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."
Sahih International
Grammar, phrase by phrase
وَإِذَا
(And when)
وَإِذَاword 1
Conjunction · حرف عطفA conjunction is a small joining word like 'and' that ties one part of speech to another. The prefix وَ here is that joiner, 'and', linking this new statement to what came before. L4 · R4
Time Adverb · ظرف زمانA time adverb is a naming word that pins a sentence to the moment its action happens. إِذَا means 'when', fixing what follows to the time it occurs: 'and when they meet…'. L16 · R7
لَقُوا۟
(…they meet)
Root لقي — to meet, encounter, to cast or throw · 146 times in the Quran
لَقُوا۟word 2
Verb · فعلA verb is a word for an action tied to a time. لَقُوا۟ names an action — meeting — from the root لقي, to meet or encounter. L1 · R7
Past Tense Verb · فعل ماضٍA past tense verb describes a completed action, marking who did it by an ending on the base. The ending وا۟ on لَقُوا۟ marks 'they' as the ones who met: 'they met'. L8 · R2
Weak Verb · فعل معتلA weak verb has a و or ي among its root letters, which love to soften or vanish. From the root لقي, the weak ي has dropped away before the ending of لَقُوا۟, hiding that root letter. L24 · R1
Attached Pronoun · ضمير متصلAn attached pronoun is a mini-word glued onto the end of a verb. The ending وا۟ on لَقُوا۟ is such a suffix, standing for 'they' — the ones who met. L3 · R6
Doer (Fa'il) · فاعلThe doer is the one performing the action, so it stands in the nominative — the doer's form, usually shown by a ḍammah ـُ, a small curl above the last letter. The ending وا۟ on لَقُوا۟ is that doer, 'they'; on this attached pronoun the shape is fixed, so no ḍammah appears, but the role it fills is the nominative one. L9 · R4
ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟
(…those who believe,)
Root امن — to believe, faith, security, trust · 879 times in the Quran
ٱلَّذِينَword 3
Relative Pronoun · اسم موصولA relative pronoun is a word like 'who' or 'those who' that hooks a whole describing sentence onto a group. ٱلَّذِينَ means 'those who', and the words after it — 'believe' — describe them. L5 · R13
Direct Object · مفعول بهThe direct object is the person or thing the action lands on, and it takes the accusative — the ending for what the action strikes, usually shown by a fathah ـَ, a small stroke above the last letter. ٱلَّذِينَ 'those who' is the one they meet; being a fixed-shape word it shows no fathah, but the role it fills is that accusative one. L9 · R3
ءَامَنُوا۟word 4
Verb · فعلA verb is a word for an action tied to a time. ءَامَنُوا۟ names an action — believing — from the root امن, to have faith and trust. L1 · R7
Past Tense Verb · فعل ماضٍA past tense verb describes a completed action, marking who did it by an ending on the base. The ending وا۟ on ءَامَنُوا۟ marks 'they' — those who believed. L8 · R2
Hamzated Verb · فعل مهموزA hamzated verb has a hamza (ء) among its root letters. Built from the root امن, ءَامَنُوا۟ opens with that hamza, keeping it among the hamzated kind. L24 · R11
Form IV Verb · أَفْعَلَA Form IV verb adds a hamza to the front of the three root letters, often meaning one causes the action to happen — the way سَلِمَ 'was safe' becomes أَسْلَمَ 'submitted'. ءَامَنُوا۟, from the root امن, carries that added hamza: 'they believed'. L12 · R5
Attached Pronoun · ضمير متصلAn attached pronoun is a mini-word glued onto the end of a verb. The ending وا۟ on ءَامَنُوا۟ is such a suffix, standing for 'they' — those who believed. L3 · R6
Doer (Fa'il) · فاعلThe doer is the one performing the action, so it stands in the nominative — the doer's form, usually shown by a ḍammah ـُ, a small curl above the last letter. The ending وا۟ on ءَامَنُوا۟ is that doer, 'they'; on this attached pronoun the shape is fixed, so no ḍammah appears, but the role it fills is the nominative one. L9 · R4
قَالُوٓا۟ ءَامَنَّا
(…they say, "We believe";)
Root قول — to say, speak, tell · 1,722 times in the Quran
Root امن — to believe, faith, security, trust · 879 times in the Quran
قَالُوٓا۟word 5
Verb · فعلA verb is a word for an action tied to a time. قَالُوٓا۟ names an action — saying — from the root قول, to say or speak. L1 · R7
Past Tense Verb · فعل ماضٍA past tense verb describes a completed action, marking who did it by an ending on the base. The ending وٓا۟ on قَالُوٓا۟ marks 'they' as the speakers: 'they said'. L8 · R2
Weak Verb · فعل معتلA weak verb has a و or ي among its root letters, which love to turn into a long 'ā'. From the root قول, the middle و has become the long 'ā' of قَالُوٓا۟, hiding that root letter. L24 · R1
Attached Pronoun · ضمير متصلAn attached pronoun is a mini-word glued onto the end of a verb. The ending وٓا۟ on قَالُوٓا۟ is such a suffix, standing for 'they' — the speakers. L3 · R6
