Tafsir of Surah At-Taubah - Verse 101

Hypocrites among the Bedouins and Residents of Al-Madinah

Allah informs His Messenger, peace be upon him, that among the bedouins around Al-Madinah there are hypocrites and in Al-Madinah itself, those,

مَرَدُواْ عَلَى النَّفَاقِ

(who persist in hypocrisy;) meaning they insisted on hypocrisy and continued in it Allah's statement,

لاَ تَعْلَمُهُمْ نَحْنُ نَعْلَمُهُمْ

(you know them not, We know them), does not contradict His other statement,

وَلَوْ نَشَآءُ لأَرَيْنَـكَهُمْ فَلَعَرَفْتَهُم بِسِيمَـهُمْ وَلَتَعْرِفَنَّهُمْ فِى لَحْنِ الْقَوْلِ

(Had We willed, We could have shown them to you, and you should have known them by their marks; but surely, you will know them by the tone of their speech!)47:30, because the latter Ayah describes them by their characteristics, not that the Messenger ﷺ knows all those who have doubts and hypocrisy. The Messenger ﷺ knew that some of those who associated with him from the people of Al-Madinah were hypocrites, and he used to see them day and night but did not know who they were exactly. We mentioned before in the explanation of,

وَهَمُّواْ بِمَا لَمْ يَنَالُواْ

(...and they resolved that (plot) which they were unable to carry out...)9:74 that the Prophet informed Hudhayfah of the names of fourteen or fifteen hypocrites. This knowledge is specific in this case, not that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was informed of all their names, and Allah knows best. `Abdur-Razzaq narrated that Ma`mar said that Qatadah commented on this Ayah 9:101, "What is the matter with some people who claim to have knowledge about other people, saying, `So-and-so is in Paradise and so-and-so is in the Fire.' If you ask any of these people about himself, he would say, `I do not know (if I will end up in Paradise or the Fire)!' Verily, you have more knowledge of yourself than other people. You have assumed a job that even the Prophets before you refrained from assuming. Allah's Prophet Nuh said,

وَمَا عِلْمِى بِمَا كَانُواْ يَعْمَلُونَ

(And what knowledge have I of what they used to do)26:112 Allah's Prophet Shu`ayb said,

بَقِيَّتُ اللَّهِ خَيْرٌ لَّكُمْ إِن كُنتُم مُّؤْمِنِينَ وَمَآ أَنَاْ عَلَيْكُمْ بِحَفِيظٍ

(That which is left by Allah for you (after giving the rights of the people) is better for you, if you are believers. And I am not a guardian over you)11:86, while Allah said to His Prophet ,

لاَ تَعْلَمُهُمْ نَحْنُ نَعْلَمُهُمْ

(you know them not, We know them.)" Mujahid said about Allah's statement,

سَنُعَذِّبُهُم مَّرَّتَيْنِ

(We shall punish them twice), "By killing and capture." In another narration he said, "By hunger and torment in the grave,

ثُمَّ يُرَدُّونَ إِلَى عَذَابٍ عَظِيمٍ

(and thereafter they shall be brought back to a great (horrible) torment.)" `Abdur-Rahman bin Zayd bin Aslam said, "The torment in this life strikes their wealth and offspring," and he recited this Ayah,

فَلاَ تُعْجِبْكَ أَمْوَلُهُمْ وَلاَ أَوْلَـدُهُمْ إِنَّمَا يُرِيدُ اللَّهُ لِيُعَذِّبَهُمْ بِهَا فِي الْحَيَوةِ الدُّنْيَا

(So let not their wealth nor their children amaze you; Allah only wants to punish them with these things in the life of this world.) 9:55 These afflictions torment them, but will bring reward for the believers. As for the torment in the Hereafter, it is in the Fire,

ثُمَّ يُرَدُّونَ إِلَى عَذَابٍ عَظِيمٍ

(and thereafter they shall be brought back to a great (horrible) torment.)

Commentary

Mentioned in several previous verses there are hypocrites whose hypocrisy stood exposed through their words and deeds, and the Holy Prophet ﷺ did realize that they were hypocrites. Mentioned in the present verse appearing above there are hypocrites whose hy-pocrisy was so perfect in its camouflage that it remained hidden from the Holy Prophet ﷺ until then. In this verse, two Divine punishments to come much before 'Akhirah upon such diehard hypocrites have been mentioned. In the first instance, right here in this world, they are consumed by the concern to hide their hypocrisy and the fear that it may be exposed. Then, no less a punishment is their being under compulsion to respect and follow Islam and Muslims, at least outwardly, despite their extreme malice and hostility for them. And then, there is the other punishment, the punishment of the grave and the punishment of Barzakh (the post-death - pre-resurrection state) that will reach them well before Qiyamah (doomsday) and 'Akhirah (Hereafter).

When the call goes out for God’s religion, the atmosphere can be either inimical or propitious. If inimical, those who issue the call become aliens, or muhajirs, in their own hometown; if propitious, they risk neither life nor property and can lend their support to the muhajirs. These helpers are called ansar. The conditions in the early period at Makkah were such that those of the townspeople who were Muslims were forced into the position of muhajirs while the conditions in Madinah were such that those of the townspeople who were Muslims were able to become ansars. God’s approval is attainable by anyone willing to pay the price of being a muhajir or an ansar; either he should concentrate so much on treading God’s path that he loses hold of all worldly strings; or if he is a person of some means, he should utilize his wealth to alleviate the deprivation of the first category of people. The Muslims of Makkah (companions of the Prophet) were the perfect examples of individuals willing to suffer this deprivation, going to the extent of emigration, while the Muslims of Madinah were the perfect examples of extending full support to the deprived people for the sake of receiving God’s blessings. Those among the later Muslims who follow their predecessors in this matter will join this divine group. God causes some people to be deprived in order to see that they turn to Him. Similarly, God saves others from deprivation in order that they may help the deprived ones and thus join those who spend for the sake of God. This is the plan of God. Those who do not come up to this standard are, in actual fact, not ‘pleased’ with God’s plan. So God will not be ‘pleased’ with them in the Hereafter. ‘They are well pleased with Him.’ That is, it was by God’s will that they were placed in such circumstances that they had to adopt religion at the cost of sacrificing everything they had. And still they remained steadfastly on the path of religion. Similarly, others were placed in circumstances which required them to share their belongings with their brothers in religion—with whom they had only the relationship of a common cause and not of blood-relationship—and still they willingly did this. Such are those who attain the pleasure of God and it is they who will be settled in the eternal gardens of paradise. A hypocrite is one who claims to be a Muslim, but when the question arises of paying the price of hijrah (supporting the callers to the faith) for the sake of religion, he does not find it in his heart to do so.