The Hypocrite’s Immorality and Ruses (1/7)

Muslims act in accordance with their ‘conscience’ while hypocrites act with their ‘logic’

The lives of believers and the lives of people who don’t have Muslim morals are completely different. One of its most significant indications is that believers act with their ‘conscience’ whereas unbelievers act with their ‘logic’. In every incident they face, every step they take, every word they say, in all their thoughts and all their choices Muslims listen to the voice of their conscience. On the other hand, unbelievers do earthly sums within these phases and act with reasoning everything out. Thereby, a person who decides to live in accordance with Muslim morality should definitely query himself about it and check whether he is acting with his ‘conscience’ or ‘logic’.

In fact, someone who is saying that he has faith in God but hasn’t queried himself may answer questions like “What has changed in your life after being a Muslim?” as “I have been performing prayer and heeding what is unlawful.” Of course these are requirements to live by the tenets of Islam and starting to pay attention to them is profoundly important. But a Muslim should also be different from other people by this means: “You used to act with your logic, but from now on you will act with your conscience. God will inspire it to your conscience all times and you will listen to the voice of your conscience. Your habit of acting with logic without heeding your conscience has come to an end.’’

Despite believing in God, thinking with logic and steering his life in its direction instead of morals of the Qur'an and his conscience will leave a person in a double-dealing character and prevent him from having a sincere faith.

This is exactly how hypocrites spend their lives: with constant ‘logical calculations’. In the Qur'an, God draws attention to this immorality of hypocrites:

If it had been a case of easy gains and a short journey, they would have followed you, but the distance was too great for them. They will swear by God: “Had we been able to, we would have gone out with you.” They are destroying their own selves. God knows that they are lying. (Surat at-Tawba, 42)

In this verse it is told that in order to be with Muslims, hypocrites look for ‘easy gains’, namely they look for benefits, which can be gained anytime soon. Acting with logic, hypocrites keep their ‘personal benefits’ above anything else in the world. Therefore, while making a choice they assess from whom they can get more benefit with less effort and then choose their side accordingly. Furthermore, it is important for them to get benefits that are tactile, namely tangible. The verse reveals hypocrites’ mentality explicitly. If there are ‘easy gains’ which ‘can be obtained anytime soon’ and ‘can be gained without effort’ then hypocrites may be on Muslims’ side. But when these conditions don’t exist they start looking for other places to rip advantage.

As you can see, in every phase of a hypocrite’s life, in every choice he makes there is this irreligious characteristic which is very important in recognizing the hypocritical character.

Hypocrites side with not the party of truth, but the one they believe to be powerful and showy

One of the main character traits of hypocrites is that they instantly side with the powerful. This is one of the main characteristics of insincere people. Their craving for irreligion arises from their mistaken assumption that unbelievers are more powerful and showier than Muslims in every part of the world and in every field. But when Muslims gain power all over the world, this time they immediately sidle up to Muslims and try to ‘show themselves as one of the most pious amongst the Muslims’.

In every historic period, hypocrites have shown this character trait. When the tenets of Islam will reign over the world in the End Times that we are living in now, hypocritical people will try to look like Muslims’ proponents. God informs us about their insincere behavior in the Qur'an as follows:

They [hypocrites] will call out to them, “Were we not with you?” They will reply, “Indeed you were. But you made trouble for yourselves and hung back and doubted and false hopes deluded you until God’s command arrived. The deluder deluded you about God.” (Surat al-Hadid, 14)

Those who anticipate the worst for you say, “Were we not with you?” whenever you gain a victory from God, but if the unbelievers have a success they say, “Did we not have the upper hand over you and yet in spite of that keep the believers away from you?” God will judge between you on the Day of Resurrection. God will not give the unbelievers any way against the believers. (Surat an-Nisa’, 141)

In these verses it is stated that when Muslims reach success and gain a victory, in order to exploit their power, hypocrites instantly come and say “Were we not with you?” In such a case, hypocrites, despite all their overt insincere attitudes, can unashamedly proclaim, “We have already been with you”. The reason of this is of course their fatuousness. Hypocrites are sure that their abnormal attitudes which are incompatible with Muslim morality, their insincerity, double-dealing and hidden insidious activities are not noticed. Thus when they say things like “We have already been with you, we made Islamic morality reign over the world together, we endeavored together’’ hypocrites think that their reasoning would be given credence to right away.

