Page 19 - The Hypocrite According to the Qur'an

The Fundamental Traits Of Hypocrites

they are alone, or with other hypocrites, they are never con-
scious that Allah sees them at every instant, and that He knows
whatever they may be doing or thinking. Due to the impurity
of their faith, they fulfill their acts of worship when they are
with the believers. They act and speak as they do when they
are among them. Yet, once they are alone, they cease perform-
ing their acts of worship, speak as disbelievers do, and are
heedless as disbelievers are towards Allah. And, however
good their skills at imitation may be, Allah has stated in the
Qur'an that the hypocrites will be certainly exposed. Allah re-
lates this truth as follows:
Among the people there are some who say, “We be-
lieve in Allah and the Last Day,” when they are not
believers. They think they deceive Allah and those
who believe. They deceive no one but themselves but
they are not aware of it. There is a sickness in their
hearts and Allah has increased their sickness. They
will have a painful punishment on account of their
denial. (Surat al-Baqara, 8-10)
In another verse, Allah describes the condition of the hyp-
ocrites as follows:
The hypocrites think they deceive Allah, but He is
deceiving them... (Surat an-Nisa’, 142)

Their Outward Behavior Is To Deceive
Hypocrites are not recognizable by their outer appear-
ances; rather, in that respect, they may be no different from sin-
cere people. In the Qur’an, Allah refers to their ostentatious
appearance, and their elaborate way of speaking:

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