اَللّٰهُ يَسْتَهْزِئُ بِهِمْ وَيَمُدُّهُمْ فِيْ طُغْيَانِهِمْ يَعْمَهُوْنَ ( البقرة: ١٥ )
Allahu yastahzi'u bihim wa yamudduhum fee tughyaanihim ya'mahoon (al-Baq̈arah 2:15)
Sahih International:
[But] Allah mocks them and prolongs them in their transgression [while] they wander blindly. (Al-Baqarah [2] : 15)
1 Mufti Taqi Usmani
It is Allah who mocks at them, and lets them go on wandering blindly in their rebellion.
2 Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran
Allah will throw their mockery back at them, leaving them to continue wandering blindly in their defiance.
3 Ruwwad Translation Center
Allah will mock them and prolong them to wander blindly in their transgression.
4 A. J. Arberry
God shall mock them, and shall lead them on blindly wandering in their insolence.
5 Abdul Haleem
God is mocking them, and allowing them more slack to wander blindly in their insolence.
6 Abdul Majid Daryabadi
Allah mocketh back at them, and letteth them in their exorbitance wander bewildered.
7 Abdullah Yusuf Ali
Allah will throw back their mockery on them, and give them rope in their trespasses; so they will wander like blind ones (To and fro).
8 Abul Ala Maududi
(Little do they realize that) Allah is mocking at them. He gives them rope enough, and they wander on and on blindly in their mischief and rebellion.
9 Ahmed Ali
But God will turn the joke against them and allow them to sink deeper into evil and wander perplexed in their wickedness.
10 Ahmed Raza Khan
Allah (befitting His Majesty) mocks them, leaving them to wander blindly in their rebellion.
11 Ali Quli Qarai
It is Allah who derides them, and leaves them bewildered in their rebellion.
12 Ali Ünal
(Since what they do only means demanding straying and ridicule,) God returns their mockery, leaving them to wander blindly on in their rebellion.
13 Amatul Rahman Omar
Allâh will bring down disgrace upon them and will let them continue in their (ways of) transgression. They are blindly wandering.
14 English Literal
God moc ks with (about) them and extends/spreads them in their tyranny (being) confused/puzzled.
15 Faridul Haque
Allah (befitting His Majesty) mocks them, leaving them to wander blindly in their rebellion.
16 Hamid S. Aziz
Allah shall mock at them and let them go on in their rebellion, blindly wandering on.
17 Hilali & Khan
Allah mocks at them and gives them increase in their wrong-doings to wander blindly.
18 Maulana Mohammad Ali
Allah will pay them back their mockery, and He leaves them alone in their inordinacy, blindly wandering on.
19 Mohammad Habib Shakir
Allah shall pay them back their mockery, and He leaves them alone in their inordinacy, blindly wandering on.
20 Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall
Allah (Himself) doth mock them, leaving them to wander blindly on in their contumacy.
21 Muhammad Sarwar
God mocks them and gives them time to continue blindly in their transgressions.
22 Qaribullah & Darwish
Allah will mock at them and prolong them in sin, blundering blindly.
23 Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri
Allah mocks at them and leaves them increasing in their deviation to wander blindly.
24 Wahiduddin Khan
God will requite them for their mockery, and draw them on, for a while, to wander blindly in their insolence.
25 Talal Itani
It is God who ridicules them, and leaves them bewildered in their transgression.
26 Tafsir jalalayn
God [Himself] mocks them, requiting them for their mockery, leaving them, that is, giving them respite, in their insolence, that is, in their transgressing the limits of unbelief; bewildered, wavering, in perplexity (ya`mahn is a circumstantial qualifier).
27 Tafseer Ibn Kathir
Allah mocks at them and leaves them increasing in their deviation to wander blindly.
answers the hypocrites and punishes them for their behavior.
