Surah 63
Surah Al-Munafiqun (The Hypocrites)
المنافقون
Also written: Munafiqun, Munafiqoon
Surah Al-Munafiqun (المنافقون) is surah 63 of the 114 surahs of the Quran. It has 11 ayahs, was revealed in Medina (Medinan), and its name means “The Hypocrites”.
- Number
- 63
- Ayahs
- 11
- Revelation
- Medinan
- Meaning
- The Hypocrites
Names, meaning and Meccan/Medinan classification as listed in the quran-json dataset.
About Surah Al-Munafiqun
Al-Munafiqun, “The Hypocrites”, is a Medinan surah that describes people who professed faith with their tongues while working against the Muslim community. It exposes their false oaths and their contempt for the believers, and then turns to the believers themselves, warning them not to let wealth and children distract them from God and urging them to give before death arrives.
Portrait of the hypocrites
- False testimony (63:1–3): they bear witness that Muhammad is God’s Messenger, and God bears witness that they are lying; their oaths are a shield to turn people from His path.
- Impressive yet empty (63:4): their appearance pleases and their speech draws attention, yet they are like propped-up timber, suspecting every shout is against them.
- Arrogance (63:5–6): invited to have the Prophet seek forgiveness for them, they turn their heads away.
- Spiteful words (63:7–8): they urged others to stop supporting the Prophet’s companions and claimed that the “mightier” would expel the “lowlier” from Medina — but might belongs to God, His Messenger and the believers.
The occasion
Hadith in Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim, narrated by the young companion Zayd ibn Arqam, report that he heard Abdullah ibn Ubayy say these words during a military expedition and told the Prophet. Ibn Ubayy denied it under oath and Zayd was doubted, until these verses confirmed his account.
A lesson for believers
63:9–11 turn the warning inward: do not let possessions and family divert you from remembering God, and spend from what you have been given before death comes and a person pleads for a short delay so that he might give charity and be among the righteous — but no soul is delayed when its time has come. Sahih Muslim reports that the Prophet recited this surah together with Surah Al-Jumu'ah (62) in the Friday prayer.
Frequently asked questions
- Who was Surah Al-Munafiqun revealed about?
- Hadith in al-Bukhari and Muslim connect it with Abdullah ibn Ubayy, leader of the hypocrites in Medina, and his words reported by Zayd ibn Arqam.
- What does Surah Al-Munafiqun teach believers?
- Not to let wealth and children distract them from remembering God, and to spend in charity before death arrives.
- How many verses are in Surah Al-Munafiqun?
- 11.
- How many ayahs are in Surah Al-Munafiqun?
- Surah Al-Munafiqun has 11 ayahs. It is surah number 63 in the Quran and is Medinan.
- Can I read Surah Al-Munafiqun in English or save it as a PDF?
- Yes. This page shows the Arabic text of every ayah with the Saheeh International English meaning under it. Use “Print / Save as PDF” for a clean printable copy that you can save as a PDF file from your browser.
- Is Surah Al-Munafiqun the same as Surah Munafiqun?
- Yes. Munafiqun, Munafiqoon and Al-Munafiqun are different English spellings of the same surah name, المنافقون.
Summaries describe the surah’s content and commonly cited reports for general readers; they are not a tafsir or a religious ruling.
Making a video of Surah Al-Munafiqun
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Surah Al-Munafiqun in Arabic with English meaning
Arabic: Uthmani script from The Noble Qur'an Encyclopedia (quranenc.com), Uthmani script, via quran-json (CC-BY-SA 4.0), shown as in the verified dataset; open-tanween marks use the equivalent codepoints this font draws, as in the editor. English meaning: Saheeh International (tanzil.net). A translation conveys the meaning; it is not the Quran itself.
