Transliteration:( Wa izaa qeela lahum aaminoo kamaaa aamanan naasu qaalooo anu'minu kamaaa aamanas sufahaaa'; alaaa innahum humus sufahaaa'u wa laakil laa ya'lamoon )
"And when it is said to them, 'Believe as others have believed,' they say, 'Shall we believe as fools believe?' Beware, it is they who are the fools, but they do not know. [28]"
If “the people” here refers to the Companions of the Holy Prophet ﷺ, then the verse affirms that true Imaan is that which was practiced by them, as they were the embodiment of faith. Anyone whose belief deviates from theirs is not a true believer but an imposter.
If instead, “the people” refers more broadly to Muslims in general, then the verse means that the accepted religion is the way of life that Muslims—especially the majority—follow. A Hadith also supports this: "What Muslims hold to be good, Allah too holds to be good."
From this, three key lessons emerge:
To insult the righteous is the habit of hypocrites. Historical and present-day examples include:
Rafzis, who abuse the Companions.
Kharijites, who insult the Ahl-e-Bayt.
Ghair Muqallids, who target Imam Abu Hanifa.
Wahabis, who disrespect the saints (Auliya).
These groups are warned through this verse.
Allah personally defends His beloved servants. Here, He calls the hypocrites fools, making it clear they are devoid of understanding, despite their arrogance.
Ulama (Islamic scholars) should not be discouraged by the disrespect and criticism of such irreligious people. This behavior has always existed, and scholars must stay steadfast.
13. And when it is said to them: Believe as the people believe,” They say: “Shall we believe as the fools have believed” Verily, they are the fools, but they do not know.
Allah said that if the hypocrites are told,
(“Believe as the people believe,”), meaning, `Believe just as the believers believe in Allah, His angels, His Books, His Messengers, Resurrection after death, Paradise and Hellfire, etc. And obey Allah and His Messenger by heeding the commandments and avoiding the prohibitions.’ Yet the hypocrites answer by saying,
(“Shall we believe as the fools have believed”) they meant (may Allah curse the hypocrites) the Companions of the Messenger of Allah . This is the same Tafsir given by Abu Al-`Aliyah and As-Suddi in his Tafsir, with a chain of narration to Ibn `Abbas, Ibn Mas`ud and other Companions. This is also the Tafsir of Ar-Rabi` bin Anas and `Abdur-Rahman bin Zayd bin Aslam. The hypocrites said, “Us and them having the same status, following the same path, while they are fools!” `The fool’ is the ignorant, simple-minded person who has little knowledge in areas of benefit and harm. This is why, according to the majority of the scholars, Allah used the term foolish to include children, when He said,
(And do not give your property, which Allah has made a means of support for you, to the foolish) (4:5).
Allah answered the hypocrites in all of these instances. For instance, Allah said here,
(Verily, they are the fools). Allah thus affirmed that the hypocrites are indeed the fools, yet,
(But they know not). Since they are so thoroughly ignorant, the hypocrites are unaware of their degree of deviation and ignorance, and such situation is more dangerous, a severer case of blindness, and further from the truth than one who is aware.
(2:13) Whenever they are told: “Believe as others believe,”[13] they answer: “Shall we believe as the fools have believed?”[14] Indeed it is they who are the fools, but they are not aware of it.
13. They are being asked to become Muslims in the same manner as others of their community became Muslims
14. They think that those people who sincerely embraced Islam and thereby exposed themselves to all kinds of trials and persecutions, and confronted risks and dangers, were merely fools. To them it seems sheer folly to invite the hostility of the entire land merely for the sake of Truth and righteousness. In their view, wisdom consists not in bothering oneself with the distinction between truth and falsehood, but in remaining concerned only with one’s own interests.
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