Ingawa jina la sura hii, Al-Munafiqun, au Wanafiki, linaonyesha mada yake, si sura pekee inayotaja unafiki na kuwaelezea wanafiki kwa hila zao mbaya. Kwa kweli, karibu hakuna sura iliyoteremshwa Madina isiyo na marejeo, ya wazi au ya kudokezwa, kuhusu unafiki. Hata hivyo, sura hii imejitolea karibu yote kuwazungumzia wanafiki, ikitaja matukio maalum na kauli walizozitoa. Sura hii inawashambulia kwa nguvu wanafiki: tabia zao, uongo wao, njama zao na hila zao mbaya. Inaweka wazi hisia zao halisi za chuki dhidi ya Waislamu, pamoja na woga wao na tabia yao mbovu.

Although the title al-Mundfiqun, or The Hypocrites, indicates this surah's subject matter, it is nonetheless not the only one that mentions hypocrisy and that describes the hypocrites wicked scheming. Indeed, hardly any of the surahs revealed in Madinah is without an express or implied reference to hypocrisy. However, the present surah is dedicated, almost entirely, to speaking about the hypocrites, referring to particular events and statements they made. The surah launches a strong attack against the hypocrites: their manners, lies, intrigue and wicked plots. It exposes their true feelings of hatred towards the Muslims, as also their cowardice and evil nature.

Onyo linatolewa mwishoni kwa waumini kwamba wasiruhusu sifa yoyote ya unafiki kuwakaribia. Kipengele cha kwanza cha unafiki ni kutojitoa kikamilifu kwa ajili ya sababu ya Mwenyezi Mungu, badala yake kuwa na mawazo yote kwenye mali, miliki na watoto. Unafiki pia unahusisha kulegea pale mtu anapoalikwa kuchangia kifedha kwa ajili ya sababu ya Mwenyezi Mungu, hadi itakapofika siku ambapo mchango kama huo hautakuwa na manufaa yoyote.

A warning is given at the end to the believers not to allow any of the characteristics of hypocrisy to creep near them. The first element of hypocrisy is not to be totally dedicated to Gods cause, and to be instead preoccupied with money, property and children. Hypocrisy also entails slackening when invited to contribute financially to Gods cause until a day comes when no such donation will be of any use.

Unafiki wa makafiri ulizidi pale Uislamu ulipohamia Madina, na uliendelea kuongezeka hadi karibu mwisho wa maisha yaliyobarikiwa ya Mtume ﷺ. Ingawa dalili za tabia hizo zilionekana karibu bila kukatika, unafiki ulichukua sura tofauti na kutumia mbinu mbalimbali. Bila shaka, mwenendo huo uliathiri sana matukio ya kipindi hicho, na kuchukua sehemu kubwa ya juhudi, muda na nguvu za jamii ya Waislamu. Kwa hakika, unafiki unatajwa mara nyingi katika Qur'ani na Hadithi, jambo linaloonyesha jinsi ulivyoenea.

The unbelievers’ hypocrisy accelerated when Islam moved to Madinah and continued to so grow until virtually the end of the Prophets blessed life. Although evidence of such traits was almost uninterrupted, hypocrisy nonetheless acquired different aspects and variously resorted to different tactics. Inevitably, such behaviour had a strong bearing on the events of the period, taking up much of the Muslim community’s efforts, time and energy. Indeed, hypocrisy is frequently mentioned in the Qur’an and Hadith, thereby indicating how prevalent it had become.

Katika wasifu wake wa Mtume, *Sirat al-Rasul: Suwar Muqtabasah min al-Qurdn al-Kartm*, Muhammad Izzat Darwazah ametoa sura nzuri kuhusu suala hili. Aya zifuatazo ni za kufichua hasa:

In his biography of the Prophet, Sirat al-Rasul: Suwar Muqtabasah min al-Qurdn al-Kartm, Muhammad Izzat Darwazah, devotes a fine chapter to this issue. The following paragraphs are especially revealing:

Kulikuwa na sababu za wazi kwa nini unafiki ulijitokeza huko Madina. Waislamu wa mwanzo huko Makka hawakuwa na nguvu wala ushawishi wa kutosha kuwafanya watu waogope au wajaribu kuwatuliza. Kwa kweli, watu wa Makka, hasa viongozi wao na wenye heshima, walimpinga Mtume ﷺ waziwazi sana, wakiwasababishia Waislamu madhara mengi, na walitumia kila njia waliyokuwa nayo kuzuia kuenea kwa dini mpya. Kwa hakika, walikuwa na nguvu nyingi. Kwa sababu ya mateso haya, baadhi ya Waislamu walilazimika kuhama hadi Abyssinia, na baadaye hadi Madina. Kwa kweli, baadhi yao walikabiliwa na shinikizo lisilovumilika hadi wakalazimika kuikana imani yao, kutokana na mateso au kwa kuvutiwa na majaribu. Jambo hili lilifikia kiwango cha juu hata kiasi kwamba wachache waliuawa kwa mateso.

