Transliteration:( Wa mimmann hawlakum minal A'raabi munaafiqoona wa min ahlil Madeenati maradoo 'alan nifaaq, laa ta'lamuhum nahnu na'lamuhum; sanu'azzibuhum marrataini summa yuraddoona ilaa 'azaabin 'azeem )
“And among those around you, some of the villagers [280] are hypocrites, and some of the people of Madinah [281] have become accustomed to hypocrisy. You do not know them; We know them [282]. We will punish them twice [283], and then they will be returned to a great punishment.”
In this verse, Madinah refers specifically to Madinah Munawwarah (the blessed city of the Prophet ﷺ). While "Madinah" generally means any city in Arabic, when used here, it specifically denotes the city of the Prophet ﷺ, which is also known by other names like Tayyiba, Tabah, and Batha. It is prohibited to refer to this city as Yathrab, as it was renamed by the Prophet ﷺ to Madinah.
The verse mentions that many hypocrites lived in the villages surrounding Madinah Munawwarah. These included various tribes such as Jahniyyah, Muazeena, Aslam, Ashja, and Ghaffar. These villages were inhabited by individuals who had adopted hypocrisy and distanced themselves from the sincere faith of the believers in Madinah.
The verse expresses that while the Prophet ﷺ may not know who the hypocrites are, Allah knows them fully. This is not a negation of the Prophet's ﷺ knowledge, but rather an expression of Allah’s wrath. It is akin to how a ruler might speak to a trusted companion about a criminal, saying, "You do not know this evil person as I do." Additionally, this verse could have been revealed before the Prophet ﷺ was informed about the hypocrites, as later verses state, "And you would recognize by their speech" (S47:V30).
The verse mentions that Allah will punish the hypocrites twice—in this world and in their graves—before returning them to a great punishment in the Hereafter. The punishment in the world and the grave is less severe than the final punishment in the Hereafter, emphasizing that the ultimate retribution for hypocrisy will be in the next life. An example of the punishment in this world was when the Prophet ﷺ expelled certain hypocrites from the mosque by name on a Friday, embarrassing and disgracing them publicly. This too served as a punishment for their hypocrisy.
101. And among the bedouins around you, some are hypocrites, and so are some among the people of Al-Madinah who persist in hypocrisy; you know them not, We know them. We shall punish them twice, and thereafter they shall be brought back to a great (horrible) torment.
Allah informs His Messenger, peace be upon him, that among the bedouins around Al-Madinah there are hypocrites and in Al-Madinah itself, those,
(who persist in hypocrisy;) meaning they insisted on hypocrisy and continued in it Allah’s statement,
(you know them not, We know them), does not contradict His other statement,
(Had We willed, We could have shown them to you, and you should have known them by their marks; but surely, you will know them by the tone of their speech!)﴿47:30﴾, because the latter Ayah describes them by their characteristics, not that the Messenger knows all those who have doubts and hypocrisy. The Messenger knew that some of those who associated with him from the people of Al-Madinah were hypocrites, and he used to see them day and night ﴿but did not know who they were exactly﴾. We mentioned before in the explanation of,
(…and they resolved that (plot) which they were unable to carry out…)﴿9:74﴾ that the Prophet informed Hudhayfah of the names of fourteen or fifteen hypocrites. This knowledge is specific in this case, not that the Messenger of Allah was informed of all their names, and Allah knows best. `Abdur-Razzaq narrated that Ma`mar said that Qatadah commented on this Ayah ﴿9:101﴾, “What is the matter with some people who claim to have knowledge about other people, saying, `So-and-so is in Paradise and so-and-so is in the Fire.’ If you ask any of these people about himself, he would say, `I do not know (if I will end up in Paradise or the Fire)!’ Verily, you have more knowledge of yourself than other people. You have assumed a job that even the Prophets before you refrained from assuming. Allah’s Prophet Nuh said,
(And what knowledge have I of what they used to do)﴿26:112﴾ Allah’s Prophet Shu`ayb said,
(That which is left by Allah for you (after giving the rights of the people) is better for you, if you are believers. And I am not a guardian over you)﴿11:86﴾, while Allah said to His Prophet ,
(you know them not, We know them.)” Mujahid said about Allah’s statement,
(We shall punish them twice), “By killing and capture.” In another narration he said, “By hunger and torment in the grave,
(and thereafter they shall be brought back to a great (horrible) torment.)” `Abdur-Rahman bin Zayd bin Aslam said, “The torment in this life strikes their wealth and offspring,” and he recited this Ayah,
(So let not their wealth nor their children amaze you; Allah only wants to punish them with these things in the life of this world.) ﴿9:55﴾ These afflictions torment them, but will bring reward for the believers. As for the torment in the Hereafter, it is in the Fire,
(and thereafter they shall be brought back to a great (horrible) torment.)
(9:101) As for the bedouin Arabs around you, some are hypocrites; and so are some of the people of Madinah who have become inured to hypocrisy. You do not know them, but We know them.[97] We will inflict double chastisement on them,[98] and then they shall be returned to an awesome suffering.
97. They had become so expert in the art of hiding their hypocrisy that even the Prophet (peace be upon him) could not recognize them, though he possessed immense sagacity and insight into human nature; so Allah informed him about them.
98. This double chastisement will be the loss of their worldly advantages and the victory of the Islamic mission in the teeth of their opposition. Thus one chastisement shall be the loss of their worldly benefits for which they practiced deceptions and adopted hypocritical attitudes, and instead of gaining wealth, honor and prestige they shall meet with disgrace and utter failure. The second chastisement will be in the shape of the victory of the Islamic mission to defeat which they exerted their utmost by their machinations and plots. But the Islamic mission will come out successful in the teeth of their evil wishes, desires, intentions and vicious efforts and they themselves shall witness its victory to their utter despair, regret, grief and sorrow.
For a faster and smoother experience,
install our mobile app now.
Related Ayat(Verses)/Topics