cleanse a person of hypocrisy. (1)

This sūrah was revealed during the Prophet’s last campaign—the Expedition of Tabūk—in the ninth year after the Hijrah, when Islam had become mighty and manifest. In it Allah laid bare the condition of the hypocrites, describing them as cowards who had abandoned jihad, and depicting them (2) as tight-fisted when it came to spending in Allah’s cause and grudging with their wealth. These are two grave maladies (3): miserliness and cowardice (4).

The Prophet ﷺ ⦗54⦘ said, “The worst thing in a person is a panicked avarice and a crippling cowardice.” (5) The ḥadīth is authentic. Because of this, the two traits can count among the major sins that lead to the Fire, as indicated by His words,

“Let not those who are stingy with what Allah has granted them of His bounty think that it is good for them; rather, it is bad for them. What they were stingy with will be hung around their necks on the Day of Resurrection” (Āl ʿImrān 3:180),

and by His statement,

“Whoever turns his back on them that day—unless it be for strategic maneuvering or to join another company—has incurred Allah’s wrath, and his abode is Hell, an evil destination indeed” (al-Anfāl 8:16).

As for His describing them as cowardly and fearful, He—the Exalted—said:

“They swear by Allah that they are indeed of you, while they are not of you; rather, they are a people seized by fear. If they could but find a refuge…” (at-Tawbah 9:56–).