وَإِذَا قِيلَ لَهُمْ آمِنُوا كَمَا آمَنَ النَّاسُ قَالُوا أَنُؤْمِنُ كَمَا آمَنَ السُّفَهَاءُ أَلَا إِنَّهُمْ هُمُ السُّفَهَاءُ وَلَكِنْ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ ﴿13﴾ وَإِذَا لَقُوا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا قَالُوا آمَنَّا وَإِذَا خَلَوْا إِلَى شَيَاطِينِهِمْ قَالُوا إِنَّا مَعَكُمْ إِنَّمَا نَحْنُ مُسْتَهْزِئُونَ ﴿14﴾ اللَّهُ يَسْتَهْزِئُ بِهِمْ وَيَمُدُّهُمْ فِي طُغْيَانِهِمْ يَعْمَهُونَ ﴿15﴾ أُولَئِكَ الَّذِينَ اشْتَرَوُا الضَّلَالَةَ بِالْهُدَى فَمَا رَبِحَتْ تِجَارَتُهُمْ وَمَا كَانُوا مُهْتَدِينَ ﴿16﴾

﴾13﴿Wa izaa qeela lahum aaminoo kamaaa aamanan naasu qaalooo anu'minu kamaaa aamanas sufahaaa'; alaaa innahum humus sufahaaa'u wa laakil laa ya'lamoon
﴾14﴿Wa izaa laqul lazeena aamanoo qaalooo aamannaa wa izaa khalaw ilaa shayaateenihim qaalooo innaa ma'akum innamaa nahnu mustahzi'oon
﴾15﴿Allahu yastahzi'u bihim wa yamudduhum fee tughyaanihim ya'mahoon
﴾16﴿Ulaaa'ikal lazeenash tara wud dalaalata bilhudaa famaa rabihat tijaaratuhum wa maa kaanoo muhtadeen

﴾13﴿ And when it is said to them, “Believe as the people have believed,” they say, “Shall we believe as the foolish have believed?” Be aware that they are indeed the foolish ones, but they do not realize their foolishness
﴾14﴿ And when they meet those who believe, they say, “We believe.” But when they go back to their devils, they say, “Indeed, we are with you; we are only mocking the believers”
﴾15﴿ Allah mocks them in return and increases them in their transgression while they wander in confusion
﴾16﴿ Those who possess these traits are the ones who have purchased misguidance in exchange for guidance, so their trade brought no profit, and they are not rightly guided

[13] And when it is said to them, “Believe as the people have believed,” they say, “Shall we believe as the foolish have believed?” Be aware, they are indeed the foolish ones, but they do not know their own foolishness. (13) And when they meet those who believe, they say, “We believe,” but when they go back to their devils, they say, “Indeed, we are with you; we are only mocking.” (14) Allah mocks them in return, and He prolongs them in their transgression while they wander blindly. (15) Those are the ones who have purchased misguidance in exchange for guidance, so their trade did not profit, nor were they guided. (16) (13) This verse is a warning, and it mentions three traits of the hypocrites: calling the noble companions fools, behaving foolishly themselves, and being ignorant in a compounded way. “And when it is said” refers to the call to good following the prohibition of evil. “The people” refers to the noble companions, and this verse makes their faith the standard for all others. It indicates that the sayings and actions of the companions, within the proper conditions, are a valid proof in religion. This verse also implies that those who criticize or speak ill of the companions are hypocrites. “The foolish” refers to those who cannot distinguish benefit from harm. In the Quran, the term is used for the ignorant, those who turn away from faith and monotheism, those who mock the Prophet and the companions, and those who commit shirk. “But they do not know” refers to compounded ignorance, because they are unaware of their own ignorance. Since foolishness is an internal quality, the verse says “they do not know.” In contrast, corruption is an outward trait, and for such knowledge, the previous verse used “they do not perceive.”
[14] This verse is a warning and mentions two traits of the hypocrites: companionship with the devils and mocking. The intended meaning of “devils” is those who prevent people from attending the gatherings of the Noble Prophet (May Allah bless him and give him peace) and from associating with the truth-seeking believers. “Mocking” means belittling a word, an action, or a person, and not acting upon what is said. Here, the intended mockery is directed toward Allah, His Messenger (May Allah bless him and give him peace), and the Quran, as mentioned in verse 65 of Surah At-Tawbah.
[15] This verse mentions one of their traits—transgression—along with both their worldly and eternal punishment. “Transgression” refers to exceeding the limits of the Shariah in words and actions. “They wander blindly” (ya‘mahūn) refers to the blindness of the heart, confusion, and being lost. “Allah mocks them” is attributed to Allah in reality, without interpretation or likening, and it means that Allah mocks them by punishing them, despite their claim of faith. “He prolongs them” is also a punishment for them; because of their arrogance, Allah increases the means for their rebellion, which leads to even greater transgression. This increase does not bring peace but causes further confusion and blindness.
[16] This verse presents the outcome of the previously mentioned traits along with a warning to them and highlights two more of their vile qualities: choosing misguidance and lacking guidance. “They purchased” here means exchanging and favoring. This indicates that the hypocrites are truly misguided. “Misguidance” refers to the evil deeds and traits mentioned earlier, while “guidance” refers to the qualities of the believers. “They were not guided” means they did not follow the true religion or they lost their original capital of faith.