Quran Garden

Session 506

Chapter 3

Verse 179

God would not leave the believers in the state they are in till He has sifted the evil from the good; nor will God reveal the secrets of the Unknown.  But God chooses from His messengers whoever He will.  So believe in God and His messengers: if you believe and stay mindful, you will have a great reward.  (Chapter 3: Verse 179)

Before the Battle of Uhud, the hypocrites were mixed amid the Muslims.  Allah would not leave mattes muddied with a hidden threat among the believers.  Thus, it was necessary to expose them.  The hypocrites could be revealed in one of two ways: By God informing His Messenger of who they are, or by events like the battle of Uhud.  Let's study each option.

God could have pointed out each hypocrite to His Messenger, who, in turn, would announce their names to the Muslims.  This would have been a one-sided theoretical diagnosis of hypocrisy and would have looked like an act of discrimination and singling out of individuals who –on the surface- have done nothing wrong.  Many hypocrites would surely deny the charge and act shocked at the accusation.  Thus, God opted not to "reveal the secrets of the Unknown." Instead, the Almighty chose the real-life test of Uhud as a practical experiment to expose the reality of people.  Now, when they are uncovered through their actions, they dare not object.  Hypocrisy would no longer be words thrown around but tangible actions for all to see.  Uhud was a purification of the Muslim ranks.  God says,  

He sends water from the sky that fills riverbeds to over?owing, each according to its measure.  The stream carries on its surface a growing layer of foam, like the froth that appears when people melt metals in the fire to make ornaments and tools: in this way God illustrates truth and falsehood- the froth disappears, but what is of benefit to people stays behind- this is how God makes illustrations.  (13:17)

During easy times, the hypocrites were the first to rush to pray in the front rows.  Why?  Because every hypocrite wanted to hide their duplicity behind a veil of piety.  Muslims competed in prayers, so the hypocrites rushed to be in the first row.  God tells His beloved Muhammad,

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 you people do.  (47:30)

If you listen closely, the hypocrite's tongue would inevitably slip and give him or her away.  This is as accurate today as it was at the time of the Prophet.  Watch out for the hints people drop.  For example, when a believer sits with a group of friends and it's time for prayer, he may say, "Let us go pray." In response, he may get sarcastic comments such as, "Take me on your wing to Paradise."  Or when a believer enters a gathering, he may be mocked, "How are you our Shaykh!?" Don't we see this scenario play out in our societies today?  Don't we hear people making fun of scholars as squares and out of touch with modernity?  

People make light of situations they are uncomfortable with.  Because the believers are strong enough to curb their whims and say no to temptations, they expose the weakness of those who cannot.  That is where the mocking starts: misery loves company, and the weak try to pull the faithful away from their beliefs.  Instead of being dragged down or peer pressured into doing something against your faith, you should use this negative energy as fuel and proof you are on the right path.  God says,   

The wicked used to laugh at the believers, wink at one another as they passed by them, and joke about them when they returned to their folks.  When they saw them, they said: "They have indeed gone astray," though they were not sent to be their keepers (83:29-33)

Allah informs you that the mocking continues behind closed doors when the disbeliever goes home.  He or she may boast before their family: "I had so much fun today making fun of this nerdy religious man." Such scenes teach us that the entire environment of the hypocrite is corrupt, so you should run away from it.  God says,

On that Day the evildoer will bite his own hand and say, "If only I had taken the same path as the Messenger.  Woe is me!  If only I had not taken so and so as a close friend- he led me away from the Revelation after it reached me.  Satan has always betrayed humankind."

(25:27-29)

God reassures the believers that they will be compensated for their patience and self-control.  He says,

So today the believers are laughing at the disbelievers as they sit on couches, gazing in wonder.  Have the disbelievers been repaid for what they used to do? (83:34-36)

We answer: Yes, our Lord, they are fully repaying for their actions.  The mockery of the hypocrites and disbelievers had a temporary duration in this worldly life, but mockery in the Hereafter never ends.  Thus, the believers are the true winners.  Allah will expose the wrongdoers in this world and then punish them in the Hereafter.  He says,

God would not leave the believers in the state they are in till He has sifted the evil from the good; nor will God reveal the secrets of the Unknown.

When Allah reveals the reality of a hypocrite through life events, it will be clear for all to see and, thus, humiliating.  This is because many people spend their entire lives pretending to walk the straight path, but faith needs to be proven through tests and actions.  God says,

Do you suppose that you will enter the Garden without first having suffered like those before you?  They were afflicted by misfortune and hardship, and they were so shaken that even the messenger and the believers with him cried, 'When will God's help arrive?' Truly, God's help is near. (2:214)