Ramadan Quran Tafsir: Surah Al Baqarah

What does the Quran Say About the Differences Between Believers, Hypocrites and Disbelievers?

The following is a short but excellent tasfir (commentary) by Sheikh Yasir Qadhi on the definition and explanations of what constitutes as believers, hypocrites and disbelievers as in the Quran Surah Al Baqarah. Allah has categorized mankind in these main three groups.

 The video below mentions some of the following points:

•  Believers will benefit the most from the Quran. Believers have belief (or faith) in that which is even unknown (cannot be proven). Believer is the one whose body, heart, mind and soul believes in Allah and the Quran.
• The disbeliever have already decided that they will not believe. The Quran says there is a curtain over their eyes. The disbeliever can hear and see, but they have chosen to cover up their eyes and ears. If they wanted to, they could see and hear the Truth of Islam, but they choose not to.
• The first category of hypocrites are those who pretend to have faith, but secretly their actions are contrary to what believers do. The hypocrite is given the ability to see light (the truth and guidance of Islam) so he is able to know and appreciate Islam. He is able to understand Islam. The light of Islam remains, but the hypocrite chooses to ignore the light and does not act on it. So Allah takes away the light from the hypocrite and makes him deaf, dumb and blind.
• Unlike the disbeliever, the hypocrites has lost his faculties of seeing and hearing because he has purposely chosen to ignore the light of Islam. Such a hypocrite is a pure hypocrite.
• There is a second category of hypocrites. These hypocrites sometimes see the truth and they will act on it, but then there will be a period of darkness when they do not see or act on truth. So essentially, they go between periods of faith - in faith and out of faith.
• This second category of hypocrites also lives in fear, especially of death. This is unlike the believer who also has fears, of death too, but a believer also has hope and optimism for what follows after death.
• Pure hypocrites are not common in this day and age because Islam is politically weak (it is difficult to be a Muslim in modern America).
• But the second category of hypocrites can be common - and this is something we should be wary of so that we do not fall into this category.

Ramadan Reminder - Al-Baqarah: Believers, Hypocrites & Disbelievers by Yasir Qadhi