Surah Al-Munafiqun

Ta'awwudh · Seeking Refuge

أَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ الرَّجِيمِ

A'udhu billahi min ash-shaytani ar-rajim. I seek refuge in Allah from Satan, the accursed.

The Name · Bismillah

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ

Bismillahi ar-Rahmani ar-Rahim. In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

✦

The Surah · Al-Munafiqun

﴾١﴿ إِذَا جَآءَكَ ٱلْمُنَٰفِقُونَ قَالُوا۟ نَشْهَدُ إِنَّكَ لَرَسُولُ ٱللَّهِ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ يَعْلَمُ إِنَّكَ لَرَسُولُهُۥ وَٱللَّهُ يَشْهَدُ إِنَّ ٱلْمُنَٰفِقِينَ لَكَٰذِبُونَ

Idha ja'aka al-munafiquna qalu nashhadu innaka larasulu Allah, wallahu ya'lamu innaka larasuluhu wallahu yashhadu inna al-munafiqina lakadhibun

When the hypocrites come to you they say: we testify that you are the Messenger of Allah. Allah knows that you are His Messenger, and Allah testifies that the hypocrites are liars.

﴾٢﴿ ٱتَّخَذُوٓا۟ أَيْمَٰنَهُمْ جُنَّةًۭ فَصَدُّوا۟ عَن سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ ۚ إِنَّهُمْ سَآءَ مَا كَانُوا۟ يَعْمَلُونَ

Ittakhadhu aymanahum junnatan fasaddu 'an sabili Allah, innahum sa'a ma kanu ya'malun

They took their oaths as a shield and turned people away from the path of Allah. Evil is what they used to do.

﴾٣﴿ ذَٰلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمْ ءَامَنُوا۟ ثُمَّ كَفَرُوا۟ فَطُبِعَ عَلَىٰ قُلُوبِهِمْ فَهُمْ لَا يَفْقَهُونَ

Dhalika bi-annahum amanu thumma kafaru fatubi'a 'ala qulubihim fahum la yafqahun

That is because they believed and then denied, so their hearts were sealed and they do not understand.

﴾٤﴿ وَإِذَا رَأَيْتَهُمْ تُعْجِبُكَ أَجْسَامُهُمْ ۖ وَإِن يَقُولُوا۟ تَسْمَعْ لِقَوْلِهِمْ ۖ كَأَنَّهُمْ خُشُبٌۭ مُّسَنَّدَةٌۭ ۖ يَحْسَبُونَ كُلَّ صَيْحَةٍ عَلَيْهِمْ ۚ هُمُ ٱلْعَدُوُّ فَٱحْذَرْهُمْ ۚ قَٰتَلَهُمُ ٱللَّهُ ۖ أَنَّىٰ يُؤْفَكُونَ

Wa idha ra'aytahum tu'jibuka ajsamuhum, wa in yaqulu tasma' liqawlihim, ka-annahum khushubun musannadah, yahsabuna kulla sayhatin 'alayhim, humu al-'aduwwu fahdharhum, qatalahumu Allahu anna yu'fakun

When you see them, their physiques impress you, and if they speak you listen to their speech. They are as if they were timber propped up. They think every shout is against them. They are the enemy, so beware of them. May Allah destroy them. How are they turned away?

﴾٥﴿ وَإِذَا قِيلَ لَهُمْ تَعَالَوْا۟ يَسْتَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ رَسُولُ ٱللَّهِ لَوَّوْا۟ رُءُوسَهُمْ وَرَأَيْتَهُمْ يَصُدُّونَ وَهُم مُّسْتَكْبِرُونَ

Wa idha qila lahum ta'alaw yastaghfir lakum rasulu Allahi lawwaw ru'usahum wa ra'aytahum yasudduna wa hum mustakbirun

When it is said to them: come, the Messenger of Allah will ask forgiveness for you, they twist their heads away, and you see them turning away in arrogance.

