أَفَبِهَـٰذَا الْحَدِيثِ أَنتُم مُّدْهِنُونَ (Is it this discourse that you take lightly,...56:81) The word mudhinun is the plural of mudhin, being the active participle from اِذھَان idhan, which literally means 'to apply or rub oil on the body'. When oil is applied or rubbed on the body, the muscles are relaxed, and parts of the body become soft and supple. By extension, the word is employed in the sense of showing flexibility and softness on inappropriate occasions. Hence, it is used in the sense of hypocrisy.