Exegesis of the saying of Allah the Exalted: “And when it is said to them, ‘Believe as the people have believed,’ they say, ‘Should we believe as the fools have believed?’ Indeed, it is they who are the fools, but they do not know.”

“And when it is said to them”—who is saying it? The believers. They say, “Believe as the people have believed,” meaning as so-and-so has believed and so-and-so has believed. They say: ? This means we will not believe. The interrogative here is for negation. Then, they did not limit themselves to denying faith; rather, they described the believers as fools. This is similar to what Allah related about the criminals when they saw the believers, saying: So here they are saying: and is the plural of *safi* (fool). A *safi* is one who does not manage affairs well. This is the general definition of a *safi*: one who does not manage affairs well. If it is in wealth, then in wealth; if it is in guardianship, then in guardianship; if it is in a specific job, then in that specific job. The important point is to say: a *safi* is one who does not manage affairs well.
Allah the Exalted said: This is a defense of the believers. We say regarding the emphasis in it, as we said in the verse before it: And here He said: And there He said: This is because the matter of this thing is apparent. The faith of the believers is apparent, and the disbelief of the hypocrites is also apparent. But these people lost knowledge; they had no knowledge, rather they were ignorant of the reality.