Muslims Approach Hypocrites with the Morality of the Qur’an

A Hypocrite Can Never Definitively Be Diagnosed as a “Hypocrite”

If We wished, We would show them to you and you would know them by their mark and know them by their ambivalent speech. God knows your actions. (Surah Muhammad, 30)

In this verse, God says “If We wished, We would show them to you.” A Muslim can never make a definitive diagnosis about anyone and call him “a hypocrite.” That is because no one is empowered to know the actual sincerity and faith in one’s heart. This knowledge lies only in God’s Sight. Concluding in this world that a person is a hypocrite is the same as saying that person is definitely doomed to go to hell. A Muslim can in no way arrive at such a conclusion about anyone. Believers know that the knowledge regarding this is hidden only in God’s Sight. They also know that without knowing God’s decree, it would be unlawful for them to arrive to such a conclusion. Even when evidence surfaces regarding one’s hypocrisy, a Muslim can only remark, “he has the characteristics of a hypocrite” or “he displays the morality of a hypocrite.” However, God says that He may relate to His messengers about these insincere people by means of revelation if He wills so.

Nevertheless, in the same verse God also informs, “you would know them by their mark.” From this verse we understand that ‘the filthy, insincere and insidious soul of the hypocrites is manifested on their faces.’ God creates a sign of hypocrisy, one that can never be concealed, on the face of hypocrites who hide filth in their hearts. This is how He introduces Muslims to those people with whom they should be cautious.

Along with this, God also draws attention with this verse to the insidious and hidden nature of hypocrites. Hypocrites are beings that can never be fully diagnosed. If a definitive diagnosis could be made, Muslims would never keep these people among them; they would isolate them and not befriend them. A hypocrite is “a manifestation of satan.” This being the case, just like Muslims avoid satan and try to keep their distance from him, if they were assured of the hypocrites, they would assume the same attitude. But because they can never be definitively sure about it, no matter how suspicious Muslims may be about people with the character of a hypocrite, they can never arrive at a certain conclusion and they continue to keep these people in their community.

This is a special situation God creates as a requisite of Muslims’ trial in this world. The presence of a person with hypocritical character in a Muslim community surely brings many hardships along with it, against which Muslims must persevere. Although Muslims suspect certain people to be hypocrites, they patiently continue to approach them with the morality of the Qur’an, in the hope that one day they may be rightly guided.

However, each of these hardships leads to great blessings and beauties for the Muslims, both in this world and the Hereafter. That is because a hypocrite, at the same time, is an important part of the Muslim’s training in this world. Witnessing flaws in the character of the hypocrite becomes instrumental for Muslims to be able to reconsider their own character, as a result of which they become more devoted Muslims with even deeper faith and more perfect morality.

One Needs To Follow the Hypocrites Patiently and Cautiously, and Learn About Their Satanic Arts

Since the beginning of history, God has created good and evil together and has wanted people to choose the right one by employing their conscience. No doubt if God willed so, He could have created the world as a place abounding with goodness and beauties alone. He might have never created evil. But with much hidden wisdom, God created good and evil together.

Satan, the advocate and leader of evil, struggles to make wickedness and perversion dominate the world by inspiring his own philosophy in unbelievers and hypocrites. Each hypocrite and unbeliever is a follower and soldier of satan. Upon the instructions they receive from their leader, they make efforts to make sincere believers who advocate a swerve from the true path and turn them into followers of satan.

This is one of the main commitments of hypocrites among Muslims; trying to spread satan’s evil arts, his perverse world and insidious morality among Muslims. That is why a hypocrite is a ‘representative of satan’, who embodies ‘the wicked arts of satan’, ‘his insidious methods to divert people’ and ‘his shady plots’. For this reason, in order to learn about and defeat satan’s wicked arts, ‘a hypocrite becomes an important instrument for observation’ for Muslims.

Hypocrites become instrumental for Muslims to understand the meaning of some verses of the Qur'an. The corrupted morality of these insincere people, the plots they hatch, and the insidious methods they employ become means to diagnose the character of the hypocrite much more accurately. If only sincere believers were present in a Muslim community, that would surely be a blessing. No one likes to coexist with hypocrites; no one likes to feel their presence. But once this becomes the case, it never turns out to be a harm for Muslims. In contrast, the presence of hypocrites always turns out to be good for Muslims. For a Muslim, each of the evil acts carried out by hypocrites every day, every word they utter, and every insidiousness they carry out, present a new opportunity for observation and analysis.

Hypocrites are thus instrumental in improving Muslims’ wisdom. Observing the hypocrite himself is an important guide for Muslims when comprehending ‘the character of the hypocrite’ depicted in the Qur'an. In the absence of hypocrites, the details and intricate points relating to this character could not be very well understood. However, as the statement “the beacon of satan will illuminate the darkness at your destination” (Mason Dergisi [The Masonic Journal], vol.29, p.23) accentuates, ‘the light presented by the hypocrite shows us the entire world’. In other words, the beacon of their dark world enlightens many places in which Muslims can see many things. Otherwise, without the presence of hypocrites, it would be very difficult for Muslims to see and recognize the methods of hypocrites on their own.

