Among people are those who say, “We believe in Allah ﷻ and the Last Day,” but they are not really believers. They seek to deceive Allah ﷻ and the true believers, but only fool themselves and are unaware. In their hearts is a sickness, and Allah ﷻ makes it worse. For their lying, they will have a painful punishment.
Whenever these people were advised, “Don’t spread trouble and corruption in the land,” they’d protest, “Actually, we’re fixing things!” But in truth, they were causing more problems—they just couldn’t see it. When asked to believe genuinely like sincere Muslims, they answered, “Should we believe as fools have believed?” No, it was they themselves who were acting foolish, but didn’t realize.
Whenever they met real believers, they’d claim, “We believe!” But in secret, when among their own crowd, they’d say, “We’re with you—we’re only joking with them.” Allah ﷻ repays their games by letting them keep wandering in their wrong choices, lost and misguided. These types traded truth for confusion—not a good deal at all—and have lost their way.
This group, known as “the hypocrites” (munafiqin), became a major issue for the growing Muslim community in Madinah, in those first years (1–2 AH after Hijrah, 622–624 CE). For the first time, Islam was strong not just as a religion, but as a government and social power. Suddenly, some people started pretending to be Muslim on the outside, just for acceptance, safety, or status, though their hearts and actions were far away from real faith.
Their disease isn’t mere doubt. It’s a hidden, spreading sickness—a refusal to open oneself up sincerely. Each time they ignored the truth or faked belief for show, their sense of honesty faded. They fooled themselves, not Allah ﷻ. Their lies made it impossible for them to change; instead, the Qur’an says their “sickness” got worse.
What was their effect on society? Hypocrites fiddled with rules, claimed they were “helping” or “reforming” the community, and often caused more problems by stirring up trouble. Where true believers helped and united, hypocrites tore down trust, mocked sincerity, and supported outsiders while pretending to be loyal.
When challenged to keep faith with real Muslims, they insulted believers as “fools,” proud of their game-playing. Yet, the Qur’an made clear it was they who were missing out—and “foolish” not because of lack of intelligence but by choosing illusions over reality.
Their double life became obvious: with Muslims, they acted pious; with their own group, they only joked and mocked the community. Allah ﷻ let them continue on that path—the void they built inside kept getting deeper, leading them further away from truth.
For Madinah’s real believers—the Sahabah رضي الله عنهم—these verses had a powerful effect. They began to value honest speech, real prayer, and mutual trust above all. Pretending for society’s sake was exposed as a source of weakness, not strength.
These lessons matter today. If you say you’re a believer but keep your heart closed, play games, or pretend for reputation, eventually your ability to see what’s real will fade. Sincerity, truthfulness, and supporting honest community turn faith into something that lasts. Pretending just for appearance, comfort, or acceptance only builds emptiness.
Ready for Part 4 (Ayat 17–20: The Parables)?