“Indeed, those who believed, then disbelieved, then believed, then disbelieved, and then increased in disbelief—Allah would not forgive them, nor would He guide them to a way. (137) Give the hypocrites glad tidings of a painful punishment: (138) those who take the disbelievers as allies instead of the believers. Do they seek honor through them? Indeed, all honor belongs to Allah. (139)”

His saying, Exalted is He: “Indeed, those who believed, then disbelieved, then believed, then disbelieved, and then increased in disbelief.” Qatadah said: They are the Jews: they believed in Moses, then thereafter disbelieved by worshipping the calf; then they believed in the Torah, then disbelieved in Jesus, peace be upon him; then they increased in disbelief through rejecting Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him.

It was also said: This concerns all the People of the Scripture. They believed in their prophet, then disbelieved in him; they believed in the Book sent down to him, then disbelieved in it—and their disbelief in it was their abandoning it—then they increased in disbelief through rejecting Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him.

It was also said: This concerns a people who repeatedly apostatized: they believed, then apostatized; then believed, then apostatized; then believed, then apostatized; then believed, then apostatized.

In such a case, is his repentance accepted? It is related from Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, that his repentance is not accepted; rather, he is executed, due to His saying, Exalted is He: “Allah would not forgive them.” Most scholars, however, hold that his repentance is accepted. Mujahid said: “Then increased in disbelief” means that they died upon it. “Allah would not forgive them”—so long as they persisted in that; “nor would He guide them to a way,” meaning, a path to the truth. If it is asked: What is the meaning of His saying, “Allah would not forgive them,” when it is known that He does not forgive polytheism even if it occurs only once?

The answer is that when a disbeliever embraces Islam for the first time and remains upon it, his previous disbelief is forgiven. But if he embraces Islam, then disbelieves, then embraces Islam, then disbelieves, his prior disbelief is not forgiven—the disbelief that would have been forgiven had he remained upon Islam.

“Give the hypocrites glad tidings”: that is, inform them, O Muhammad, “that they will have a painful punishment.” Glad tidings are any report that changes the complexion of the face, whether pleasing or otherwise. Al-Zajjaj said: Its meaning is: make the punishment the thing you announce to them in place of glad tidings. The Arabs say, “Your greeting is a beating, and your rebuke is the sword”—that is, [instead of greeting you]. (1) He then described the hypocrites, saying:

“Those who take the disbelievers as allies,” meaning: they take the Jews as allies, supporters, or trusted inner confidants, “instead of the believers. Do they seek honor through them?” That is, do they seek assistance and victory over Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, and his Companions through them? It was also said: Do they seek strength and domination through them? “Indeed, all honor”—that is, domination, strength, and power—“belongs to Allah.”