That is why hypocrites must be left to their own devices so that Muslims can observe them well. As long as they assume that they are not being noticed, they will continue to apply the most insidious and evil arts they have learned from satan, and thus give Muslims the opportunity to observe and monitor them. This will enable the Muslims to understand the methods of the hypocrites down to the tiniest detail. This way they can render the activities of satan and hypocrites ineffective very easily. It is much more rational to analyze the hypocrites without letting them notice it rather than implying that they have been noticed because this would lead the hypocrites to disguise themselves. Both our Prophet (saas) and the Prophet Moses (pbuh) employed this method against the hypocrites around them and thus monitored them very carefully.

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.

Learning About the Signs of Hypocrisy Benefits Muslims

In a hadith, our Prophet (saas) 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. 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 vigilance. They seize the opportunity to correct even the slightest fallacy in their hearts.

Consequently, everything written down and told impacts Muslims. Since unbelievers do not adopt Islam from the very beginning, they never take what is told to heart. Hypocrites are already hostile to God and religion. They don’t accept anything they are told. The only ones who will ponder over these issues and comprehend them are genuine Muslims, the friends of God.

The existence of hypocrites constantly turns out to be good for Muslims

A person who is not knowledgeable about the verses of the Qur'an may think that the non-existence of hypocrites in a Muslim community is in favor of Muslims. He assumes everything would be much better this way. However, the existence of hypocrites, though it may seem to be otherwise on the surface, is a great mercy for Muslims. Although one of the things that hypocrites desire the most is “to do harm to Muslims”, hypocrites unwillingly and involuntarily benefit Muslims constantly. In the Qur'an, God explains that the presence of hypocrites is not malice but it is goodness.

There is a group of you who propagated the lie.* Do not suppose it to be bad for you; rather it is good for you. Every one of them will incur the evil he has earned and the one who took it on himself to amplify it will receive a terrible punishment. (Surah an-Nur, 11)

If Muslims were to write down all the goodness, though unwillingly, that hypocrites had caused upon them, that list would be quite long. That is because the presence of a person whom they suspect to be insincere, treacherous and nefariously plot against Muslims would surely very seriously cause “vigilance” in Muslims.

The possibility that there is a hypocrite among them opens the minds and increases the attention of Muslims to the utmost point. These put an end to lethargy, distractibility and inertia, if there is any. The love and respect of sincere and trustworthy Muslims towards each other grows to the end. The spirit of unity and solidarity, their power of acting together and the habit of counseling improves even more. The effort of taking rational precautions against hypocrites at all times allows Muslims to gain experience about how they must treat these insincere people. All these aspects make Muslims become more mature and open their minds even more.

Muslims respond to people who display evil morality with the morality of the Qur'an and the wisdom of the Qur’an and thus earn great merits in the Sight of God. Meanwhile, everyone better understands that conscious Muslims of sound and open mind with moral perfection are a great blessing compared to people with the character of hypocrites. Hence, Muslims embrace the Qur'an even more. They always bring up signs of hypocrisy, perform a much better analysis of these signs thus it becomes instrumental for all Muslims to have a deeper understanding of hypocrites. Muslims constantly remember God, read the Qur'an and carry out activities explaining the character of hypocrites to people. In this way, they also communicate the message of Islam.

It is an important attribute of Muslims to be patient in the anticipation that hypocrites might have faith and to call them to the morality of the Qur'an

He said, ‘My Lord, because You misled me, I will make things on the earth seem good to them and I will mislead them all, every one of them, except Your servants among them who are sincere.’ (Surat al-Hijr: 39-40)

In the verses above, God informs us that satan may take all forms to make all the people in the world veer away from the true path. Until Judgment Day, satan will make every effort to misguide people without making any differentiation among them.

However as the same verse relates, “except Your servants among them who are sincere”, satan will have no impact over those who are sincere in their love of God. Consequently, one has the opportunity to get rid of the influence of satan at any period in his life, no matter who he is - a hypocrite, an idolater or a denier - if he so truly desires, his determination to be sincere shall be sufficient to eliminate the impact of the satan upon him.

This being the case, Muslims should never forget that a person always has the ability to repent before he faces death, even if he exhibits too many signs of a hypocrite, and no matter how treacherous or immoral he might have been previously. That is why Muslims never approach anyone thinking, “He once committed such and such wrongdoings and sins, so redemption is no longer possible for him.” They know that God may forgive everyone who sincerely repents and proceeds down the path of righteousness. For this reason, in presence of anyone they suspect to be a hypocrite, Muslims will approach him with this high level of consciousness and conscience brought about by the morality of the Qur'an.

