Page 290 - The Profound Darkness of the Hypocrite

THE PROFOUND DARKNESS OF THE HYPOCRITE

As long as they are not spotted by Muslims, hypocrites keep acting shamelessly
and dishonorably because they don't believe that God sees and knows everything
they do. Hypocrites only attach importance to what people say. Once they believe
that they can hide themselves from other people, they brazenly continue their
hypocrisy and their sneaky plots. God turns this recklessness of the hypocrites into

a blessing for Muslims. Because of hypocrites, Muslims attain profundity in the

spiritual sense and become more powerful.

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L LEARNING ABOUT THE SIGNS OOF HYPOCRISY BENEFITS MUSLIMS
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In a hadith, our Prophet (pbuh) explained the difference between hypocrites

and Muslims with the words:. "By God, Who there is no god except Him, there

has never passed away or lived a believer except he was afraid of hypocrisy. And
there has never passed away or lived a hypocrite except he believed he was safe
from hypocrisy." (Bukhari, ''Iman'', 36; Abu Bakr Ja'far al-Firyabi, Sifat an-Nifaq,
Beirut 1985, p. 60) A person who fears God when he learns about the signs of
hypocrisy is called a Muslim. No matter how morally upright he may be, a faithful
person ponders all admonitions and reminders given in the Qur'an without making

any discrimination between them.

This is the attitude of a sincere Muslim, because God proclaimed in the

Qur'an: "No indeed! Truly man is unbridled seeing himself as self-sufficient."

(Surat al-Alaq: 6-7) In these verses, it is related that people who regard themselves
as self-sufficient and superior and who think that they don't need anything will
go rampant and swerve from the right path. That is why Muslims ponder upon
these verses and take a lesson from every sign of hypocrisy and immediately

reform themselves. They try to improve their morality, attitudes and the way

they speak.

While Muslims relate the signs of hypocrisy, they never regard themselves as

contented. That is because these verses of the Qur'an address Muslims the most.
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Each verse of the Qur'an addresses all human beings. Consequently, while Muslims
explain the verses about hypocrites, they primarily address themselves, and not a
particular group. They take each and every sign of hypocrisy personally, and while
they talk about these signs, they do so by taking them all to heart.

Indeed hypocrites, in their own feeble minds, never deal with these verses and

such statements of Muslims. It is the Muslims alone who are affected by these

verses. It is Muslims alone who read the Qur'an and heed the admonitions therein.

The hypocrites, on the other hand, do not even turn their ear to these remarks.

They neither listen to nor understand them. Every word Muslims hear, however,
grants them robustness in the sense of their faith, an openness of mind and
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