Page 48 - The Profound Darkness of the Hypocrite

THE PROFOUND DARKNESS OF THE HYPOCRITE

The Israelites had been living under oppression and infliction of pain in the
lands they abandoned; nevertheless they were yearning for their past lives. For this
reason, they turned to the Prophet Moses (pbuh) and said, 'We want the civilization,
the quality of life, the cuisine; in short we want back the life we left there. We
can't find those here in the desert. We miss our old lives. Even though we were
slaves and we were humiliated, we still want to go back to that culture, to the life
Pharaoh offered to us.'

Instead of feeling grateful and delighted at the fact that they were saved from

the brutality and tyranny they experienced under the Pharaoh's rule, they still

longed for the life the Pharaoh had given them. They said, 'The quality way of life,

the wealth and the Egyptian culture under the rule of Pharaoh were good; it

was a modern environment, but now we are living in a desert,' and they com-

plained about their current condition, wanting to return to being under the Pharaoh's

government. Yet, if they were people with sincere faith, their only purpose would

be living for God, no matter the place or the circumstances. They would be thankful

for the blessings God has bestowed upon them. However, because they didn't have

sincere faith, at the expense of living under the Pharaoh's oppressive rule, they

were still longing for the Pharaoh's flamboyant life, the pyramids, and the opportu-

nities they wanted to take advantage of.

With examples like these from the Prophet Moses' (pbuh) tribe, God informs

us that in every era, hypocrites have always shown an admiration for the life of

unbelievers. Instead of standing together with those who have faith and being

thankful for and delighted at the blessings God has given them, they desire to live

like unbelievers, possess the things unbelievers deem important, speak like them,

dress like them, eat and drink like them; they desire the same flamboyance that un-

believers put on airs with. Of course, an environment including modernity, civi-

lization and magnificence is a beauty that will delight humans. However, the tribe

of the Prophet Moses (pbuh) preferred leaving their Prophet's side distancing

from the true religion, only in exchange for these opportunities. They found it

more charming to live under Pharaoh's unbearable tortures. In the Qur'an, God

relates this behavior of the tribe of the Prophet Moses (pbuh) as follows:

And when Moses was looking for water for his people, We said 'Strike the
rock with your staff.' Then twelve fountains gushed out from it and all the
people knew their drinking place. 'Eat and drink of God's provision and do
not go about the earth corrupting it.'
And when you said, 'Moses, we will not put up with just one kind of food so
ask your Lord to supply to us some of what the earth produces – its green
vegetables, cucumbers, grains, lentils and onions,' he said, 'Do you want to

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