﴾٦﴿ سَوَآءٌ عَلَيْهِمْ أَسْتَغْفَرْتَ لَهُمْ أَمْ لَمْ تَسْتَغْفِرْ لَهُمْ لَن يَغْفِرَ ٱللَّهُ لَهُمْ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَا يَهْدِى ٱلْقَوْمَ ٱلْفَٰسِقِينَ

Sawa'un 'alayhim astaghfarta lahum am lam tastaghfir lahum lan yaghfira Allahu lahum, inna Allaha la yahdi al-qawma al-fasiqin

It is the same for them whether you seek forgiveness for them or do not seek forgiveness for them. Allah will not forgive them. Allah does not guide a people who defy Him.

﴾٧﴿ هُمُ ٱلَّذِينَ يَقُولُونَ لَا تُنفِقُوا۟ عَلَىٰ مَنْ عِندَ رَسُولِ ٱللَّهِ حَتَّىٰ يَنفَضُّوا۟ ۗ وَلِلَّهِ خَزَآئِنُ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ وَلَٰكِنَّ ٱلْمُنَٰفِقِينَ لَا يَفْقَهُونَ

Humu alladhina yaquluna la tunfiqu 'ala man 'inda rasuli Allahi hatta yanfaddu, wa lillahi khaza'inu as-samawati wal-ardi wa lakinna al-munafiqina la yafqahun

They are the ones who say: do not spend on those who are with the Messenger of Allah, until they disband. To Allah belong the treasuries of the heavens and the earth, but the hypocrites do not understand.

﴾٨﴿ يَقُولُونَ لَئِن رَّجَعْنَآ إِلَى ٱلْمَدِينَةِ لَيُخْرِجَنَّ ٱلْأَعَزُّ مِنْهَا ٱلْأَذَلَّ ۚ وَلِلَّهِ ٱلْعِزَّةُ وَلِرَسُولِهِۦ وَلِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَلَٰكِنَّ ٱلْمُنَٰفِقِينَ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ

Yaquluna la'in raja'na ila al-madinati layukhrijanna al-a'azzu minha al-adhall, wa lillahi al-'izzatu wa lirasulihi wa lil-mu'minina wa lakinna al-munafiqina la ya'lamun

They say: if we return to Medina, the more honorable will surely expel from it the more humble. Honor belongs to Allah, to His Messenger, and to the believers, but the hypocrites do not know.

﴾٩﴿ يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ لَا تُلْهِكُمْ أَمْوَٰلُكُمْ وَلَآ أَوْلَٰدُكُمْ عَن ذِكْرِ ٱللَّهِ ۚ وَمَن يَفْعَلْ ذَٰلِكَ فَأُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلْخَٰسِرُونَ

Ya ayyuha alladhina amanu la tulhikum amwalukum wa la awladukum 'an dhikri Allah, wa man yaf'al dhalika fa-ula'ika humu al-khasirun

You who believe, do not let your wealth or your children divert you from the remembrance of Allah. Whoever does that, those are the losers.

﴾١٠﴿ وَأَنفِقُوا۟ مِن مَّا رَزَقْنَٰكُم مِّن قَبْلِ أَن يَأْتِىَ أَحَدَكُمُ ٱلْمَوْتُ فَيَقُولَ رَبِّ لَوْلَآ أَخَّرْتَنِىٓ إِلَىٰٓ أَجَلٍۢ قَرِيبٍۢ فَأَصَّدَّقَ وَأَكُن مِّنَ ٱلصَّٰلِحِينَ

Wa anfiqu mimma razaqnakum min qabli an ya'tiya ahadakumu al-mawtu fayaqula Rabbi lawla akhkhartani ila ajalin qaribin fa-assaddaqa wa akun mina as-salihin

Spend from what We have provided you before death comes to one of you and he says: my Lord, if only You would delay me for a short term, so that I could give charity and be among the righteous.

