While we were sitting in a circle in ʿAbdullah's gathering, Hudhaifa came and stopped before us, and greeted us and then said, "People better than you became hypocrites." Al-Aswad said: I testify the uniqueness of Allah! Allah says: "Verily! The hypocrites will be in the lowest depths of the Fire." (4.145) On that ʿAbdullah smiled and Hudhaifa sat somewhere in the Mosque. ʿAbdullah then got up and his companions (sitting around him) dispersed. Hudhaifa then threw a pebble at me (to attract my attention). I went to him and he said, "I was surprised at ʿAbdullah's smile though he understood what I said. Verily, people better than you became hypocrite and then repented and Allah forgave them." (Using translation from Bukhārī 4602)   

كُنَّا جُلُوسًا فِي حَلْقَةٍ فِيهَا عَبْدُ اللهِ فَجَاءَ حُذَيْفَةُ حَتَّى قَامَ عَلَيْنَا فَسَلَّمَ ثُمَّ قَالَ «لَقَدْ أَنْزَلَ اللهُ النِّفَاقَ عَلَى قَوْمٍ كَانُوا خَيْرًا مِنْكُمْ» قَالَ الْأَسْوَدُ سُبْحَانَ اللهِ إِنَّ اللهَ ﷻ يَقُولُ {إِنَّ الْمُنَافِقِينَ فِي الدَّرْكِ الْأَسْفَلِ مِنَ النَّارِ} [النساء 145] فَتَبَسَّمَ عَبْدُ اللهِ وَانْطَلَقَ حُذَيْفَةُ حَتَّى جَلَسَ فِي نَاحِيَةِ الْمَسْجِدِ وَقَامَ عَبْدُ اللهِ وَتَفَرَّقَ أَصْحَابُهُ قَالَ فَرَمَانِي بِالْحَصَا فَأَتَيْتُهُ فَقَالَ حُذَيْفَةُ عَجِبْتُ مِنْ ضَحِكِهِ وَقَدْ عَرفَ مَا قُلْتُ أَجَلْ قَدْ أَنْزَلَ اللهُ ﷻ النِّفَاقَ عَلَى قَوْمٍ خَيْرٍ مِنْكُمْ ثُمَّ تَابُوا فَتَابَ اللهُ عَلَيْهِمْ  

[Machine] We said, "How can this be, when Allah says, 'Indeed, the hypocrites will be in the lowest depths of the Fire' (Quran 4:145)?" He said, "So when they dispersed and there was no one left except me, I threw pebbles at them and said, 'Verily, when they repent, they are better than you.'"  

قُلْنَا كَيْفَ يَكُونُ هَذَا وَاللهُ يَقُولُ {إِنَّ الْمُنَافِقِينَ فِي الدَّرْكِ الْأَسْفَلِ مِنَ النَّارِ} [النساء 145]؟ قَالَ فَلَمَّا تَفَرَّقُوا فَلَمْ يَبْقَ غَيْرِي رَمَانِي بِحَصَاةٍ فَقَالَ إِنَّهُمْ لَمَّا تَابُوا كَانُوا خَيْرًا مِنْكُمْ  

[Machine] Regarding Alqama and Al-Aswad, they said, "We were with Abdullah when Hudhayfah passed by us and said, 'Hypocrisy has descended upon someone better than you.' We said, 'Glory be to Allah.' Abdullah laughed and went on. Then Hudhayfah passed by us again and instructed me to bring him some pebbles. I brought them to him and he said, 'Indeed, your companion has knowledge.' He laughed, and hypocrisy descended upon them, then he disappeared.' As for the saying of Allah ﷻ to His Prophet ﷺ about the hypocrites, 'Do not pray for any of them who dies' [Al-Tawbah 84], it was the cause for the revelation of this verse."  

عَنْ عَلْقَمَةَ وَالْأَسْوَدِ قَالَا كُنَّا عِنْدَ عَبْدِ اللهِ فَمَرَّ بِنَا حُذَيْفَةُ فَقَالَ لَقَدْ نَزَلَ النِّفَاقُ عَلَى مَنْ كَانَ خَيْرًا مِنْكُمْ فَقُلْنَا سُبْحَانَ اللهِ فَضَحِكَ عَبْدُ اللهِ وَمَضَى فَمَرَّ بِنَا حُذَيْفَةُ فَرَمَانِي بِالْحَصْبَاءِ فَأَتَيْتُهُ فَقَالَ إِنَّ صَاحِبَكُمْ عَلِمَ عِلْمًا فَضَحِكَ نَزَلَ عَلَيْهِمُ النِّفَاقُ ثُمَّ تِيبَ عَلَيْهِمْ وَأَمَّا قَوْلُ اللهِ ﷻ لِنَبِيِّهِ ﷺ فِي الْمُنَافِقِينَ {وَلَا تُصَلِّ عَلَى أَحَدٍ مِنْهُمْ مَاتَ أَبَدًا} [التوبة 84] فَسَبَبُ نُزُولِ هَذِهِ الْآيَةِ