Page 95 - Satan: The Sworn Enemy of Mankind

Satan's Faction: The Hypocrites
Hypocrites often claim to have fear of Allah. Yet, none among them
exhibits harboring such fear in their actions. This is yet another feature
which hypocrites share with Satan. Despite declaring that he fears
Allah, Satan nevertheless commits terrible crimes, such as encouraging
people to rebel. Instead of begging for Allah's forgiveness, he seeks to
turn people from His path. Here is a further similarity he shares with
the hypocrites: having no fear of Allah, nor showing that fear in their be-
havior, despite being aware of Allah's might.
This irrational lack of fear at times prompts the hypocrites to try to
deceive Allah. The case of the mindset of the hypocrites referred to in
Surat at-Tawba is one instance of this. Under the pretense of giving to
charity and spending of their wealth in His cause, it is increase in prop-
erty which they seek from Allah. When Allah increases their wealth,
they become miserly, thus failing in their promise to Him.
Among them there were some who made an agreement with
Allah: "If He gives us of His bounty we will definitely give
charity and be among the righteous." But when He does give
them of His bounty they are tight-fisted with it and turn away.
(Surat at-Tawba, 75-76)
They imagine they have deceived Allah. The fact is, however, that,
in return for their misdeeds, Allah will punish severely those who seek
to sow discord by making them victims themselves of that which they
seek to foment. These people, while pursuing the fulfillment of their
own base desires, are unaware that they are jeopardizing the life they
will live in eternity, being like other hypocrites, in merely deceiving
themselves. Their condition is revealed in the Qur'an:
So He has punished them by putting hypocrisy in their hearts
until the day they meet Him because they failed Allah in what
they promised Him and because they lied. (Surat at-Tawba, 77)

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