Why the Qur’an Adopts a Threatening Tone Against Its Wilful Detractors and Conspirators (Hypocrites) Among Its Audience

By Muhammad Yunus, New Age Islam (Co-author (Jointly with Ashfaque Ullah Syed), Essential Message of Islam, Amana Publications, USA, 2009) 17 April 2025 Since ancient times, the nomadic Arabs had lived without exposure to centralized civilizations. While some advanced Jewish and Christian tribes had settled in parts of the Arabian Peninsula after being expelled from their homelands, they remained exclusive communities with limited influence. The Arab tribes had no concept of a unified state or governance and were largely unlettered. Their lives revolved around survival, shaped by harsh traditions and tribal customs. The Qur’an does not dwell extensively on the social and moral conditions of the time—referred to by historians as Ayyām Al-Jāhiliyyah (the age of ignorance)—but it addresses many of the era’s vices in its discourse with the pagan Arabs. Understanding this backdrop is essential to grasp why the Qur’an adopts a stern and sometimes threatening tone toward its persistent deniers—a concern often raised by both Muslims and non-Muslims, who find it difficult to reconcile such language with the Qur’an’s frequent description of God as “Most Kind, Most Merciful.” The Moral Landscape of Pre-Islamic Arabia The Qur’an found 7th-century Arabia steeped in injustice, ignorance, and moral decay. The following is a cross-section of the deeply embedded social and ethical vices that prevailed: Justice and Law • There was no concept of universal justice or due process. Punishments were arbitrary and often brutal. • Civil laws were non-existent; each tribe followed its own oral customs, administered by a chief. • Offenders from powerful tribes could commit murder or robbery with impunity • Looting of the caravans of rival tribes (known as Ghazwa) was an established commercial activity to recover losses inflicted by an offending tribe. • There we no civil right, no hearing of the accused and civil disputes were settled by the tribal chief arbitrarily. • Economic injustice and immoral commercial practices were rampant. • Children were sacrificed to idols or on account of poverty. • Crimes were treated tribally: vengeance was exacted by killing someone from the offender’s tribe, even if innocent— “a male for a male, a female for a female, a slave for a slave.” • The cycle of blood vengeance often lasted generations. • The Mosaic law of retaliation— “a hand for a hand, an eye for an eye”—was institutionalized without room for forgiveness. • Accused persons and prisoners of war were often dealt with mercilessly. Economic Injustice • Wealth was seen as absolute personal property, with no obligation to share. • No concept existed of the poor having any right (Haqq) to the wealth of the rich. • Looting rival caravans (Ghazwa) was normalized as a means of commercial gain. • Traders frequently cheated in weights and measures. • Trustees often returned substandard goods against items held as security. • Moneylenders charged excessive interest (Riba). Treatment of Women • Women were treated with contempt, ostracized during menstruation, and deprived of legal rights. • A deceased man’s wife could be claimed as inheritance by male relatives. • Female infanticide was practiced to avoid the perceived shame of raising daughters. • There was no formal institution of marriage. Married women could cohabit with other men during their husband’s absence. • Sexual relations with female slaves without marriage were common. • Scarcity of clothing forced women to dress scantily, exposing their beauty (zinat). • A divorced woman or a widow was barred from remarriage. • The inheritance of a minor orphan was liable to misappropriation by his/her appointed guardian • A man or woman’s legacy was appropriated in patrilineal lines without any share of the female kin • Adultery was regarded as a capital crime punishable by stoning to death. • A grown up woman needed accompaniment of a male guardian (mahram) for any public appearance even for going out of her house. • A divorced woman was not entitled to any maintenance. • A married woman had no right of terminating her marriage on any ground – subject to her returning of the valuables she received from her husband Neglect of the Vulnerable • Orphans, stranded travellers, the poor and the emaciated—those “lying in the dust” (Qur’anic imagery)—were neglected. • The physically challenged—blind, lepers, crippled—were viewed as cursed and isolated in separate quarters. • There was no social safety net for slaves or labourers. • The poor had no right (Haqq) on the wealth of the rich. • The slaves could not earn freedom even by paying a ransom over time. Idolatry and Superstition • Children were sacrificed to idols or killed due to poverty. • Superstition and tribal loyalty dictated moral codes in the absence of divine guidance. This wide array of practices, among others, weighed heavily on society, creating what the Qur’an metaphorically refers to as “burdens and shackles.” A Prophet to Relieve the Burden Since no Prophet had been sent to the Arabs prior to Muhammad (Peace and God’s blessings be upon him), they were without any divine scripture or guidance—only their conscience remained. In this setting, God appointed His Messenger to guide not only the Arabs but all of humanity. As the Qur’an states: “Those who follow the Messenger, the untutored Prophet, whom they find described in the Torah and the Gospel, who enjoins