Surah Al-Baqarah 2:12
سُورَةُ البَقَرَةِ · Medinan · Verse 12 of 286
أَلَآ إِنَّهُمْ هُمُ ٱلْمُفْسِدُونَ وَلَٰكِن لَّا يَشْعُرُونَ
Translation
but really they are causing corruption, though they do not realize it.
English translation: M.A.S. Abdel Haleem.
Meaning and reflection
'Unquestionably, it is they who are the corrupters, but they perceive it not.' Ibn Ashur and al-Saadi note the verdict overturning their self-image, the very ones who call themselves reformers are, in truth, the corrupters, and their tragedy is that they cannot see it ('la yash'urun'). Ask yourself: the recurring refrain about this group is their lack of perception, they are sincerely unaware of their own condition. It is a chilling reminder that sincerity of feeling is no proof of soundness; a person can be confidently, unconsciously wrong. The antidote is exactly what this whole Surah begins by praising, humility, God-consciousness, and submission to guidance outside myself, rather than trusting my own flattering self-assessment. Am I willing to test my confident sense that 'I'm one of the good ones' against God's standard, or am I, too, relying on a self-perception the verse warns can be completely blind?
Grounded in classical tafsir: Ibn Ashur, al-Saadi, Ibn Kathir.
Topics that discuss this verse
Surah Al-Baqarah 2:12 is discussed in 10 study guides on Maani. Each guide gathers the key verses, Arabic words and lessons of one Quranic topic.
Reflect on this verse
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