یُخَـٰدِعُونَ ٱللَّهَ وَٱلَّذِینَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَمَا یَخۡدَعُونَ إِلَّاۤ أَنفُسَهُمۡ وَمَا یَشۡعُرُونَ
وقَوْلُهُ تَعالى: ﴿يُخادِعُونَ اللَّهَ والَّذِينَ آمَنُوا﴾ هو مَجازٌ في اللُّغَةِ؛ لِأنَّ الخَدِيعَةَ في الأصْلِ هي الإخْفاءُ؛ وكَأنَّ المُنافِقَ أخْفى الإشْراكَ وأظْهَرَ الإيمانَ عَلى وجْهِ الخِداعِ والتَّمْوِيهِ والغُرُورِ لِمَن يُخادِعُهُ واللَّهُ تَعالى لا يَخْفى عَلَيْهِ شَيْءٌ ولا يَصِحُّ أنْ يُخادَعَ في الحَقِيقَةِ.
And His, the Exalted’s, statement: {They deceive Allah and those who have believed} is a metaphor in the language; because deception (khadi’ah) in its origin is concealment. And it is as if the hypocrite concealed polytheism (ishrak) and manifested faith in a manner of deception, camouflage, and beguilement to the one he deceives. And Allah the Exalted, nothing is hidden from Him, and it is not correct that He be deceived in reality.
ولَيْسَ يَخْلُو هَؤُلاءِ القَوْمُ الَّذِينَ وصَفَهُمُ اللَّهُ تَعالى بِذَلِكَ مِن أحَدِ وجْهَيْنِ: إمّا أنْ يَكُونُوا عارِفِينَ بِاللَّهِ تَعالى، قَدْ عَلِمُوا أنَّهُ لا يُخادَعُ بِتَساتُرِ شَيْءٍ، أوْ غَيْرَ عارِفِينَ، فَذَلِكَ أبْعَدُ؛ إذْ لا يَصِحُّ أنْ يَقْصِدَهُ لِذَلِكَ، ولَكِنَّهُ أطْلَقَ ذَلِكَ عَلَيْهِمْ؛ لِأنَّهم عَمِلُوا عَمَلَ المُخادِعِ، ووَبالُ الخِداعِ راجِعٌ عَلَيْهِمْ، فَكَأنَّهم إنَّما يُخادِعُونَ أنْفُسَهم وقِيلِ: إنَّ المُرادَ: يُخادِعُونَ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَحُذِفَ ذِكْرُ النَّبِيِّ عَلَيْهِ السَّلامُ كَما قالَ: ﴿إنَّ الَّذِينَ يُؤْذُونَ اللَّهَ ورَسُولَهُ﴾ [الأحزاب: ٥٧] والمُرادُ يُؤْذُونَ أوْلِياءَ اللَّهِ وأيَّ الوَجْهَيْنِ كانَ فَهو مَجازٌ ولَيْسَ بِحَقِيقَةٍ، ولا يَجُوزُ اسْتِعْمالُهُ إلّا في مَوْضِعٍ يَقُومُ الدَّلِيلُ عَلَيْهِ.
And these people whom Allah the Exalted described with that are not outside of one of two situations: either they are knowledgeable of Allah the Exalted, having known that He is not deceived by the concealment of anything, or they are not knowledgeable, and that is more remote; since it is not correct that one would intend Him for that. But He applied that to them because they did the action of the deceiver, and the evil consequence of the deception returns upon them, so it is as if they only deceive themselves. And it was said: the meaning is, they deceive the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, so the mention of the Prophet, peace be upon him, was omitted, just as He said: {Indeed, those who abuse Allah and His Messenger} [Al-Ahzab: 57], and the meaning is they abuse the allies of Allah. And whichever of the two interpretations it is, it is a metaphor and not a reality, and its usage is not permissible except in a place where proof is established for it.
