1 Preface إِذا جاءَكَ المُنافِقونَ قالوا نَشهَدُ إِنَّكَ لَرَسولُ اللَّهِ ۗ وَاللَّهُ يَعلَمُ إِنَّكَ لَرَسولُهُ وَاللَّهُ يَشهَدُ إِنَّ المُنافِقينَ لَكاذِبونَYusuf AliWhen the Hypocrites1 come to thee, they say, “We bear witness that thou art indeed the Messenger of God.” Yea, God knoweth that thou art indeed His Messenger, and God beareth witness that the Hypocrites are indeed liars.The hypocrite element, if one exists in any society, is a source of weakness and a danger to its health and its very existence. When the Prophet came to Medīna in Hijrat, his arrival was welcome to all the patriotic citizens: it not only united them in common life and healed their old differences, but it brought honour and light to them in the person of the greatest living Teacher of Truth. But there were some baser elements filled with envy. Such hopes as they had entertained of attaining power and leadership by playing on the animosities of the factions were now dashed to the ground. They now began to work underground. For fear of the majority they dared not oppose the new growing Brotherhood of Righteousness. They tried to undermine it by intriguing secretly with its enemies and swearing openly its loyalty to the Prophet. They were thoroughly unmasked and discredited at the battle of Uḥud. See 3:167, and n. 476.