يُنادونَهُم أَلَم نَكُن مَعَكُم ۖ قالوا بَلىٰ وَلٰكِنَّكُم فَتَنتُم أَنفُسَكُم وَتَرَبَّصتُم وَارتَبتُم وَغَرَّتكُمُ الأَمانِيُّ حَتّىٰ جاءَ أَمرُ اللَّهِ وَغَرَّكُم بِاللَّهِ الغَرورُ

They will call out to them: ‘Did we not use to be with you?’ They will say: ‘Yes! But you cast yourselves into temptation, and you awaited and were doubtful, and [false] hopes deceived you until the edict of Allah arrived, and the Deceiver deceived you concerning Allah.

EXEGESIS

This is a conversation between the hypocrites and the faithful after they are separated by a wall with a gate (verse 13). They will call out to them refers to the hypocrites, standing on the outside, as they will shout out to the faithful, attempting to avail of any help they can get to gain entry and join them.

The verb in They will call out (yunādūnahum) is from nidāʾ, which is to shout out to someone who is not within close range, further suggesting the two groups are not within a distance of engaging in a private or detailed conversation.

Sometimes nidāʾ can refer to a sheer voice that is nothing except a loud sound without any meaning or form (2:171). But nidāʾ can also refer to a call that is coherent speech (26:10, 5:58, 62:9), and that is the case here because the faithful are able to understand the hypocrites and reply to them.

The faithful list five reasons why the hypocrites are left out of God’s mercy: casting themselves into temptation, awaiting, doubting, false hopes, and being deceived by the Deceiver.

The first reason, you cast yourselves into temptation (fatantum anfusakum) refers to exposing oneself to sinful lusts and desires due to a false pride. Fatana is literally to burn in fire. It was originally used with the meaning of exposing gold to fire to purify it from any slag. The Quran uses the term in this literal sense of burning in fire (51:13) but fitnah also holds two metaphoric meanings: 1. As indulgence in mischief or temptation (2:191, 2:193, 2:217, 3:7, 4:91, 6:23, 8:39, 8:73), persecuting others (4:101, 9:47-49, 10:83, 16:110, 29:10, 85:10), seeking to mislead and beguile others from God’s way (5:49, 7:27, 17:73, 37:162), and so on. Various hadith imply that uncontrolled temptation, lust, and anger, and even indulgence in sedition and mischief, may outwardly seem pleasurable but is inwardly a fire from hell itself. 2. Since fitnah (pl. fitan) is not senseless burning but is coupled with the intent of purifying from attached impurities, as in the case of gold, it also serves as a metaphor for exposure to trials and afflictions (2:102, 5:41, 5:71, 6:53, 7:155, 8:25, 9:126, 17:60, 20:85, 20:90, 20:131, 21:111, 25:20, 29:2, 39:49) in order to purify souls and – so that Allah may separate the bad ones from the good (8:37) – revealing each soul’s degree of goodness or evil. Even God’s prophets are not spared from such fitan (20:40, 38:24, 38:34), which further elevate their status. And those whom the trials fail to purify, they serve them as punishment (37:63).

In Rāghib’s understanding, the first meaning of fitnah, as persecution, temptation, sedition, and mischief, is used in the Quran for what comes from man. And its second meaning, as tests and trials, which has a more positive connotation, comes from God, for it has a purpose and wisdom to it. In this latter sense, fitnah becomes a synonym to balāʾ, which the Quran consistently uses to mean God’s tests and trials of His creation (2:249, 3:186, 5:48, 5:94, 6:165, 7:163, 8:17, 11:7, 16:92, 18:7, 27:40, 33:11, 47:4, 47:31, 67:2, 68:17) through blessings or hardships (7:168, 89:15-16). Both terms are mentioned together in the verse, and We will test you (nablūkum) with good and ill by way of test (fitnah) (21:35). Balāʾ however carries a more positive meaning as a divine test unlike fitnah, which, due to its dual meanings, is often mentioned with regards to the faithless, the hypocrites and their punishment (22:53, 24:63, 37:63, 44:17, 51:13-14, 54:27, 57:14, 74:31).

