► 14-15 ◄

Verses 14-15

وَإِذَا لَقُواْ الَّذِينَ اٰمَنُواْ قَالُواْ اٰمَنَّا وَإِذَا خَلَوْاْ اِلٰى شَيَاطِينِهِمْ قَالُواْ إِنَّا مَعَكُمْ اِنَّمَا نَحْنُ مُسْتَهْزِئُونَ ❊ اَللهُ يَسْتَهْزِئُ بِهِمْ وَيَمُدُّهُمْ فِى طُغْيَانِهِمْ يَعْمَهُونَ

When they meet those who believe, they say: “We believe;” but when they are alone with their evil ones, they say: “We are really with you; we [were] only jesting. ∗ Allah will throw back their mockery on them, and give them rope in their trespasses; so they will wander like blind ones [to and fro]. (Wa idhā laqū alladhīna āmanū qālū āmannā wa idhā khalaw ilā shayāṭīnihim qālū innā ma‘kum innamā naḥnu mustahzi’ūn. • Allāhu yastahziyu’ bi-him wa yamudduhum fī ṭughānihim ya‘mahūn.)

The relationship of these verses’ meaning with that of the previous one

This consists of the linking [by means of the conjunction “and”] of the dissemblers’ fourth crime; that is, their mockery and scorn, with their previous crimes; that is, their accusing the believers of weak-mindedness, their spreading corruption, and their depravity.

The positioning of the phrases constituting these verses

[and the relationships between them]

Belief, as a prop and support in the face of suffering and a source of assistance for realizing one’s hopes, possesses three essential properties:

The First: Self-respect, which arises from having such a support, and the mark of which is not to lower oneself by being abject and servile.

The Second: Compassion, the mark of which is not to abase others or be contemptuous of them.

The Third: Respect for the truth and knowledge of its worth. For the person who possesses something of high value possesses the truth; he owns a unique jewel and will not be scornful of the truth. For he is also dignified.