﴾١١﴿ وَلَن يُؤَخِّرَ ٱللَّهُ نَفْسًا إِذَا جَآءَ أَجَلُهَا ۚ وَٱللَّهُ خَبِيرٌۢ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ

Wa lan yu'akhkhira Allahu nafsan idha ja'a ajaluha, wallahu khabirun bima ta'malun

Allah will never delay a soul when its time has come. Allah is aware of what you do.

The Tafsir · The Breakdown

What The Surah Means

Overview

Surah Al-Munafiqun is eleven verses, chapter 63, Madani. Al-Bukhari records the campaign behind it, the words said by Abdullah ibn Ubayy, the young man Zayd ibn Arqam who reported them and was doubted, and the surah that came down confirming him.

It is a portrait rather than a ruling. The Quran describes how these men look, how they sound, how they fund, and what they say when they are cornered, and then closes on the only thing a dying man asks for, which is time to give.

They looked impressive and they sounded convincing. The surah says that was the whole of it.

Verses 1–4 · How They Present

When the hypocrites come to you they say: we testify that you are the Messenger of Allah.

The verse then does something unusual. Wallahu ya'lamu innaka larasuluh: and Allah knows that you are His Messenger. The statement they made is confirmed as true. Wallahu yashhadu inna al-munafiqina lakadhibun: and Allah testifies that the hypocrites are liars. The content was accurate and the testimony was false, because the lie is in the claiming, not in the proposition.

Ittakhadhu aymanahum junnah: they took their oaths as a shield. The same phrase Al-Mujadila used. Swearing becomes armor for a man whose word does not carry on its own.

Wa idha ra'aytahum tu'jibuka ajsamuhum: when you see them, their physiques impress you. Wa in yaqulu tasma' liqawlihim: and if they speak, you listen to their speech. The Quran concedes the impression fully. They are impressive to look at and worth listening to.

Ka-annahum khushubun musannadah: as if they were timber propped up. Wood that has been cut, finished, and leaned against a wall. It holds nothing, carries no load, and is only there to look like structure.

Good bodies, good speech, and no load bearing capacity. Timber leaned against a wall.

Verses 5–6 · The Head Turn

When it is said to them: come, the Messenger of Allah will ask forgiveness for you, they turn their heads away.

Lawwaw ru'usahum: they twist their heads. The refusal is physical and it is small. Not a speech, not an argument. A movement of the head that everyone present can read.

Wa ra'aytahum yasudduna wa hum mustakbirun: and you see them turning away in arrogance. The offer being refused is intercession for their own forgiveness, which means the arrogance is aimed at the remedy rather than at the accusation.

Sawa'un 'alayhim astaghfarta lahum am lam tastaghfir lahum: it is the same for them whether you seek forgiveness for them or not. The door is described as closed from their side, not His.

They were offered the remedy and turned their heads. The refusal cost them one gesture.

Verses 7–8 · Funding and Standing

They are the ones who say: do not spend on those who are with the Messenger of Allah, until they disband.

La tunfiqu 'ala man 'inda rasuli Allahi hatta yanfaddu: the tactic is financial. Cut the funding and the movement dissolves. It is the oldest instrument there is and the Quran names it in one line.

Wa lillahi khaza'inu as-samawati wal-ard: and to Allah belong the treasuries of the heavens and the earth. The counter is not a fundraising appeal. It is a statement about where the treasuries are held.

Layukhrijanna al-a'azzu minha al-adhall: the more honorable will surely expel from it the more humble. This was said about the people of Medina and the emigrants, and the reply reverses the labels. Wa lillahi al-'izzatu wa lirasulihi wa lil-mu'minin: honor belongs to Allah, to His Messenger, and to the believers.

Wa lakinna al-munafiqina la ya'lamun: but the hypocrites do not know. The passage ends on ignorance rather than malice, which is the surah's consistent verdict.

Starve it of funding and rename who is honorable. Both moves are answered by saying who owns the treasuries.