Ibn Jarir commented,
"Allah mentioned what He will do to them on the Day of Resurrection, when He said,
يَوْمَ يَقُولُ الْمُنَـفِقُونَ وَالْمُنَـفِقَـتُ لِلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ انظُرُونَا نَقْتَبِسْ مِن نُّورِكُمْ قِيلَ ارْجِعُواْ وَرَاءَكُمْ فَالْتَمِسُواْ نُوراً فَضُرِبَ بَيْنَهُم بِسُورٍ لَّهُ بَابٌ بَاطِنُهُ فِيهِ الرَّحْمَةُ وَظَـهِرُهُ مِن قِبَلِهِ الْعَذَابُ
On the Day when the hypocrites ـ men and women ـ will say to the believers;"Wait for us! Let us get something from your light!" It will be said;"Go back to your rear! Then seek a light!" So a wall will be put up between them, with a gate therein. Inside it will be mercy, and outside it will be torment.) (57;13)
and,
وَلَا يَحْسَبَنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ أَنَّمَا نُمْلِى لَهُمْ خَيْرٌ لاًّنفُسِهِمْ إِنَّمَا نُمْلِى لَهُمْ لِيَزْدَادُواْ إِثْمَاً
And let not the disbelievers think that Our postponing of their punishment is good for them. We postpone the punishment only so that they may increase in sinfulness." (3;178)
He then said,
"This, and its like, is Allah's mockery of the hypocrites and the people of Shirk."
The Hypocrites suffering for their Plots
Allah stated that He will punish the hypocrites for their mockery, using the same terms to describe both the deed and its punishment, although the meaning is different.
Similarly, Allah said,
وَجَزَاءُ سَيِّيَةٍ سَيِّيَةٌ مِّثْلُهَا فَمَنْ عَفَا وَأَصْلَحَ فَأَجْرُهُ عَلَى اللَّهِ
The recompense for an offense is an offense equal to it; but whoever forgives and makes reconciliation, his reward is with Allah. (42;40)
and,
فَمَنِ اعْتَدَى عَلَيْكُمْ فَاعْتَدُواْ عَلَيْهِ
Then whoever transgresses (the prohibition) against you, transgress likewise against him. (2;194)
The first act is an act of injustice, while the second act is an act of justice. So both actions carry the same name, while being different in reality.
This is how the scholars explain deceit, cunning and mocking when attributed to Allah in the Qur'an.
Surely, Allah exacts revenge for certain evil acts with a punishment that is similar in nature to the act itself. We should affirm here that Allah does not do these things out of joyful play, according to the consensus of the scholars, but as a just form of punishment for certain evil acts.
Meaning of `Leaves them increasing in their deviation to wander blindly
Allah said,
وَيَمُدُّهُمْ فِي طُغْيَانِهِمْ يَعْمَهُونَ
and leaves them increasing in their deviation to wander blindly.
As-Suddi reported that Ibn Abbas, Ibn Mas`ud and several other Companions of the Messenger of Allah said that,
وَيَمُدُّهُمْ
(and leaves them increasing) means,
He gives them respite.
Also, Mujahid said,
"He (causes their deviation) to increase."
Allah said;
أَيَحْسَبُونَ أَنَّمَا نُمِدُّهُمْ بِهِ مِن مَّالٍ وَبَنِينَ
نُسَارِعُ لَهُمْ فِى الْخَيْرَتِ بَل لاَّ يَشْعُرُونَ
Do they think that by the wealth and the children with which We augment them. (That) We hasten to give them with good things. Nay, but they perceive not. (23;55-56)
Ibn Jarir commented,
"The correct meaning of this Ayah is `We give them increase from the view of giving them respite and leaving them in their deviation and rebellion.'
Similarly, Allah said,
وَنُقَلِّبُ أَفْيِدَتَهُمْ وَأَبْصَـرَهُمْ كَمَا لَمْ يُوْمِنُواْ بِهِ أَوَّلَ مَرَّةٍ وَنَذَرُهُمْ فِى طُغْيَانِهِمْ يَعْمَهُونَ
And We shall turn their hearts and their eyes away (from guidance), as they refused to believe in it the first time, and We shall leave them in their trespass to wander blindly." (6;110)
Tughyan used in this Ayah means to transgress the limits, just as Allah said in another Ayah,
إِنَّا لَمَّا طَغَا الْمَأءُ حَمَلْنَـكُمْ فِى الْجَارِيَةِ
Verily, when the water Tagha (rose) beyond its limits, We carried you in the ship. (69;11)
Also, Ibn Jarir said that;
the term `Amah, in the Ayah means, `deviation'.
He also said about Allah's statement,
فِي طُغْيَانِهِمْ يَعْمَهُونَ
(in their deviation to wander),
"In the misguidance and disbelief that has encompassed them, causing them to be confused and unable to find a way out of it. This is because Allah has stamped their hearts, sealed them, and blinded their vision. Therefore, they do not recognize guidance or find the way out of their deviation.