إِذَا جَآءَكَ ٱلۡمُنَٰفِقُونَ قَالُواْ نَشۡهَدُ إِنَّكَ لَرَسُولُ ٱللَّهِۗ وَٱللَّهُ يَعۡلَمُ إِنَّكَ لَرَسُولُهُۥ وَٱللَّهُ يَشۡهَدُ إِنَّ ٱلۡمُنَٰفِقِينَ لَكَٰذِبُونَ ١
63:1When the hypocrites come to you, [O Muhammad], they say, "We testify that you are the Messenger of Allah." And Allah knows that you are His Messenger, and Allah testifies that the hypocrites are liars
ٱتَّخَذُوٓاْ أَيۡمَٰنَهُمۡ جُنَّةࣰ فَصَدُّواْ عَن سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِۚ إِنَّهُمۡ سَآءَ مَا كَانُواْ يَعۡمَلُونَ ٢
63:2They have taken their oaths as a cover, so they averted [people] from the way of Allah. Indeed, it was evil that they were doing
ذَٰلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمۡ ءَامَنُواْ ثُمَّ كَفَرُواْ فَطُبِعَ عَلَىٰ قُلُوبِهِمۡ فَهُمۡ لَا يَفۡقَهُونَ ٣
63:3That is because they believed, and then they disbelieved; so their hearts were sealed over, and they do not understand
۞وَإِذَا رَأَيۡتَهُمۡ تُعۡجِبُكَ أَجۡسَامُهُمۡۖ وَإِن يَقُولُواْ تَسۡمَعۡ لِقَوۡلِهِمۡۖ كَأَنَّهُمۡ خُشُبࣱ مُّسَنَّدَةࣱۖ يَحۡسَبُونَ كُلَّ صَيۡحَةٍ عَلَيۡهِمۡۚ هُمُ ٱلۡعَدُوُّ فَٱحۡذَرۡهُمۡۚ قَٰتَلَهُمُ ٱللَّهُۖ أَنَّىٰ يُؤۡفَكُونَ ٤
63:4And when you see them, their forms please you, and if they speak, you listen to their speech. [They are] as if they were pieces of wood propped up - they think that every shout is against them. They are the enemy, so beware of them. May Allah destroy them; how are they deluded
وَإِذَا قِيلَ لَهُمۡ تَعَالَوۡاْ يَسۡتَغۡفِرۡ لَكُمۡ رَسُولُ ٱللَّهِ لَوَّوۡاْ رُءُوسَهُمۡ وَرَأَيۡتَهُمۡ يَصُدُّونَ وَهُم مُّسۡتَكۡبِرُونَ ٥
63:5And when it is said to them, "Come, the Messenger of Allah will ask forgiveness for you," they turn their heads aside and you see them evading while they are arrogant
سَوَآءٌ عَلَيۡهِمۡ أَسۡتَغۡفَرۡتَ لَهُمۡ أَمۡ لَمۡ تَسۡتَغۡفِرۡ لَهُمۡ لَن يَغۡفِرَ ٱللَّهُ لَهُمۡۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَا يَهۡدِي ٱلۡقَوۡمَ ٱلۡفَٰسِقِينَ ٦
63:6It is all the same for them whether you ask forgiveness for them or do not ask forgiveness for them; never will Allah forgive them. Indeed, Allah does not guide the defiantly disobedient people
هُمُ ٱلَّذِينَ يَقُولُونَ لَا تُنفِقُواْ عَلَىٰ مَنۡ عِندَ رَسُولِ ٱللَّهِ حَتَّىٰ يَنفَضُّواْۗ وَلِلَّهِ خَزَآئِنُ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضِ وَلَٰكِنَّ ٱلۡمُنَٰفِقِينَ لَا يَفۡقَهُونَ ٧
63:7They are the ones who say, "Do not spend on those who are with the Messenger of Allah until they disband." And to Allah belongs the depositories of the heavens and the earth, but the hypocrites do not understand
يَقُولُونَ لَئِن رَّجَعۡنَآ إِلَى ٱلۡمَدِينَةِ لَيُخۡرِجَنَّ ٱلۡأَعَزُّ مِنۡهَا ٱلۡأَذَلَّۚ وَلِلَّهِ ٱلۡعِزَّةُ وَلِرَسُولِهِۦ وَلِلۡمُؤۡمِنِينَ وَلَٰكِنَّ ٱلۡمُنَٰفِقِينَ لَا يَعۡلَمُونَ ٨
63:8They say, "If we return to al-Madinah, the more honored [for power] will surely expel therefrom the more humble." And to Allah belongs [all] honor, and to His Messenger, and to the believers, but the hypocrites do not know
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ لَا تُلۡهِكُمۡ أَمۡوَٰلُكُمۡ وَلَآ أَوۡلَٰدُكُمۡ عَن ذِكۡرِ ٱللَّهِۚ وَمَن يَفۡعَلۡ ذَٰلِكَ فَأُوْلَـٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلۡخَٰسِرُونَ ٩
63:9O you who have believed, let not your wealth and your children divert you from remembrance of Allah. And whoever does that - then those are the losers
وَأَنفِقُواْ مِن مَّا رَزَقۡنَٰكُم مِّن قَبۡلِ أَن يَأۡتِيَ أَحَدَكُمُ ٱلۡمَوۡتُ فَيَقُولَ رَبِّ لَوۡلَآ أَخَّرۡتَنِيٓ إِلَىٰٓ أَجَلࣲ قَرِيبࣲ فَأَصَّدَّقَ وَأَكُن مِّنَ ٱلصَّـٰلِحِينَ ١٠
63:10And spend [in the way of Allah] from what We have provided you before death approaches one of you and he says, "My Lord, if only You would delay me for a brief term so I would give charity and be among the righteous
وَلَن يُؤَخِّرَ ٱللَّهُ نَفۡسًا إِذَا جَآءَ أَجَلُهَاۚ وَٱللَّهُ خَبِيرُۢ بِمَا تَعۡمَلُونَ ١١
63:11But never will Allah delay a soul when its time has come. And Allah is Acquainted with what you do