These two terms—infidel (kafir) and hypocrite (munafiq)—have become permanent fixtures in the Jihadist lexicon. Both words have quite specific meanings in the Qur’an. Kafir is the term most often used to designate the powerful pagan rulers of pre-Islamic Mecca, the Quraysh, who fought a bloody, decadelong war with the nascent Muslim community. Munafiq is the term reserved for Arab tribes that joined the Muslim community, but only for political or material gain, and ultimately abandoned the new faith and returned to their old tribal ways. In Jihadism, however, both words have been stripped of
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