Surah An-Nisa (4): Verse 142

His saying, the Exalted: {Indeed, the hypocrites seek to deceive Allah, but He is deceiving them}

The interpretation of "deception" (الخداع) has already been covered in Surah Al-Baqarah in His saying: {They seek to deceive Allah and those who believe} (Al-Baqarah: 9).

Al-Zajjaj interpreted this verse: {They seek to deceive Allah} meaning they deceive the Messenger of Allah, by showing him faith while concealing disbelief, just as He said: {Indeed, those who pledge allegiance to you are only pledging allegiance to Allah} (Al-Fath: 10).

And His saying: {but He is deceiving them} means He will recompense them with punishment for their deception.

Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) said that Allah deceives them in the Hereafter. This is because Allah will grant them a light just as He grants the believers. When they reach the Sirat (bridge), their light will be extinguished, and they will be left in darkness. The evidence for this is His saying: {Their likeness is as the likeness of one who kindled a fire, but when it lit all around him, Allah took away their light and left them in darkness, unable to see} (Al-Baqarah: 17).

Then His saying, the Exalted: {Indeed, the hypocrites seek to deceive Allah, but He is deceiving them} means that when they stand up for prayer with the Muslims, they stand up lazily (كسالى), meaning sluggish and slow-moving. This is the meaning of kasal (laziness) in the language.

The reason for this laziness is that they find the prayer burdensome in their current state, and they do not hope for a reward for performing it, nor do they fear punishment for abandoning it. Thus, the incentive to perform it is weak from these perspectives, and the incentive to perform it is only the fear of people. When the incentive for an action is like this, the action is performed with laziness and listlessness.

The author of Al-Kashshaf said: It was read as {kasālā} (كسالى) with a dammah on the kāf and a fatḥah on the kāf (i.e., kasālā and kusālā), as the plural of kaslān (lazy person) is like the plural of sakrān (drunkard) which is sakārā.

Then His saying, the Exalted: {and when they stand up to the prayer, they stand up lazily, showing off to the people and not remembering Allah except a little}

The meaning is that they do not stand up for prayer except for the sake of showing off (riyā’) and reputation, not for the sake of religion.

If it is asked: What is the meaning of murā’āh (showing off), which is a reciprocal form derived from the verb ra’ā (to see)?

We reply: The one who shows off lets the people see his action, and they see his admiration for that action.

Regarding His saying: {and not remembering Allah except a little}, there are several interpretations:

1. First: That what is meant by the remembrance of Allah is the prayer itself. The meaning is that they only pray a little, because if there is no one else present, they will not pray. If they are with people, when the time for prayer enters, they feign being absent until they are out of the sight of the people.
2. Second: That what is meant by the remembrance of Allah is that in their prayer, they only mention Allah a little, such as the initial Takbīrāt (Allahu Akbar). As for what is concealed, like the recitation and glorifications (tasbīḥāt), they do not mention them.
3. Third: That they do not remember Allah at any time—whether it is the time for prayer or not—except rarely and infrequently. The author of Al-Kashshaf said: "And thus we see many who profess Islam; if you accompany them day and night, you will not hear from them a tahlīlah (utterance of Lā ilāha illā Allāh) or a tasbīḥah (glorification), but the talk of the world consumes their days and times, and they never cease from it."
4. Fourth: Qatadah said that it is only called "except a little" because Allah did not accept it. Whatever Allah rejects, even if it is much, is little. And whatever Allah accepts, even if it is little, is much.

Then His saying, the Exalted: