Translation: Or like a rainstorm from the sky, in which there are darknesses, thunder and lightning. They put their fingers in their ears against the thunderclaps, fearing death. And Allah encompasses the disbelievers.
This verse, through the parable of rain, thunder, and lightning, depicts the fearful behaviour of the hypocrites in the face of divine revelation.
The first parable described hypocrisy as a form of individual cognitive blockage (deaf, dumb, blind), whereas the second parable, like a wave engulfing the collective, examines hypocrisy within the context of collective interactions and the confrontation with revelation.
Key point: The second parable analyses hypocrisy at the collective level in confrontation with divine revelation.
In the first parable, the individual hypocrite was the primary subject, but in the second parable, nature ("rainstorm from the sky") takes centre stage, with the hypocrites belonging to it. This shift represents hypocrisy in relation to the divine natural order.
Key point: Nature in the second parable symbolises divine revelation, to which the hypocrites respond passively.
The second parable of the hypocrites, by emphasising the collective and nature, examines hypocrisy within the social context and confrontation with divine revelation. This transition from individual to collective demonstrates the expansive impact of hypocrisy and its reactions to truth.
Unlike the first parable, which described only a natural progression (lighting and extinguishing a fire), the second parable, like a river encompassing both natural flow and human emotions, combines natural progression (rain, thunder, lightning) with psychological progression (fear of death).
Key point: The second parable, by combining natural and psychological progression, reveals the scientific depth of the Qur'an in analysing human behaviour.
The phrase "fear of death" acts as a mirror reflecting the inner state of the hypocrites, revealing their profound fear of death caused by lack of faith.
Key point: Fear of death is the psychological root of the hypocrites' passive behaviour towards revelation.
The hypocrites, like birds seeking refuge in a storm, place their fingers in their ears (يَجْعَلُونَ أَصَابِعَهُمْ فِي آذَانِهِمْ) to flee from the thunderclaps and death. This behaviour indicates their psychological dispersion and anxiety.
Key point: The fearful behaviour of the hypocrites demonstrates their psychological fragmentation in the face of divine revelation.
Faith, like a shield against the storm, brings peace and psychological health, eliminating the hypocrites' fear.
Key point: Faith is the solution to the fear and anxiety of the hypocrites before revelation.
The second parable, by combining natural and psychological progression, analyses the behaviour of the hypocrites towards divine revelation. Their fear of death and passive behaviour are consequences of the lack of faith, which the Qur'an addresses with scientific subtlety.
Some traditional commentaries, such as Matll, interpret "يَجْعَلُونَ أَصَابِعَهُمْ فِي آذَانِهِمْ" as a metaphor or exaggeration, implying that the hypocrites only place the fingertips (anmilah) in their ear canals. This interpretation, akin to viewing the seas surface without exploring its depths, overlooks the psychological profundity of the verse.
Key point: Traditional exegeses, by restricting أَصَابِعَهُمْ to a metaphor, neglect the psychological depth of the verse.
The Qur'an, by using "أَصَابِعَهُمْ" (fingers) instead of anmilah (fingertips), vividly portrays the intensity of the hypocrites' fear. This choice, like a detailed painting, indicates that the hypocrites block not only the ear canal but their entire auditory capacity from revelation.
Key point: "أَصَابِعَهُمْ" illustrates the intensity of fear and the complete auditory blockade of the hypocrites.
Qur'anic eloquence, like a pure spring, transcends traditional rhetorical tools such as Matll, describing the hypocrites behaviour with psychological precision. This superiority establishes the Qur'an as a modern and scientific text.
Key point: Qur'anic eloquence, with psychological precision, surpasses traditional rhetorical instruments.
Some commentators, such as Mulla Sadra, attribute the first parable to theoretical wisdom and the second to practical wisdom. This separation, like an artificial wall, conflicts with the comprehensiveness of the Qur'an, as both parables encompass theoretical and practical wisdom.
Key point: The separation of theoretical and practical wisdom is inconsistent with the integrative nature of Qur'anic parables.
The critique of traditional exegeses and emphasis on Qur'anic eloquence reveal the psychological and epistemological depth of the verse. The precise lexical choice and the superiority of the Qur'an over traditional rhetorical tools necessitate a re-evaluation of exegetical methodologies.
The phrase "وَاللَّهُ مُحِيطٌ بِالْكَافِرِينَ", like the sky enveloping the earth, signifies God's complete encompassment of the actions and intentions of the hypocrites. This principle renders their resistance to revelation futile.
Key point: Divine encompassment nullifies the hypocrites resistance to revelation.
The hypocrites fear of death, like a dark shadow, results from their lack of faith, rendering them powerless and anxious before divine revelation.
Key point: Lack of faith is the root cause of the hypocrites fear of death and passive reaction.
Faith, like a medicine for the disturbed psyche, alleviates the hypocrites fear and anxiety, guiding them towards peace and psychological health.
Key point: Faith is a psychological remedy for the fear and anxiety of the hypocrites.
يَكَادُ الْبَرْقُ يَخْطَفُ أَبْصَارَهُمْ ۖ كُلَّمَا أَضَاءَ لَهُمْ مَشَوْا فِيهِ وَإِذَا أَظْلَمَ عَلَيْهِمْ قَامُوا ۚ وَلَوْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ لَذَهَبَ بِسَمْعِهِمْ وَأَبْصَارِهِمْ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ
Translation: The lightning almost snatches away their sight; whenever it flashes for them, they walk therein, and when darkness comes over them, they stand still. And if Allah willed, He could take away their hearing and their sight. Indeed, Allah is over all things competent.
This verse portrays the unstable behaviour of the hypocrites towards the light of revelation and the darkness of hypocrisy.
Divine encompassment illustrates the impotence of the hypocrites against revelation, while faith, as a psychological solution, cures their fear and anxiety. This section emphasises the role of faith in psychological well-being and its opposition to hypocrisy.
The past deficiency of scientific tools, like the absence of a key to unlock epistemological locks, hindered the precise understanding of Qur'anic verses such as the second parable of the hypocrites.
Key point: Lack of scientific tools prevented deep comprehension of Qur'anic verses historically.
The Holy Qur'an, like a book for the future, analyses human behaviour in scientific and modern language, surpassing the limitations of past sciences.
Key point: The Qur'an is a modern and scientific text for analysing human behaviour.
Religious science, like a gardener who must make the tree of knowledge fruitful, is obliged to investigate the degrees of revelation and its characteristics to establish the scientific prestige of the Qur'an worldwide.
Key point: Research on revelation is a duty of religious science to consolidate the Qur'ans scientific status.
Psychological and sociological analyses of Qur'anic verses, like a bridge to knowledge, can generate scientific theories in theology and religious psychology.
Key point: Psychological and sociological analyses strengthen scientific religious theories.
The necessity of scientific research in religious studies, especially regarding the degrees of revelation, introduces the Qur'an as a modern and scientific text. Such research may lead to the production of religious knowledge and enhance the Qur'ans status globally.
The interpretation of verse
