AL MUNAFIQUN (The Hypocrites)
In the Name of God,1 the Gracious, the Merciful 2
1 When the hypocrites come to you, they say, “We bear witness that you are indeed the Messenger of God.” Yes, God knows that you are indeed his Messenger, and God bears witness that the hypocrites are indeed liars.
2 They have made their oaths a screen: thus they obstruct men from the path of God. Truly evil are their deeds.
3 That is because they believed, then they rejected faith: so a seal was set on their hearts: therefore they understand not.
4 When you look at them, their exteriors please you; and when they speak, you listen to their words. They are like pieces of timber propped up. They think that every cry is against them. They are the enemies; so beware of them. The curse of God be on them! How are they deluded!
5 And when it is said to them, “Come, the Messenger of God will pray for your forgiveness”, they turn aside their heads, and you would see them turning away their faces in arrogance.
6 It is equal to them whether you pray for their forgiveness or not. God will not forgive them. Truly God guides not rebellious transgressors.
7 They are the ones who say, “Spend nothing on those who are with God’s Messenger, to the end that they may disperse. But to God belong the treasures of the heavens and the earth; but the hypocrites understand not.
8 They say, “If we return to Medina, surely the more honourable element will expel the meaner”. But honour belongs to God and his Messenger, and to the believers; but the hypocrites know not.
9 O you who believe! Let not your riches or your children divert you from the remembrance of God. If any act thus, the loss is their own.
10 And spend something out of the substance which we have bestowed on you, before death should come to any of you and he should say, O my Lord! Why did you not give me respite for a little while? I should then have given in charity, and I should have been one of the doers of God.
11 But to no soul will God grant respite when the time appointed has come; and God is well acquainted with what you do.
- God, in Arabic allah, referring to the one true God, as opposed to an idol or “god.” It is the Arabic equivalent of elohim and eloah (Hebrew), alaha (Syriac), and theos (Greek), all of which accurately translate into English as “God.” This translation choice is consistent with respected English Quran translations including those of A. Yusuf Ali (original edition), S.H. Nasr (Study Quran), T.B. Irving, and T. Itani (Clear Quran). ↩︎
- the Gracious, the Merciful, the highlighting of God’s grace and mercy predates the Quran, coming down from the many hundreds of references in the Taurat, Zabur, and Injil. A few samples follow:
Taurat, Exodus 34:6 — …YAHWEH, a merciful and gracious God, slow to anger, and abundant in loving kindness and truth.
Zabur 145:8 — YAHWEH is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great loving kindness.
Taurat, Joel 2:13 — Tear your heart, and not your garments, and turn to YAHWEH your God; for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abundant in loving kindness, and relents from sending calamity.
Taurat, Yunus 4:2 — …I knew that you are a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger, and abundant in loving kindness, and you relent of doing harm.”
Injil, 1 Timothy 1:2 — …Grace, mercy, and peace from God our Father and AL-MASIH ‘ISA our Lord.
Injil, Hebrews 4:16 — Let us therefore draw near with boldness to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace for help in time of need. ↩︎