وإنَّما خادَعُوا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ تَقِيَّةً لِتَزُولَ عَنْهم أحْكامُ سائِرِ المُشْرِكِينَ الَّذِينَ أُمِرَ النَّبِيُّ عَلَيْهِ السَّلامُ والمُؤْمِنُونَ بِقَتْلِهِمْ؛ وجائِزٌ أنْ يَكُونُوا أظْهَرُوا الإيمانَ لِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ لِيُوالُوهم كَما يُوالِي المُؤْمِنُونَ بَعْضُهم بَعْضًا ويَتَواصَلُونَ فِيما بَيْنَهم؛ وجائِزٌ أنْ يَكُونُوا يُظْهِرُونَ لَهُمُ الإيمانَ لِيُفْشُوا إلَيْهِمْ أسْرارَهم فَيَنْقُلُوا ذَلِكَ إلى أعْدائِهِمْ، وكَذَلِكَ قَوْلُ اللَّهِ تَعالى: ﴿اللَّهُ يَسْتَهْزِئُ بِهِمْ﴾ [البقرة: ١٥] مَجازٌ؛ وقَدْ قِيلَ فِيهِ وُجُوهٌ:
They only deceived the Messenger of Allah out of precautionary dissimulation (taqiyyah) so that the rulings pertaining to the rest of the polytheists, whom the Prophet, peace be upon him, and the believers were commanded to kill, would be removed from them. And it is possible that they manifested faith to the believers so that they [the believers] would ally with them, just as the believers ally with one another and maintain ties among themselves. And it is possible that they would manifest faith to them so that they [the believers] would divulge their secrets to them, and they would then transmit that to their enemies. And likewise, the statement of Allah the Exalted: {Allah mocks them} [Al-Baqarah: 15] is a metaphor; and several interpretations have been said about it:
أحَدُها: عَلى جِهَةِ مُقابَلَةِ الكَلامِ بِمِثْلِهِ، وإنْ لَمْ يَكُنْ في مَعْناهُ، كَقَوْلِهِ تَعالى: ﴿وجَزاءُ سَيِّئَةٍ سَيِّئَةٌ مِثْلُها﴾ [الشورى: ٤٠]
One of them: in the manner of responding to a word with its like, even if it is not in its meaning, like His, the Exalted’s, statement: {And the recompense of an evil deed is an evil deed like it} [Ash-Shura: 40].
والثّانِيَةُ: لَيْسَتْ بِسَيِّئَةٍ بَلْ حَسَنَةٍ، ولَكِنَّهُ لَمّا قابَلَ بِها السَّيِّئَةَ أجْرى عَلَيْها اسْمَها وقَوْلُهُ تَعالى: ﴿فَمَنِ اعْتَدى عَلَيْكم فاعْتَدُوا عَلَيْهِ بِمِثْلِ ما اعْتَدى عَلَيْكُمْ﴾ [البقرة: ١٩٤]
The second [evil deed] is not an evil deed but rather a good one, but when He responded to the evil deed with it, He applied its name to it. And His, the Exalted’s, statement: {So whoever has transgressed against you, transgress against him with the like of that with which he transgressed against you} [Al-Baqarah: 194].
والثّانِي لَيْسَ بِاعْتِداءٍ.
And the second is not a transgression.
وقَوْلُهُ تَعالى: ﴿وإنْ عاقَبْتُمْ فَعاقِبُوا بِمِثْلِ ما عُوقِبْتُمْ بِهِ﴾ [النحل: ١٢٦] والأوَّلُ لَيْسَ بِعِقابٍ، وإنَّما هو عَلى مُقابَلَةِ اللَّفْظِ بِمِثْلِهِ ومُزاوَجَتِهِ وتَقُولُ العَرَبُ: الجَزاءُ بِالجَزاءِ، والأوَّلُ لَيْسَ بِجَزاءٍ، ومِنهُ قَوْلُ الشّاعِرِ:
And His, the Exalted’s, statement: {And if you punish, then punish with the like of that with which you were punished} [An-Nahl: 126], and the first is not a punishment. Rather, it is based on responding to the word with its like and pairing it. And the Arabs say: “Recompense for a recompense,” when the first is not a recompense. And from this is the saying of the poet:
ألا لا يَجْهَلَنْ أحَدٌ عَلَيْنا فَنَجْهَلَ فَوْقَ جَهْلِ الجاهِلِينا
Let no one act ignorantly against us, lest we act more ignorantly than the ignorance of the ignorant.
ومَعْلُومٌ أنَّهُ لَمْ يُمْتَدَحْ بِالجَهْلِ، ولَكِنَّهُ جَرى عَلى عادَتِهِمْ في ازْدِواجِ الكَلامِ ومُقابَلَتِهِ.
And it is known that he was not praising himself for ignorance, but it proceeded according to their custom in the pairing and correspondence of speech.