As it is stated in the continuation of the verse, when power is gained by unbelievers, this time hypocrites go to them and say “Did we not have the upper hand over you and yet in spite of that keep the believers away from you?” This is the obvious manifestation of the hypocrites’ disingenuousness. Hypocrites take sides with the people who are more influential, successful and showy in accordance with their own benefit estimations.

In the Qur'an, God reveals that these profit calculations, which the hypocrites make with their logic, won’t do them any good. Hypocrites have acted with their logic in previous periods of history, and took sides with those they thought were powerful and high-handed. They thought that the benefits they get would make them gain power and authority. God informs of their situation with the words, “...so enjoy your portion as those before you enjoyed theirs. You have plunged into defamation as they plunged into it…” Showy and garish benefits they gained couldn’t save them from torment of God. God reveals that these people are disappointed both in this world and in the hereafter:

Like those [hypocrites and unbelievers] before you who had greater strength than you and more wealth and children. They enjoyed their portion; so enjoy your portion as those before you enjoyed theirs. You have plunged into defamation as they plunged into it. The actions of such people come to nothing in the world or the hereafter. They are the lost. (Surat at-Tawba, 69)

Hypocrites are always seeking benefit

Hypocrites think that gaining little and trivial benefits regarding worldly life is much more important than attaining God’s approval. In the Qur'an God informs us of their character as follows:

… Whereas another group became prey to anxious thoughts, thinking other than the truth about God – thoughts belonging to the Time of Ignorance – saying, ‘Do we have any say in the affair at all?’ Say, ‘The affair belongs entirely to God.’ They are concealing things inside themselves which they do not disclose to you, saying, ‘If we had only had a say in the affair, none of us would have been killed here in this place.’ (Surah Al ‘Imran, 154)

Hypocrites strictly avoid making an effort on something, which will please God and be favorable in the way of Islam. When they are asked any help, they avoid doing it by ‘various lies, distractions, postponements and impostures’. Since they don’t attach importance to God’s approval, they think that endeavoring for such efforts will not give them ‘a tangible benefit’. In their way, they find it unnecessary and meaningless to ‘strive for and get tired for something which will come to naught’. As they act with their logic instead of conscience, hypocrites don’t have any interest, desire, enthusiasm or excitement for making an effort like this. For that reason as it is stated in the verse when they are required to do something for Islam, their first attitude is like “Do we have any say in the affair at all?’’

In the continuation of the verse it is stated that they say “If we had only had a say in the affair, none of us would have been killed here in this place.” Hypocrites in the era of our Prophet (pbuh) mentioned that if they acted in unison with Muslims they wouldn’t get any benefit and also there would be a risk of them being killed. Thus they saw acting in concord with our Prophet (pbuh) as a big loss for themselves.

However, if God wishes, they would definitely die there or at any other place. Estimating profits will not help avoiding death or any other harm that can find them. Likewise, if God wishes any benefit for them, if God wishes to grant them blessings, even in the toughest conditions these will find them. But since hypocrites cannot evaluate incidents with the point of view of Muslims, they are not conscious of these important truths.

Hypocrites try to show themselves as one of the most pious among Muslims

Hypocrites are past masters at taking shapes as they wish. They have ‘an evil intelligence and willpower’ which can make them appear with a totally opposite personality of the character they used to have. They can turn into a character they want depending on the place they are, people they talk, subjects being talked about and conditions. When they are with unbelievers they talk with ‘manners of the irreligious’ as if they are one of them, with idolatrous characters they talk with ‘pagan logic’, and when they are with hypocrites they use the ‘dialect of the hypocrite’.

