This section introduces the third and most dangerous category of people in relation to the Islamic message: the hypocrites (Munafiqun). Maududi’s commentary delves deeply into their psychology and the threat they posed to the early Muslim community in Medina.
سورة البقرة (Surah Al-Baqarah)
آية 8
القرآن: وَمِنَ النَّاسِ مَن يَقُولُ آمَنَّا بِاللَّهِ وَبِالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ وَمَا هُم بِمُؤْمِنِينَ
Translation: And among the people are those who say, “We believe in Allah and the Last Day,” but they are not believers.
Explanation (Tafheemul Quran):
This verse introduces the hypocrites (Munafiqun). Unlike the open disbelievers (Kuffar) of Mecca, these were people in Medina who outwardly professed faith to gain political and social advantages while internally concealing disbelief. Their declaration is a lie, as their hearts lack true conviction.
آية 9
القرآن: يُخَادِعُونَ اللَّهَ وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَمَا يَخْدَعُونَ إِلَّا أَنفُسَهُمْ وَمَا يَشْعُرُونَ
Translation: They seek to deceive Allah and those who believe, but they deceive none except themselves, yet they fail to perceive it.
Explanation:
Maududi explains that their deception is ultimately self-deception. They think their outward show fools God and the believers, but God is fully aware of their hypocrisy. The real damage—the spiritual ruin and consequences of their duplicity—falls upon themselves alone, but they are too blind in their arrogance to realize this fundamental truth.
آية 10
القرآن: فِي قُلُوبِهِم مَّرَضٌ فَزَادَهُمُ اللَّهُ مَرَضًا ۖ وَلَهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ بِمَا كَانُوا يَكْذِبُونَ
Translation: In their hearts is a disease, so Allah has increased their disease. And for them is a painful punishment because they [habitually] used to lie.
Explanation:
The “disease” here, as per Maududi, is the moral and spiritual sickness of doubt, deceit, and moral corruption. When such a person confronts the clear truth of Islam and yet chooses hypocrisy, their disease intensifies. Their hearts become more hardened and distant from guidance. This increase is a divine law of consequence. Their punishment is a direct result of their persistent lying—to others and to themselves.
آية 11
القرآن: وَإِذَا قِيلَ لَهُمْ لَا تُفْسِدُوا فِي الْأَرْضِ قَالُوا إِنَّمَا نَحْنُ مُصْلِحُونَ
Translation: And when it is said to them, “Do not cause corruption on earth,” they say, “We are but reformers!”
Explanation:
Hypocrites typically engage in activities that create discord (fitnah), undermine the Muslim community’s unity, and side with enemies. When checked, they rationalize their behavior. Maududi notes that they portray their divisive actions as “reform” and “correction,” a classic trait of those who work against a truth-based system while claiming to improve it.
آية 12
القرآن: أَلَا إِنَّهُمْ هُمُ الْمُفْسِدُونَ وَلَٰكِن لَّا يَشْعُرُونَ
Translation: Unquestionably, it is they who are the corrupters, but they are unaware [of it].
Explanation:
The Quran categorically reverses their claim. Their very actions are the definition of corruption (ifsad). Maududi stresses that their moral confusion is so deep that they cannot even distinguish between spreading mischief and establishing peace.
آية 13
القرآن: وَإِذَا قِيلَ لَهُمْ آمِنُوا كَمَا آمَنَ النَّاسُ قَالُوا أَنُؤْمِنُ كَمَا آمَنَ السُّفَهَاءُ ۗ أَلَا إِنَّهُمْ هُمُ السُّفَهَاءُ وَلَٰكِن لَّا يَعْلَمُونَ
Translation: And when it is said to them, “Believe as the people have believed,” they say, “Should we believe as the foolish have believed?” Unquestionably, it is they who are the foolish, but they do not know.
Explanation:
When asked to embrace faith sincerely like the common believers, the hypocrites—often the wealthy and influential elites like Abdullah ibn Ubayy ibn Salul—mock the believers as “fools.” Maududi explains that this reveals their arrogance. The Quran again turns the label back on them: the real fools are those who trade eternal truth for worldly, fleeting gain and cannot recognize true wisdom.
آية 14
القرآن: وَإِذَا لَقُوا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا قَالُوا آمَنَّا وَإِذَا خَلَوْا إِلَىٰ شَيَاطِينِهِمْ قَالُوا إِنَّا مَعَكُمْ إِنَّمَا نَحْنُ مُسْتَهْزِئُونَ
Translation: And when they meet those who believe, they say, “We believe”; but when they are alone with their [devilish] leaders, they say, “Indeed, we are with you; we were only mockers.”
Explanation:
This verse masterfully exposes their dual-faced nature. They put on a show of faith among Muslims to ensure their safety and interests. In private, with their actual allies—the disbelieving leaders or the inner devils (Shayateen) of their own whims—they confess their alliance and mock the believers. Maududi highlights this as the essence of Nifaq (hypocrisy).
آية 15
القرآن: اللَّهُ يَسْتَهْزِئُ بِهِمْ وَيَمُدُّهُمْ فِي طُغْيَانِهِمْ يَعْمَهُونَ
Translation: Allah mocks them and prolongs them in their transgression [while] they wander blindly.