Verses 9–11 · Do Not Let It Divert You

You who believe, do not let your wealth or your children divert you from the remembrance of Allah.

La tulhikum amwalukum wa la awladukum 'an dhikri Allah: the verb is of distraction, of being pleasantly occupied. Not corruption, not theft. Distraction. And the two things named are the two most legitimate things a man builds.

Wa man yaf'al dhalika fa-ula'ika humu al-khasirun: whoever does that, those are the losers. The word is commercial. They are the ones who took a loss on the transaction.

Wa anfiqu mimma razaqnakum min qabli an ya'tiya ahadakumu al-mawt: spend from what We have provided you before death comes to one of you. The instruction is given with a deadline attached.

Fayaqula Rabbi lawla akhkhartani ila ajalin qarib fa-assaddaqa wa akun mina as-salihin: my Lord, if only You would delay me for a short term, so that I could give charity and be among the righteous. This is the request of a dying man in the Quran, and it is worth reading carefully. He does not ask to see his family, or to fix his affairs, or to finish his work. He asks for time to give.

Wa lan yu'akhkhira Allahu nafsan idha ja'a ajaluha: and Allah will never delay a soul when its time has come.

The last request in the surah is for more time to give. It is refused, and the instruction to spend was issued while there was still time.

Structural Summary

Eleven Verses. Timber Propped Up.

Verse 1The TestimonyWhat they said was true. The testifying was the lie.

Verses 2–4The PresentationOaths as a shield, impressive bodies, speech worth listening to, and no load bearing capacity.

Verses 5–6The RefusalOffered intercession and they turned their heads. Seeking forgiveness for them makes no difference.

Verses 7–8The SqueezeCut the funding until they disband, and rename who is honorable. The treasuries and the honor both belong to Him.

Verse 9The WarningDo not let wealth and children distract you from the remembrance. Those who do take the loss.

Verses 10–11The DeadlineSpend before death arrives, because the dying request is for time to give, and no soul is delayed.

Why This Surah Is For You

Verse 4 is the most useful line in the surah for anyone who evaluates people. The Quran concedes the impression completely. The physique is impressive, the speech is worth hearing, and the man is finished timber leaning on a wall. Presentation is granted and load bearing is the separate question.

Verse 7 names the oldest tactic used against anyone building something. Cut the money and it disbands. Expect it, and notice that the answer given is not a better fundraising plan. It is a statement about who owns the treasuries.

Verse 9 is aimed at believers, not at hypocrites, and it names wealth and children. Not vices. The two most legitimate things you will ever build, identified as the most likely to distract you, with the word for pleasant distraction rather than sin.

Verse 10 is the one to keep. A man at the end asks for a short delay, and what he wants to do with it is give charity. Not repair a relationship, not see a result, not finish a build. Give. Whatever you were going to give later is the thing you will ask for time to do.

The Practice · Daily Integration

Eleven Verses. Give It Now.

Separate presentation from load bearing when you assess a man. Verse 4 grants the impression and asks a different question.

Move the giving forward. Verse 10 tells you what the deferred version of it looks like from the deathbed.

Watch the word in verse 9. Distraction, not corruption. Wealth and children do not have to go wrong to divert you.

When funding is used as leverage against something you are building, answer it with verse 7 rather than with panic.

He asked for a short delay so that he could give. Give it now, while the delay is not needed.

آمِين

Prepared with discipline · Ameen

Verse-By-Verse · Test Yourself

The Quiz

Two questions per verse. Translation and a key Arabic word. Walk through it slow. The goal is comprehension, not speed.

Verse 11 / 22

The Verse

إِذَا جَآءَكَ ٱلْمُنَٰفِقُونَ قَالُوا۟ نَشْهَدُ إِنَّكَ لَرَسُولُ ٱللَّهِ

Idha ja'aka al-munafiquna qalu nashhadu innaka larasulu Allah

What does the surah say about the hypocrites' testimony?