Al-Baqarah (The Cow) Verses 14 to 20

 Verse 14: Allah Almighty exposes the deception of hypocrites. They profess faith in front of believers to deceive them. However, privately, they affirm their allegiance towards their evil partners, mock the believers, and openly express their disbelief. It may also refer to the private meetings of disbelievers and hypocrites in which they plotted against believers to hinder the path of Islam.

Verse 15: Allah Almighty says He mocks the hypocrites by giving them time to seek guidance (i.e., until death). However, due to their insincerity, He allows them to wander in misguidance and wrongfulness. Their situation is truly ironic, as they believe they are deceiving the believers, but they are only deceiving themselves.

Verse 16: These are the ones who made a profit-less trade by purchasing misguidance in exchange for guidance. In other words, they preferred misguidance over guidance. It is clear from previous verses that they think of themselves as wise as they mock believers for their foolishness. While they are the ones who are misguided.

Verse 17: From the 17th to the 20th verse, Allah Almighty illustrates the condition of the hypocrites with two scenarios for further clarification. In the first scenario, even if a person kindles a fire to illuminate the dark environment, the hypocrites cannot see. This is because Allah Almighty takes away their ability to perceive, due to their insincerity and stubbornness. In this example, we can compare the dark environment to the prevalence of falsehood before Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) as he came to illuminate the dark environment with the light of guidance.

Verse 18: These hypocrites are like a person who is deaf, dumb, and blind, unable to learn anything due to these disabilities. Consequently, they will never return to the right path. To grasp the depth of this verse, imagine being unable to hear, speak, or see. How would your life be without these abilities? These are the primary senses through which we learn and understand the world. It is almost impossible for us to live without them. To understand this practically, you can create a dark room with complete silence, close your eyes, and either tape your mouth shut or simply refrain from speaking.

Verses 19 and 20:

Another scenario mentioned is that of rain, thunderstorms, and lightning. The hypocrites become terrified of the thunderclaps and, out of fear of death, put their fingers in their ears. However, they fail to realize that Allah is all-encompassing, and death is an inevitable reality they cannot escape.

They are dependent on lightning to move forward. When the light illuminates their surroundings, they start walking, but when it gets dark, they stand still. It refers to their indecisiveness due to a lack of strong faith. They start believing when circumstances are favorable but their faith falters during difficult times. In other words, they are not willing to face the difficulties that come with embracing Islam. This analogy may refer to Islam as a merciful blessing just as the rain, and thunderstorm as difficulties that go with it as a consequence of being truthful in a society full of misguidance and wrongfulness (idolatry, disbelief, killings, etc). Allah says He could completely remove their ability to hear and see, but these are the ones with at least some inclination toward guidance. Therefore, Allah allows them to benefit a little from the light of guidance, as He does not impose misguidance on those who seek even a small measure of guidance. And without a doubt, Allah is competent over everything.