having believed” and “after embracing Islam” mean the same thing. They may also have remained hypocrites all along, never having been in a state in which they possessed any faith, for they openly manifested disbelief and apostasy. This is why He called them to repent, saying:

“If they repent, it will be better for them; but if they turn away”—turning away from repentance after having repented—“Allah will punish them with a painful punishment in this world and the Hereafter.”

This applies only to those who openly manifest disbelief, whom the Messenger then strives against by enforcing the prescribed penalty and punishment. This is why He mentioned this in the context of His words:

“Strive against the disbelievers and the hypocrites, and be stern with them.”

This is also why He said at the end of the verse:

“They will have neither protector nor helper on earth.”

This group, who disbelieved after embracing Islam, are distinct from those who disbelieved after having believed. The former swore by Allah that they had said nothing, although they had uttered the word of disbelief through which they disbelieved after embracing Islam. They also plotted what they failed to accomplish. This indicates that they made efforts toward it but did not achieve their aim, for He did not say, “They plotted what they did not do,” but rather, “what they failed to accomplish.” Thus, both words and deeds proceeded from them.

Allah Most High says:

“If you ask them, they will surely say, ‘We were only talking idly and playing.’”

Thus, they admitted what they had done and offered excuses. This is why they were told:

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

This indicates that they did not consider themselves to have committed disbelief; rather, they thought that this was not disbelief. He therefore made clear that mocking Allah, His verses, and His Messenger is disbelief through which a person becomes a disbeliever after having believed. This indicates that they possessed weak faith, then committed this forbidden act, knowing that it was forbidden but not thinking it constituted disbelief. Yet it was disbelief, through which they became disbelievers, even though they did not believe it to be permissible. More than one of the early generations likewise said