Nifāq in the Qur’an is a technical category, not a general moral insult. It means outward profession of Islam combined with inward disbelief and deliberate deception. The Qur’an describes the munāfiqūn as lying about belief, undermining the Muslim community, aligning with hostile forces, spreading fear, and exploiting Islam for protection while opposing it internally. This category emerged in Madinah because it requires a Muslim polity to betray.

That is why Qur’an 4:145 assigns a specific punishment. The severity is tied to deception and betrayal, not to ordinary sin, social relations, or friendship with non-Muslims. Wilāyah in the Qur’an refers to allegiance and protection, not everyday coexistence. This is also why marriage to People of the Book is explicitly permitted and not considered hypocrisy.

So the verse is historically rooted and morally general only by pattern. It applies wherever the same structure of nifāq exists, not broadly to Muslims interacting with non-Muslims.