There were obvious reasons for the phenomenon of hypocrisy to appear in Madinah. The early Muslims in Makkah were neither strong enough nor influential enough to make a group of people fear them or try to appease them. Indeed, the people of Makkah, and its leaders and notables in particular, opposed the Prophet in a very open manner, inflicting much harm on the Muslims, and resorted to any measure within their means to check the new religion’s advance In fact, they commanded much power. Because of this persecution the Muslims were subjected to some had to migrate to Abyssinia, and thereafter to Madinah. In fact, some of them were subjected to such unbearable pressure that they had to renounce their faith: this as a result of either torture or the lure of temptation. So extreme did this become that a few even died under torture.

Huko Madina, hali ilikuwa tofauti kabisa. Kabla ya kuhama kwake huko, Mtume ﷺ aliweza kuwapata wafuasi wengi imara na wenye ushawishi kutoka kabila mbili za Aws na Khazraj. Hakuhama isipokuwa baada ya kuhakikisha kwamba hali huko ilikuwa nzuri. Kwa kweli, hapakuwa karibu na nyumba yoyote ya Kiarabu huko Madina ambayo haikuwa na wafuasi wa Uislamu ndani ya familia. Bila shaka walikuwepo wengi waliokataa Uislamu, ama kwa sababu walichagua kutoyasikiliza mafundisho yake au kwa sababu walijaa uadui, wakitambua kwamba kuwasili kwa Mtume ﷺ Madina kulitishia nafasi yao ya uongozi na ushawishi. Hata hivyo, walitambua kwamba hawakuweza kuchukua msimamo wa uadui wazi dhidi ya Mtume ﷺ na wafuasi wake Muhajirina na Ansari. Zaidi ya hayo, uhusiano wa kikabila ulikuwa jambo muhimu lililozuia uadui kama huo wa wazi. Kwa kweli, sehemu kubwa ya makabila yao wenyewe, Aws na Khazraj, sasa walikuwa Waislamu, wakimpa Mtume ﷺ msaada wa dhati na wa kujitolea.

In Madinah, the situation was markedly different. Prior to his migration there, the Prophet was able to recruit a number of strong and influential followers from the two tribes of the Aws and the Khazraj. He migrated only after having made sure of the favourable situation there. Indeed, there was hardly an Arab house in Madinah without its followers of Islam in the family. There were no doubt many who rejected Islam, either because they chose not to listen to its message or because they were full of hostility realizing that the Prophet’s arrival in Madinah threatened their position of leadership and influence. They realized, however, that they could not take an openly hostile attitude to the Prophet and his Muhajirin and Ansar followers. Moreover, tribal affiliation was an important factor preventing such open hostility. Indeed, the broad majority of their own tribes, the Aws and the Khazraj, were now Muslim, giving sincere and devoted support to the Prophet.

Walikuwa Waislamu wema waliomtazama Mtume ﷺ kama kamanda wao mkuu, na mwongozo ambao walipaswa kuufuata. Kwa hiyo, wale ambao bado walikuwa na mawazo ya kuabudu masanamu na walikuwa wakiweka chuki mioyoni mwao, jambo lililowasukuma kutafuta kuudhoofisha Uislamu, waliona kwamba njia yao pekee ilikuwa kujifanya Waislamu, wakionekana kutekeleza wajibu wao wa Kiislamu, wakitangaza uaminifu wao endelevu kwa makabila yao, huku wakitumia njama na hila. Hata hivyo, wakati mwingine upinzani wao ulionyesha unafiki, hasa wakati Waislamu walipokabiliwa na mgogoro mkubwa, na hapo ndipo "wanaojifanya" walishauri tahadhari, wakidai kwamba ndiyo njia pekee iliyotumikia maslahi ya Waislamu. Bila shaka, hawakukiri kwamba kwa kweli walikuwa makafiri.

They were good Muslims who looked at the Prophet as their own supreme commander, and the guide they had to follow. Therefore, the ones who still entertained thoughts of idolatry and harboured rancour in their hearts, prompting them to seek to undermine Islam, felt that their only option was to pretend to be Muslim, appearing to fulfil their Islamic duties, declaring their continued loyalty to their tribes, while at the same time resorting to plots and intrigue. At times, however, their opposition did smack of hypocrisy, this usually when the Muslims faced some tough crisis, and here the ‘pretenders’ counselled caution, claiming that it was the only option that served Muslim interests. Needless to say, they did not acknowledge that they were in fact unbelievers.

