وَإِذَا لَقُوا۟ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ قَالُوٓا۟ ءَامَنَّا وَإِذَا خَلَوْا۟ إِلَىٰ شَيَٰطِينِهِمْ قَالُوٓا۟ إِنَّا مَعَكُمْ إِنَّمَا نَحْنُ مُسْتَهْزِءُونَ
And when they meet those who believe, they say, "We believe"; but when they are alone with their evil ones, they say, "Indeed, we are with you; we were only mockers."
Introduction
This is āyah 14 of Sūrat Al-Baqara (The Cow), the 87th sūrah in the traditional order of revelation. It was revealed in the Medinan period and sits within Juzʾ 1. Medinan verses often address community life, law, and the building of society.
This introduction is a starting point — the community and Bilal will enrich it over time.
Revelation & occasion
- Period
- Medinan
- Order revealed
- 87 of 114
- Surah
- Al-Baqara (2)
(And when they fall in with those who believe, they say: We believe) [2:14]. Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Ibrahim informed us> Shaybah ibn Muhammad>'Ali ibn Muhammad ibn Qurrah> Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Nasr> Yusuf ibn Bilal> Muhammad ibn Marwan> al-Kalbi> Abu Salih> Ibn 'Abbas who said: �This verse was revealed about 'Abdullah ibn Ubayy and his followers. It so happened that they went out one day and were received by a group of Companions of Allah's Messenger, Allah bless him and give him peace. 'Abd Allah ibn Ubayy said: 'See how I will bar these fools from you!' He proceeded and took hold of the hand of Abu Bakr al-Siddiq, may Allah be well pleased with him, and said: 'Welcome to the truthful, the master of Banu Tamim and leader of Islam, the second person in the cave along with Allah's Messenger, who gave up his person and his wealth'. Then he took hold of the hand of 'Umar ibn al-Khattab, may Allah be well pleased with him, and said: 'Welcome to the master of Banu 'Adiyy ibn Ka'b, the distinguisher and the strong in the religion of Allah, who gave up his person and wealth for Allah's Messenger'. Then he took hold of the hand of 'Ali ibn Abi Talib, may Allah ennoble his face, and said: 'Welcome to the cousin and son-in-law of Allah's Messenger, the master of Banu Hashim apart from Allah's Messenger'. Then they dispersed. 'Abd Allah told his companions: 'How did I do? When you see them do as I do'. His companions praised him. But when the Muslims returned to the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, and informed him of what happened, Allah revealed this verse�.
Tafsir
Hafiz Ibn Kathir
Chains of transmission
Oral — isnād
- ~610–632 CERevelation & memorisation
Received by the Prophet ﷺ and preserved by the ḥuffāẓ (memorisers) among the Companions.
- 1st century AHMutawātir transmissionawaiting curation
Carried by mass-transmission through the generations of qurrāʾ.
- TodayLiving chainsawaiting curation
Continuous ijāzah chains link reciters today back to the Prophet ﷺ.
Verified isnād chains for this āyah will be added by curators.
Written — the manuscript record
- ~650 CEʿUthmānic codicesawaiting curation
The standardised muṣḥaf sent to the great cities (e.g. the Topkapı and Samarqand codices).
- 8th–10th c.Early Ḥijāzī & Kūfic foliosawaiting curation
Surviving leaves in Birmingham, Sanaa, Paris (BnF) and beyond.
- Modern printModern printawaiting curation
The 1924 Cairo edition → today: the standard printed muṣḥaf used worldwide.
A curated chain of manuscript images for this exact āyah — roughly one per century — is coming. Help us source and verify them.
And now — what do you think?
The text, its history and the classical commentary are laid out above. Share your own understanding, ask a question, or reason with others.
Community resources
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