Translation
There are those (some of the hypocrites) who tease believers who donates freely (beyond the call of duty to common cause) and those who cannot find anything to give but their keep (hard labor or small items from their livelihood)—these (hypocrites) mock at both. God will requite their mockery and there will be serious consequences (for their conducts) irrespective of whether you (Prophet) ask for their forgiveness or not, even if you ask for forgiveness multiple times. God will not forgive them because they deny God and His Messenger. God will not guide those who transgress repeatedly.440
Those (hypocrites) who stayed back were glad to be not following the Messenger of God, precisely because they were disinclined to striving in God’s way (for truth and justice) with their persons and property and they even said: “Do not go out in the heat (of the desert).” Tell them: “The heat of hellfire will be even more intense if you could only comprehend. Let them laugh a little (at this time) as they will commiserate a lot (in the end)—it is the consequence of what they do (or do not). If an occasion arises when God brings you back to them and they ask for your permission to join in, say to them: “Never will you go with me and never will you fight an enemy on my behalf. You chose to stay back the first time and (now) you will sit with those who stay back.” They do not deserve your prayer on their death or your standing by their graves, because they denied God and His Messenger and they died in a state of repeated transgressions.441
Interpretation
440 Supporting the cause of the community through donations and personal participations was essential and highly encouraged by the Prophet as part of his community building and dealing with constant threats to the community from those who were his adversaries from outside but also hypocrites who accepted him as a Prophet (publicly) but privately resented his leadership and tried to destroy his community from within. Some of these people openly mocked those followers of the Prophet who provided significant resources from their wealth but also those who were poor and could not provide much, yet made attempts to donate a portion of whatever meager possessions they had and their labor. This spirit of giving beyond the call of duty and to strive hard in support of truth and justice in society was a hallmark of the Prophet and his followers, who were able to establish a community that culminated into today’s 1.8 billion Muslims.
441 The strong stance that God displays here as well in several other places in the Qur’an (2:15 and 63:6, for example) indicates the severity of their hypocrisy and the harm it does to the community. The intent is to isolate and discourage these people and to prevent them from participating in common causes where they will bring chaos, doubts, and harm in the end to the community and its pursuits, whether to defend themselves or to advance the cause for faith and goodness. In our world today, such hypocrisy has become evident in all religious and political discourse where we talk about Trump administration, the Catholic Church, political corruptions in the Middle East, and religious and ethnic persecution in various parts of the world by government, religious groups, or tribal or ethnic people against others. There is also the hypocrisy of the wealthy people and large and global businesses who do enormous harm to the free market, environmental destructions, and income/wealth inequality in the name of profit and shareholders’ (wealthy people’s) rights.
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REFLECTION
Hypocrisy in all forms is condemned and discouraged, and people of faith, goodwill, and intellectual honesty are reminded that constant vigilance against such people, forces, and institutions is a must for our society to progress and to establish truth and justice in our world.
ACTION
Given the widespread rise of hypocrisy around the world and the call to stand against all forms of hypocrisy that shows up in racism, misogyny, hate groups, political corruption, and income inequality, it is becoming ever more important for each one of us to engage and commit to social justice and actively participate as a positive force no matter where we are and what the odds might be. Without such commitment and demonstrated effectiveness, success will elude us, and God will not bring about His blessings for which we fervently aspire.