Part 67

we would recognize Him.’ Allah then comes to them in the form they do know and says: ‘I am your Lord,” to which they reply: “You are our Lord,’ and they follow him.” In one account, he “reveals his leg,” while in another he says: “Is there some sign between you and him by which you might recognize him?” They reply: “Yes, he will reveal one of his legs.” So there will be no one who used to bow down to Allah of his own accord but that he will be allowed to bow down once more, nor is there anyone who used to prostrate himself before Allah in a hypocritical manner but that Allah turns his back into a single, flat surface such that whenever he wants to bow down, he falls onto the back of his neck, while his back remains [crooked] like the horn of a bison. They will raise their heads, only to find their light before them and in their right hands, while the light of the hypocrites is extinguished and they say: “Allow us to borrow some of your light.”

Hence, it became apparent that in terms of outward appearances, hypocrites are gathered in on Judgment Day along with believers, just as they mingled with them in this world. But then the truth becomes manifest: one group bows down to its Lord, while another is unable to do so, since during their time on earth they did not bow down to Him. Rather, their intention was to dissimulate before other people. And the reward received in the Hereafter corresponds to the actions one has done on earth; therefore, they were given light that is then extinguished because when they were still in this world, they entered into belief and then departed from it. For this reason Allah speaks in parable fashion about those of them who believed and later fell again into unbelief, and those who are given light in the afterlife that is then extinguished. He says of them: “. . . Do not return” (2:18). According to Qatadah and Mudéatil, the meaning of this clause is that they never return from the error into which they have strayed, whereas al-Suddi held that it means they do not return to Islam, at least not inwardly. A parable is told concerning what occurs in the world, and applies to those of them who believed and later disbelieved. As for those who continued to be hypocrites, he draws another simile, namely Allah says: “Or like a rainstorm from the sky wherein is darkness, thunder and lightning . . .” (2:19). Commentators have differed as to whether these two similes were meant to describe all of them, or whether each of the two applies only to some of them. There are two views on this question, the second of which is the correct one. For Allah says: “Or like a rainstorm . . . ,” which confirms one of the two views, since this indicates that they may be likened either to this or to that. [All of] them may be seen to be illustrated in both similes, since some of them may resemble this or

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that aspect more than others, but all of them bear points of resemblance or comparison to both similes. For this reason they are joined not with the disjunctive “or” but rather with the conjunctive particle “and.”

For someone to say “or” here by way of allowing a choice, as when one says, “he sat with al-Hassan or Ibn Sirin,” would make no sense, since the provision of a choice occurs in a command, when the request is not in the predicate: or the provision of a choice would be found in a command or a request, but not in a predicate. The same thing applies to one’s saying that “or” is in the sense of “and,” or to arouse doubts, suspicions, or confusion in those being addressed. For Allah desires, through such similes, to render things clearer and more comprehensible, not to arouse doubts or confusion.

The intent here is to provide the believers with a clear picture of their [the hypocrites’] state. To fulfill this, Allah cites two similitudes in the beginning of Sirat al-Bagarah. In the first, Allah says: “Deaf, dumb, and blind, they will not return [to the path] . . .” (2:18). In the second, Allah says: “.. . They press their fingers in their ears to keep out the stunning thunder-clap, all the while they are in terror of death, But Allah is ever around the rejecters of belief. The lightning all but snatches away their sight; every time the light [helps] them, they walk therein, and when the darkness covers them, they stand still. And, if Allah wills, He could take away their faculty of hearing and seeing; for Allah has power over all things” (2:19-20). The second similitude indicates that they could hear and see and that if Allah wills, that he could take away their faculty of hearing and seeing. And the first similitude indicates that at first they could see, but then could become deaf, dumb, and blind. Moreover, the second similitude indicates that if the light helps them, they walk therein, and when the darkness covers them, they stand still. Thus, they had two states: a state of illumination and a state of darkness. The first similitude indicates that they stayed in darkness. Hence, the first similitude describes the state of those who were in a state of illumination but ended ina state of darkness, whereas the second describes those who remain neither in a state of illumination nor in a state of darkness but rather their states vary according to the circumstances and the situation.