وقِيلَ: إنَّ ذَلِكَ أطْلَقَهُ اللَّهُ تَعالى عَلى طَرِيقِ التَّشْبِيهِ؛ وهو أنَّهُ لَمّا كانَ وبالُ الِاسْتِهْزاءِ راجِعًا عَلَيْهِمْ ولاحِقًا لَهم كانَ كَأنَّهُ اسْتَهْزَأ بِهِمْ.
And it was said: that Allah the Exalted applied that by way of similitude (tashbih); which is that since the evil consequence of the mockery was returning upon them and befalling them, it was as if He mocked them.
وقِيلَ: لَمّا كانُوا قَدْ أُمْهِلُوا في الدُّنْيا ولَمْ يُعاجَلُوا بِالعُقُوبَةِ والقَتْلِ كَسائِرِ المُشْرِكِينَ وأخَّرَ عِقابَهم فاغْتَرُّوا بِالإمْهالِ كانُوا كالمُسْتَهْزَإ بِهِمْ.
And it was said: since they were given respite in this world and were not hastened with punishment and killing like the rest of the polytheists, and He delayed their punishment, they were deluded by the respite, so they were like those who are mocked.
ولَمّا كانَتْ أجْرامُ المُنافِقِينَ أعْظَمَ مِن أجْرامِ سائِرِ الكُفّارِ المُبادِينَ بِالكُفْرِ؛ لِأنَّهم جَمَعُوا الِاسْتِهْزاءَ والمُخادَعَةَ بِقَوْلِهِ: ﴿يُخادِعُونَ اللَّهَ﴾ وقَوْلِهِمْ ﴿إنَّما نَحْنُ مُسْتَهْزِئُونَ﴾ [البقرة: ١٤] وذَلِكَ زِيادَةٌ في الكُفْرِ، وكَذَلِكَ أخْبَرَ اللَّهُ تَعالى أنَّهم في الدَّرْكِ الأسْفَلِ مِنَ النّارِ ومَعَ ما أخْبَرَ بِذَلِكَ مِن عِقابِهِمْ وما يَسْتَحِقُّونَهُ في الآخِرَةِ، خالَفَ بَيْنَ أحْكامِهِمْ في الدُّنْيا وأحْكامِ سائِرِ المُظْهِرِينَ لِلشِّرْكِ في رَفْعِ القَتْلِ عَنْهم بِإظْهارِهِمُ الإيمانَ وأجْراهم مَجْرى المُسْلِمِينَ في التَّوارُثِ وغَيْرِهِ.
And since the crimes of the hypocrites were greater than the crimes of the rest of the disbelievers who were open with their disbelief—because they combined mockery and deception in His statement: {They deceive Allah} and their statement {We are only mockers} [Al-Baqarah: 14], and that is an addition in disbelief, and likewise Allah the Exalted informed that they are in the lowest depth of the Fire—despite what He informed of their punishment and what they deserve in the Hereafter, He differentiated between their rulings in this world and the rulings of the rest of those who manifest polytheism, in lifting the penalty of being killed from them due to their manifestation of faith, and He treated them in the same way as Muslims in matters of inheritance and other things.
ثَبَتَ أنَّ عُقُوباتِ الدُّنْيا لَيْسَتْ مَوْضُوعَةً عَلى مَقادِيرِ الأجْرامِ، وإنَّما هي عَلى ما يَعْلَمُ اللَّهُ مِنَ المَصالِحِ فِيها وعَلى هَذا أجْرى اللَّهُ تَعالى أحْكامَهُ فَأوْجَبَ رَجْمَ الزّانِي المُحْصَنِ ولَمْ يُزِلْ عَنْهُ الرَّجْمَ بِالتَّوْبَةِ ألا تَرى إلى قَوْلِهِ عَلَيْهِ السَّلامُ في ماعِزٍ بَعْدَ رَجْمِهِ وفي الغامِدِيَّةِ بَعْدَ رَجْمِها: «لَقَدْ تابَ تَوْبَةً لَوْ تابَها صاحِبُ مُكْسٍ لَغُفِرَ لَهُ» .
It is established that the punishments of this world are not established according to the magnitudes of the crimes, but rather they are according to what Allah knows of the underlying benefits (masalih) in them. And based on this, Allah the Exalted applied His rulings. So He obligated the stoning of the married adulterer and did not remove the stoning from him because of repentance. Do you not see his, peace be upon him, statement about Ma’iz after his stoning and about the Ghamidi woman after her stoning: “He has repented a repentance that if the collector of illicit taxes had repented it, he would have been forgiven.”