what is right and forbids what is wrong, makes lawful the good things, forbids the impure, and relieves them of their burdens and shackles that weighed upon them—those who believe in him, honour him, support him, and follow the light sent down with him—it is they who will succeed” (Qur’an 7:157). Reforming such a morally degraded society required a vast agenda, and the Qur’an unfolded its guidance in phases over 22 years. A separate discourse would be required to trace that history. This essay focuses specifically on the Qur’an’s threatening tone toward its persistent and treacherous deniers. Persistent Deniers and Hypocrites Among those who bitterly opposed the Prophet’s mission were the majority of Meccan Arabs, who resisted him for nearly two decades (610–630 CE). They eventually embraced Islam en masse when the Prophet entered Mecca peacefully a few years before his passing. Another group of deniers comprised certain residents of Medina who outwardly embraced Islam but in their hearts did not believe in the Prophet’s mission. These were the munāfiqūn (hypocrites)—those who joined the Muslim ranks for political gain. Their betrayal was occasioned by the Prophet’s continued successes - in defending his nascent community as he: • Defeated the Meccan army at Badr (624 CE), • Recovered from the setback at Uhud (625 CE), • Subdued the conspiratorial Jewish tribes of Banu Qaynuqā‘ and Banu Naḍīr, • Withstood the siege of the Confederates in 627 CE, when his followers were gripped by terror, as described in the Qur’an: “Their eyes dimmed and their hearts rose to their throats. They imagined all sorts of thoughts about God. There the believers were tested and shaken with a severe tremor.” (33:10–11) • Integrated the entire population of Mecca (630 CE) following a march to this sprawling city with all his followers, when the Qur’an set the rule of the game as follows: “God withheld the hands of the Meccans from the Muslims and the hands of the Muslims from the Meccans” (48:24). • Succeeded to reverse a crushing defeat at the battle of Hunayn (630 CE) into victory: “Allah granted you victories in numerous regions, but on the day of Hunayn, your vast numbers impressed you, yet they availed you nothing. The earth, vast as it is, seemed to close in on you, and you turned back in retreat (9:25). God sent divine peace (sakinah) upon the Prophet and on his followers and forces invisible and thus helped them to defeat the pagans” (9:26). • Later, the Prophet led an expedition toward Byzantine borders (630 CE), challenging the mightiest empire in the region. Yet, despite his emerging leadership, the Muslim community was not trained in warfare. Their ethos emphasized mercy, compassion, and forgiveness. In this vulnerable context, internal treachery posed an existential threat. Why the Qur’an Uses a Threatening Tone To deter treason and strengthen internal unity, the Qur’an adopts a stern tone toward the hypocrites and those who sought to undermine the Prophet from within. The severity of the language was psychological—not physical—and meant to instil awe and deter betrayal. Consider the following verses: “The hypocrite men and women are of one another. They enjoin evil, forbid good, and withhold their hands (from charity). They have forgotten God, so He has forgotten them. Truly, they are the defiantly disobedient” (9:67). “God has promised the hypocrite men and women, and the disbelievers, the fire of Hell. It shall be their eternal abode. God has cursed them, and theirs is an enduring punishment” (9:68). “The desert Arabs are the worst in disbelief and hypocrisy, and more likely to be ignorant of the limits God has revealed to His Messenger” (9:97). “God will punish the hypocrites—men and women—and the idolaters—men and women—and turn in mercy to the believers—men and women. God is Ever-Forgiving, Most Merciful” (33:73). “They use their oaths as a shield and turn people away from the path of God. A humiliating punishment awaits them” (58:16). These verses, though severe in tone, do not incite violence. Rather, they serve as rhetorical warnings—designed to awaken hearts and establish moral clarity in a fragile, formative stage of the Muslim community. Conclusion The Qur’an’s threatening tone towards its persistent deniers and hypocrites must be understood in its historical and moral context. The language was not gratuitous—it was calibrated to deal with treachery that threatened the very survival of the emerging faith community. These warnings were not calls to bloodshed but part of a broader moral strategy to awaken a conscience dulled by generations of ignorance. Thus, far from contradicting the Qur’an’s vision of God as “Most Kind and Most Merciful,” these warnings affirm the divine justice that undergirds that mercy—a justice that seeks to prevent evil, protect the vulnerable, and guide humanity to a higher moral ground. ------ Muhammad Yunus, a Chemical Engineering graduate from Indian Institute of Technology, and a retired corporate executive has been engaged in an in-depth study of the Qur’an since early 90’s, focusing on its core message. He has co-authored the referred exegetic work, which received the approval of al-Azhar al-Sharif, Cairo in 2002, and following restructuring and refinement was endorsed and authenticated by Dr. Khaled Abou El Fadl of UCLA, and published by Amana Publications, Maryland, USA, 2009 URL: https://www.newageislam.com/debating-islam/quran-detractors-hypocrites/d/135197 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism