The hypocrites used to ally with the Jews, and they are the ones upon whom Allah has become angry, as He says: 'Whom Allah has cursed and upon whom He has become angry.' They would advise them and convey to them the secrets of the believers, saying: 'They are not from you, O Muslims, nor from them, nor from the Jews.' As Allah says: 'They are wavering between that, neither to these nor to those.' They swear falsely, meaning they say: 'By Allah, we are indeed Muslims.' They swear to the lie that is the claim of Islam, while they know that what they are swearing to is pure falsehood. If you say: What is the benefit of His saying: 'while they know'?

It is not surprising that they swear to you, for you are human beings who are unaware of the hidden matters. They have a benefit in that, as it protects their souls and draws worldly benefits. They do this in a realm where they are not compelled to know what they are promised. But the surprise is in their swearing by Allah, the Knower of the unseen and the witnessed, with no benefit and no compulsion to know what the messengers warned them about. The intent is to describe them as deeply entrenched in their hypocrisy and their flexibility in it, and that this remains within them after their death and resurrection, without diminishing, as He said: 'And if they were returned, they would return to what they were forbidden.' Scholars have differed regarding their lying in the Hereafter, and the Qur'an speaks clearly of its permanence, as you see in this verse and in His saying: 'By Allah, our Lord, we were not polytheists.' Look how they lied against themselves, and what they used to invent has gone away from them. They thought that they would gain something by swearing to seek light from the believers, believing that outward faith would benefit them. It was said at that time: 'Their mouths will be sealed.' Indeed, they are the liars, meaning they are the ultimate in falsehood, where their condition is the same in this world and the Hereafter. The devil has taken hold of them, having dominated them. The term 'al-anah' refers to a herd of wild donkeys, as found in the dictionaries. And from it: he was a unique fabric, which is one of the original forms, like 'istiswab' and 'istinuq,' meaning the devil has possessed them due to their obedience to him in everything he desires from them, until he made them his followers and his party, causing them to forget to remember Allah entirely, neither with their hearts nor with their tongues. Abu Ubaidah said: 'The party of the devil is his army.'