والكُفْرُ أعْظَمُ مِنَ الزِّنا، ولَوْ كَفَرَ رَجُلٌ ثُمَّ تابَ قُبِلَتْ تَوْبَتُهُ، وقالَ تَعالى: ﴿قُلْ لِلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا إنْ يَنْتَهُوا يُغْفَرْ لَهم ما قَدْ سَلَفَ﴾ [الأنفال: ٣٨] وحَكَمَ في القاذِفِ بِالزِّنا بِجَلْدِ ثَمانِينَ ولَمْ يُوجِبْ عَلى القاذِفِ بِالكُفْرِ الحَدَّ، وهو أعْظَمُ مِنَ الزِّنا، وأوْجَبَ عَلى شارِبِ الخَمْرِ الحَدَّ، ولَمْ يُوجِبْ عَلى شارِبِ الدَّمِ وآكِلِ المَيْتَةِ فَثَبَتَ بِذَلِكَ أنَّ عُقُوباتِ الدُّنْيا غَيْرُ مَوْضُوعَةِ عَلى مَقادِيرِ الأجْرامِ، ولِأنَّهُ لَمّا كانَ جائِزًا فِي العَقْلِ أنْ لا يُوجِبَ في الزِّنا والقَذْفِ والسَّرِقَةِ حَدًّا رَأْسًا ويَكِلَ أمْرَهم إلى عُقُوباتِ الآخِرَةِ، جازَ أنْ يُخالِفَ بَيْنَها فَيُوجِبَ في بَعْضِها أغْلَظَ مِمّا يُوجِبُ في بَعْضٍ، ولِذَلِكَ قالَ أصْحابُنا: لا يَجُوزُ إثْباتُ الحُدُودِ مِن طَرِيقِ المَقايِيسِ.
And disbelief is greater than adultery, yet if a man disbelieved then repented, his repentance would be accepted. And the Exalted said: {Say to those who have disbelieved, if they cease, what has passed will be forgiven for them} [Al-Anfal: 38]. And He ruled for the one who slanders with adultery with eighty lashes, but did not obligate the prescribed punishment (hadd) on one who slanders with disbelief, though it is greater than adultery. And He obligated the prescribed punishment on the drinker of wine, but did not obligate it on the drinker of blood or the eater of carrion. Thus, it is established by that that the punishments of this world are not established according to the magnitudes of the crimes. And because, since it is permissible in the intellect that He not obligate a prescribed punishment for adultery, slander, and theft at all, and entrust their affair to the punishments of the Hereafter, it is permissible that He differentiate between them, obligating for some of them what is more severe than what He obligates for others. And for this reason, our companions said: It is not permissible to establish the Hudud (prescribed punishments) by way of analogical reasoning (maqayis).
وإنَّما طَرِيقُ إثْباتِها التَّوْقِيفُ أوِ الِاتِّفاقُ، وما ذَكَرَهُ اللَّهُ تَعالى مِن أمْرِ المُنافِقِينَ في هَذِهِ الآيَةِ وإقْرارِهِمْ مِن غَيْرِ أمْرٍ لَنا بِقِتالِهِمْ أصْلٌ فِيما ذَكَرْنا ولِأنَّ الحُدُودَ والعُقُوباتِ الَّتِي أوْجَبَها مِن فِعْلِ الإمامِ ومَن قامَ بِأُمُورِ الشَّرِيعَةِ جارِيَةٌ مَجْرى ما يَفْعَلُهُ هو تَعالى مِنَ الآلامِ عَلى وجْهِ العُقُوبَةِ فَلَمّا جازَ أنْ لا يُعاقِبَ المُنافِقَ في الدُّنْيا بِالآلامِ مِن جِهَةِ الأمْراضِ والأسْقامِ والفَقْرِ والفاقَةِ، بَلْ يَفْعَلُ بِهِ أضْدادَ ذَلِكَ، ويَكُونُ عِقابُهُ المُسْتَحَقُّ بِكُفْرِهِ ونِفاقِهِ مُؤَجَّلًا إلى الآخِرَةِ، جازَ أنْ لا يَتَعَبَّدَنا بِقَتْلِهِ في الدُّنْيا وتَعْجِيلِ عُقُوبَةِ كُفْرِهِ ونِفاقِهِ وقَدْ غَبَرَ النَّبِيُّ عَلَيْهِ السَّلامُ بِمَكَّةَ بَعْدَ ما بَعَثَهُ اللَّهُ تَعالى ثَلاثَ عَشْرَةَ سَنَةً يَدْعُو المُشْرِكِينَ إلى اللَّهِ وتَصْدِيقِ رُسُلِهِ غَيْرَ مُتَعَبِّدٍ بِقِتالِهِمْ، بَلْ كانَ مَأْمُورًا بِدُعائِهِمْ في ذَلِكَ بِلْيَنِ القَوْلِ وألْطَفِهِ.