Doer (Fa'il) · فاعلThe doer is the one performing the action, so it stands in the nominative — the doer's form, usually shown by a ḍammah ـُ, a small curl above the last letter. The ending وٓا۟ on قَالُوٓا۟ is that doer, 'they'; on this attached pronoun the shape is fixed, so no ḍammah appears, but the role it fills is the nominative one. L9 · R4
ءَامَنَّاword 6
Verb · فعلA verb is a word for an action tied to a time. ءَامَنَّا names an action — believing — from the root امن, to have faith and trust. L1 · R7
Past Tense Verb · فعل ماضٍA past tense verb describes a completed action, marking who did it by an ending on the base. The ending نَّا on ءَامَنَّا marks 'we' — the ones claiming belief: 'we believed'. L8 · R2
Hamzated Verb · فعل مهموزA hamzated verb has a hamza (ء) among its root letters. Built from the root امن, ءَامَنَّا opens with that hamza, keeping it among the hamzated kind. L24 · R11
Form IV Verb · أَفْعَلَA Form IV verb adds a hamza to the front of the three root letters, often meaning one causes the action to happen — the way سَلِمَ 'was safe' becomes أَسْلَمَ 'submitted'. ءَامَنَّا, from the root امن, carries that added hamza: 'we believed'. L12 · R5
Attached Pronoun · ضمير متصلAn attached pronoun is a mini-word glued onto the end of another word. The ending نَّا on ءَامَنَّا is such a suffix, standing for 'we' — the ones speaking. L3 · R6
Doer (Fa'il) · فاعلThe doer is the one performing the action, so it stands in the nominative — the doer's form, usually shown by a ḍammah ـُ, a small curl above the last letter. The ending نَّا on ءَامَنَّا is that doer, 'we'; on this attached pronoun the shape is fixed, so no ḍammah appears, but the role it fills is the nominative one. L9 · R4
When the hypocrites meet the believers they proclaim their faith and pretend to be believers and friends, in order to mislead and deceive them and to share in the gains the believers might acquire.
Ibn Kathir (abridged), on 2:14
So far: “And when they meet those who believe, they say, "We believe";”
وَإِذَا
(…but when)
وَإِذَاword 7
Conjunction · حرف عطفA conjunction is a small joining word like 'and' or 'but' that ties one part of speech to another. The prefix وَ here joins this new statement to the one before: 'but when…'. L4 · R4
Time Adverb · ظرف زمانA time adverb is a naming word that pins a sentence to the moment its action happens. إِذَا means 'when', fixing what follows to the time it occurs: 'when they are alone…'. L16 · R7
خَلَوْا۟
(…they are alone)
Root خلو — to be alone, pass away, be free from, be empty · 28 times in the Quran
خَلَوْا۟word 8
Verb · فعلA verb is a word for an action tied to a time. خَلَوْا۟ names an action — being alone — from the root خلو, to be alone or empty. L1 · R7
Past Tense Verb · فعل ماضٍA past tense verb describes a completed action, marking who did it by an ending on the base. The ending وْا۟ on خَلَوْا۟ marks 'they' — those who withdrew alone. L8 · R2
Weak Verb · فعل معتلA weak verb has a و or ي among its root letters, which love to soften or vanish. From the root خلو, the weak و has melted into the ending of خَلَوْا۟, hiding that root letter. L24 · R1
Attached Pronoun · ضمير متصلAn attached pronoun is a mini-word glued onto the end of a verb. The ending وْا۟ on خَلَوْا۟ is such a suffix, standing for 'they' — those who withdrew alone. L3 · R6
Doer (Fa'il) · فاعلThe doer is the one performing the action, so it stands in the nominative — the doer's form, usually shown by a ḍammah ـُ, a small curl above the last letter. The ending وْا۟ on خَلَوْا۟ is that doer, 'they'; on this attached pronoun the shape is fixed, so no ḍammah appears, but the role it fills is the nominative one. L9 · R4
إِلَىٰ شَيَـٰطِينِهِمْ
(…with their evil ones,)
Root شطن — to oppose and mislead, Satan/devil/evil one · 88 times in the Quran
إِلَىٰword 9
Particle · حرفA particle is a small helper word with no meaning standing alone; it takes no ending and does not name or act. إِلَىٰ is such a helper word here. L1 · R8
Preposition · حرف جرA preposition is a little word that relates one thing to another and pulls the noun right after it into the genitive — the ending for a noun after a preposition, usually shown by a kasrah ـِ, a small stroke below the last letter. إِلَىٰ 'to/with' does that here, and 'their evil ones' after it sits in that genitive role. L4 · R1
شَيَـٰطِينِهِمْword 10
Noun · اسمA noun is a naming word for a person, place, or thing. شَيَٰطِينِ names beings — the evil ones — from the root شطن, to oppose and mislead. L1 · R6
Masculine Noun · اسم مذكرArabic treats every naming word as grammatically 'he' or 'she'. This word carries no feminine marker such as a ة at its end, so it falls to the default and is treated as 'he': a masculine noun. L2 · R3
