The Majestic Quran

including the King of Aila, near Aqaba in Jordan. This increased Muslim influence in that area considerably. The Themes of the Chapter The important event with which this chapter begins (1–29) is the immediate cancellation of treaties with those Arab idolaters who had repeatedly breached them, whilst continuing to honour the treaties with the tribes that remained loyal. For the second Hajj after the Conquest of Makkah, the Messenger r dispatched a delegation under the leadership of Abu Bakr, who made this announcement: “From now on the Kaaba will be in the custody of Muslims; idolaters are no longer its keepers,” hinting that the Muslims were now the rulers of the Arabian Peninsula. The Viciousness of the Hypocrites God is Kind and Loving, but this chapter clearly shows His anger towards the idolaters and the hypocrites. The wretched character of the hypocrites is vividly described in verses 38–83: they make excuses, have evil motives, and criticise and insult the Messenger r and the Muslims; they spread rumours, blaspheme and are miserly; they are a lazy bunch, who love only the worldly life; and they constantly lie and break promises. Human beings who have such characteristics cannot be trusted and pose a real threat to the welfare and security of society. They were the enemy within, and their presence in Madinah was so damaging that the Prophet r was told to take a very harsh position against them; they were no longer to be tolerated. The Prophet r denounced them as a group, and expelled them from his Mosque. When the hypocrites built a mosque of their own, he was told to demolish it because they wanted to divide Muslims and to build an outpost to fight God and His Messenger (107). When the call came to march to Tabuk, the hypocrites stayed behind in Madinah and didn’t take part in the