What kind of people are mentioned in the verse below: "Those who believe and then deny and who believe again and then deny and who go too far in denial...”? (an-Nisa, 4/168)

Dear Brother / Sister,

We regard it appropriate to give the translation of verses 168 and 169 together due to the relationship between them:   

“Those who reject Faith and do wrong,- Allah will not forgive them nor guide them to any way- Except the way of Hell, to dwell therein forever. And this to Allah is easy." (an-Nisa, 4/168-169).

As it is seen there is no statement like “Those who believe and then deny and who believe again and then deny” in the verse.

When the verse is evaluated with the previous verses and the verses that follow, the following conclusion can be reached.

It is stated in the previous verses that Jews and Christians deviated from the true path and followed a wrong path related to the oneness and belief in prophets and books, that they did not accept especially the last prophet and the book and hence did many wrong and unjust things and put forward some claims contrary to science and the truth.

It is stated in the verses that follow that the People of the Book did not only act contrarily to the belief of oneness but they also overstepped the limits in their own religions. It is stated that Jews distorted the decrees of the Torah, that they rendered haram things halal and that they changed or misinterpreted the documents related to the last prophet. It is mentioned that Christians claim that Allah entered into Hz. Isa (Jesus) and that he was the son of Allah. Then, it is stated that Isa Masih does not disdain or to serve and worship and that those who disdain His worship and are arrogant will be punished with a painful penalty.

Allah will not forgive those who deny the verse mentioned in the question, those who oppress people, that is, those who act unjustly by denying the prophethood of Hz. Muhammed (pbuh) – if they die without belief – and He will lead them to Hell, nowhere else.

As for the statement mentioned in the question, it is present in verse 137 of the chapter of an-Nisa; its translation is as follows:

“Those who believe, then reject faith, then believe (again) and (again) reject faith, and go on increasing in unbelief,- Allah will not forgive them nor guide them nor guide them on the way.”

As it is understood from the verse that follows “To the Hypocrites give the glad tidings that there is for them (but) a grievous penalty”, the verse is about hypocrites.

The most distinctive quality of a hypocrite (munafiq) is that they do not remain in a certain position and that they move to one side and then to another side due to their character of two-facedness. They can change color like chameleons.

“(They are) distracted in mind even in the midst of it,- being (sincerely) for neither one group nor for another whom Allah leaves straying,- never wilt thou find for him the way.” (an-Nisa, 4/143)

This changing and two-faced trait of hypocrites is emphasized in the verse above.

According to what Hz. Ali states, they will not be forgiven if they die as unbelievers. (see Ibn Kathir, the interpretation of the verse in question)

It is necessary not to forget that it is very dangerous to support the hypocrites that side against the religion in this age. It is especially very bad and dangerous to assume a continuously changing position due to a possibility of getting into trouble because of the religion or only for a worldly interest. We should never forget the message given by the following verse: 

“There are among men some who serve Allah, as it were, on the verge: if good befalls them, they are, therewith, well content; but if a trial comes to them, they turn on their faces: they lose both this world and the Hereafter: that is loss for all to see.” (al-Hajj, 22/11)

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