Have you not observed the hypocrites who say to their disbelieving brethren among the People of the Scripture, "If you are expelled, we indeed will go out with you, and we shall never obey anyone against you; and if you are attacked, we shall indeed help you." But Allah is Witness that they verily are liars (11)Surely, if they (the Jews) are expelled, never will they (hypocrites) go out with them; and if they are attacked, they will never help them. And (even) if they do help them, they (hypocrites) will turn their backs, and they will not be victorious (12)Verily, you are more fearful in their breasts than Allah. That is because they are a people who comprehend not (13)They fight not against you even together, except in fortified townships, or from behind walls. Their enmity among themselves is very great. You would think they were united, but their hearts are divided. That is because they are a people who understand not (14)They are like their immediate predecessors; they tasted the evil result of their conduct, and for them a painful torment (15)Like Shaytan, when he says to man: "Disbelieve." But when he disbelieves, Shaytan says: "I am free of you, I fear Allah, the Lord of all that exists! (16)So, the end of both will be that they will be in the Fire, abiding therein. Such is the recompense of the wrongdoers (17)

The False Promise of Support the Hypocrites gave to the Jews

Allah states that the hypocrites, 'Abdullah bin Ubayy and his like, sent a messenger to Bani An-Nadir promising them help. Allah the Exalted said,

أَلَمْ تَرَ إِلَى الَّذِينَ نَافَقُوا يَقُولُونَ لِإِخْوَانِهِمُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا مِنْ أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ لَئِنْ أُخْرِجْتُمْ لَنَخْرُجَنَّ مَعَكُمْ وَلَا نُطِيعُ فِيكُمْ أَحَدًا أَبَدًا وَإِنْ قُوتِلْتُمْ لَنَنْصُرَنَّكُمْ 

(Have you not observed the hypocrites who say to their friends among the People of the Scripture who disbelieve: "If you are expelled, we indeed will go out with you, and we shall never obey anyone against you; and if you are attacked, we shall indeed help you.") Allah then said,

وَاللَّهُ يَشْهَدُ إِنَّهُمْ لَكَاذِبُونَ

(But Allah is Witness that they verily are liars.) meaning, the hypocrites lied when they issued this promise, because it was just words that they did not intend to fulfill. Also, what they said they would do, would never have been fulfilled by them, and this is why Allah said,

وَلَئِنْ قُوتِلُوا لَا يَنْصُرُونَهُمْ 

(and if they are attacked, they will never help them.) meaning, the hypocrites will not fight along with the Jews,

وَلَئِنْ نَصَرُوهُمْ

(And (even) if they do help them,) and even if the hypocrites did fight along their side,

لَيُوَلُّنَّ الْأَدْبَارَ ثُمَّ لَا يُنْصَرُونَ

(they will turn their backs, and they will not be victorious.) This Ayah contains good news, just as the good news that this following Ayah conveys,

لَأَنْتُمْ أَشَدُّ رَهْبَةً فِي صُدُورِهِمْ مِنَ اللَّهِ ۚ 

(Verily, you are more fearful in their breasts than Allah.) meaning, the hypocrites fear you more than they fear Allah, as He says;

إِذَا فَرِيقٌ مِنْهُمْ يَخْشَوْنَ النَّاسَ كَخَشْيَةِ اللَّهِ أَوْ أَشَدَّ خَشْيَةً

(Behold! a section of them fear men as they fear Allah or even more.)(4:77) This is why Allah said,

ذَٰلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمْ قَوْمٌ لَا يَفْقَهُونَ 

(That is because they are a people who comprehend not.) Allah then said,

لَا يُقَاتِلُونَكُمْ جَمِيعًا إِلَّا فِي قُرًى مُحَصَّنَةٍ أَوْ مِنْ وَرَاءِ جُدُرٍ ۚ 

(They fight not against you even together, except in fortified townships, or from behind walls.) meaning, they will not fight Muslims except from behind besieged fortified forts, because of their cowardice and fear of Muslims. They only fight when they have to defend themselves (even though they threaten Muslims of reprisals). Allah the Exalted said,

بَأْسُهُمْ بَيْنَهُمْ شَدِيدٌ ۚ 

(Their enmity among themselves is very great.) meaning, the enmity they feel against each other is intense,

وَيُذِيقَ بَعْضَكُمْ بَأْسَ بَعْضٍ

(And make you to taste the violence of one another.)(6:65) Allah said in the Ayah,

تَحْسَبُهُمْ جَمِيعًا وَقُلُوبُهُمْ شَتَّىٰ ۚ 

(You would think they were united, but their hearts are divided.) meaning, even though one might see them combining forces and think that these forces are harmonious, yet in reality, they are divided severely. Ibrahim An-Nakha'i said that this Ayah refers to the hypocrites and the People of the Scriptures,

ذَٰلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمْ قَوْمٌ لَا يَعْقِلُونَ

(That is because they are a people who understand not.) Allah said,

كَمَثَلِ الَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِهِمْ قَرِيبًا ۖ ذَاقُوا وَبَالَ أَمْرِهِمْ وَلَهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ 

(They are like their immediate predecessors; they tasted the evil result of their conduct, and for them a painful torment.) referring to the Jewish tribe of Bani Qaynuqa', according to Ibn 'Abbas, Qatadah and Muhammad bin Ishaq.

The Parable of the Hypocrites and the Jews

Allah said,

كَمَثَلِ الشَّيْطَانِ إِذْ قَالَ لِلْإِنْسَانِ اكْفُرْ فَلَمَّا كَفَرَ قَالَ إِنِّي بَرِيءٌ مِنْكَ

(Like Shaytan, when he says to man: "Disbelieve." But when (man) disbelieves, Shaytan says: "I am free of you...") meaning, the example of the Jews being deceived by the promises of the hypocrites, who said that they will help them if Muslims fight them, is that of the devil. When matters got serious and the Jews were besieged, the hypocrites betrayed them and abandoned them to taste utter defeat. Likewise, the devil lures mankind into disbelief and when they obey him, he disowns them and declares himself free of their actions, saying,

 إِنِّي أَخَافُ اللَّهَ رَبَّ الْعَالَمِينَ 

(I fear Allah, the Lord of all that exists!) Allah said,

فَكَانَ عَاقِبَتَهُمَا أَنَّهُمَا فِي النَّارِ خَالِدَيْنِ فِيهَا ۚ

(So, the end of both will be that they will be in the Fire, abiding therein.) meaning, the end of both he, Shaytan, who commanded that disbelief be committed, and those who accepted his call, was in the fire of Hell forever,

وَذَٰلِكَ جَزَاءُ الظَّالِمِينَ

(Such is the recompense of the wrongdoers.) means, this is the recompense of every unjust person.