Explanation:
Just as they mock the truth, God “mocks” them—meaning He will turn their scheming back on them and make them a object of ridicule in their ultimate failure. Maududi explains that “prolongs them in their transgression” means He gives them respite, allowing them to sink deeper into their own misguidance, bewildered and lost.
آية 16
القرآن: أُولَٰئِكَ الَّذِينَ اشْتَرَوُا الضَّلَالَةَ بِالْهُدَىٰ فَمَا رَبِحَت تِّجَارَتُهُمْ وَمَا كَانُوا مُهْتَدِينَ
Translation: Those are the ones who have purchased error [in exchange] for guidance, so their transaction has brought no profit, nor were they guided.
Explanation:
Maududi elaborates on this powerful commercial metaphor. They had a choice: to buy guidance (which requires the price of sincere belief and submission) or to buy misguidance (which offers the apparent immediate price of worldly gain). They chose the latter. It is a bankrupt trade where they lose their capital (the opportunity for true faith) and get nothing of real value in return.
آية 17
القرآن: مَثَلُهُمْ كَمَثَلِ الَّذِي اسْتَوْقَدَ نَارًا فَلَمَّا أَضَاءَتْ مَا حَوْلَهُ ذَهَبَ اللَّهُ بِنُورِهِمْ وَتَرَكَهُمْ فِي ظُلُمَاتٍ لَّا يُبْصِرُونَ
Translation: Their example is that of one who kindled a fire, but when it illuminated what was around him, Allah took away their light and left them in darkness [so] they could not see.
Explanation:
This begins a series of three profound analogies for hypocrisy. First Analogy (V17-18): The hypocrite’s initial encounter with Islam is like someone lighting a fire in darkness. For a moment, the light of Islamic truth illuminates his path, showing reality clearly. But because he does not sincerely embrace it and seeks to extinguish it for others, God removes that light from his heart. He is left in greater spiritual darkness than before—unable to see the truth at all.
آية 18
القرآن: صُمٌّ بُكْمٌ عُمْيٌ فَهُمْ لَا يَرْجِعُونَ
Translation: Deaf, dumb and blind – so they will not return [to the right path].
Explanation:
As a consequence of losing the inner light, their spiritual faculties become dead. They become “deaf” to guidance, “dumb” in speaking the truth, and “blind” to recognizing signs. This state is so entrenched that they have no will or capacity to turn back to the right path.
آية 19
القرآن: أَوْ كَصَيِّبٍ مِّنَ السَّمَاءِ فِيهِ ظُلُمَاتٌ وَرَعْدٌ وَبَرْقٌ يَجْعَلُونَ أَصَابِعَهُمْ فِي آذَانِهِم مِّنَ الصَّوَاعِقِ حَوْلَ الْمَوْتِ ۚ وَاللَّهُ مُحِيطٌ بِالْكَافِرِينَ
Translation: Or [it is] like a rainstorm from the sky within which is darkness, thunder, and lightning. They put their fingers in their ears against the thunderclaps in dread of death. But Allah is encompassing of the disbelievers.
Explanation:
Second Analogy: The message of Islam, with its clear warnings and promises, comes like a heavy rain that brings both life-giving water (benefit) and a terrifying storm (awe). The hypocrite’s attitude is contradictory: he wants the water (worldly benefits from the Muslim community) but is terrified of the storm’s reality (the obligations and truths that unsettle him). He tries to block out the “thunderclaps” of warning (like the reality of death and accountability), but he cannot escape God’s all-encompassing knowledge and power.
آية 20
القرآن: يَكَادُ الْبَرْقُ يَخْطَفُ أَبْصَارَهُمْ ۖ كُلَّمَا أَضَاءَ لَهُم مَّشَوْا فِيهِ وَإِذَا أَظْلَمَ عَلَيْهِمْ قَامُوا ۚ وَلَوْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ لَذَهَبَ بِسَمْعِهِمْ وَأَبْصَارِهِمْ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ
Translation: The lightning almost snatches away their sight. Every time it lights [the way] for them, they walk [a little] in it; but when darkness comes over them, they stand [still]. And if Allah had willed, He could have taken away their hearing and their sight. Indeed, Allah is over all things competent.
Explanation:
Continuing the storm analogy: The “lightning” represents the moments of compelling, undeniable truth in the Quran that briefly illuminate their minds. It’s so sharp it almost “blinds” them with its clarity. In those brief moments, they might take a step or two toward faith (e.g., acknowledging a truth). But as soon as the momentary clarity passes and their inner doubts (“darkness”) return, they freeze and go no further. Maududi concludes that their spiritual state is precarious by God’s will, and He has the full power to completely deprive them of any perception if He so willed.
Summary of the Tafheem Perspective (Verses 8-20):
Maududi’s exegesis presents these verses as a detailed psychological and moral portrait of the hypocrite (Munafiq). The core traits exposed are:
- Lying about belief for worldly gain.
- Self-deception and rationalizing corruption.
- Dual-faced behavior, changing colors based on company.
- A diseased heart that becomes progressively harder.
- A bankrupt trade, sacrificing eternal guidance for temporary benefit.
- Contradictory and paralyzed faith, wanting the benefits of Islam without submitting to its truths, leaving them in a state of spiritual confusion and incapacity.
Messages from Quran 