Allah also employs two metaphors to describe unbelievers using the particle aw, or. He [Allah] says: “As for those who disbelieve, their deeds are like a mirage in a desert: the thirsty one thinks it to be water; until he comes up to it, he finds it to

be nothing, but he finds Allah [ever] with him, and Allah will pay him his account: and Allah is swift in taking account. Or [the unbelievers’ state] is like the depths of darkness in a vast deep ocean, overwhelmed with a great wave topped by a great wave, topped by [dark] clouds, depths of darkness, one above another: if a man stretches out his hand, he can hardly see it! For any to whom Allah gives no light, there is no light for him” (24:39-40). The first metaphor describes the state of unbelief wherein the unbeliever thinks he is acting righteously while in fact he is doing evil and does not know it. Therefore, he is in a state comparable to a mirage in a desert. The second metaphor describes the state of unbelief wherein the unbeliever does not believe in anything but due to his ignorance and waywardness, he is beneath layer upon layer of accumulated darkness.

Sometimes a hypocrite and an unbeliever may be characterized by the trait mentioned in the preceding section. Hence the two metaphors are divided according to people’s types and states. Each example is cited for a different purpose, since they convey different images and meanings. That is why only one metaphor was cited for Iman; namely, light. Whereas for unbelievers, the metaphor cited was of light that has no real existence, like a mirage in the desert or a thick darkness. Similarly, the hypocrite is compared to someone who could see but then became blind, or to someone who swings in an unstable way between light and darkness. This indicates that among hypocrites is a group who [covertly] rejected Iman after they had accepted it. This is explained in detail by the scholars of hadith and interpretation and by biographers. There are some men who believed and then tumed around and practiced hypocrisy. Hypocrisy is due to many reasons, one of which was the command [of Allah] to change the Qiblah, direction of prayer. As a result of this some people rejected Iman and it became a criterion by which to test people. Allah says: “. .. And We made the Qiblah [prayer direction, toward Jerusalem] which you used to face, only to test those who followed the Messenger [Muhammad] from those who would turn on their heels. Indeed it was great except for those whom Allah guided . . .” (2:143). What is meant here is that the Ka‘bah is the real Qiblah and that was the original intention of making it the Qiblah. For indeed the Ka‘bah, its mosque, and its sanctuary are far superior to Jerusalem. Above and beyond that, it is al-Bayt al-‘Atiq, the Ancient House, and it is the Qiblah of Abraham and other Prophets. Allah never commands any of the Prophets like Moses, Jesus, or any other one who came before the Prophet Muhammad to direct his prayer toward the Qiblah of

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Jerusalem. Indeed, He did not intend to appoint it as a permanent Qiblah. The rationale was to test the will of the people concerning the change of direction of the Qiblah in order to find out who followed the Messenger and who would turn on their heels [from Iman]. Thus, there is a wisdom in legislating it.

Also, some people rejected Iman after they had accepted it [became hypocrites]: when Muslims fled on the Day of Uhud and the Prophet (pbuh) was wounded in his head and face, and one of his teeth, the ruba‘iyyah, was broken. Allah says: “So do not become weak [against your enemy], nor be sad, and you will be the superior [in victory] if you are [true believers]. If a wound has touched you, be sure a similar wound has touched the others. And so are the days [good and not so good], We give to men by turns, that [Allah] may test those who believe, and that He may take martyrs from among you. And Allah likes not the wrong-doers. And that Allah may test the believers and destroy the unbelievers” (3:139-41). Allah also says: “What you suffered on the day the two armies met [at Uhud] was with the leave of Allah, in order that He might test the believers. And He might test the hypocrites also. These were told: ‘Come, fight in the way of Allah, or [at least] defend yourselves.’ They said: ‘Had we known how to fight, we should certainly have followed you.’ They were that day nearer to unbelief than to belief, saying with their lips what was not in their hearts. But Allah has full knowledge of all they conceal” (3:166-67). His saying: “And [to test] the hypocrites” also explicitly refers to those who had recently shown hypocrisy. It also [implicitly] refers to those who at first did not reject Iman and to those who were hypocrites and then became hypocrites again. His saying: “They were that day nearer to unbelief than to belief,” indicates that before that day they were not nearer to unbelief than to Iman. That is, they were either nearer to Iman [than to unbelief] or had equal degrees of Iman and unbelief. For example, when Ibn Ubayy seceded from the Prophet (pbuh) on the Day of Uhud, about three hundred people, representing one-third of the Muslims who participated on that day, seceded too. But not all these people were covertly hypocrites. For there was no reason for them to be so. For example, before that day, Ibn Ubayy used to show his Iman and obedience to the Prophet (pbuh). Moreover, he used to deliver a sermon every Friday, commanding people to follow the Prophet (pbuh). What is in his heart is known to only a few people. Furthermore, he was praised by his community, who had intended to enthrone him as a king. However, when the message was sent down, his covetousness led him to hypocrisy. So when he seceded on the Day of Uhud