Surah Al-Munaafiqoon (63) — Ayah 3

(Ayah 3) ➊ The meaning of { ذٰلِكَ بِاَنَّهُمْ اٰمَنُوْا ثُمَّ كَفَرُوْا:’’ ذٰلِكَ ‘‘} is that their false oaths of being believers and preventing others from the way of Allah, etc., are because they believed, then they disbelieved. There are three types of believing and then disbelieving: one is that they outwardly accepted faith and became Muslims, but inwardly remained disbelievers. Another is that when they came to the Muslims, they testified to faith, but when they went to the disbelievers, they assured them of their disbelief, as stated: « وَ اِذَا لَقُوا الَّذِيْنَ اٰمَنُوْا قَالُوْۤا اٰمَنَّا وَ اِذَا خَلَوْا اِلٰى شَيٰطِيْنِهِمْ قَالُوْۤا اِنَّا مَعَكُمْ» [ البقرۃ : ۱۴ ] "And when they meet those who believe, they say, 'We have believed,' but when they are alone with their devils, they say, 'Indeed, we are with you.'" The majority of the hypocrites were of this type. And another is that some of them initially truly believed, but then became disbelievers due to worldly motives. It appears that those among the hypocrites who repented and whose Islam became pure were from this group.

➋ {فَطُبِعَ عَلٰى قُلُوْبِهِمْ فَهُمْ لَا يَفْقَهُوْنَ:} That is, because of their disbelief after believing, a seal was set upon their hearts, so they neither understand the harm of hypocrisy in this world and the Hereafter, nor do they feel any shame for it, nor are they granted the ability to repent.