ٱلْمُنَـٰفِقُونَ وَٱلْمُنَـٰفِقَـٰتُ بَعْضُهُم مِّنۢ بَعْضٍ ۚ يَأْمُرُونَ بِٱلْمُنكَرِ وَيَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ ٱلْمَعْرُوفِ وَيَقْبِضُونَ أَيْدِيَهُمْ ۚ نَسُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ فَنَسِيَهُمْ ۗ إِنَّ ٱلْمُنَـٰفِقِينَ هُمُ ٱلْفَـٰسِقُونَ 67
Translations
The hypocrite men and hypocrite women are of one another. They enjoin what is wrong and forbid what is right and close their hands. They have forgotten Allāh, so He has forgotten them [accordingly]. Indeed, the hypocrites - it is they who are the defiantly disobedient.
Transliteration
Al-munafiqun wa-al-munafiqatu ba'duhum min ba'd. Ya'murun bi-al-munkar wa-yanhawna 'an al-ma'ruf wa-yaqbidun aydiyahum. Nasullaha fa-nasiyahum. Inna al-munafiqin hum al-fasiqun.
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah describes the characteristics of hypocrites (munafiqun) of both genders, portraying them as a unified group in their corruption: they command evil and forbid good—a complete reversal of the believer's duty—and withhold their wealth from charitable causes. The phrase 'they forgot Allah, so He forgot them' is interpreted by classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Qurtubi to mean that Allah withdraws His guidance and mercy from them as a consequence of their willful abandonment of His remembrance and obedience. The conclusion equates hypocrisy with transgression (fisq), emphasizing that outward profession of faith combined with inward rejection and immoral conduct constitutes the gravest spiritual corruption.
Revelation Context
Surah At-Tawbah (Chapter 9) was revealed in the Medinan period and addresses the issue of hypocrites who posed a significant challenge to the Muslim community. This particular ayah appears in a section dealing with the characteristics of hypocrites and their inevitable punishment. The context reflects the practical reality of the Islamic state in Medina, where certain individuals made false claims of belief while secretly undermining the community's moral and religious foundations.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: 'The signs of a hypocrite are three: when he speaks, he lies; when he promises, he breaks his promise; and when he is entrusted, he betrays' (Sahih Bukhari). Additionally, the Prophet warned: 'There is a group of people in my ummah who will not enter Paradise until the believers enter it, just as the last iron implement enters the furnace' (referring to those who delay repentance from hypocrisy).
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah warns believers to examine their own hearts for traces of hypocrisy—the contradiction between public faith and private actions—and to remain vigilant in promoting good and forbidding evil. It teaches that true remembrance of Allah (dhikr) leads to moral consistency and generosity, while forgetting Allah inevitably results in spiritual desolation and divine abandonment.
Related Ayahs
كَيْفَ وَإِن يَظْهَرُوا۟ عَلَيْكُمْ لَا يَرْقُبُوا۟ فِيكُمْ إِلًّا وَلَا ذِمَّةً ۚ يُرْضُونَكُم بِأَفْوَٰهِهِمْ وَتَأْبَىٰ قُلُوبُهُمْ وَأَكْثَرُهُمْ فَـٰسِقُونَ
How [can there be a treaty] while, if they gain dominance over you, they do not observe concerning you any pact of kinship or covenant of protection? They satisfy you with their mouths, but their hearts refuse [compliance], and most of them are defiantly disobedient.
لَوْ كَانَ عَرَضًا قَرِيبًا وَسَفَرًا قَاصِدًا لَّٱتَّبَعُوكَ وَلَـٰكِنۢ بَعُدَتْ عَلَيْهِمُ ٱلشُّقَّةُ ۚ وَسَيَحْلِفُونَ بِٱللَّهِ لَوِ ٱسْتَطَعْنَا لَخَرَجْنَا مَعَكُمْ يُهْلِكُونَ أَنفُسَهُمْ وَٱللَّهُ يَعْلَمُ إِنَّهُمْ لَكَـٰذِبُونَ
Had it been a near [i.e., easy] gain and a moderate trip, they [i.e., the hypocrites] would have followed you, but distant to them was the journey. And they will swear by Allāh, "If we were able, we would have gone forth with you," destroying themselves [through false oaths], and Allāh knows that indeed they are liars.
يُبَشِّرُهُمْ رَبُّهُم بِرَحْمَةٍ مِّنْهُ وَرِضْوَٰنٍ وَجَنَّـٰتٍ لَّهُمْ فِيهَا نَعِيمٌ مُّقِيمٌ
Their Lord gives them good tidings of mercy from Him and approval and of gardens for them wherein is enduring pleasure.
وَلَا تُعْجِبْكَ أَمْوَٰلُهُمْ وَأَوْلَـٰدُهُمْ ۚ إِنَّمَا يُرِيدُ ٱللَّهُ أَن يُعَذِّبَهُم بِهَا فِى ٱلدُّنْيَا وَتَزْهَقَ أَنفُسُهُمْ وَهُمْ كَـٰفِرُونَ
And let not their wealth and their children impress you. Allāh only intends to punish them through them in this world and that their souls should depart [at death] while they are disbelievers.