سُورَةُ البَقَرَةِ
Reading Tafsir al-Jalalayn by Jalal al-Din al-Mahalli & Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti
Ayahs 11–20 of 286
وَإِذَا قِيلَ لَهُمْ لَا تُفْسِدُوا۟ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ قَالُوٓا۟ إِنَّمَا نَحْنُ مُصْلِحُونَ
And when it is said to them, "Do not cause corruption on the earth," they say, "We are but reformers."
When it is said to them that is these latter ‘Do not spread corruption in the land’ through unbelief and hindering people from faith They say ‘We are only putting things right’ that is ‘we are not engaging in corruption’. God exalted be He refutes them saying
أَلَآ إِنَّهُمْ هُمُ ٱلْمُفْسِدُونَ وَلَٰكِن لَّا يَشْعُرُونَ
Unquestionably, it is they who are the corrupters, but they perceive [it] not.
Truly a-lā ‘truly’ is for alerting intended emphatically they are the agents of corruption but they perceive this not.
وَإِذَا قِيلَ لَهُمْ ءَامِنُوا۟ كَمَآ ءَامَنَ ٱلنَّاسُ قَالُوٓا۟ أَنُؤْمِنُ كَمَآ ءَامَنَ ٱلسُّفَهَآءُ ۗ أَلَآ إِنَّهُمْ هُمُ ٱلسُّفَهَآءُ وَلَٰكِن لَّا يَعْلَمُونَ
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.
وَإِذَا لَقُوا۟ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ قَالُوٓا۟ ءَامَنَّا وَإِذَا خَلَوْا۟ إِلَىٰ شَيَٰطِينِهِمْ قَالُوٓا۟ إِنَّا مَعَكُمْ إِنَّمَا نَحْنُ مُسْتَهْزِءُونَ
And when they meet those who believe, they say, "We believe"; but when they are alone with their evil ones, they say, "Indeed, we are with you; we were only mockers."
When they meet laqū is actually laquyū but the damma has been omitted being too cumbersome for pronunciation; likewise the yā’ is omitted because it is unvocalised and is followed by a wāw; those who believe they say ‘We believe’; but when they go apart away from them and return to their devils their leaders they say ‘We are with you in religion; we were only mocking them the believers by feigning belief.
ٱللَّهُ يَسْتَهْزِئُ بِهِمْ وَيَمُدُّهُمْ فِى طُغْيَٰنِهِمْ يَعْمَهُونَ
[But] Allah mocks them and prolongs them in their transgression [while] they wander blindly.
God Himself mocks them requiting them for their mockery leaving them that is giving them respite in their insolence that is in their transgressing the limits of unbelief; bewildered wavering in perplexity ya‘mahūn is a circumstantial qualifier.
أُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ ٱلَّذِينَ ٱشْتَرَوُا۟ ٱلضَّلَٰلَةَ بِٱلْهُدَىٰ فَمَا رَبِحَت تِّجَٰرَتُهُمْ وَمَا كَانُوا۟ مُهْتَدِينَ
Those are the ones who have purchased error [in exchange] for guidance, so their transaction has brought no profit, nor were they guided.
Those are they who have bought error for guidance that is they have exchanged the latter for the former; so their commerce has not profited them that is to say they have gained nothing from it indeed they have lost because their destination is the Fire made everlasting for them; nor are they guided in what they did.
مَثَلُهُمْ كَمَثَلِ ٱلَّذِى ٱسْتَوْقَدَ نَارًۭا فَلَمَّآ أَضَآءَتْ مَا حَوْلَهُۥ ذَهَبَ ٱللَّهُ بِنُورِهِمْ وَتَرَكَهُمْ فِى ظُلُمَٰتٍۢ لَّا يُبْصِرُونَ
Their example is that of one who kindled a fire, but when it illuminated what was around him, Allah took away their light and left them in darkness [so] they could not see.
Their likeness the way they are in their hypocrisy is as the likeness of one who kindled that is one who lit a fire in darkness and when it illumined all about him so that he is able to see and to feel warm and secure from those he feared God took away their light extinguishing it the plural pronoun in nūrihim takes into account the plural import of alladhī; and left them in darkness unable to see what is around them confused as to the way in fear; likewise are those who have found temporary security by professing faith but who will meet with terror and punishment upon death; these last are
صُمٌّۢ بُكْمٌ عُمْىٌۭ فَهُمْ لَا يَرْجِعُونَ
Deaf, dumb and blind - so they will not return [to the right path].
deaf to the truth so that they cannot hear it and accept it; dumb mute as regards goodness unable to speak of it; and blind to the path of guidance so that they cannot perceive it; they shall not return from error.
أَوْ كَصَيِّبٍۢ مِّنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ فِيهِ ظُلُمَٰتٌۭ وَرَعْدٌۭ وَبَرْقٌۭ يَجْعَلُونَ أَصَٰبِعَهُمْ فِىٓ ءَاذَانِهِم مِّنَ ٱلصَّوَٰعِقِ حَذَرَ ٱلْمَوْتِ ۚ وَٱللَّهُ مُحِيطٌۢ بِٱلْكَٰفِرِينَ
Or [it is] like a rainstorm from the sky within which is darkness, thunder and lightning. They put their fingers in their ears against the thunderclaps in dread of death. But Allah is encompassing of the disbelievers.
Or the likeness of them is as a cloudburst that is the likeness of them is as people are during rain ka-sayyib the term is originally sayyūb from the verb sāba yasūbu meaning ‘it came down’; out of the heaven out of the clouds in which clouds is darkness layer upon layer and thunder the angel in charge of them sc. the clouds; it is also said that this thunder is actually the sound of his voice; and lightning the flash caused by his voice which he uses to drive them — they the people under the rain put their fingers that is their fingertips in their ears against because of the thunderclaps the violent sound of thunder in order not to hear it cautious of fearful of death if they were to hear it. Similar is the case with these when the Qur’ān is revealed in which there is mention of the unbelief that is like darkness the threat of punishment that is like the sound of thunder and the clear arguments that are like the clear lightning they shut their ears in order not to hear it and thereby incline towards true faith and abandon their religion which for them would be death; and God encompasses the disbelievers in both knowledge and power so they cannot escape Him.
يَكَادُ ٱلْبَرْقُ يَخْطَفُ أَبْصَٰرَهُمْ ۖ كُلَّمَآ أَضَآءَ لَهُم مَّشَوْا۟ فِيهِ وَإِذَآ أَظْلَمَ عَلَيْهِمْ قَامُوا۟ ۚ وَلَوْ شَآءَ ٱللَّهُ لَذَهَبَ بِسَمْعِهِمْ وَأَبْصَٰرِهِمْ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَىْءٍۢ قَدِيرٌۭ
The lightning almost snatches away their sight. Every time it lights [the way] for them, they walk therein; but when darkness comes over them, they stand [still]. And if Allah had willed, He could have taken away their hearing and their sight. Indeed, Allah is over all things competent.
The lightning well-nigh almost snatches away their sight that is takes it away swiftly; whensoever it gives them light they walk in it in its light; and when the darkness is over them they stop that is they stand still a simile of the perturbation that the Qur’ānic arguments cause in their hearts and of their acknowledging the truths of what they love to hear and recoiling from what they detest; had God willed He would have taken away their hearing and their sight that is the exterior faculty in the same way that He took away their inner one; Truly God has power over all things that He wills as for example His taking away of the above-mentioned.
Commentary: Tafsir al-Jalalayn by Jalal al-Din al-Mahalli & Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti. Qur'an text and translation via AlQuran Cloud.