Plural Noun · جمعA plural noun refers to three or more. شَيَٰطِينِ names many evil ones, its inner shape reshaped from the singular into this 'broken' plural rather than by a simple ending. L2 · R6
Genitive · مجرورThe genitive is the ending a naming word takes after a preposition, usually shown by a kasrah ـِ — a small stroke below the last letter. شَيَٰطِينِ ends in that kasrah ـِ because the preposition إِلَىٰ 'to/with' stands before it: 'with their evil ones'. L2 · R12
Attached Pronoun · ضمير متصلAn attached pronoun is a mini-word for 'their' glued onto the end of a noun. The ending هِمْ on شَيَـٰطِينِهِمْ stands for 'their', naming whose evil ones they are. L3 · R6
Possessive (Idafa) · مضاف إليهA possessive (iḍāfah) chains an owner onto the thing owned, and the owner carries the genitive — the owner's ending, usually shown by a kasrah ـِ, a small slanted stroke below the last letter. The ending هِمْ 'their' is that owner glued onto شَيَٰطِينِ; a pronoun like هِمْ keeps its fixed written shape, so no kasrah appears on it — the genitive is the role its owner slot carries: 'their evil ones'. L5 · R5
Their evil ones are their leaders and masters — the mischievous among them; the devils of every creation, whether among mankind or among the Jinn, inspire one another with adorned speech to deceive.
Ibn Kathir (abridged), on 2:14
قَالُوٓا۟
(…they say,)
Root قول — to say, speak, tell · 1,722 times in the Quran
قَالُوٓا۟word 11
Verb · فعلA verb is a word for an action tied to a time. قَالُوٓا۟ names an action — saying — from the root قول, to say or speak. L1 · R7
Past Tense Verb · فعل ماضٍA past tense verb describes a completed action, marking who did it by an ending on the base. The ending وٓا۟ on قَالُوٓا۟ marks 'they' as the speakers: 'they said'. L8 · R2
Weak Verb · فعل معتلA weak verb has a و or ي among its root letters, which love to turn into a long 'ā'. From the root قول, the middle و has become the long 'ā' of قَالُوٓا۟, hiding that root letter. L24 · R1
Attached Pronoun · ضمير متصلAn attached pronoun is a mini-word glued onto the end of a verb. The ending وٓا۟ on قَالُوٓا۟ is such a suffix, standing for 'they' — the speakers. L3 · R6
Doer (Fa'il) · فاعلThe doer is the one performing the action, so it stands in the nominative — the doer's form, usually shown by a ḍammah ـُ, a small curl above the last letter. The ending وٓا۟ on قَالُوٓا۟ is that doer, 'they'; on this attached pronoun the shape is fixed, so no ḍammah appears, but the role it fills is the nominative one. L9 · R4
إِنَّا مَعَكُمْ
(…"Indeed, we are with you;)
إِنَّاword 12
Accusative Particle (إنّ) · حرف مشبه بالفعلإِنَّ means 'indeed' and carries the doubling shaddah ـّ — a small w-shaped mark that doubles its ن. It pushes its own topic into the accusative — the ending usually shown by a fathah ـَ, a small stroke above the last letter — while the comment stays in the nominative, usually shown by a ḍammah ـُ, a small curl above the last letter. Here its topic is the attached ا 'we', taken as its accusative subject; a pronoun keeps one fixed shape, so no fathah appears, but the role it fills is the accusative one: 'indeed we…'. L15 · R3
Attached Pronoun · ضمير متصلAn attached pronoun is a mini-word glued onto the end of another word. The ending ا on إِنَّا is such a suffix, standing for 'we' — the topic that إِنَّ takes as its subject. L3 · R6
مَعَكُمْword 13
Accusative · منصوبThe accusative is the ending usually shown by a fathah ـَ — a small slanted stroke above the last letter. مَعَ 'with' is a fixed word held in that accusative shape, ending in the fathah ـَ, telling where they stand: alongside their evil ones. L2 · R11
Place Adverb · ظرف مكانA place adverb is a naming word frozen in the accusative ending — usually a fathah ـَ, a small stroke above the last letter — that tells where something is. مَعَ means 'with', and it chains to the 'you' after it: 'with you'. L26 · R2
Attached Pronoun · ضمير متصلAn attached pronoun is a mini-word for 'your' glued onto the end of a word. The ending كُمْ on مَعَكُمْ stands for 'you all', naming those they claim to stand with. L3 · R6
Possessive (Idafa) · مضاف إليهA possessive (iḍāfah) chains one word onto another, and the second word carries the genitive — the owner-slot ending, usually shown by a kasrah ـِ, a small slanted stroke below the last letter. The ending كُمْ 'you all' is chained to مَعَ 'with'; a pronoun like كُمْ keeps its fixed written shape, so no kasrah appears on it — the genitive is the role its slot carries: 'with you'. L5 · R5
Ibn `Abbas explained: 'We are with you' — meaning they only mock and deceive the believers while professing to stand with the disbelievers.
