📗 Surah Al-Munafiqun – Overview

🪶 Arabic Name: سورة المنافقون

📝 Meaning: “The Hypocrites”

📍 Classification: Madani (Medinan)

🔢 Total Verses: 11

⏳ Chronological Order of Revelation: 104th Surah revealed (a Mid-Medinan Surah)

📖 Key Themes: The characteristics and psychology of hypocrisy, The treachery of Abdullah ibn Ubayy, The true meaning of honor, and A warning against worldly distractions from the remembrance of Allah.

🎭 Verse 63:1 — The Deceptive Testimony: When Liars Swear You’re the Messenger of God

Estimated placement in timeline: Mid-Medinan (5 AH / 627 CE) — Confidence: High (100%).

Context & Events (Asbab al-Nuzul): The entire Surah is a commentary on a single, explosive series of events that took place during the military expedition against the tribe of Banu al-Mustaliq. The leader of the hypocrites in Madinah, Abdullah ibn Ubayy, had reluctantly joined the campaign. The opening verse captures the hypocrites’ standard operating procedure. When they would come to the Prophet (ﷺ), they would put on a show of sincere faith, saying with great emphasis, “We testify that you are indeed the Messenger of Allah.” Their words were technically true, but their hearts were full of disbelief. This verse was revealed to unmask this verbal camouflage. It’s a divine dissection of their speech: Allah acknowledges the factual truth of their statement (“Allah knows that you are His Messenger”) but immediately follows it with a divine testimony of His own: “and Allah testifies that the hypocrites are liars”—not because their statement was factually wrong, but because it did not reflect the reality in their hearts.

Referenced Timeline: Contemporary Madinah (5 AH). This describes the ongoing behavior of the hypocrites, which reached its peak during this specific campaign.

“When the hypocrites come to you, [O Muhammad], they say, ‘We testify that you are the Messenger of Allah.’ And Allah knows that you are His Messenger, and Allah testifies that the hypocrites are liars.” (Qur’an 63:1)

• Primary evidence: The entire Surah is almost unanimously linked by all classical sources to the events of the Banu al-Mustaliq campaign. The detailed description of the hypocrites’ character and speech is the primary theme of the Surah and the incident.
• Classical tafsir: All major commentators, including Al-Tabari, Al-Qurtubi, and Ibn Kathir, begin their exegesis of this Surah by narrating the story of the Banu al-Mustaliq expedition and the seditious statements of Abdullah ibn Ubayy. This verse is seen as the divine introduction that sets the stage by defining the core nature of the hypocrites before detailing their specific crimes.

• Location/Context: On the expedition to Banu al-Mustaliq.
• Primary Actors: The Hypocrites (Munafiqun), Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ).
• Function in Narrative: To define the essence of hypocrisy as a disconnect between speech and belief, and to expose the hypocrites’ primary tool: deceptive testimony.
• Evidence Level: High (Certain). The connection of the Surah to the Banu al-Mustaliq incident is one of the most firmly established contexts in the entire science of Asbab al-Nuzul, confirmed by canonical hadith.

🛡️ Verses 63:2-3 — The Shield of Oaths: How Hypocrites Weaponize Faith

Estimated placement in timeline: Mid-Medinan (5 AH / 627 CE) — Confidence: High (100%).

Context & Events (Asbab al-Nuzul): Continuing the divine analysis of the hypocrites’ methodology, these verses explain *how* they operate. Their primary tool is their false oaths. They “have taken their oaths as a shield” (junnah). Whenever they are suspected of treachery or their loyalty is questioned, they quickly swear by Allah that they are sincere believers. This oath acts as a protective shield, allowing them to deflect accusations and continue their subversive activities from within the Muslim community. This was a constant tactic used by Abdullah ibn Ubayy and his faction in Madinah. The verses explain the root cause of this behavior: “That is because they believed, and then they disbelieved.” They had a superficial, political conversion, but their hearts remained in a state of disbelief, so Allah “has set a seal upon their hearts, so they do not understand.”

Referenced Timeline: Contemporary Madinah (5 AH).

