And when it is said to them, "Believe as the people have believed," they say, "Should we believe as the foolish have believed?" Unquestionably, it is they who are the foolish, but they know [it] not.
Verse 13 of Surah Al-Baqarah (2:13), a Medinan surah, is in juz 1, on page 3 of the mushaf. Read it in Arabic with its transliteration, translations and tafsir, and listen to it recited by 69 reciters.
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Tafsir of verse 13
Al-Mukhtasar
When they are told to have faith as the companions of Muhammad (peace be upon him) did, they reply, looking down on people and making fun of them, saying “should we have faith like simple-minded people do?” In fact, it is they who are the fools, but they are unaware of this.
When it is said to them, “Believe as the people have believed,” they say, “Shall we believe as the fools9 have believed?” Indeed, it is they who are the fools, but they do not know.
Notes
[9] The hypocrites were considering the Companions of the Prophet (ﷺ) to be fools, whereas they themselves were fools.
And when it is said to them (hypocrites): "Believe as the people (followers of Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم, Al-Ansâr and Al-Muhajirûn) have believed," they say: "Shall we believe as the fools have believed?" Verily, they are the fools, but they know not.
And when it is said unto them: believe as the people believe, they say: shall we believe as the foolish believe? are not they indeed the foolish? But they know not.
When it is said to them: "Believe as the others believe:" They say: "Shall we believe as the fools believe?" Nay, of a surety they are the fools, but they do not know.
And when it is said to them: Believe as the people believe, they say: Shall we believe as the fools believe? Now surely they themselves are the fools, but they do not know.
And when it is said to them, "Believe just as mankind has believed, " they say, "Shall we believe just as the fools have believed?" Verily, they, (only) they, are surely the fools, but they do not know.
And those who disbelieved are allies of one another. If you do not do so [i.e., ally yourselves with other believers], there will be fitnah [i.e., disbelief and oppression] on earth and great corruption.
And when it is said to them, "Believe in what Allāh has revealed," they say, "We believe [only] in what was revealed to us." And they disbelieve in what came after it, while it is the truth confirming that which is with them. Say, "Then why did you kill the prophets of Allāh before, if you are [indeed] believers?"