Hata hivyo, mtazamo wao wa kweli wa unafiki haukupita bila kuonekana na Mtume ﷺ na Maswahaba zake. Zaidi ya hayo, msimamo wao wakati wa majanga, kwa kushauri sera ya udhaifu, uliwazidishia unafiki na ukafiri wao. Aya za Qur'ani zilifichua na kulaani njama zao mara kwa mara, zikiwatahadharisha Mtume ﷺ na waumini juu ya haja ya kuwa waangalifu sana katika kushughulika nao.

Nonetheless, their true attitude of hypocrisy did not go unnoticed by the Prophet and his Companions. Moreover, their stand at times of crises, counselling a policy of weakness, hardened them further in their hypocrisy and unbelief. Qur’anic revelations time after time exposed and denounced their schemes, alerting the Prophet and the believers to the need to be very cautious in dealing with them.

Mtazamo na hila za wanafiki zilikuwa, kwa mujibu wa maana ya ufunuo wa Kurani, na athari pana. Tunahisi kwamba kulikuwa na mapambano ya dhamira thabiti, yanayokumbusha yale kati ya Mtume ﷺ na wazee wa Makka, lakini yakiwa na mabadiliko katika matokeo yake.

The hypocrites attitude and schemes had, according to the import of Quranic revelations, a far-reaching effect. We feel that there was a determined struggle, reminiscent of that between the Prophet and the Makkan elders, but with a reversal in its outcome.

Ndani ya kipindi kifupi, Mtume ﷺ aliimarisha nafasi yake huko Madinah na ushawishi wake ukaongezeka. Uislamu ulikuwa ukienea na kuimarisha msingi wa nguvu zake. Wanafiki hawakuwa kundi lenye umoja wala chombo kilichotambulika waziwazi. Uislamu ulipokuwa ukipanda, walidhoofika zaidi, na hivyo ushawishi wao ukapungua.

Within a short period, the Prophet strengthened his position in Madinah and his influence increased. Islam was spreading and consolidating its power base. The hypocrites were neither a solid group nor a clearly identified entity. As Islam was on the ascendancy, they grew weaker and thus their influence diminished.

Ili kuelewa tishio lililoletwa na wanafiki, hasa katika kipindi cha mwanzo cha Uislamu huko Madinah, ni lazima pia tukumbuke kwamba bado walikuwa na uwezo wa kutegemea uaminifu wa kikabila, ambao ulikuwa bado na nguvu kubwa miongoni mwa Waarabu. Zaidi ya hayo, katika hatua hiyo walikuwa bado hawajajifichua waziwazi. Wala Uislamu ulikuwa bado haujaimarisha ushawishi wake kwa wafuasi wake wapya. Aidha, Mtume ﷺ alizungukwa na washirikina pande zote. Watu wa Makka waliendelea kuwa na nafasi kubwa ya ushawishi miongoni mwa Waarabu, nao walikuwa wakitafuta nafasi yoyote ya kuliletea dola changa ya Waislamu kushindwa vibaya. Mayahudi wa Madinah pia hawakuchelewa kuchukua msimamo wa uadui dhidi ya Mtume ﷺ na Uislamu. Kwa kweli, walifanya haraka kuunda muungano wa kawaida na wanafiki, wakiweka malengo ya pamoja ya kupinga jamii ya Waislamu. Hakika, wanafiki wasingeweza kusababisha madhara makubwa kiasi hicho kwa Mtume ﷺ na wafuasi wake lau wasingepata msaada wa Mayahudi na aina ya muungano ambao makundi hayo mawili yaliuunda. Hata hivyo, ushawishi wao ulidhoofika polepole, na hatari waliyowakilisha ilipungua tu baada ya Mwenyezi Mungu kuvuruga njama zao na kumwezesha Mtume ﷺ kupata ushindi dhidi yao.

To appreciate the threat posed by the hypocrites, particularly in the early period of Islam in Madinah, we need to remember however that they could still call on tribal loyalties, which remained strong among the Arabs. Besides, they had not at this juncture exposed themselves. Nor had Islam as yet consolidated its influence on its new followers. Moreover, the Prophet was surrounded by idolaters on all fronts. The people of Makkah continued to enjoy a position of great influence among the Arabs, and they were on the lookout for any chance to level a crushing defeat on the still fledgling Muslim State. The Jews in Madinah were also not long in taking a hostile stance towards the Prophet and Islam. Indeed, they were quick to cement a natural alliance with the hypocrites, defining common objectives in opposition to the Muslim community. In fact, the hypocrites could not have caused so much harm to the Prophet and his followers had they not had the support of the Jews and the sort of alliance that the two groups forged. Nonetheless, their influence gradually weakened and the danger they represented subsided only after God foiled their schemes and enabled the Prophet to achieve victory over them.