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
وَلَئِن سَأَلْتَهُمْ لَيَقُولُنَّ إِنَّمَا كُنَّا نَخُوضُ وَنَلْعَبُ ۚ قُلْ أَبِٱللَّهِ وَءَايَـٰتِهِۦ وَرَسُولِهِۦ كُنتُمْ تَسْتَهْزِءُونَ
And if you ask them, they will surely say, "We were only conversing and playing." Say, "Is it Allāh and His verses and His Messenger that you were mocking?"
قَـٰتِلُوهُمْ يُعَذِّبْهُمُ ٱللَّهُ بِأَيْدِيكُمْ وَيُخْزِهِمْ وَيَنصُرْكُمْ عَلَيْهِمْ وَيَشْفِ صُدُورَ قَوْمٍ مُّؤْمِنِينَ
Fight them; Allāh will punish them by your hands and will disgrace them and give you victory over them and satisfy the breasts [i.e., desires] of a believing people
إِنَّمَا ٱلنَّسِىٓءُ زِيَادَةٌ فِى ٱلْكُفْرِ ۖ يُضَلُّ بِهِ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ يُحِلُّونَهُۥ عَامًا وَيُحَرِّمُونَهُۥ عَامًا لِّيُوَاطِـُٔوا۟ عِدَّةَ مَا حَرَّمَ ٱللَّهُ فَيُحِلُّوا۟ مَا حَرَّمَ ٱللَّهُ ۚ زُيِّنَ لَهُمْ سُوٓءُ أَعْمَـٰلِهِمْ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ لَا يَهْدِى ٱلْقَوْمَ ٱلْكَـٰفِرِينَ
Indeed, the postponing [of restriction within sacred months] is an increase in disbelief by which those who have disbelieved are led [further] astray. They make it lawful one year and unlawful another year to correspond to the number made unlawful by Allāh and [thus] make lawful what Allāh has made unlawful. Made pleasing to them is the evil of their deeds; and Allāh does not guide the disbelieving people.
رَضُوا۟ بِأَن يَكُونُوا۟ مَعَ ٱلْخَوَالِفِ وَطُبِعَ عَلَىٰ قُلُوبِهِمْ فَهُمْ لَا يَفْقَهُونَ
They were satisfied to be with those who stay behind, and their hearts were sealed over, so they do not understand.