Verses 14-15
وَإِذَا لَقُواْ الَّذِينَ اٰمَنُواْ قَالُواْ اٰمَنَّا وَإِذَا خَلَوْاْ اِلٰى شَيَاطِينِهِمْ قَالُواْ إِنَّا مَعَكُمْ اِنَّمَا نَحْنُ مُسْتَهْزِئُونَ ❀ اَللهُ يَسْتَهْزِئُ بِهِمْ وَيَمُدُّهُمْ فِى طُغْيَانِهِمْ يَعْمَهُونَ
When they meet those who believe, they say: “We believe;” but when they are alone with their evil ones, they say: “We are really with you; we [were] only jesting. * 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].
(Wa idhā laqū alladhīna āmanū qālū āmannā wa idhā khalaw ilā shayāṭīnihim qālū innā ma‘kum innamā naḥnu mustahzi’ūn. * Allāhu yastahziyyu’ bi-him wa yamudduhum fī ṭughyānihim ya‘mahūn.)
The relationship of these verses’ meaning with that
of the previous one:
This consists of the linking [by means of the conjunction “and”] of the dissemblers’ fourth crime; that is, their mockery and scorn, with their previous crimes; that is, their accusing the believers of weak-mindedness, their spreading corruption, and their depravity.
The positioning of the phrases constituting these verses
[and the relationships between them:
Belief, as a prop and support in the face of suffering and a source of assistance for realizing one’s hopes, possesses three essential properties:
The First: Self-respect, which arises from having such a support, and the mark of which is not to lower oneself by being abject and servile.
The Second: Compassion, the mark of which is not to abase others or be contemptuous of them.
The Third: Respect for the truth and knowledge of its worth. For the person who possesses something of high value possesses the truth; he owns a unique jewel and will not be scornful of the truth, for he is also dignified.