• Primary evidence: The tactic of using false oaths to deflect blame is a recurring theme in the Qur’an’s description of the Munafiqun and is historically documented as a key feature of Abdullah ibn Ubayy’s political maneuvering in Madinah.
• Classical tafsir: Ibn Kathir explains that they use their oaths to protect their blood and their wealth, enjoying the rights of Muslims without fulfilling any of the obligations. He stresses that the “seal” on their hearts is a consequence of their own choice to turn away from the truth after it had become clear to them.

• Location/Context: Madinah / Banu al-Mustaliq expedition.
• Primary Actors: The Hypocrites.
• Function in Narrative: To explain the primary tactic (false oaths) and the spiritual pathology (sealed hearts) of the hypocrites.
• Evidence Level: High (Certain). This section is a direct continuation of the analysis of the hypocrites, whose actions during the Banu al-Mustaliq campaign are the central theme of the Surah.

🪵 Verse 63:4 — Hollow Logs: Impressive on the Outside, Empty on the Inside

Estimated placement in timeline: Mid-Medinan (5 AH / 627 CE) — Confidence: High (100%).

Context & Events (Asbab al-Nuzul): This verse provides a stunning physical and psychological profile of the hypocrites. Historically, the leaders of the hypocrite faction in Madinah, like Abdullah ibn Ubayy, were often men of impressive stature, wealth, and eloquence. When you saw them, their appearance was pleasing. When they spoke, you would listen to their words. This verse was revealed to warn the believers not to be fooled by these superficial qualities. It uses a powerful parable: they are like “propped-up timbers” (khushubun musannadah). This image conveys multiple meanings: they are physically large but spiritually hollow; they look strong but have no firm foundation; they are useless pieces of wood just leaning against a wall, unable to support anything. The verse adds another detail about their psychology: they are utterly cowardly. “They think that every shout is directed against them.” Their guilty conscience makes them paranoid and fearful.

Referenced Timeline: Contemporary Madinah (5 AH).

“And when you see them, their bodies please you; and if they speak, you listen to their speech. [They are] as if they were pieces of wood propped up. They think that every shout is against them. They are the enemy, so beware of them. May Allah destroy them; how are they deluded?” (Qur’an 63:4)

• Primary evidence: The description of the hypocrites’ pleasing appearance and speech, coupled with their inner cowardice, perfectly matches the historical descriptions of their leader, Abdullah ibn Ubayy.
• Classical tafsir: Commentators confirm that this verse describes Abdullah ibn Ubayy and his associates. They were known for being physically attractive and eloquent. The Tafsir of Al-Tabari explains that like propped-up wood, they have no life in them, no understanding, and no good. They are all form and no substance.

• Location/Context: Madinah / Banu al-Mustaliq expedition.
• Primary Actors: The Hypocrites, particularly their leaders.
• Function in Narrative: To provide a detailed physical and psychological profile of the hypocrites, warning believers not to be deceived by outward appearances.
• Evidence Level: High (Certain). The verse’s description is a precise match for the historical figure at the center of the Surah’s narrative, Abdullah ibn Ubayy.

🚶‍♂️ Verses 63:5-6 — The Arrogant Refusal: When Pride Prevents Forgiveness

Estimated placement in timeline: Mid-Medinan (5 AH / 627 CE) — Confidence: High (100%).

Context & Events (Asbab al-Nuzul): This section describes a specific reaction of Abdullah ibn Ubayy after his seditious plot was exposed. During the expedition of Banu al-Mustaliq, after he made his infamous statement about expelling the “honorable” (his faction) the “humiliated” (the Prophet ﷺ and the Muhajirun), his words were reported to the Prophet (ﷺ). Many companions were furious. Abdullah ibn Ubayy’s own son, a sincere believer also named Abdullah, even offered to kill his father for his treason. The Prophet (ﷺ) handled the situation with immense wisdom and restraint. Some sincere Muslims approached Abdullah ibn Ubayy and advised him, “Go to the Messenger of Allah so he may ask for forgiveness for you.” This was an offer of a way out, a path to repentance. His response, described in this verse, was one of pure arrogance: “he turns his head” and you see them “turning away while they are arrogant.” He refused the offer, seeing it as a humiliation. The verses then declare that because of this obstinate pride, it is now “all the same for them whether you ask forgiveness for them or do not ask forgiveness for them; never will Allah forgive them.”