Ibn Kathir (abridged), on 2:14
إِنَّمَا
(…only)
إِنَّمَاword 14
Accusative Particle (إنّ) · حرف مشبه بالفعلإِنَّ means 'indeed' and carries the doubling shaddah ـّ — a small w-shaped mark that doubles its ن. On its own it would push its topic into the accusative, the ending usually shown by a fathah ـَ above the last letter, while the comment stays in the nominative, usually shown by a ḍammah ـُ. Here, though, the مَا joined to it blocks that push, so the topic 'we' after it keeps its plain nominative role. L15 · R2
Preventive Mā · ما الكافةThe preventive مَا is the مَا glued onto إِنَّ, making إِنَّمَا 'only'; it blocks إِنَّ's usual push into the accusative — the fathah ـَ ending — so the noun after it keeps the nominative, usually shown by a ḍammah ـُ. The meaning narrows to 'only / nothing but': 'we are only mockers'. L20 · R17
نَحْنُ مُسْتَهْزِءُونَ
(…we were mockers.")
Root هزا — to mock, ridicule, make mockery · 34 times in the Quran
نَحْنُword 15
Detached Pronoun · ضمير منفصلA detached pronoun is a standalone word for 'I', 'you', 'we', and the like. نَحْنُ is the standalone word 'we', naming the ones speaking. L3 · R2
Subject (Mubtada') · مبتدأThe subject is the naming word a sentence talks about — its topic — and it stands in the nominative, usually shown by a ḍammah ـُ, a small curl above the last letter. نَحْنُ 'we' stands as this topic; a pronoun keeps one fixed shape, so no ḍammah appears, but the role it fills is the nominative one, and 'mockers' is what is said about them. L6 · R2
مُسْتَهْزِءُونَword 16
Noun · اسمA noun is a naming word for a person, place, or thing. مُسْتَهْزِءُونَ names people — mockers — from the root هزا, to mock or ridicule. L1 · R6
Masculine Noun · اسم مذكرArabic treats every naming word as grammatically 'he' or 'she'. This word carries no feminine marker such as a ة at its end, so it falls to the default and is treated as 'he': a masculine noun. L2 · R3
Plural Noun · جمعA plural noun refers to three or more. The masculine sound plural in the nominative adds the ending ـُونَ. مُسْتَهْزِءُونَ ends in ـُونَ, so it names the many mockers, not just one. L2 · R6
Nominative · مرفوعThe nominative is the ending a naming word takes when it completes what is said about the topic; for this kind of plural that ending is ـُونَ. مُسْتَهْزِءُونَ carries that ـُونَ ending in its own right, as the comment about 'we': we are mockers. L2 · R10
Predicate (Khabar) · خبرThe predicate is the part that tells you something about the topic, standing in the nominative — here shown by the plural ending ـُونَ. The topic was نَحْنُ 'we'; مُسْتَهْزِءُونَ, carrying that ـُونَ, is what is said about them — mockers. L6 · R3
Active Participle · اسم فاعلAn active participle is a naming word built from a verb's root to name the one who does the action, and for the derived patterns it opens with مُـ. Built from the root هزا (to mock), مُسْتَهْزِءُونَ opens with مُـ and names the doers — the mockers. L11 · R3
Ibn `Abbas explained the verse to mean, 'We were mocking the Companions of Muhammad'; when they claim to stand with the believers, they are in truth only deceiving and mocking them.
Ibn Kathir (abridged), on 2:14
So far: “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."”