Otherwise, it would be quite easy for Muslims to distance themselves from anyone suspected to be treacherous and vile and thus live their lives at ease. However, this person has the possibility of “being remorseful of his mistakes and turn to the righteous path.” Pushing such a person even more into his dark world and evil ways, “leaving him alone with satan” is not a situation Muslims can accept with good conscience.

That is why Muslims patiently and decisively try to call hypocrites to the morality of the Qur'an and educate them about righteous manners, hoping that they may one day sincerely believe, stop their hypocritical ways and allow themselves to be guided. In order to make them understand what their pretexts would amount to and the response they would receive in God’s Sight, they explain the “the signs of hypocrites” to them. They approach them with moral perfection, conscience, love, understanding and forgiveness, and try to make them see the difference between the morality of Muslims and the cruelty and ignominy of the irreligious.

However, while doing all of this, Muslims try to prevent hypocrites from causing insidious harm to the Muslim community and pacify their evil acts. This is like a snake that you release after detoxifying or dismantling its teeth. This is how you can prevent the snake from poisoning anyone. Similarly, the venom of hypocrites should calmly be rendered ineffective.

This entire process is the kind of morality Muslims carry out as worship because they live by the morality of the Qur'an. Hypocrites may feel affected by these efforts and be guided, or they may continue their hypocritical ways with determination; this is not a situation over which Muslims have any control. This only happens by God’s will. If it is something God has predetermined for them, hypocrites may feel great penitence and become very sincere, truly God-fearing, God-loving Muslims. If they are created as hypocrites in their destiny, no matter how much effort Muslims may put forth, hypocrites ultimately join the ranks of the irreligious.

Yet Muslims can never determine this on their own. Unless hypocrites want to leave the community of Muslims, Muslims never tell them that they do not like them or to leave. That is because pushing a person towards irreligion against his will is by no means compatible with the Islamic faith.

That aside, according to the Qur'an, Muslims are responsible for protecting one another. In the Qur'an there is “the system of guardianship.” Believers are one another’s guardian, protector, friend and helper. They are responsible for protecting one another as they would their own brother. And so, as long as hypocrites say, “La ilaha illa Allah”, that is to say, “There is no god other than God”, the system of guardianship among Muslims also holds true for them. Consequently Muslims cannot isolate someone on the possibility that he may be a hypocrite. In order to make such a definite diagnosis, God must reveal this information to His prophet by way of revelation. Since a prophet does not live in our age, Muslims can never arrive to a conclusion to say that a person is a hypocrite. Excluding a person from the Muslim community by making such a decision and pushing him toward irreligion would be “unlawful.”

Why do Muslims communicate the message of Islam to the irreligious? To be instrumental in helping unbelievers have faith. While Muslims patiently communicate the message of Islam to the irreligious, it would be contradictory and wrong not to do the same thing for hypocrites. Just as Muslims make no discrimination between atheists, the irreligious and those who are against the true Islam while continuing to preach Islam, they therefore must explain Islam to the hypocrite. No matter how abnormal, prickly, irritable and immoral the hypocrites may be, a Muslim is responsible for being patient with him. The more patience he displays, the more merits he earns.

Moreover no one other than God can know who is destined for heaven or hell. Anyone assumed to be a “hypocrite” may repent and go to heaven while the one making such an assumption may go to hell. The information regarding this only rests in God’s Sight. The Qur'an renders “despair” to be unlawful. In the Qur'an, God decrees: “Do not despair of solace from God. No one despairs of solace from God except for people who are disbelievers.” (Surah Yusuf, 87) That is because God is Almighty; He has the might to do anything He wills. Therefore, Muslims can never despair of one’s guidance or his turning to the righteous path after reforming himself.

This is why Muslims never ostracize hypocrites and leave them together with the irreligious. Even if it lasts for a very long time, they patiently try to educate hypocrites in line with the morality of the Qur'an. They persevere because hypocrites can sometimes be healed. In some cases, however, in line with the verse, “If someone shuts his eyes to the remembrance of the All-Merciful, We assign him to satan, who becomes his bosom friend” (Surat az-Zukhruf, 36). Satan envelops hypocrites and never leaves them. Yet in other cases, God removes satan’s influence over the hypocrites. Then that person is suddenly revived and comes to his senses as if he had been dead.

This is similar to the case of a patient in coma, as the people around him wait to pull the plug. Just as we can never lose hope for a person in coma, the same holds true for hypocrites. It is unacceptable to unplug the patient and leave him to die. Similarly, it would be wrong to “make a definitive decision” about hypocrites. Some patients never make it out of the coma. Some, on the other hand, wake up after years and survive. For this reason, just like waiting for the patient to come out of his coma, we need to show effort for hypocrites and patiently wait for the possibility that they may be rightly guided and have sincere faith.