and lose this world and the Hereafter. That is the clear loss.” This is why Allah condemned the hypocrites for entering faith and then departing from it, saying:

“Allah bears witness that the hypocrites are indeed liars.”

“They have taken their oaths as a shield and thus turned people away from the way of Allah”—up to His words:

“That is because they believed, then disbelieved, so their hearts were sealed, and they do not understand.”

In another passage, He says:

“The hypocrites fear that a surah may be revealed concerning them”—up to His words:

“Say, ‘Was it Allah, His verses, and His Messenger that you were mocking?’”

“Make no excuses; you have disbelieved after having believed. If We pardon some of you, We will punish others because they were evildoers.”

He thus commanded him to tell them: “You have disbelieved after having believed.”

The interpretation some give of such verses—that they disbelieved after professing faith with their tongues, while their hearts had disbelieved from the outset—is unsound. For faith professed by the tongue while the heart disbelieves is already accompanied by disbelief. It would therefore not be said, “You have disbelieved after having believed,” since in reality they had always been disbelievers. If what is meant is, “You openly displayed disbelief after openly displaying faith,” they had not disclosed it to people, but only to their inner circle, and with their inner circle they had always been like this.

Rather, when they became hypocrites, feared that a surah would be revealed exposing the hypocrisy in their hearts, and uttered words of mockery, they became disbelievers after having believed. The wording does not indicate that they had always been hypocrites. Allah Most High also says:

“O Prophet, strive against the disbelievers and the hypocrites, and be stern with them. Their refuge is Hell—what an evil destination!”

“They swear by Allah that they said nothing, but they certainly uttered the word of disbelief and disbelieved after embracing Islam. They plotted what they failed to accomplish. They resented nothing except that Allah and His Messenger had enriched them out of His bounty. If they repent, it will be better for them; but if they turn away, Allah will punish them with a painful punishment in this world and the Hereafter.”

Here He says:

“They disbelieved after embracing Islam.”

This submission may have been of the same kind as the submission of the Bedouins, in which case His words, “after