9:77

فَأَعۡقَبَهُمۡ نِفَاقٗا فِي قُلُوبِهِمۡ إِلَىٰ يَوۡمِ يَلۡقَوۡنَهُۥ بِمَآ أَخۡلَفُواْ ٱللَّهَ مَا وَعَدُوهُ وَبِمَا كَانُواْ يَكۡذِبُونَ

FaaAAqabahum nifaqan fee quloobihim ila yawmi yalqawnahu bima akhlafoo Allaha ma waAAadoohu wabima kanoo yakthiboona

So He penalized them with hypocrisy in their hearts until the Day they will meet Him - because they failed Allah in what they promised Him and because they [habitually] used to lie.

Word by word
  1. فَأَعۡقَبَهُمۡSo He penalized them
  2. نِفَاقٗا(with) hypocrisy
  3. فِيin
  4. قُلُوبِهِمۡtheir hearts
  5. إِلَىٰuntil
  6. يَوۡمِthe day
  7. يَلۡقَوۡنَهُۥwhen they will meet Him
  8. بِمَآbecause
  9. أَخۡلَفُواْthey broke
  10. ٱللَّهَ(the covenant with) Allah
  11. مَاwhat
  12. وَعَدُوهُthey had promised Him
  13. وَبِمَاand because
  14. كَانُواْthey used to
  15. يَكۡذِبُونَlie
At-Tawbah · 9:77Madinah

Broken promises leave hypocrisy behind in the heart.

How a habit becomes a condition


What the broken promise left
broken promiseto Allah
habitual lyingthey used to lie
left
hypocrisy insideuntil they meet Him
Three signs to watch
speaks, lies
promises, breaks
trusted, betrays

Ibn Kathir says hypocrisy was placed in their hearts because they broke their promise and lied. He cites the Prophet ﷺ: the signs of a hypocrite are three, when he speaks he lies, when he promises he breaks it, when trusted he betrays. He adds: we seek refuge with Allah from such an end.

I will call you back. I will be there by six. I will pay you Friday. Small promises, broken so often they stop feeling like promises at all. The verse shows that small habits can settle into who you are.

Small broken promises are just part of busy life.

Each kept promise guards my heart from becoming what I fear.

Try this

Keep one small promise today exactly as you said it, even if it costs you.

Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir (shared passage from 9:75)

And of them are some who made a covenant with Allah (saying): "If He bestowed on us of His bounty, we will verily, give Sadaqah and will be certainly among the righteous. (75)Then when He gave them of His bounty, they became stingy, and turned away, averse (76)So He punished them by putting hypocrisy into their hearts till the Day whereon they shall meet Him, because they broke that (covenant) with Allah which they had promised to Him and because they used to tell lies (77)Know they not that Allah knows their secret ideas, and their Najwa (secret counsels), and that Allah is the All-Knower of things unseen (78)

Hypocrites seek Wealth but are Stingy with Alms

Allah says, some hypocrites give Allah their strongest oaths that if He enriches them from His bounty, they will give away alms and be among the righteous. However, they did not fulfill their vows or say the truth with their words. The consequence of this action is that hypocrisy was placed in their hearts until the Day they meet Allah the Exalted, on the Day of Resurrection. We seek refuge with Allah from such an end. Allah said,

بِمَا أَخْلَفُوا اللَّهَ مَا وَعَدُوهُ

(...because they broke that (covenant) with Allah which they had promised to Him) He placed hypocrisy in their hearts because they broke their promise and lied. In the Two Sahihs, it is recorded that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said,

آيَةُ الْمُنَافِقِ ثَلَاثٌ: إِذَا حَدَّثَ كَذَبَ، وَإِذَا وَعَدَ أَخْلَفَ، وَإِذَا ائْتُمِنَ خَانَ

(There are three signs for a hypocrite: if he speaks, he lies; if he promises, he breaks the promise; and if he is entrusted, he betrays the trust.) Allah said,

أَلَمْ يَعْلَمُوا أَنَّ اللَّهَ يَعْلَمُ سِرَّهُمْ وَنَجْوَاهُمْ

(Know they not that Allah knows their secret ideas, and their Najwa,)

Allah states that He knows the secret and what is more hidden than the secret. He has full knowledge of what is in their hearts, even when they pretend that they will give away alms, if they acquire wealth, and will be grateful to Allah for it. Truly, Allah knows them better than they know themselves, for He is the All-Knower of all unseen and apparent things, every secret, every session of counsel, and all that is seen and hidden.