Quran Garden

Not everyone who says they believe truly does.  Some people wear Islam like a mask, smiling in public while hiding disbelief in their hearts.  The Quran calls them hypocrites and warns us about the harm they bring.  In today's tafsir, we begin exploring how hypocrisy isn't just the deception of others; it's self-deception and eventual accountability before God.

Session 32

Chapter 2, verses 8 and 9

And some people say, "We have believed in Allah and the Last Day," yet they do not believe.  They seek to deceive God and the believers, but they only deceive themselves, though they do not realize it (Chapter 2: Verses 8 and 9)

People in general belong to one of three different states of faith: a believer, a disbeliever, or a hypocrite.  God Almighty began the Al-Baqarah chapter of the Quran, "The Cow," by describing them.  First, the believers were presented in three verses.  God says,

Those who believe in the unseen and establish the prayer; who spend out of what We have provided them, who believe in that which has been sent down to you and what has been sent down before you, and firmly believe in the Everlasting Life, these are guided by their Lord; these surely are the prosperous. (2:3-5)

Next, the disbelievers were described in two verses.

"Surely, as to those who are destined to infidelity, it is alike whether you warn them or warn them not, they will never believe.  Allah has set a seal on their hearts and on their ears, and over their eyes there is a dark covering, and for them is great torment. (2:6-7)

Now, Allah relates the description and qualities of the third group, the hypocrites, in thirteen consecutive verses.  Naturally, you may ask: Why did the Lord dedicate all these Ayat to describe the hypocrites?  He did so because they are the most damaging group to the faith and the Muslim society.  A hypocrite brings about destruction from within.  A disbeliever, on the other hand, has made his or her opposition and actions clear.

A hypocrite is any person who declares to have faith in God while concealing genuine disbelief and animosity.  You may confide in them, trusting that they share your values and have your best interests at heart.  The truth is quite different; your words and actions are often used against you and against society, as this person betrays your trust and uses it as a weapon for criticizing and damaging Islam.

God Almighty has blessed each one of us with physical abilities, intellectual, and emotional faculties.  In order for you to live in peace and tranquility, your intellect, emotions, and actions must be in harmony and must not contradict each other.

The believer's faculties are in harmony because his tongue and his actions reflect the belief in his heart.  Similarly, the disbeliever's actions, emotions, and beliefs are mutually consistent.  He denies God with his heart, tongue, and actions.  In that sense, the disbeliever is honest and does not cheat himself.  The person whose actions, emotions, and beliefs are constantly in contradiction is a hypocrite.  He lives in great disharmony, not only within society, but also within himself.  He says what his heart denies, and displays the opposite emotion of what he truly feels.  This contradiction places the hypocrite under immense stress, as the constant fear of being exposed haunts them.

How does Allah treat the hypocrite?  Precisely as the hypocrite chose to treat him or herself.  In the hereafter, God will burden the hypocrite with more fear and contradiction, as the following verse illustrates: 

Until when they reach it, their ears, their eyes, and their skins will bear witness against them as to all that they did habitually.  They will ask their skins, "Why have you borne witness against us?" They will answer: "God Who makes everything speak has made us speak." It is He Who has created you in the first instance, and to Him you are being brought back. (41:20-21)

Here you can clearly see how the disharmony the hypocrites chose for themselves in this world carries with them to the hereafter.  All the abilities and faculties they used in deception will overrule them as the hypocrite's tongue, hands, legs, and skin bear witness against him or her. 

When you read the verse:

And among the people are those who say, 'We have faith in Allah and the Last Day,' but they have no faith. (2:8)

You can see that the hypocrites go through the motions of belief and worship, while concealing contempt and disbelief in their hearts.  Similarly, Allah lets them enjoy the superficial advantages of living within the Muslim society, while denying them the true benefits and rewards.  When they go to the mosque to perform prayers, they are not rewarded.  When they pay the Zakat almsgiving, it brings them the misery of losing their money, while denying them the rewards of the hereafter.  

God continues in the next verse:

They seek to deceive God and the believers, but they only deceive themselves, though they do not realize it (Chapter 2: Verse 9)

This verse highlights the second quality of the hypocrites: foolishness.  They are attempting, through their words and actions, to deceive God and the believers.  We ask: Can anyone deceive their Creator?  Not a chance.

Let's start by defining deception: It is the measures and acts designed to mislead the enemy by manipulation, distortion, or falsification of evidence so the enemy would act against his or her interests.  God Almighty is All-Knowing, All-aware.  He knows what we conceal and declare; He knows our secrets and that which is more hidden than a secret.  What is more hidden than a secret?  A secret is something you confide to someone else.  Thus, only two people know it: you and your friend.  There are things, however, that you keep to yourself and not share with anyone.  God Almighty says,

Though you speak out loud, He knows your secrets and what is even more concealed. (20:7)

Thus, no creation has the capability to deceive or hide anything from his or her Creator.  So, when the hypocrites speak and act assuming that they are deceiving God, they are, in fact, only fooling themselves.  The only reward they get in return is an increase in God's wrath and punishment.

The hypocrites also attempt to deceive the believers.  While they may briefly succeed, their constant lying puts them in a constant state of fear.  They are worried about being overheard when they discuss disbelief and ridicule faith.  Every time there is a noise or commotion nearby, they assume the worst.  Even a rumor puts them in a state of paranoia because even a slip of the tongue may expose their hypocrisy and disbelief. 

Moreover, the Lord comes to support and protect the believers.  He helps us recognize the signs of hypocrisy as illustrated in the following verse,

We could even point them out to you if We wished, and then you could identify them by their marks, but you will know them anyway by the tone of their speech.  God knows everything people do.  (47:30)

And in another chapter,

When the hypocrites come to you, they say, 'We bear witness that you are the Messenger of God.' God knows that you truly are His Messenger and He bears witness that the hypocrites are liars (63:1)

This aya relates the incident of the hypocrites coming to Muhammad, peace be upon him, to declare their faith.  God Almighty affirms that their statement "you are the Messenger of God" is correct, yet at the same time He calls them liars.  How can this be?  The answer is found within the hypocrites' hearts.  They only testified with their tongues that Muhammad is the Messenger of God, while their hearts denied it.  In order for a person to be truthful, what he or she says with the tongue has to match what is in the heart.  Thus, although what the hypocrites said was true, they were liars.

If the hypocrite's actions do not betray them, it is only a matter of time before a false word or careless remark exposes them.  And while they may succeed in deceiving their fellow humans, this deception is short-lived.  God helps his prophet and the believers to unmask the hypocrites and their beliefs.  At the end, they are only deceiving themselves and bringing ruin to their future. 

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