(And when thou) O Muhammad (seest them) i.e. 'Abdullah Ibn Ubayy and his two friends (their figures please thee) their bodies and appearance please you; (and if they speak) saying: we know you are Allah's Messenger (thou givest ear unto their speech) you believe what they say and think they are truthful while they are not. ((They are)) i.e. their bodies are (as though they were blocks of wood in striped cloaks) aligned against the wall; He says: there is no goodness or light in their hearts just as dry wood has no life or moistness in it. (They deem every shout) every noise in Medina (to be against them) because of their cowardice. (They are the enemy, so beware of them) and never feel safe from them. (Allah confound them) Allah cursed them! (How they are perverted!) How they lie; it is also said this means: how they turn people away through lies!