Therefore, fatantum anfusakum here can be you cast yourselves into temptation but also: you caused yourselves to fall into trial and punishment.[1] In hadith as well, tuftanūna fī al-qubūr is interpreted as: you will be tried in the graves, meaning by the questioning of the two angels, or: you will be tormented in the graves.[2] And in 68:6, which one of you is maftūn is interpreted as: which one of you is crazy or insane, because one who suffers from insanity is afflicted or tried in his intellect. Maftūn can also be used to refer to one who is smitten or afflicted in his wealth and property because, like the intellect, when these depart, they distress a person.

Wealth and children are also referred to as fitnah (8:28, 64:15) for they serve both roles at once: that of a temptation that can lead one astray from God, as well as a trial, to gauge one’s dedication to God (3:14). When appreciated with gratitude to God, children, for example, are a blessing, but if they become a means of swerving they can be one’s enemy (64:14). The Arabs use the term futina bil-marʾah to mean ‘he was enamoured by the woman’ and likewise when one turns away from his faith and religion, it is said: futina fī dīnihi, literally ‘he was tried in his religion’.[3] The context, therefore, informs the meaning of fitnah in any verse or statement.

The second reason, and you awaited (tarabbaṣtum) means you secretly hoped for the downfall of Islam and the Muslim community that you pretended to be a part of, so you could return to your previous faithlessness.^[4] It is from tarabbaṣa, to expect or expectantly await for a thing or event to befall or betide oneself or someone else. In a poet’s words, for a man in love with a married woman:

tarabbaṣ bi-hā rayb al-manūni laʿallahā
tuṭallaqu yawman aw yamūtu ḥalīluhā

Wait you for the vicissitudes of fortune to befall her:
perhaps she may be divorced someday, or her husband may die

It is also used to express waiting to sell one’s commodity at a favourable opportunity to maximise profits and one who is such is called mutarabbiṣ.[5] Yatarabbaṣna also occurs in the Quran to refer to the waiting period of women after a divorce (2:228) or on becoming a widow (2:234).

The third reason, and were doubtful (irtabtum) is the hallmark of the hypocrites because at the first sign of danger they doubt in God and His promise, and in the truth they claim to profess (cf. 3:154). Unlike the hypocrites, the faithful are only those who have attained faith in Allah and His Apostle and then have never doubted (lam yartābu) (49:15).

Rayb or irtiyāb is a suspicion, doubt, mistrust, or uncertainty.[6] The verb rāba is to question, to suspect, to be uneasy, to stop and think, to be filled with misgivings.[7] It is also to have an evil opinion of someone or something.[8] Lā rayba fīhi (there is no doubt in it) is a common Quranic expression often used to refer to itself as the book (2:2, 10:37, 32:2), or to the hour of doom (18:21, 22:7, 40:59, 45:32), and the resurrection of man for a Day of Accounting (3:9, 3:25, 4:87, 6:12, 42:7, 45:26).

The fourth reason, being deceived by false hopes (amānī sing. umniyyah) is the subject of many traditions that warn against them. Amānī also occurs in 2:78, 2:111, 4:123 and other verses, with various conjugations. It implies wishful thinking, false hope, or a longing. Prolonged false hopes are also given as āmāl (sing. amal) as opposed to actions (aʿmāl sing. ʿamal) as, for example, in the verse: Leave them to eat and enjoy and to be diverted by [false] longings (amal). Soon they will know (15:3). See Insights from Hadith.

And the Deceiver (al-gharūr) – Satan – deceived you is the fifth and final reason. It is the whispering doubts (114:4-5) of the Devil concerning Allah, meaning in opposition to God’s clear promise. Gharūr may also mean ‘delusion’ instead of deluder (as Satan), in which case, it refers to the self-deluding expectations, albeit instigated by Satan, that God is all-merciful and will never chastise anyone regardless of their committing evil wilfully.[9]

Gharra is to deceive, mislead, beguile, and the noun ghurūr is, therefore, deception, delusion, illusion, or even conceit. Ghurūr bil-nafs is self-deception or self-delusion. Gharūr, on the other hand, refers to one who, or that which, is deceptive, misleads or beguiles others,[10] or as Lane puts it: ‘very deceitful.’[11] When unidentified, most understand its use with the definite article to be an epithet for the Devil himself or for the present world which deceives man. In a tradition from Imam Ali (a), he describes the world as: ‘It deceives (taghurru), it harms, and it passes away.’[12] And specific to the world, gharūr can represent anything materialistic from rank or property to wealth or desires. It signifies that by which one is deceived. The Devil is al-gharūr because he misleads man through false promises and inciting worldly ambitions and hopes in him, making him forget God and the hereafter. Or he urges man to do things which man loves but result in grief and sorrow.[13]

