أَوَلَا يَرَوْنَ أَنَّهُمْ
يُفْتَنُونَ فِى كُلِّ
عَامٍ مَّرَّةً أَوْ مَرَّتَيْنِ
ثُمَّ لَا يَتُوبُونَ
وَلَا هُمْ يَذَّكَّرُونَ
وَإِذَا مَآ أُنزِلَتْ
سُورَةٌ نَّظَرَ بَعْضُهُمْ
إِلَىٰ بَعْضٍ هَلْ
يَرَىٰكُم مِّنْ أَحَدٍ ثُمَّ
ٱنصَرَفُوا۟ ۚ صَرَفَ ٱللَّهُ
قُلُوبَهُم بِأَنَّهُمْ
قَوْمٌ لَّا يَفْقَهُونَ
See they not
that they are
put in trial
once or twice
every year Yet,
they turn not in
repentance, nor
do they learn a
lesson (from it).
And whenever
there comes down
a Surah, they look
at one another
(saying): “Does any
one see you” Then
they turn away.
Allah has turned
their hearts
because they are
a people that
understand not.
Hypocrites suffer Afflictions
Allah says, do not these hypocrites see,
أَنَّهُمْ يُفْتَنُونَ
that they are put in trial
being tested,
فِى كُلِّ عَامٍ مَّرَّةً
أَوْ مَرَّتَيْنِ ثُمَّ لاَ
يَتُوبُونَ وَلاَ هُمْ
يَذَّكَّرُونَ
once or twice every year Yet, they turn not in repentance, nor do they learn a lesson.
They neither repent from their previous sins nor learn a lesson for the future. Mujahid said that hypocrites are tested with drought and hunger. Allah said;
وَإِذَا مَآ أُنزِلَتْ
سُورَةٌ نَّظَرَ بَعْضُهُمْ
إِلَى بَعْضٍ هَلْ
يَرَاكُمْ مِّنْ أَحَدٍ ثُمَّ
انصَرَفُواْ صَرَفَ اللَّهُ
قُلُوبَهُم بِأَنَّهُمْ
قَوْمٌ لاَّ يَفْقَهُون
And whenever there comes down a Surah, they look at one another (saying): “Does any one see you” Then they turn away. Allah has turned their hearts because they are a people that understand not.
This describes the hypocrites that when a Surah is revealed to the Messenger of Allah ,
نَّظَرَ بَعْضُهُمْ
إِلَى بَعْضٍ
they look at one another
they turn their heads, right and left, saying,
هَلْ يَرَاكُمْ مِّنْ
أَحَدٍ ثُمَّ انصَرَفُواْ
“Does any one see you” Then they turn away. ..
turning away from, and shunning the truth. This is the description of hypocrites in this life, for they do not remain where the truth is being declared, neither accepting nor understanding it, just as Allah said in other Ayat,
فَمَا لَهُمْ عَنِ
التَّذْكِرَةِ مُعْرِضِينَ
كَأَنَّهُمْ حُمُرٌ مُّسْتَنفِرَةٌ
فَرَّتْ مِن قَسْوَرَةٍ
Then what is wrong with them that they turn away from admonition As if they were wild donkeys. Fleeing from a lion. (Al-Muddaththir 49-51) and,
فَمَالِ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ
قِبَلَكَ مُهْطِعِينَ
عَنِ الْيَمِينِ وَعَنِ
الشِّمَالِ عِزِينَ
So what is the matter with those who disbelieve that they hasten to hear from you. (Sitting) in groups on the right and on the left. (Al-Ma’arij 36-37)
This Ayat also means, what is the matter with these people who turn away from you to the right and to the left, to escape from truth and revert to falsehood Allah’s statement,
ثُمَّ انصَرَفُواْ
صَرَفَ اللَّهُ قُلُوبَهُم
Then they turn away. Allah has turned their hearts (from Truth)
is similar to,
فَلَمَّا زَاغُواْ أَزَاغَ
اللَّهُ قُلُوبَهُمْ
So when they turned away, Allah turned their hearts away. (As-Saf 5). Allah said next,
بِأَنَّهُمْ قَوْمٌ لاَّ يَفْقَهُونَ
because they are a people that understand not
They neither understand Allah’s Word nor attempt to comprehend it nor want it. Rather, they are too busy, turning away from it. This is why they ended up in this condition.
لَقَدْ جَآءَكُمْ رَسُولٌ
مِّنْ أَنفُسِكُمْ عَزِيزٌ
عَلَيْهِ مَا عَنِتُّمْ حَرِيصٌ
عَلَيْكُمْ بِالْمُؤْمِنِينَ
رَءُوفٌ رَّحِيمٌ