The hypocrites try to deceive God, but it is He who causes them to be deceived…This means that He hastens the recompense for their [outwardly] showing faith, and [inwardly] keeping secret their disbelief, by withdrawing His protection and grace from them, and by augmenting their wealth and offspring, and granting them access to the immediate [pleasures of] this world. But, their final destination is the Fire. This is what is meant by His words, [Thehypocrites] try to deceive God, but it is He who causes them to be deceived. He meant by this the speed of delivering their recompense (jazāʾ) for what they perform and abstain from. This is as His saying, Nay, but you marvel while they engage in ridicule [37:12], by which He meant that He hastened their punishment for their persisting in denial [of the truth]. Thus were His words addressed in accordance with the name of their action. And indeed in [other] places He describes their being in a state of wonder (ʿajab); [for example,] in His words, [Say, ‘It has been revealed to me that a company of jinn listened and said], “We have heard a wondrous Qurʾān”’ [72:1]; and in Sūra Qāf, Nay, but they [the disbelievers] think it strange [50:2]; and in Sūra Ṣād: What an astonishing thing! [38:5]. So also [wonder] is mentioned in Sūra Ṣāffāt: Nay but you marvel while they engage in ridicule [37:12], that is, you see their recompense as immense (ʿaẓīm), And here He calls the immense recompense a marvel, for the one who marvels at something that has reached its utmost degree, and this is what is meant in His words, you marvel.It has been related that Shaqīq read [the Qurʾānic words] to Sharīḥ as ‘I marvel (ʿajibtu)’ to which Sharīḥ replied, ‘[It should be] you marvel (ʿajibta)’, for truly God does not marvel at anything. The only one who marvels is one who does not know.’ Then Shaqīq said, ‘I informed Ibrāhīm of this, and he said, “For sure, Sharīḥ is pleased with his own knowledge. However, Ibn Masʿūd is more knowledgeable than him and he used to read it, I marvel with a ḍamma (ʿajibtu …When they stand up to pray they do so lazily…This is one of the signs of the hypocrites, and by this they betray the trust (amāna), which outwardlythey appear to have taken upon themselves.