So quite likely, when the Quran speaks of al-gharūr, it is referring to the Devil and not the world because, unlike its occurrence in this verse, in the two other verses where it appears in the Quran, the term is clearly distinguished from the world: So do not let the life of the world deceive you (taghurrannakum), nor let the Deceiver (al-gharūr) deceive you (yaghurrannakum) concerning Allah (31:33, 35:5).

Until the edict (amr) of Allah arrived: meaning until death arrived. The faithful point out to the hypocrites that they (the hypocrites) continued like this until the very end and had no intention of ever repenting until the opportunity to do so had passed. Repentance after one is certain of one’s death or is dead, is useless (4:18, 10:90-91). The literal meaning of amr is command (or edict as given here), like in the verse: All His command (amr), when He wills something, is to say to it ‘Be,’ and it is (36:82). It also signifies authority, as in the verse: all authority (amr) that day will belong to Allah (82:19); this authority, command, and sovereignty is described more explicitly in 40:16. For broader meanings on the amr of God, see 17:85.

EXPOSITION

The question posed by the hypocrites – Did we not use to be with you? – meaning whilst in the world, suggests they are still deceitful and attempting to profess faith to rescue themselves. This was also their habit in the world: if there is a victory for you from Allah, they say: ‘Were we not with you?’ But if the faithless get a share [of victory], they say: ‘Did we not prevail upon you and defend you against the faithful?’ (4:141). The reply of the faithful: They will say: ‘Yes! But …’ proves that outward appearances and insincerely hanging around the faithful in this world does not make any difference in the hereafter, which is what counts in the end.

The Quran records several such conversations between the felicitous and the wretched on the Day of Judgement, even after the faithful take up residence in paradise and the hypocrites and faithless are consigned to hell. In some of these conversations it is the wrongdoers who confess to the reasons for their damnation (74:42-47) but the reasons for being drawn into hell vary in different verses. This is because the verses speak of different inmates of hell, from the faithless and polytheists to the hypocrites and the wrongdoers, who oppressed others and spread corruption on the earth.

A hypocrite procrastinates repentance and doing good, forgets the world is short-lived, and sees death and the Day of Resurrection as being very far and even doubtful. This, despite God’s warning: O mankind! Be wary of your Lord and fear the day … Indeed Allah’s promise is true. So do not let the life of the world deceive you, nor let the Deceiver (al-gharūr) deceive you concerning Allah (31:33). The Deceiver (Satan) also tries to deceive the faithful but When those who are God-wary are touched by an insinuation of Satan, they [immediately] remember [Allah] and behold, they perceive (7:201). The irony is that, in this world, the hypocrites believe it is the faithful who are deceived by their religion. They say concerning them: Their religion has deceived (gharra) them (8:49), or they say: Allah and His Apostle did not promise us [anything] except delusion (ghurūr) (33:12). Yet it is they who have been deceived by their false hopes and by Satan concerning God (2:9, 4:120, 4:142, 17:64).

If we go with the understanding that until the edict (amr) of Allah arrived refers to the arrival of death, then the fact that the fifth and final reason for the hypocrites’ eternal doom – and the Deceiver deceived you concerning Allah – is mentioned after this statement (until the edict (amr) of Allah arrived) means it is referring to the final deception from Satan at the time of one’s impending death. The hypocrites were already deluded as such, given the fourth reason – and [false] hopes deceived you – but numerous traditions from both Shia and Sunni sources recount that at the time of one’s death, Satan makes a final push to win the souls of the shaky and weak in faith, by convincing them to give up their belief in God and to submit to him instead.[14]

INSIGHTS FROM HADITH

1. The Prophet drew a square and then drew a line in the middle of it and let it extend outside the square. Then he drew several small lines attached to that centre line and said: ‘This is the human being, and this, [the square] in his lease of life that encircles him from all sides, and this [line], which is outside [the square], is his hope. And these small lines are the calamities and troubles [which befall him], and if one misses him, another will snap [and overtake] him. And if the other misses him, a third will snap him.’[15]

