Sūrat al-Munāfiqūn is the sixty-third chapter of the Quran according to the current sequence, and chapter 105 as per the sequence of revelation. It was revealed after Sūrat al-Ḥajj (22) and before Sūrat al-Mujādalah (58). It consists of eleven verses.
This chapter was revealed in Medina towards the end of the year 5 AH, after the battle with Banī al-Muṣṭaliq. A major part of this surah talks about the hypocrites (munāfiqūn), and thus it has been named after them.
During the thirteen-year period in Mecca, the Muslims mainly confronted the polytheists and disbelievers, who openly rejected the divine message and subjected the Muslims to a variety of suppressions. The danger of the hypocrites for the Muslim community became increasingly apparent after the migration of the Prophet to Medina and the establishment of the Islamic government. As Islam gained strength and the Muslims became powerful, the enemies of Islam could no longer explicitly continue with their struggle to extinguish the light of God. Hence, they penetrated the ranks of the Muslims in the guise of Islam with the aim of combating Islam from within. It is due to this reason that the majority of the Medinan chapters of the Holy Quran make a mention of the hypocrites, either explicitly or implicitly, and talk about their behaviour and actions. The Quran has described the hypocrites in a number of chapters including al-Baqarah (2), al-Nūr (24), al-Aḥzāb (33), Muḥammad (47), and al-Ḥashr (59), amongst others. However, the most detailed description of them has appeared in Sūrat al-Tawbah (9) in approximately 100 verses.
Sūrat al-Munāfiqūn revolves around a particular incident that occurred in the year 5 AH, which entailed a potential threat of dismantling the Islamic community in Medina. It uncovers the conspiracy of the hypocrites against the Muhājirūn upon their return to the city from the battle with Banī al-Muṣṭaliq. The aim of the plot was to create a rift between the Muhājirūn and the Anṣār, and to manipulate the created atmosphere to persuade the Anṣār to drive out the Muhājirūn, including the Holy Prophet, from Medina. As the information leaked and the news reached the Holy Prophet, they immediately came to see him and, as per their usual practice, denied any such conspiracy. Subsequently, these verses were revealed in order to expose the identity of the hypocrites for the Muslims and to alert the Muslim community of their plot.
Revealed half way through the establishment of the Islamic government in Medina, and with its entire focus on the hypocrites and their conspiracies, this surah aims at highlighting a powerful threat to the Islamic nation from within itself, drawing the attention of the Muslims not to remain heedless of hypocrites, to consider them as enemies, and to be vigilant of their plots.
The first eight verses of this chapter describe the characteristics of the hypocrites in light of the event that led to its revelation. The last three verses address the believers and admonish them not to be deceived by worldly riches and love of offspring, and urge them to send ahead for their next life before death overtakes them.
[1] Qaraati, 10/48-50.