Sūrat an-Nisāʾ
Section 23 of 28 · Surah Studies · Mufti Abdul Rahman Mangera
Give the Hypocrites Glad Tidings
Finally, the last discussion is once more about the munāfiqīn. Two pages, from verse 138 to the end of the chapter, are all about the munāfiqīn; and in the midst of it comes the mention of Ibrāhīm: that his way is the best. Ibrāhīm comes up constantly. The final discussion here is:
بَشِّرِ ٱلْمُنَـٰفِقِينَ بِأَنَّ لَهُمْ عَذَابًا أَلِيمًا
“Give the hypocrites the ‘good news’ that for them there is a painful punishment” (4:138)
Wa-bashshiri al-munāfiqīna bi-anna lahum ʿadhāban alīmā, verse 138: give glad tidings to the munāfiqīn that for them is a severe punishment — in a tone of sarcasm. Give glad tidings to them; give them the tidings.
إِنَّ ٱلْمُنَـٰفِقِينَ يُخَـٰدِعُونَ ٱللَّهَ وَهُوَ خَـٰدِعُهُمْ وَإِذَا قَامُوٓا۟ إِلَى ٱلصَّلَوٰةِ قَامُوا۟ كُسَالَىٰ يُرَآءُونَ ٱلنَّاسَ وَلَا يَذْكُرُونَ ٱللَّهَ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا مُّذَبْذَبِينَ بَيْنَ ذَٰلِكَ لَآ إِلَىٰ هَـٰٓؤُلَآءِ وَلَآ إِلَىٰ هَـٰٓؤُلَآءِ ۚ وَمَن يُضْلِلِ ٱللَّهُ فَلَن تَجِدَ لَهُۥ سَبِيلًا
“Surely, the hypocrites (try to) deceive Allah while He is the One who leaves them in deception. And when they stand for Salāh, they stand up lazily, only to show people, and do not remember Allah but a little, wavering between (this and) that, neither here nor there. Whomsoever Allah lets go astray, you shall never find a way for him.” (4:142–143)
And inna al-munāfiqīna yukhādiʿūna Allāh: the munāfiqīn, the hypocrites, think that they are deceiving Allah, whereas it is He who deceives them, since everything is in His control. And when they stand for prayer — for they had to show that they were Muslims, so they would come to the prayer; they came to the prayer, but lounged about. They stood about lazily, merely for show. In those days, if a man did not come to the masjid he was probably a munāfiq: why would anyone not come to the masjid then? Today it is so difficult a task for us. And they hardly remember Allah. And, poor things, they are sometimes on this side and sometimes on that: should we believe? No, we should not. Not all of them were fully kāfir within. Some were, and hid it; but others wavered: should we be? Should we not be? They simply were not making up their minds either.
إِنَّ ٱلْمُنَـٰفِقِينَ فِى ٱلدَّرْكِ ٱلْأَسْفَلِ مِنَ ٱلنَّارِ وَلَن تَجِدَ لَهُمْ نَصِيرًا إِلَّا ٱلَّذِينَ تَابُوا۟ وَأَصْلَحُوا۟ وَٱعْتَصَمُوا۟ بِٱللَّهِ وَأَخْلَصُوا۟ دِينَهُمْ لِلَّهِ فَأُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ مَعَ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ ۖ وَسَوْفَ يُؤْتِ ٱللَّهُ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ أَجْرًا عَظِيمًا
“Surely, the hypocrites are in the lowest level of the Fire, and you shall never find for them a helper - except those who repent and correct themselves and hold on to Allah and make their Faith pure for Allah. So, those are with the believers, and Allah will give the believers a great reward.” (4:145–146)
Then Allah (swt) finally says — the seven layers of the Hellfire. The munāfiqīn are the worst of all: they are in the lowest, and one must pass through all the others to reach it. Once there, there is no coming back, for all the others grow lighter as one ascends. The topmost is for believers who have sinned: if they are to be punished, it is the topmost, the lightest. Then one descends, and it grows worse. So they are in the worst of positions — worse than all other disbelievers as such. But Allah always gives a way out: except those who make tawbah, who reform, who hold fast to Allah, and who then purify their faith, their dīn, for Allah. These will be with the believers, and Allah will soon give the believers an immense reward. That is verse 146.