وَإِذَا لَقُوا۟ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ قَالُوٓا۟ ءَامَنَّا وَإِذَا خَلَوْا۟ إِلَىٰ شَيَـٰطِينِهِمْ قَالُوٓا۟ إِنَّا مَعَكُمْ إِنَّمَا نَحْنُ مُسْتَهْزِءُونَ 14
Translations
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."
Transliteration
Wa-idha laqū alladhīna āmanū qālū āmannā wa-idha khalaw ilā shayāṭīnihim qālū innā ma'akum innamā naḥnu mustahzi'ūn
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah describes the hypocrisy (nifāq) of the munāfiqūn (hypocrites) who profess belief when they meet the believers but secretly mock Islam and align themselves with their 'devils' (shayāṭīn—their leaders who instigate disbelief). Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Qurṭubī emphasize that 'their devils' refers to the leaders of the hypocrites who encourage them toward disbelief and ridicule, demonstrating the fundamental contradiction between their outward claims and inward rejection of faith.
Revelation Context
This ayah is part of Surah Al-Baqarah's extended passage (2:8-20) describing the characteristics of hypocrites in Medina. The context relates to those who claimed Islam superficially after the Prophet's migration to Medina but harbored doubt and enmity toward the believers, making false professions of faith out of political or social calculation.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (ﷺ) said: 'The sign of a hypocrite is that he has three characteristics: when he speaks, he lies; when he makes a promise, he breaks it; and when he is entrusted with something, he betrays it' (Sahih Bukhari 33). Additionally, Surah Al-Munāfiqūn (Chapter 63) contains extensive aḥādīth and Quranic descriptions of hypocrites' duplicitous behavior.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah warns believers to be vigilant against the spiritual disease of hypocrisy—saying one thing while believing another—and teaches that sincere faith requires consistency between inner conviction and outward action. For modern readers, it emphasizes the importance of authentic belief and warns against the dangers of compromising one's principles for social acceptance.
Related Ayahs
يُنَادُونَهُمْ أَلَمْ نَكُن مَّعَكُمْ ۖ قَالُوا۟ بَلَىٰ وَلَـٰكِنَّكُمْ فَتَنتُمْ أَنفُسَكُمْ وَتَرَبَّصْتُمْ وَٱرْتَبْتُمْ وَغَرَّتْكُمُ ٱلْأَمَانِىُّ حَتَّىٰ جَآءَ أَمْرُ ٱللَّهِ وَغَرَّكُم بِٱللَّهِ ٱلْغَرُورُ
They [i.e., the hypocrites] will call to them [i.e., the believers], "Were we not with you?" They will say, "Yes, but you afflicted yourselves and awaited [misfortune for us] and doubted, and wishful thinking deluded you until there came the command of Allāh. And the Deceiver [i.e., Satan] deceived you concerning Allāh.
وَإِن يَكُن لَّهُمُ ٱلْحَقُّ يَأْتُوٓا۟ إِلَيْهِ مُذْعِنِينَ
But if the right is theirs, they come to him in prompt obedience.
وَمِنَ ٱلنَّاسِ مَن يَقُولُ ءَامَنَّا بِٱللَّهِ فَإِذَآ أُوذِىَ فِى ٱللَّهِ جَعَلَ فِتْنَةَ ٱلنَّاسِ كَعَذَابِ ٱللَّهِ وَلَئِن جَآءَ نَصْرٌ مِّن رَّبِّكَ لَيَقُولُنَّ إِنَّا كُنَّا مَعَكُمْ ۚ أَوَلَيْسَ ٱللَّهُ بِأَعْلَمَ بِمَا فِى صُدُورِ ٱلْعَـٰلَمِينَ
And of the people are some who say, "We believe in Allāh," but when one [of them] is harmed for [the cause of] Allāh, he considers the trial [i.e., harm] of the people as [if it were] the punishment of Allāh. But if victory comes from your Lord, they say, "Indeed, We were with you." Is not Allāh most knowing of what is within the breasts of the worlds [i.e., all creatures]?
إِنَّ ٱلْمُنَـٰفِقِينَ فِى ٱلدَّرْكِ ٱلْأَسْفَلِ مِنَ ٱلنَّارِ وَلَن تَجِدَ لَهُمْ نَصِيرًا
Indeed, the hypocrites will be in the lowest depths of the Fire - and never will you find for them a helper -