Rather, the way to establish them is through scriptural ordinance (tawqif) or consensus (ittifaq). And what Allah the Exalted mentioned of the affair of the hypocrites in this verse and His leaving them be without a command for us to fight them is a foundational principle for what we have mentioned. And because the prescribed punishments and penalties that He obligated, which are from the action of the Imam and whoever undertakes the affairs of the Shari’ah, run in the same course as what He, the Exalted, does of pains by way of punishment. So since it was permissible that He not punish the hypocrite in this world with pains from the aspect of diseases, illnesses, poverty, and destitution, but rather does the opposite of that to him, and his deserved punishment for his disbelief and hypocrisy is deferred to the Hereafter, it was permissible that He not command us as an act of worship to kill him in this world and hasten the punishment for his disbelief and hypocrisy. And the Prophet, peace be upon him, remained in Makkah after Allah the Exalted sent him for thirteen years, calling the polytheists to Allah and to believe in His messengers, without being commanded to worship through fighting them. Rather, he was commanded to call them in that with gentleness of speech and the kindest of it.
فَقالَ تَعالى: ﴿ادْعُ إلى سَبِيلِ رَبِّكَ بِالحِكْمَةِ والمَوْعِظَةِ الحَسَنَةِ وجادِلْهم بِالَّتِي هي أحْسَنُ﴾ [النحل: ١٢٥] وقالَ: ﴿وإذا خاطَبَهُمُ الجاهِلُونَ قالُوا سَلامًا﴾ [الفرقان: ٦٣] وقالَ: ﴿ادْفَعْ بِالَّتِي هي أحْسَنُ فَإذا الَّذِي بَيْنَكَ وبَيْنَهُ عَداوَةٌ كَأنَّهُ ولِيٌّ حَمِيمٌ﴾ [فصلت: ٣٤] ﴿وما يُلَقّاها إلا الَّذِينَ صَبَرُوا وما يُلَقّاها إلا ذُو حَظٍّ عَظِيمٍ﴾ [فصلت: ٣٥] في نَظائِرِ ذَلِكَ مِنَ الآياتِ الَّتِي فِيها الأمْرُ بِالدُّعاءِ إلى الدِّينِ بِأحْسَنِ الوُجُوهِ.
So the Exalted said: {Invite to the way of your Lord with wisdom and good instruction, and argue with them in a way that is best} [An-Nahl: 125]. And He said: {and when the ignorant address them, they say, “Peace.”} [Al-Furqan: 63]. And He said: {Repel [evil] by that [deed] which is better; and thereupon the one whom between you and him is enmity [will become] as though he was a devoted friend.} [Fussilat: 34] {But none is granted it except those who are patient, and none is granted it except one having a great fortune.} [Fussilat: 35], and in similar verses to that in which there is the command to call to the religion in the best of ways.
ثُمَّ فَرَضَ القِتالَ بَعْدَ الهِجْرَةِ لِعِلْمِهِ تَعالى بِالمَصْلَحَةِ مِن كِلا الحالَيْنِ بِما تَعَبَّدَ بِهِ، فَجازَ مِن أصْلِ ما وصَفْنا أنْ يَكُونَ الأمْرُ بِالقَتْلِ والقِتالِ خاصًّا في بَعْضِ الكُفّارِ وهُمُ المُجاهِرُونَ بِالكُفْرِ دُونَ مِن يُظْهِرُ الإيمانَ ويُسِرُّ الكُفْرَ، وإنْ كانَ المُنافِقُ أعْظَمَ جُرْمًا مِن غَيْرِهِ.
Then He obligated fighting after the Hijrah due to His, the Exalted’s, knowledge of the underlying benefit (maslahah) in both situations with which He commanded worship. So it is permissible, based on the principle we have described, that the command to kill and fight be specific to some of the disbelievers—and they are those who are open with their disbelief—and not for one who manifests faith and conceals disbelief, even if the hypocrite is greater in crime than others.