Note: Other similar traditions are quoted in Sunni hadith sources, all of which are to show that while man is busy chasing his hopes that even extend beyond his life (the square), he is being chased by death which overtakes him before the attainment of all his hopes.[16]

2. From Imam Ali (a): ‘Beware of being deceived by hopes; for how many have hoped for a day they never saw, and [how many] built homes they never took residence in, and [how many] amassed wealth they never consumed.’[17]
3. From Imam Ali (a): ‘A [false] hope is like a mirage; it deceives one who looks at it and disappoints one who hopes [to attain] it.’[18]
4. From Imam Ali (a): ‘[False] hope is the control of the devils over the hearts of the heedless.’[19]
5. From Imam Ali (a): ‘[False] hope veils the appointed time [of death].’[20]
6. From Abān ibn Taghlib from Imam al-Ṣādiq (a): ‘Keep away from [prolonged] hopes for they will take away the happiness that you have been bestowed. The gifts with you from God, the mighty and glorious, will appear small; and you will inherit regret because of what you will worry yourselves with [from farfetched hopes].’[21]

REVIEW OF TAFSĪR LITERATURE

Some exegetes, like Rāzī, Ibn Kathīr, and Suyūṭī, have suggested, you awaited (tarabbaṣtum) could mean you delayed repentance,^[22] or, according to Ṭabarī, it could imply that they wavered in their faith, never truly affirming it.[23] However, the more likely meaning for tarabbaṣa concerning the hypocrites is how the Quran uses it consistently, which is their hoping for the reversal of the Muslims’ fortune and their waiting eagerly for a misfortune to befall the Muslims (4:141, 9:50-52, 9:98, 52:30-31).

Nasr suggests the self-deception, or allowing the Devil to deceive oneself, in the words and [false] hopes deceived you until the edict of Allah arrived, and the Deceiver deceived you, can also be an allusion to more subtle degrees of hypocrisy that even plague the weak amongst the faithful – those who are afflicted with self-satisfaction at their religious attainments and cease to strive upon the spiritual path, and hence the surah addresses them two verses later, Is it not time yet … (verse 16).[24] Hidden or subtle forms of hypocrisy is certainly a concern discussed often in hadith but the five different reasons given in this verse, collectively, seem to be the traits of those excluded from the company of the faithful, such as the awaiting of misfortunes to befall the Muslims. So, quite likely, the hypocrites in this verse are the obvious, malicious ones and not the faithful in whom the plague of subtle hypocrisy goes unnoticed even by themselves. That said, it remains true that verse 16 calls for greater commitment and sincerity in faith and therefore this verse serves as an admonition to the faithful to demarcate clearer lines between themselves and qualities found in the hypocrites as described in this verse.

[1] Lane, f-t-n; Raghib, f-t-n.
[2] Nasai, 8/275.
[3] Lane, f-t-n.
[4] Cf. 3:154 concerning the hypocrites who entertained false notions about Allah, notions of [pagan] ignorance (3:154) as soon as the Muslims began suffering defeat at the Battle of Uḥud and some thought the Apostle of God had been slain.
[5] Lane, r-b-s.
[6] Hans Wehr, r-y-b.
[7] Hans Wehr, r-y-b.
[8] Lane, r-y-b.
[9] Zamakhshari, 4/476.
[10] Hans Wehr, gh-r-r.
[11] Lane, gh-r-r.
[12] Nahj, saying 415.
[13] Lane, gh-r-r.
[14] Smith & Haddad, The Islamic Understanding of Death and Resurrection (New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 2002), p. 38.
[15] Bukhari, 8/76.
[16] See, for example, Bukhari, 8/76; Thalabi, 9/239; Fatḥ al-Bārī fī Sharḥ Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, 11/203; Qurtubi, 17/247.
[17] Ghurar, h. 2563.
[18] Ghurar, h. 1896.
[19] Ghurar, h. 1828.
[20] Ghurar, h. 997.
[21] Kafi, 5/85, h. 7.
[22] Suyuti, 6/174; Razi, 29/459; Ibn Kathir, 8/51.
[23] Tabari, 27/130.
[24] Nasr, p. 1335.