Tafsir of An-Nisa' 4:142-143

"Indeed, the hypocrites [seek to] deceive Allah..." They do what a deceiver does: manifesting faith while concealing disbelief.

"But He is deceiving them." He does to them what the victor does in deception. He leaves them with their blood and wealth protected in this world, while preparing for them the lowest depth of the Fire in the Hereafter. Furthermore, He does not leave them in this immediate life without scandal, the descent of affliction and vengeance, and constant terror.

Al-khādiʿ (the deceiver) is the active participle from khādaʿtuhu fa-khadaʿtuhu (I tried to deceive him and I overcame him), meaning I was more cunning than he. It is said that they will be given light on the Bridge (al-Sirat) just as the believers are given light. They will proceed with their light, then their light will be extinguished while the light of the believers remains. They will then call out, "Wait for us, that we may acquire some of your light."

"Lazy" (kasālā) Read with both a damma and a fatha on the kaf. It is the plural of kaslān (lazy), like sukārā (intoxicated) for sakrān. It means they stand up sluggishly and reluctantly, as you see someone doing something out of compulsion, not out of a good heart or desire.

"Showing off to the people" They intend by their prayer only ostentation and reputation.

"And they do not remember Allah except a little." They do not pray except a little, for they never pray when hidden from the eyes of people, except for what they perform openly. And what they perform openly is also little, for if they found a way to avoid the burden of pretending what is not in their hearts, they would not have bothered.

Alternatively, it means they do not remember Allah through tasbih (glorification) or tahlil (proclaiming His oneness) except rarely. Thus, you see many who pretend to be Muslim; if you were to accompany them for days and nights, you would not hear a single tahlil, tasbih, or tahmid from them. Instead, worldly talk consumes their time, and they never tire of it. It is also possible that "a little" here implies "none at all."

If you ask: What is the meaning of murāʾāh (showing off), which is a mufāʿalah form derived from ruʾyah (seeing)? I say: There are two views.

1. The one showing off makes the people see his deed, and they make him see their approval.
2. It is a mufāʿalah form that carries the meaning of tafʿīl (intensive/causative). It is said rāʾā al-nās, meaning he made them see him, like saying niʿmah and nāʿimah, or fanaqah and fānaqah. Abu Zayd narrated: raʾat al-marʾatu al-rajul (the woman made the man see her) when she held him so he would see her face. This is supported by the reading of Ibn Abi Ishaq: yurʾūnahum with a shaddah on the hamza, like yurʿūnahum, meaning they show them their deeds.

"Wavering" (mudhabdhabīn) This is either a state (ḥāl)—referring to the waw in "showing off"—meaning they show off while not remembering [Allah], wavering; or it is in the accusative case as a form of disparagement.

The meaning of mudhabdhabīn is that Satan and desire have tossed them back and forth between faith and disbelief; they are hesitant and confused between the two. The reality of a mudhabdhab is one who is pushed away from both sides—that is, he is repelled and driven off, so he does not settle on one side, as it is said: "So-and-so is tossed about like a hand-mill." However, dhabdhaba contains a repetition not found in dhabba; the meaning is that whenever he leans toward one side, he is pushed away from it.

Ibn Abbas read it as midhabdhabīn (with a kasra on the dhal), meaning they are made to waver in their hearts, their religion, or their opinions. Or it means they waver (yatadhabdhabūn), as in the usage of salsala and tasalsala. In the codex of Abdullah, it is written as mutadhabdhibīn.

From Abu Ja'far, it is read as mudabdabīn (with an undotted dal). The meaning is that he was taken sometimes on one path (dabbah) and sometimes on another; they do not proceed on a single path. Dabbah means a path, as in "the path of Quraysh."

"Between that" A reference to disbelief and faith.

"Not to these" Not attributed to these [the believers], so they would be believers.

"Nor to these" Nor attributed to these [the disbelievers], so they would be called polytheists.