يَحْلِفُونَ بِٱللَّهِ مَا قَالُوا۟ وَلَقَدْ قَالُوا۟ كَلِمَةَ ٱلْكُفْرِ وَكَفَرُوا۟ بَعْدَ إِسْلَـٰمِهِمْ وَهَمُّوا۟ بِمَا لَمْ يَنَالُوا۟ ۚ وَمَا نَقَمُوٓا۟ إِلَّآ أَنْ أَغْنَىٰهُمُ ٱللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُۥ مِن فَضْلِهِۦ ۚ فَإِن يَتُوبُوا۟ يَكُ خَيْرًا لَّهُمْ ۖ وَإِن يَتَوَلَّوْا۟ يُعَذِّبْهُمُ ٱللَّهُ عَذَابًا أَلِيمًا فِى ٱلدُّنْيَا وَٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ ۚ وَمَا لَهُمْ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ مِن وَلِىٍّ وَلَا نَصِيرٍ 74
Translations
They swear by Allāh that they did not say [anything against the Prophet (ﷺ)] while they had said the word of disbelief and disbelieved after their [pretense of] Islām and planned that which they were not to attain. And they were not resentful except [for the fact] that Allāh and His Messenger had enriched them of His bounty. So if they repent, it is better for them; but if they turn away, Allāh will punish them with a painful punishment in this world and the Hereafter. And there will not be for them on earth any protector or helper.
Transliteration
Yahlifūna billāhi mā qālū wa laqad qālū kalimatal-kufri wa kafarū ba'da islāmihim wa hammū bimā lam yanālū. Wa mā naqamū illā an aghnāhumu allāhu wa rasūluh min fadlih. Fa in yatūbū yakun khayran lahum wa in yatawallū yu'adhdhibhumu allāhu adhāban alīman fil-dunyā wal-ākhirah. Wa mā lahum fil-ardi min waliyyin wa lā nasīr.
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah addresses hypocrites (munāfiqūn) who swear false oaths denying they uttered words of disbelief, yet they had indeed apostasized after accepting Islam and conspired against the Prophet (ﷺ) without achieving their goal. According to Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari, their grievance stemmed not from religious principle but from envy that Allah and His Messenger enriched them from His bounty, revealing their corrupt intentions. The ayah warns that repentance remains open to them, but if they persist in rejection, they will face severe punishment in both this world and the Hereafter, with none to protect or help them.
Revelation Context
This ayah was revealed in the context of Surah At-Tawbah (Chapter 9), a Medinan surah dealing extensively with hypocrites and their false pledges. It specifically addresses incidents of hypocrites who feigned belief while harboring disbelief, particularly those who made treaties with the Prophet (ﷺ) insincerely. The broader context involves the expedition to Tabūk and the exposure of munāfiqīn's true nature.
Related Hadiths
The principle of detecting hypocrisy relates to the hadith: 'The signs of a hypocrite are three: when he speaks, he lies; when he makes a promise, he breaks it; and when he is trusted, he betrays.' (Sahih Bukhari 33). Additionally, Surah At-Tawbah 9:65-66 deals with those who mock the Prophet (ﷺ) and Quranic verses, which contextually relates to this ayah's discussion of hidden disbelief.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches that Allah is fully aware of hidden intentions and false oaths, and that material provisions are tests of faith, not signs of divine approval for one's beliefs. For modern believers, it emphasizes the importance of sincere repentance and the danger of allowing jealousy or worldly grievances to corrupt one's faith, while highlighting that the door to repentance remains eternally open for those who seek it genuinely.
Related Ayahs
وَلَوْ أَنَّهُمْ رَضُوا۟ مَآ ءَاتَىٰهُمُ ٱللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُۥ وَقَالُوا۟ حَسْبُنَا ٱللَّهُ سَيُؤْتِينَا ٱللَّهُ مِن فَضْلِهِۦ وَرَسُولُهُۥٓ إِنَّآ إِلَى ٱللَّهِ رَٰغِبُونَ
If only they had been satisfied with what Allāh and His Messenger gave them and said, "Sufficient for us is Allāh; Allāh will give us of His bounty, and [so will] His Messenger; indeed, we are desirous toward Allāh," [it would have been better for them].
وَقُلِ ٱعْمَلُوا۟ فَسَيَرَى ٱللَّهُ عَمَلَكُمْ وَرَسُولُهُۥ وَٱلْمُؤْمِنُونَ ۖ وَسَتُرَدُّونَ إِلَىٰ عَـٰلِمِ ٱلْغَيْبِ وَٱلشَّهَـٰدَةِ فَيُنَبِّئُكُم بِمَا كُنتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ
And say, "Do [as you will], for Allāh will see your deeds, and [so will] His Messenger and the believers. And you will be returned to the Knower of the unseen and the witnessed, and He will inform you of what you used to do."
كَٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِكُمْ كَانُوٓا۟ أَشَدَّ مِنكُمْ قُوَّةً وَأَكْثَرَ أَمْوَٰلًا وَأَوْلَـٰدًا فَٱسْتَمْتَعُوا۟ بِخَلَـٰقِهِمْ فَٱسْتَمْتَعْتُم بِخَلَـٰقِكُمْ كَمَا ٱسْتَمْتَعَ ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِكُم بِخَلَـٰقِهِمْ وَخُضْتُمْ كَٱلَّذِى خَاضُوٓا۟ ۚ أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ حَبِطَتْ أَعْمَـٰلُهُمْ فِى ٱلدُّنْيَا وَٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ ۖ وَأُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلْخَـٰسِرُونَ
[You disbelievers are] like those before you; they were stronger than you in power and more abundant in wealth and children. They enjoyed their portion [of worldly enjoyment], and you have enjoyed your portion as those before you enjoyed their portion, and you have engaged [in vanities] like that in which they engaged. [It is] those whose deeds have become worthless in this world and in the Hereafter, and it is they who are the losers.
فَلَمَّآ ءَاتَىٰهُم مِّن فَضْلِهِۦ بَخِلُوا۟ بِهِۦ وَتَوَلَّوا۟ وَّهُم مُّعْرِضُونَ
But when He gave them from His bounty, they were stingy with it and turned away while they refused.