Tafsir of An-Nisa' 4:146

An-Nisā' (The Women): Verse 146

Except those who repent, mend their ways, hold fast to God, and are sincere in their religion...

Know that this verse contains severe warnings for the hypocrites. This is because God Almighty has stipulated four conditions for the removal of punishment from them:

1. Repentance (التوبة): Turning away from the ugly deeds.
2. Mending their Deeds (إصلاح العمل): This means actively engaging in good deeds.
3. Holding Fast to God (الاعتصام بالله): This means their objective in repenting and mending their deeds must be seeking the pleasure of God Almighty. If their goal were merely to gain worldly benefits or ward off harm, they would quickly abandon repentance and good works. However, if their goal is the pleasure of God, the happiness of the Hereafter, and adherence to God's religion, they will remain steadfast on this path.
4. Sincerity (الإخلاص): God first commanded them to abandon the bad, then to do the good, and thirdly, that their purpose in this abandonment and action should be seeking God's pleasure. Fourthly, this purpose—seeking God's pleasure—must be pure and unmixed with any other motive.

When these four conditions are met, then God says: {then those will be with the believers} (فأولئك مع المؤمنين). He did not say, "then those are believers" (فأولئك مؤمنون).

Furthermore, He attributed the reward of the believers to them as an honor due to their joining the believers, saying: {and God will give the believers a great reward} (وسوف يؤت الله المؤمنين أجرا عظيما). These contextual clues indicate the severe state of the hypocrite in the sight of God Almighty.

{What would God do with your punishment if you were grateful and believed? And God is ever Appreciative, Knowing.} (4:147)