Referenced Timeline: Contemporary Madinah (5 AH), during the return from the Banu al-Mustaliq expedition.

“And when it is said to them, ‘Come, the Messenger of Allah will ask forgiveness for you,’ they turn their heads aside and you see them evading while they are arrogant.” (Qur’an 63:5)

• Primary evidence: This specific incident—the offer of seeking forgiveness and Ibn Ubayy’s arrogant refusal—is a key part of the larger narrative of the Banu al-Mustaliq campaign as recorded in the Sira.
• Classical tafsir: The Tafsirs of Al-Tabari and Ibn Kathir both record the narrations of Zayd ibn Arqam (who first reported Ibn Ubayy’s words) and others, which detail this specific exchange. They confirm that after his sedition was known, he was advised to repent, but his pride prevented him, leading to the revelation of this verse.

• Location/Context: On the return journey from the Banu al-Mustaliq expedition.
• Primary Actors: Abdullah ibn Ubayy, and the sincere believers who advised him.
• Function in Narrative: To document the hypocrites’ ultimate sin—arrogance—and to explain why they are beyond the pale of forgiveness.
• Evidence Level: High (Certain). This is a specific, reported event within the larger, well-established historical context of the Surah.

💸 Verse 63:7 — The Economic Siege: The Plot to Defund the Believers

Estimated placement in timeline: Mid-Medinan (5 AH / 627 CE) — Confidence: High (100%).

Context & Events (Asbab al-Nuzul): This verse quotes another part of the seditious speech made by Abdullah ibn Ubayy during the Banu al-Mustaliq campaign. After a minor dispute over water between a man from the Muhajirun (emigrants) and a man from the Ansar (helpers), Ibn Ubayy saw an opportunity to sow discord. He tried to inflame the tribal loyalties of the Ansar, his own people. Part of his strategy was economic. He said to his followers among the Ansar, “Do not spend on those who are with the Messenger of Allah until they disband.” His logic was that the Muhajirun were poor and depended on the economic support of the Ansar. He believed that if the Ansar cut off this financial support, the Muhajirun would be forced to abandon the Prophet (ﷺ) and leave Madinah, thus breaking up the core of the Muslim community. This verse was revealed to expose this malicious economic plot and to provide the divine rebuttal: “and to Allah belong the depositories of the heavens and the earth.”

Referenced Timeline: Contemporary Madinah (5 AH).

“They are the ones who say, ‘Do not spend on those who are with the Messenger of Allah until they disband.’ And to Allah belong the depositories of the heavens and the earth, but the hypocrites do not understand.” (Qur’an 63:7)

• Primary evidence: This statement is a key part of the seditious speech by Ibn Ubayy that forms the core historical context of the Surah. The Sira of Ibn Hisham and other sources record this statement as part of the incident.
• Classical tafsir: Commentators confirm that this was the economic dimension of Ibn Ubayy’s plot to break the Muslim ranks. They explain that the divine response was meant to instill in the believers a deep trust (tawakkul) in Allah as the ultimate Provider, thus making them immune to this kind of economic blackmail.

• Location/Context: During the Banu al-Mustaliq expedition.
• Primary Actors: Abdullah ibn Ubayy and his followers.
• Function in Narrative: To expose the hypocrites’ plot of economic warfare and to counter it with the theological principle that Allah is the sole Provider.
• Evidence Level: High (Certain). This quote is a documented part of the historical event that triggered the Surah’s revelation.

👑 Verse 63:8 — The True Definition of Honor: A Traitor’s Threat, A Divine Decree (Key Event)

Estimated placement in timeline: Mid-Medinan (5 AH / 627 CE) — Confidence: High (100%).

Context & Events (Asbab al-Nuzul): This verse quotes the most infamous and treasonous line from Abdullah ibn Ubayy’s rant during the Banu al-Mustaliq campaign. Enraged by the dispute between the two men and seeking to reassert his old tribal authority, he declared, “If we return to Madinah, the more honorable [al-a’azz] will surely expel therefrom the more humble [al-adhall].” By “the more honorable,” he meant himself and his established Medinan faction (the Ansar). By “the more humble,” he meant the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) and his followers from Makkah (the Muhajirun). This was a direct threat of a coup d’état, a declaration of intent to commit sedition and expel the Prophet from his own city. The verse was revealed to quote his arrogant threat and then deliver a stunning divine reversal. It affirms that true honor does not belong to the tribal chiefs or the wealthy, but “to Allah and His Messenger and to the believers.”

Referenced Timeline: Contemporary Madinah (5 AH).

“They say, ‘If we return to Madinah, the more honorable will surely expel therefrom the more humble.’ And to Allah belongs [all] honor, and to His Messenger, and to the believers, but the hypocrites do not know.” (Qur’an 63:8)

• Primary evidence: This quote is the single most famous and explosive statement made during the Banu al-Mustaliq incident and is the centerpiece of the entire historical narrative.
• Classical tafsir: The Sira and Tafsir literature is rich with the details of this event. They narrate Zayd ibn Arqam’s distress, the Prophet’s (ﷺ) calm handling of the crisis, and the dramatic confrontation between Ibn Ubayy and his own son at the gates of Madinah, which was a direct, practical application of this verse’s new definition of honor.

• Location/Context: On the return journey from the Banu al-Mustaliq expedition.
• Primary Actors: Abdullah ibn Ubayy, Zayd ibn Arqam (the witness), Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ), and Abdullah (the son of Ibn Ubayy).
• Function in Narrative: To expose the ultimate treason of the hypocrites, to redefine honor from a tribal to a theological concept, and to vindicate the sincere believers.
• Evidence Level: High (Certain). This is the central, reported event that gives the Surah its historical anchor and primary theme.

💰 Verses 63:9-11 — The Final Warning: Don’t Let Life Distract You from Life Itself

Estimated placement in timeline: Mid-Medinan (General Medinan Context) — Confidence: Medium (80%).

Context & Events (Asbab al-Nuzul): After the intense, specific focus on the hypocrites and their sedition, the Surah concludes with a general, timeless address to all believers. While not tied to the Banu al-Mustaliq incident with the same certainty as the preceding verses, it serves as the ultimate moral lesson derived from it. The core motivation of the hypocrites was worldly: power, status, and wealth. They were so engrossed in these pursuits that they forgot Allah. This final section warns the believers against falling into the same trap. It cautions them not to let their “properties or children” divert them from the “remembrance of Allah.” It paints a poignant picture of a person on their deathbed, begging for a little more time to give charity and be righteous—a wish that will not be granted. The Surah ends with the solemn reminder that “never will Allah delay a soul when its time has come.”

Referenced Timeline: The Continuous Present & The Future (Death). This is a universal warning applicable to all believers in all times.

“O you who have believed, let not your wealth and your children divert you from remembrance of Allah. And whoever does that – then those are the losers.” (Qur’an 63:9)

• Primary evidence: Thematic flow. This section provides the logical spiritual takeaway from the story of the hypocrites. Their core flaw was love of the world, and this section warns the believers against that very same flaw. While some narrations attempt to link it to specific events, the general nature of the address suggests it is a concluding moral for the entire Ummah.
• Classical tafsir: Commentators see this as a general admonition to the believers. Al-Tabari explains that being “diverted” from the remembrance of Allah means being distracted from obligatory duties like the five daily prayers, Zakat, and other pillars of Islam because of preoccupation with business, farming, or family. The verses serve as the ultimate “so what?” of the Surah: having exposed the losers, here is how you can be among the successful.

• Location/Context: Madinah.
• Primary Actors: The entire community of believers.
• Function in Narrative: To provide the ultimate moral lesson of the Surah, warning sincere believers against the worldly distractions that form the root of hypocrisy.
• Evidence Level: Medium. While its placement in the Surah is certain, its link to a specific event is less direct than the preceding verses, functioning more as a timeless, concluding admonition that logically follows the narrative.