Part 3

When they are told, ‘Do not cause corruption on the earth,’ they say, ‘We are only putting things right.’ No indeed! They are the corrupters but they are not aware of it.

When one of them follows the Book and Sunnah, he is doing so to keep up appearances, he is like a donkey carrying books: it understands none of what it is carrying. The revelation in their eyes is profitless merchandise and as such worthless. Those who truly follow it are fools in their eyes,

When they ate told, ‘Believe like the people have believed,’ they say, ‘What! Are we to believe like

24 Characteristics Of The Hypocrites

the fools have believed?’ No indeed! They are the fools, but they do not know it. [al-Bagarab (2): 13]""

Each one of them has two faces: a face with which he meets the Muslims and a face with which he meets his deviated associates. Each one of them has two tongues: a false tongue with which he meets the Muslims and a true tongue which expresses his actual beliefs,

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When they meet those who have believed they say, ‘We have believed.’ But when they go apart with their devils they say, ‘We are really with you. We were only mocking.’

This verse describes their sixth characteristic: their belittling the religion and those who follow it, and their foolishness. As-Sa‘di said, “Allah informs us that they are the true fools because foolishness is defined by a person not knowing what is good for himself and his pursuing that which would harm him. These qualities are applicable to them. They way of intelligence and insight is for a person to know what is good for him and to pursue it and to repress what would harm him. These qualities are applicable to the Companions and the believers. Considerations given to reality and not to mere claims and empty words.”

"This is an example of their heinous lies, saying with their tongues what is not in their hearts, in order to acquire temporal gain.

Allah, Exalted is He says, “They try to conceal themselves from people, but they cannot conceal themselves from Allah. He ts with them when they spend the night saying things which are not pleasing to Him. Allah encompasses everything they do.” [an-Nisa’ (4): 108]

Sifat al Munafigin 25

They have turned away from the Book and Sunnah, making mockery of those who follow them and looking down on them. They refuse to submit to the revelation, making do with what knowledge they have: and what knowledge? The increase of which only leads to more evil and arrogance! You will always see them mocking those who follow the clear import of the revelation but,!

2 niet RY biSscateses i Allah is OAs them, and drawing them on, as they wander blindly in their excessive insolence,

They ply their trade in oceans of darkness traversing vessels of doubts. Uncertainty and suspicion plagues them as they sail through waves of illusion. Strong winds play havoc with their boats and lead them to their destruction,

Only Lai peiko soc serstiiy Those are people who have sold guidance for misguidance. Their trade has brought no profit

and they are not guided.

"2 Allah, Exalted is He says, “It has already been sent down to you in the Book that when you hear Allah's Signs being rejected and mocked at by people, you must not sit with them till they start talking of other things. Ifyou do notyou are just the same as them. Allah will gather the hypocrites and disbelievers in Hell altogether.” \an-Nisd (4): 140]

as-Sa‘di said, ‘Meaning they desired that misguidance in the same way that a

26 Characteristics Of The Hypocrites

The fire of faith alights for them and in its light they perceive guidance and misguidance, then that fire is extinguished and is left as red hot ashes. With that fire are they punished and in that darkness do they wander blindly,

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Their example is that of people who light a fire,

and then when it has lit up all round them, Allah

removes their light and leaves them in darkness, unable to see.

The hearing of their hearts is burdened by a heavy load and as such they are unable to hear the call to faith; the eyes of their spiritual sight are covered with a blinding wrapping such that they cannot see the realities of the Quran; and their tongues are mute to the truth such that they are unable to speak it,

buyer desires a particular commodity so much so that he would give something precious as payment. This is an excellent similitude: misguidance, the worst evil, has been compared to the commodity; and guidance, the best of things, has been compared to the asking price. So they paid the price and gained what they desired, misguidance...what a wretched trade and what a disgraceful bargain! If someone gives a dinar to get back a dirham, he feels that he has lost out, so what of one who gives a diamond and gets in return a dirham?! And what of one who chooses misery and anguish in place of felicity and bliss?!”

Allah, Exalted is He gives an example of such a trade by saying, “When the hypocrites and those with sickness in their hearts said, ‘These people have been deluded by their religion.’ But those who put their trust in Allah will find Allah to be Almighty, All-Wise.” [al-Anfal (8): 50|

Deaf, dumb, blind. They will not return. [al-Bagarah (2): 18]

The rain of revelation pours down upon them, it contains life for the hearts and souls, but all they can hear of it is the thunder strikes of its threats, promises, and ordinances. They thrust their fingers in their ears and draw their garments over them, trying to run in earnest and desperately seeking their footprints so as to retreat. However they are summoned in public, and their secrets are made plain for all who can see, and two parables are propounded for them, each parable unveiling one of the two parties amongst them: those who debate and those who blindly follow.

Or that of a storm-cloud in the sky, full of dark-

ness, thunder and lightning. They put their fin-

gers in their eats against the thunderclaps, fearful of death. Allah encompasses the disbeliev-

ers. [al-Bagarah (2): 19]

Their spiritual sight is too weak to bear what the rain contains: the lightning of its radiant proofs and the brightness of its meanings. Their ears are unable to accept the thunder strikes of its promises, orders, and prohibitions; as such they come to a halt in confusion, their faculty of hearing brings them no benefit and their sight is unable to guide them,

28 Characteristics Of The Hypocrites

The lightning all but takes away their sight. Whenever they have light, they walk therein but whenever darkness covers them, they halt. If Allah wished, He could take away their hearing and sight. Allah has power over all things.

They have characteristic signs by which they can be known, explained in the Book and the Sunnah, and clear for all those who are enriched with faith to see. They are people, by Allah, given to ostentation, and this is the worst station that man can reach. They are a people prone to laziness and laxity in fulfilling the orders of the All-Merciful, and because of this they find sincerity burdensome,

When they get up to pray, they get up lazily, showing off to people, and only remembering

“The author, may Allih have mercy upon him, has a detailed explanation to both these parables in his Stim’ al-Juyish al-Lslamiyyah, this can be read in Appendix 1; Appendix 2 contains a beneficial explanation to the second parable by Muhammad Amin ash-Shanqiti.

They are like a sheep that has strayed and finds itself between two flocks, it goes to one and then the other and does not stay with any of them. They are standing between two groups of people, all the while searching as to which is the stronger and nobler,

They vacillate between the two, not joining these

or joining those. If Allah misguides someone,

you will not find any way for him to go.

They are on the lookout to see what happens to Ahlus-Sunnah; if victory comes their way they say, ‘Were we not with you?” and they swear their strongest oaths by Allah on this. If victory goes to the enemies of Ahlus-Sunnah they say to them ‘Do you not know that we have a binding pact of brotherhood with you,’ and they bring their closeness of lineage as proof for this."

Allah also says about them, “Nothing prevents what they give from being accepted from them but the fact that they have rejected Allah and His Messenger, and that they come to prayer lethargically, and that they only give reluctantly.” [at-Tawbab (9): 54]

Allah, Exalted is He says, “Give news to the hypocrites that they will have a painful punishment, Those who take the disbelievers as protectors rather than the believers, do they hope to find power and strength with them? Power and strength belong entirely to Allah.” |an-Nisa’ (4): 138-139]; “You who have faith! Do not take the Jews and Christians as your friends; they are friends of one another. Any of you who takes them as friends is one of them and Allah