[ابوالوليد المسلم]

The Clear Qur'anic Exegesis (5)

Muhammad Khayr Ramadan Yusuf

Surat Al Baqarah (15-17)



{ اللَّهُ يَسْتَهْزِئُ بِهِمْ وَيَمُدُّهُمْ فِي طُغْيَانِهِمْ يَعْمَهُونَ } [البقرة: 15]

15- As long as they have chosen the way of deception, conspiracy, sarcasm and mockery, Allah will fail their plots. Soon they will know that their mockeries and plots will turn against themselves. (Verily, the hypocrites seek to deceive Allâh, but it is He Who deceives them.) [Surat An-Nisa': 42].
Allah will mock at them by taking revenge on them, causing them to lose balance and wander in a path which they do not know its end. Finally, they will find no way out because Allah has already sealed their hearts, made their sights blind as a result of their deeds and their bad attitudes.
Cunning, plots, deception and mockery cannot be attributed to Allah (may He be Glorified and Exalted) according to all scholars. However, taking revenge and retribution for actions with justice, can be ascribed to Allah as Ibn Jarir At-Tabary said.

{ أُولَئِكَ الَّذِينَ اشْتَرَوُا الضَّلاَلَةَ بِالْهُدَى فَمَا رَبِحَتْ تِجَارَتُهُمْ وَمَا كَانُوا مُهْتَدِينَ} [البقرة: 16]
16- The disbelievers replaced guidance with mischief and preferred disbelief to pure faith, which is a non-profitable business from all sides. So, their commerce was not successful and they were not guided in terms of what they have done.

{ مَثَلُهُمْ كَمَثَلِ الَّذِي اُسْتَوْقَدَ نَارًا فَلَمَّا أَضَاءَتْ مَا حَوْلَهُ ذَهَبَ اللَّهُ بِنُورِهِمْ وَتَرَكَهُمْ فِي ظُلُمَاتٍ لاَ يُبْصِرُونَ } [البقرة: 17]
17- The example of those who turned away from guidance to mischief and preferred blindness to insightfulness is like a man who kindled a fire in a very dark night. When the fire lighted the surroundings and the one who lit it benefited from and was able to see around, it suddenly has abated and that person became in darkness again and could not see around nor was he guided. Likewise are the hypocrites, who tasted the guidance of Islam and believed, then they turned backwards in a mess, preferring mischief to guidance after they have seen it. (That is because they believed, and then disbelieved; therefore their hearts are sealed, so they understand not.) [Surat Al Munafiqun: 3].
Their retribution was that Allah made them miss what is beneficial for them [i.e., the light] and left for them what may harm them [i.e., burning and smoke]. He has left them in the darkness of doubt, disbelief and hypocrisy and they were not guided.