Also hypocrites, by means of their evil intelligence, have properly observed the Muslim morality, which is opposite to all these characters. Thus when it is needed, when they want to ‘show themselves innocent, wreathe a hidden activity, shape an opinion that they give up on being hypocritical or seeking insidious activities’ they instantly adapt an attitude similar to a pious Muslim. As a matter of fact, they can purport to be a person who is well intentioned, sincere, honest, trying to attain God’s approval and side with Muslims with perfect details, which cannot be interpreted out of countenance. Under normal conditions hypocrites are extremely despicable, insidious, snob, insolent, arrogant, squabbling in quarrel, maligner, trying to disturb Muslims by causing trouble all the time, perpetrating to prevent Muslims’ blessed activities and put a damper on them, however, when they want they can give up on doing all these for tactical reasons. They turn into a character as if they have even higher morals than sincere Muslims around them, as if they are conciliatory, modest, congruent, docile, obedient, kind, obeisant, gentle, reverential, warm-hearted, self-sacrificing, tactful, zestful, wholehearted and pure. Our Prophet (pbuh) elucidated on ‘hypocrites’ performance on cheating Muslims with adapting two different characters’ in his hadiths as follows:

Narrated Abu Huraira: The Prophet (pbuh) said, "The worst people in the Sight of God on the Day of Resurrection will be the double faced people who appear to some people with one face and to other people with another face.” (Sahih Bukhari, Book 73, Hadith 84)

Abu Hurairah narrated: According to the narrative, our Prophet (pbuh) ordained: “:Evil groups and counterfeiters in humans are the (hypocrite) ones that (between two communities) they go to the one with one face and other one with another face.” (Sahih Bukhari, Hadith 1421)

However, sincere Muslims who possess the profound wisdom and insight empowering them to see such insidious plans and not to be fooled by this evil game are not deceived by this slyness either. In every condition, despite the good image hypocritical people may display, believers do not stop acting in vigilance and are prepared for any other novel trick.

Hypocrites neither take ablution nor perform prayer when they think no one sees them

One of the main subjects that makes the hypocrites feel offended is ‘prostration before God, namely performing prayer’ due to the grudge and hatred within their hearts. Bowing head before God brings anguish to the hypocrites because they see themselves -may God forbid- greater than God. Having to prostrate cuts the hypocrites to the bone and makes them burn out and terribly offended. God reveals in the Qur'an the hypocrites’ unwillingness to perform prayers and how hard this is for them, as they do not have faith:

The hypocrites think they deceive God, but He is deceiving them. When they get up to pray, they get up lazily, showing off to people, and only remembering God a very little. (Surat an-Nisa’, 142)

For a Muslim, time for performing prayer is awaited with excitement. Because for a person who is devoted to God with love, expressing his love for our Lord, Who is mostly beloved, being in an attitude that God would be pleased with, showing Him devoutness and faithfulness, exalting God, being thankful and drawing near to Him is a splendid pleasure.

However, hypocrites are the enemies to God – may God forbid. They live their lives with fighting against God’s religion and the faith and morality system, which God is pleased with. They assume that they can wipe the true religion God approves off the face of the earth, and they fancy that they can overpower the ones God grants sainthood and protects. When this hatred holds sway over their whole body and soul, prostration before God, putting their forehead to floor and getting down on their knees, fulfilling God’s order which is a religious duty inflicts pain to hypocrites. Therefore, if they are performing prayers, it is just to convince Muslims that they believe in God and project an image of religious people. Thus, God states in the Qur’an that hypocrites are ‘showing off to people’ when they perform prayers.

Making use of performing prayer as a part of their sneaky games, hypocrites purport to be pious Muslims who perform prayers five times a day with submission to God when they are with believers. They pursue prayer times studiously and even remind Muslims prayer times and tell them not to be late. They perform their prayers and then pretend that they are praying for an extended period of time. Before performing prayer, they absolutely take ablution in a way that people can easily see. They even take ablution longer and in a more detailed way than anyone else, trying to give the impression of being extremely meticulous to their religious duties.

