The structure of the passage really shows how discontent Allah is with the munafiqin. Verses 8 through 16 contain very short verses and these short verses indicate the abrupt and confrontational conversation that Allah is having with the munafiqin. Whenever Allah speaks to the munafiqin, the munafiqin respond with very short replies and this is an indication of how disrespectful and insincere they are towards Allah. In response, Allah is also very abrupt in His conversation with the munafiqin. This conveys the message that if the munafiqin are not sincere with Allah, then the Muslims should also not be sincere with the munafiqin. Verses 8 through 14 are also very similar in the way that they have been organized. There is a repetition in the way that the verses have been organized because the munafiqin are instructed to come back to the straight path; the munafiqin respond back with a disrespectful attitude; and Allah curses the munafiqin for their ignorance. This sort of repetition emphasizes the fact that the munafiqin will never adhere to the guidance and will always pose a great threat to the Muslim community because of their close ties with the non-believers.
The tone of the passage also indicates the scornful attitude that Allah has adopted towards the munafiqin, reinforcing the idea that the Muslims need to be cautious in their dealings with the munafiqin. In verse 8, Allah says that the munafiqin “do not believe at all”. In verse 9, Allah says that they are “deceiving none except themselves and they realize it not” and in verses 12 and 13 Allah says that the munafiqin “spread disorder but they realize it not” and that they “are the fools, but they know it not”. Clearly, Allah has a negative attitude towards the munafiqin and this attitude conveys the fact that the munafiqin only pretend to be Muslims and that in their hearts they will always have enmity for the Muslims and for their beliefs. The tone should also force the reader to reflect upon his own belief as he will realize how strict Allah is with those that do not believe firmly in His principles. In verse 18, Allah declares that “the munafiqin are deaf; they are dumb; they are blind so they will not return”. This means that the munafiqin are deaf because they will not hear the truth, dumb because they will not speak the truth, and blind because they will not see the truth. The Muslims are being instructed that there is no point in wasting the effort to convey the message of Islam to the munafiqin as they will never acknowledge the truth. The tone suggests that the munafiqin should not be a part of the Muslim community and should be ousted immediately as they will become an obstruction in spreading the word of Islam.
At the end of the passage, Allah expresses the disgraceful situation of the munafiqin by presenting a very interesting parable. In verse 17, Allah compares the attitude of the munafiqin towards Islam to a situation in which a fire is kindled in pitch darkness and people shutting their eyes intentionally to eliminate the benefits of the illumination. This really shows the pathetic condition of the munafiqin who were surrounded by Muslims, people who possessed the correct knowledge, but could not learn from their knowledge because they had a negative perception towards the Muslims and had sealed their faculties of learning to grasp anything that the Muslims had to say. The parable makes the passage very interesting because it really engages the reader to ponder upon what is being said as he tries to relate the story to the attitude of the munafiqin. It also makes the reader realize that the words of Allah should be followed earnestly because if the person continues to deviate from the straight path, he will reach a state where he would not be able to appreciate the guidance of Allah. By presenting this parable, the reader is able to relate to the message that is being conveyed in the verses easily and understands the shameful attitude that the munafiqin had adopted towards Islam.
The Muslims, after having migrated to Madinah, were mainly focused on spreading the religion of Islam to strengthen their community. It became very important to bring people with the right mindset and the right conviction into the folds of Islam in order to spread the message of Islam steadfastly. However, one kind of people that did not have this right mindset and conviction were the munafiqin. These people posed a great threat to the community of Muslims because of their close relationships with the non-believers, and they have been cursed for the attitude that they had towards Islam and the Muslims. In verses 8 through 18 of Al-Baqarah, Allah has structured and organized the verses to depict the insincere and mocking attitude of the munafiqin. Allah has also used a retched tone against the munafiqin to confront the attitude that they had adopted against Islam. At the end of the passage, Allah has used a parable that really has a culminating effect of showing the distressful situation of the munafiqin.