Surah Baqarah ayat 13 Tafsir Quran 2:13

﴿وَإِذَا قِيلَ لَهُمْ آمِنُوا كَمَا آمَنَ النَّاسُ قَالُوا أَنُؤْمِنُ كَمَا آمَنَ السُّفَهَاءُ ۗ أَلَا إِنَّهُمْ هُمُ السُّفَهَاءُ وَلَٰكِن لَّا يَعْلَمُونَ﴾
[ البقرة: 13]

2:13 And when it is said to them, "Believe as the people have believed," they say, "Should we believe as the foolish have believed?" Unquestionably, it is they who are the foolish, but they know [it] not.

When it is said to them ‘Believe as the people believe’ that is as the Companions of the Prophet s 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.

And when told to conform their will to Allah’s will and to recognise Him, believe in Him and give credence to His Omnipotence and Authority as other people have conformed to His will, they say: Shall we demean ourselves like the simpletons did and follow the same course they followed? Indeed, they are the fools who said in their hearts, There is no god, but they are ignorant and unknowing of the truth

Allah said that if the hypocrites are told, ءَامِنُواْ كَمَآ ءَامَنَ 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, قَالُواْ أَنُؤْمِنُ كَمَآ آمَنَ السُّفَهَآءُ ( "Shall we believe as the fools have believed" ) they meant ( may Allah curse the hypocrites ) the Companions of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
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, وَلاَ تُؤْتُواْ السُّفَهَآءَ أَمْوَلَكُمُ الَّتِى جَعَلَ اللَّهُ لَكُمْ 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, أَلاَ إِنَّهُمْ هُمُ السُّفَهَآءُ ( Verily, they are the fools ).
Allah thus affirmed that the hypocrites are indeed the fools, yet, وَلَـكِن لاَّ يَعْلَمُونَ ( 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.

(2:13) And when it is said to them, "Believe sincerely as the other people have believed", *13 they reply, "Should we believe as fools have believed?' *14 Beware! they themselves are the fools, but they know it not.

And when it is said to them, meaning

*13).
They are being asked to become Muslims in the same manner as others of their community became Muslims
*14).
They think that those people who sincerely embraced Islam and thereby exposed themselves to all kinds of trials and persecutions, and confronted risks and dangers, were merely fools.
To them it seems sheer folly to invite the hostility of the entire land merely for the sake of Truth and righteousness.
In their view, wisdom consists not in bothering oneself with the distinction between truth and falsehood, but in remaining concerned only with one's own interests.

 

Allah said that if the hypocrites are told, ءَامِنُواْ كَمَآ ءَامَنَ 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, قَالُواْ أَنُؤْمِنُ كَمَآ آمَنَ السُّفَهَآءُ ( "Shall we believe as the fools have believed" ) they meant ( may Allah curse the hypocrites ) the Companions of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
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, وَلاَ تُؤْتُواْ السُّفَهَآءَ أَمْوَلَكُمُ الَّتِى جَعَلَ اللَّهُ لَكُمْ 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, أَلاَ إِنَّهُمْ هُمُ السُّفَهَآءُ ( Verily, they are the fools ).
Allah thus affirmed that the hypocrites are indeed the fools, yet, وَلَـكِن لاَّ يَعْلَمُونَ ( 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.

( And when it is said unto them ) i.e. to Jews, ( believe ) in Muhammad ( pbuh ) ( as the people believe ), i.e. ’Abdullah Ibn Salam and his companions, ( they say: Shall we believe ) in Muhammad ( pbuh ) and the Qur’an, ( as the foolish believe? ), i.e. as the stupid and ignorant do, ( Surely they are the fools ) the stupid and ignorant. ( But they know not ) that they are so.

And when it is said to them (hypocrites): "Believe as the people (followers of Muhammad Peace be upon him, Al-Ansar and Al-Muhajirun) have believed," they say: "Shall we believe as the fools have believed?" Verily, they are the fools, but they know not.

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