(وَعَدَ اللَّهُ الْمُنَافِقِينَ وَالْمُنَافِقَاتِ وَالْكُفَّارَ نَارَ جَهَنَّمَ…) (Allah has promised the hypocrite men and the hypocrite women and the disbelievers, the fire of Hell.): This is a warning of punishment, not a promise of goodness. However, do the hypocrites precede the disbelievers into hell fire? The answer is: certainly so, as Allah (swt) states:

  إِنَّ الْمُنَافِقِينَ فِي الدَّرْكِ الْأَسْفَلِ مِنَ النَّارِ وَلَن تَجِدَ لَهُمْ نَصِيرًا 

(Indeed, the hypocrites will be in the lowest depths of the Fire – and never will you find for them a helper) (An-Nisa: 145)

Both hypocrites and disbelievers are in the Hell Fire, but the disbelievers will be in a higher level of Hell than the hypocrites.

Life cannot be upright except with promises and warnings, and there must be rules and warnings against committing crimes and violations. There should be a punishment in the Hereafter for disobeying Allah (swt), which is the Fire. The hypocrites will be in the lowest level of the Fire because they exploited the faith. And this is what we call, ‘counterfeit religiosity’. It may be more harmful to society than blatant atheism. Counterfeit religiosity is hypocrisy that separates the purposes from Islamic rituals. The hypocrites do the opposites; pray and lie, pray and telltale, they fast and backbite at the same time, they commit crimes, steal, commit adultery, and kill people, all while saying: ‘There is no God but Allah.’

…خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا ۚ هِيَ حَسْبُهُمْ ۚ… (wherein they will abide eternally. It is sufficient for them.): It is an outcome of their actions and their recompense; they will abide in hell fire perpetually.

…وَلَهُمْ عَذَابٌ مُّقِيمٌ  (and for them is an enduring punishment.): Allah (swt) always speaks about eternity either in Paradise or in Hell. In other verses, He (swt) states:

  قَالَ النَّارُ مَثْوَاكُمْ خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا إِلَّا مَا شَاءَ اللَّهُ 

(The Fire is your residence, wherein you will abide eternally, except for what Allah wills) (Al-An’aam: 128)

This verse, indicates an exception refers to a group of people who will be punished in Hell and then enter Paradise. However, in the case of the hypocrites, they will have a perpetual and unending punishment in Hell without ever finding a way out of it.