Verily the hypocrites will be in the lowest level of the fire; and you will never find a helper for them. This verse indicates that the hypocrite is not one who is sincerely seeking the protective trust mustaÌmin for being true to the trust īmān is what brings protection amān. The one who holds true to the trust muÌmin [or “the believer”] is saved by his faith īmān from the fire-that which causes one's falling to the lowest level of the fire cannot be called faith īmān. It is said that this is verified by His words God is the best of schem- ers [3:54 and 8:30] which is to say His scheming makr is superior to all other scheming. When the hypocrites' scheming with the believers was exposed their punishment was more severe than the punishment of those who declared their disbelief openly. Because of what is in the tradition “One meets God in whatever state one is in” it is said that He transfers them from their present state to one like it in the future. Just as today the hypocrites are in the lowest level of being cut off [from the communion of lovers] so will they be transferred to the lowest level of the fire. The lowest level of their being cut off in the present is that they bear the name of “faith” īmān while in fact they do not have even a sliver from God. This is the greatest of afflictions. It is said that they deserve the lowest level of the fire because they kept company here with the greatest name of God without respect ḥurma. It is said that they deserve [the lowest level of the fire] because they were present but lacked any sense of propriety adab in what they said. By this they were driven far away.
