َ لَأَنْتُمْ أَشَدُّ رَهْبَةً فِي صُدُورِهِمْ مِنَ اللَّهِ ذَلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمْ قَوْمٌ لَا يَفْقَهُونَ ﴿۱۳﴾ لَا يُقَاتِلُونَكُمْ جَمِيعًا إِلَّا فِي قُرًى مُحَصَّنَةٍ أَوْ مِنْ وَرَاءِ جُدُرٍ بَأْسُهُمْ بَيْنَهُمْ شَدِيدٌ تَحْسَبُهُمْ جَمِيعًا وَقُلُوبُهُمْ شَتَّى ذَلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمْ قَوْمٌ لَا يَعْقِلُونَ ﴿۱۴﴾ كَمَثَلِ الَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِهِمْ قَرِيبًا ذَاقُوا وَبَالَ أَمْرِهِمْ وَلَهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ ﴿۱۵﴾ كَمَثَلِ الشَّيْطَانِ إِذْ قَالَ لِلْإِنْسَانِ اكْفُرْ فَلَمَّا كَفَرَ قَالَ إِنِّي بَرِيءٌ مِنْكَ إِنِّي أَخَافُ اللَّهَ رَبَّ الْعَالَمِينَ ﴿۱۶﴾ فَكَانَ عَاقِبَتَهُمَا أَنَّهُمَا فِي النَّارِ خَالِدَيْنِ فِيهَا وَذَلِكَ جَزَاءُ الظَّالِمِينَ ﴿۱۷﴾ يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَلْتَنْظُرْ نَفْسٌ مَا قَدَّمَتْ لِغَدٍ وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ خَبِيرٌ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ ﴿۱۸﴾

﴾13﴿ La antum ashaddu rahbatan fee sudoorihim minal laah; zaalika bi annahum qawmul laa yafqahoon
﴾14﴿ Laa yuqaatiloonakum jamee'an illaa fee quram muhas sanatin aw minw waraaa'i judur; baasuhum bainahum shadeed; tahsabuhum jamee'anw-wa quloobuhum shatta; zaalika biannahum qawmul laa ya'qiloon
﴾15﴿ Kamasalil lazeena min qablihim qareeban zaaqoo wabaala amrihim wa lahum 'azaabun aleem
﴾16﴿ Kamasalish shaitaani izqaala lil insaanik fur falammaa kafara qaala innee bareee'um minka inneee akhaaful laaha rabbal 'aalameen
﴾17﴿ Fakaana 'aaqibatahumaaa annahumaa fin naari khaalidaini feehaa; wa zaalika jazaaa'uz zaalimeen
﴾18﴿ Yaaa ayyuhal lazeena aamanut taqul-laaha; waltanzur nafsum maa qaddamat lighadiw wattaqul laah; innal laaha khabeerum bimaa ta'maloon

﴾13﴿ Indeed, you are more feared in their hearts than Allah. This is because they are a people who lack true understanding
﴾14﴿ They cannot fight you all together except from within fortified villages or from behind walls. Their enmity toward each other is intense. You think they are united, but their hearts are divided. That is because they are a people who do not understand
﴾15﴿ Their situation is like that of those who came before them not long ago; they tasted the consequence of their deeds, and for them is a painful punishment
﴾16﴿ Their situation is like that of Satan when he says to man, Disbelieve. But when he disbelieves, Satan says, "I am free of you; indeed, I fear Allah, the Lord of all worlds
﴾17﴿ So the end of both of them is that they will be in the Fire, abiding therein forever. And that is the recompense for the wrongdoers
﴾18﴿ O you who believe, fear Allah, and let every soul consider what it has sent forth for tomorrow. And fear Allah; indeed, Allah is well aware of what you do

[13] This verse provides the reason for the previous statement and mentions two characteristics of the hypocrites:
1. “Rahbah” — refers to intense fear accompanied by anxiety and grief. This shows that the hypocrites are overtaken by fear of others more than fear of Allah.
2. “Lā yafqahūn” — they do not understand. Fiqh here refers to a deep level of understanding — not just grasping the apparent meaning of words, but also perceiving their subtleties, implications, and underlying wisdoms. It is a level higher than mere knowledge or basic comprehension.
[14] This verse presents the result of their intense fear (rahbah), and it mentions four disgraceful traits of the hypocrites:
1. “You think them united” — meaning, outwardly they appear to be in agreement, especially in opposition to the believers.
2. “But their hearts are divided” — in their beliefs, desires, and intentions, they are deeply conflicted.
3. Despite their external alliance, their inner disunity renders that unity meaningless.
4. This is like the situation in today’s times, where groups with conflicting ideologies form superficial alliances — but no real, beneficial outcome emerges from them.
[15] This is a worldly warning example for the hypocrites.
“Wabāl amrihim” — refers to the evil consequences of their actions, specifically their disbelief, enmity toward the truth, and their betrayal of the covenant with the Prophet (May Allah bless him and give him peace).
The intended wabāl (consequence) includes events such as: The killing of the disbelievers of Quraysh at Badr, The expulsion of Banū Qaynuqāʿ from their homes.
These serve as clear signs of how their deceit and opposition led to disgrace and worldly punishment.
[16,17] This is the second example, but it is not directly connected to the first with a conjunction — because the first example illustrates worldly punishment, while this one illustrates the deception of the hypocrites toward the Jews (Banū Naḍīr). Alternatively, the first example could be about the Jews, and the second about the hypocrites — thus, both examples stand independently.
The one being compared in this parable, according to Mujāhid, is any person who falls into disbelief, shirk, or hypocrisy due to the whispers of devils — whether human or jinn. When such a person becomes firmly established in disbelief, the devil disassociates from him, fearing that he will be made to share in his punishment.
However, this disavowal brings no benefit to Shayṭān — in the end, both he and the one he misled will enter the Fire of Hell.
“Indeed, I fear Allah, Lord of the worlds” — this statement from Shayṭān does not reflect true faith-based fear (khawf imānī), but rather a natural fear (khawf ṭabʿī) or a false claim meant to escape punishment.
[18] After discussing the hypocrites, the address turns to the believers, instructing them to protect themselves from the traits of hypocrisy. In this verse, three commands and one prohibition are mentioned:
1. “Fear Allah” — this refers to taqwā in matters of belief, meaning to protect oneself from all forms of disbelief and shirk.
2. “Let every soul look to what it has sent ahead for tomorrow” — meaning, one should regularly take account of oneself and distinguish between truth and falsehood. “Tomorrow” here refers to the Day of Judgment. In Arabic, ghad is commonly used to mean the next day, so this implies that the entire life of this world is like one day, and the Hereafter is as near as tomorrow.
3. “And fear Allah” — this second command of taqwā refers to actions, meaning to adhere to the commands and avoid prohibitions in practice.