THE HYPOCRITES STAYING BEHIND LOVE TO BE PRAISED FOR WHAT THEY HAVE NOT DONE

Abu Sa'id Khudri reported that during the lifetime of God's Messenger (saas), the hypocrites behaved in this way that when God's Apostle (saas) set out for a battle; they kept themselves behind, and they became happy that they had managed to sit in the house contrary to (the act of) God's Messenger (saas), and when God's Apostle (saas) came back, they put forward excuses and took oaths and wished that people would laud them for the deeds which they had not done. It was on this occasion that this verse was revealed: "Those who exult in what they have done and love to be praised for what they have not done should not suppose that they have escaped the punishment. They will have a painful punishment" (Surah Al-Imran, Verse 188).