سُوْرَةُ النِّسَآءِ
Surah An-Nisaa (4) — Ayah 142
إِنَّ ٱلْمُنَـٰفِقِينَ يُخَـٰدِعُونَ ٱللَّهَ وَهُوَ خَـٰدِعُهُمْ وَإِذَا قَامُوٓا۟ إِلَى ٱلصَّلَوٰةِ قَامُوا۟ كُسَالَىٰ يُرَآءُونَ ٱلنَّاسَ وَلَا يَذْكُرُونَ ٱللَّهَ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا ﴿142﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
Verily, the hypocrites seek to deceive Allâh, but it is He Who deceives them. And when they stand up for As-Salât (the prayer), they stand with laziness and to be seen of men, and they do not remember Allâh but little.
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
إِنَّ
inna
Indeed
ٱلْمُنَـٰفِقِينَ
l-munāfiqīna
the hypocrites
يُخَـٰدِعُونَ
yukhādiʿūna
(seek to) deceive
ٱللَّهَ
l-laha
Allah
وَهُوَ
wahuwa
and (it is) He
خَـٰدِعُهُمْ
khādiʿuhum
who deceives them
وَإِذَا
wa-idhā
And when
قَامُوٓا۟
qāmū
they stand
إِلَى
ilā
for
ٱلصَّلَوٰةِ
l-ṣalati
the prayer
قَامُوا۟
qāmū
they stand
كُسَالَىٰ
kusālā
lazily
يُرَآءُونَ
yurāūna
showing off
ٱلنَّاسَ
l-nāsa
(to) the people
وَلَا
walā
and not
يَذْكُرُونَ
yadhkurūna
they remember
ٱللَّهَ
l-laha
Allah
إِلَّا
illā
except
قَلِيلًۭا
qalīlan
a little
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran — Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran (Facilitation of the Quran) is a comprehensive Quran commentary by Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar from Pakistan. Known for his eloquent and accessible writing style, Kilani authored this tafsir with a focus on clarity — making Quranic meanings understandable to the common reader. The tafsir provides detailed historical context for verses related to battles and expeditions, and firmly refutes modernist ideologies using strong scriptural evidence. It is widely regarded as an invaluable resource for understanding the Quran and countering deviant interpretations. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
142. The hypocrites seek to deceive Allah, but Allah turns their deception back upon them [189]. And when they stand for prayer [190], they stand lazily, only to be seen by people, and they remember Allah but little.
[189] That is, the work of the hypocrites is to achieve their interests through deceitful schemes, and Allah informs the Muslims of their conspiracies through revelation, so they not only fail in their plots but also become humiliated and disgraced in the eyes of the Muslims. Then they try to change their tactics, causing the disbelievers to become suspicious of them. In this way, the consequences of their deceitful actions keep falling back upon themselves.
[190]
The Prayer of the Hypocrite and Their Character:
Prayer is an important pillar of Islam and is an immediate distinguishing sign between a believer and a disbeliever. Since the hypocrites claimed to be Muslims, they had to perform the prayer, because if someone did not participate in the congregational prayer, everyone would immediately suspect him of hypocrisy. But there was a difference between the prayer of a believer and that of a hypocrite. The believers would come with great enthusiasm and reach the mosques before time. They would perform the prayer with utmost tranquility and humility, and even after the prayer, they would remain engaged in remembrance and stay in the mosques for some time. Every movement of theirs would show that they truly had an interest in prayer. In contrast, the state of the hypocrites was such that as soon as they heard the call to prayer, a lifelessness would descend upon them. Forcing themselves, they would come to the mosques. There was no humility or devotion in their prayer. Their hearts were occupied with the same deceitful thoughts and the pursuit of benefit, and as soon as the prayer ended, they would immediately head home. All their actions and their sluggishness made it clear that they had neither any sense of the importance of prayer, nor any love for Allah, nor any inclination towards the remembrance of Allah. They came to the mosques merely to mark their attendance, and they performed the prayer only to show off. Moreover, the hypocrites rarely maintained the observance of congregational prayer. As mentioned in the following hadiths, the same condition of the hypocrites is described. 1. The Prophet ﷺ said: "The prayer of the hypocrite is that he sits watching the sun until, when the sun is between the two horns of Satan, he stands up and pecks out four (units of prayer) quickly, and in it he remembers Allah but little."
[مسلم، کتاب الصلٰوۃ۔ باب استحباب التبکیر بالعصر]
2. Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah ؓ says that the Prophet ﷺ said: "There is no prayer heavier on the hypocrites than the Fajr and Isha prayers. And if people knew the reward that is in these prayers, they would come even if they had to crawl. And I intended to order the muezzin to pronounce the iqamah, then appoint someone to lead the people in prayer, and then go with a flame of fire to burn the houses of those who have not yet come out for prayer."
[بخاری، کتاب الاذان، باب فضل صلوۃ العشاء فی الجماعۃ]
[189] That is, the work of the hypocrites is to achieve their interests through deceitful schemes, and Allah informs the Muslims of their conspiracies through revelation, so they not only fail in their plots but also become humiliated and disgraced in the eyes of the Muslims. Then they try to change their tactics, causing the disbelievers to become suspicious of them. In this way, the consequences of their deceitful actions keep falling back upon themselves.
[190]
The Prayer of the Hypocrite and Their Character:
Prayer is an important pillar of Islam and is an immediate distinguishing sign between a believer and a disbeliever. Since the hypocrites claimed to be Muslims, they had to perform the prayer, because if someone did not participate in the congregational prayer, everyone would immediately suspect him of hypocrisy. But there was a difference between the prayer of a believer and that of a hypocrite. The believers would come with great enthusiasm and reach the mosques before time. They would perform the prayer with utmost tranquility and humility, and even after the prayer, they would remain engaged in remembrance and stay in the mosques for some time. Every movement of theirs would show that they truly had an interest in prayer. In contrast, the state of the hypocrites was such that as soon as they heard the call to prayer, a lifelessness would descend upon them. Forcing themselves, they would come to the mosques. There was no humility or devotion in their prayer. Their hearts were occupied with the same deceitful thoughts and the pursuit of benefit, and as soon as the prayer ended, they would immediately head home. All their actions and their sluggishness made it clear that they had neither any sense of the importance of prayer, nor any love for Allah, nor any inclination towards the remembrance of Allah. They came to the mosques merely to mark their attendance, and they performed the prayer only to show off. Moreover, the hypocrites rarely maintained the observance of congregational prayer. As mentioned in the following hadiths, the same condition of the hypocrites is described. 1. The Prophet ﷺ said: "The prayer of the hypocrite is that he sits watching the sun until, when the sun is between the two horns of Satan, he stands up and pecks out four (units of prayer) quickly, and in it he remembers Allah but little."
[مسلم، کتاب الصلٰوۃ۔ باب استحباب التبکیر بالعصر]
2. Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah ؓ says that the Prophet ﷺ said: "There is no prayer heavier on the hypocrites than the Fajr and Isha prayers. And if people knew the reward that is in these prayers, they would come even if they had to crawl. And I intended to order the muezzin to pronounce the iqamah, then appoint someone to lead the people in prayer, and then go with a flame of fire to burn the houses of those who have not yet come out for prayer."
[بخاری، کتاب الاذان، باب فضل صلوۃ العشاء فی الجماعۃ]
