Tafsir of Surah At-Taubah - Verse 96

Exposing the Deceitful Ways of Hypocrites

Allah said that when the believers go back to Al-Madinah, the hypocrites will begin apologizing to them.

قُل لاَّ تَعْتَذِرُواْ لَن نُّؤْمِنَ لَكُمْ

(Say "Present no excuses, we shall not believe you."), we shall not believe what you say,

قَدْ نَبَّأَنَا اللَّهُ مِنْ أَخْبَارِكُمْ

(Allah has already informed us of the news concerning you.) Allah has exposed your news to us,

وَسَيَرَى اللَّهُ عَمَلَكُمْ وَرَسُولُهُ

(Allah and His Messenger will observe your deeds.) your actions will be made public to people in this life,

ثُمَّ تُرَدُّونَ إِلَى عَـلِمِ الْغَيْبِ وَالشَّهَـدَةِ فَيُنَبِّئُكُم بِمَا كُنتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ

(In the end you will be brought back to the All-Knower of the unseen and the seen, then He (Allah) will inform you of what you used to do.) Allah will inform you of your deeds, whether they were good or evil, and will recompense you for them. Allah said that the hypocrites will swear to the believers in apology, so that the believers turn away from them without admonishing them. Therefore, Allah ordered disgracing them by turning away from them, for they are,

رِجْسٌ

(Rijs) meaning, impure inwardly and in their creed. Their destination in the end will be Jahannam,

جَزَآءً بِمَا كَانُواْ يَكْسِبُونَ

(a recompense for that which they used to earn.) of sins and evil deeds. Allah said that if the believers forgive the hypocrites when they swear to them,

فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ لاَ يَرْضَى عَنِ الْقَوْمِ الْفَـسِقِينَ

(certainly Allah is not pleased with the people who are Fasiqin.) who rebel against the obedience of Allah and His Messenger . `Fisq', means, `deviation'.

2\. The third instruction given to the Holy Prophet ﷺ appears in the third verse (96): "They swear before you so that you may be pleased with them." The order of Allah Ta` ala is that their wish was not to be granted and he was not to be pleased with them. However, it was also said that, ` even if you were to be pleased with them, it was not going to work for them in any manner, because Allah is not pleased with them. And how could Allah be pleased with them when they are still adamant about their denial and hypocrisy?

The orders regarding the hypocrites of later periods were the same. However, there was one difference. The treatment given to the hypocrites of the early period was based on the state of their hearts. But the treatment given to the later hypocrites will be based on external proof. The approach of overlooking and ignoring them will be proper only if external proof of their hypocrisy is available. No action will be taken against them on the basis of their intention or the condition of their hearts. If the later hypocrites present any excuses, their excuses and their charities, etc., will also be accepted. Leaving their fate to be decided by God, such action will be taken against them as is warranted in the normal course of law. Paradise is attainable on the basis of personal deeds and not on the basis of having joined any class or group of Muslims. All the hypocrites were a part of the Mulsim ummah; they used to offer prayers and observe the ritual of fasting along with the Muslims, but in spite of that, God decalred them to be bound for Hell.