But when there is no Muslim around to see the hypocrites, they never perform prayers and they don’t take ablution. At the prayer time they get up, go to bathroom, spend time enough to pretend taking ablution and go out. They get into a room to pretend performing prayer and close the door, but they just spend some time alone in there and go out without having completed the prayer. When hypocrites do all these, in their opinion they think they mock Muslims, cheat on them, treat them like fool and thus they feel evil joy presuming they have accomplished their plan smartly.

However despite all this misery, all the nuisance they embrace in order to act sneakily, they are the ones who are denigrated, despised for all their lives and who live a dreadful life with absconding and don’t gain any good as a result. While Muslims feel the joy and tranquility of performing prayers in the Presence of their beloved God; the hypocrites stealthily wait for time to pass in secluded gloomy rooms with the anxiety of being caught.

While Muslims feel God’s eternally beautiful love to their hearts’ content and live its comfort both in this world and Hereafter, the hypocrites suffer the consequences of their fatuousness and stupidity forever. Hypocrites’ not performing prayers do not do any harm to Muslims. But the hypocrites eternally bear the ugly trace of living in disbelief, unfaithfully and without having worshiped God as due.

Shown by their arrogance in the land and evil plotting. But evil plotting envelops only those who do it... (Surat al-Fatir, 43)

Hypocrites turn into ‘sycophantic’ characters in order to derive benefits

Hypocrites try to introduce themselves as ‘sincere, trustworthy and faithful ones’ as much as possible in order to be close to Muslims and thus obtain more private and strategic information about them. Even though their hearts are full of grudge, hatred and anger they hide it as far as possible and represent the opposite of those feelings while talking. They try to misuse the morals of love mischievously with subtlest hideous methods since they consider love to be a very important measure of sincerity for Muslims. They think that this will be evaluated as a sign of trustworthiness and thereby they consider that they will be able to whitewash all their disingenuousness, double-dealing, hidden immoralities and ruses.

Hypocrites at the time of our Prophet (pbuh) were also adopting this method in expectation of hoping to gain significant benefits as a result. To this end, they were gushing over our Prophet (pbuh) at every opportunity; they were trying to win our Prophet’s (pbuh) favor and come into prominence with complimenting and supporting more than anyone. When an incident occurred they were siding with our Prophet (pbuh) and emphasizing his rightfulness more than anyone else and they were doing this remarkably. In every possible opportunity, they were stating their deep love and loyalty, which would last for perpetuity towards our Prophet (pbuh), and they were remarking that they are faithful to him to death like a slave. They were saying that they would sacrifice their lives and goods without a wince for protecting his position, honor, glory and pride. They were saying that they are ready to all kinds of self-sacrifice in order to ensure our Prophet’s (pbuh) security, tranquility and comfort.

They were alleging that they are the ones who care, love and respect him most and the ones who are his closest friends. And they were asserting that in case of a difficult condition, supposedly everyone would leave our Prophet (pbuh) alone and be preoccupied with their own troubles but they would be the only ones who would be still with our Prophet (pbuh) and they would protect and support him in the most reasonable and effective way.

When it comes to spreading Islamic morality, they were asserting to be one of the few who supported our Prophet (pbuh) most discerningly. They claimed the ones who were protected and defended Islam’s and Muslims’ interests in the best way were themselves. They were venturing unrealistic pronouncements like only they could accomplish the most vital and crucial activities in the best way. Thus with infusion method, they were aiming to convince Muslims that they were the ones who were providing highly crucial and great service for Muslims.

With the common inspiration from evil, this hypocrite character in the era of our Prophet (pbuh) appears in all hypocrites who have lived since then. Today these hypocritical characters trying to get a foothold between Muslims, still adopt the same insincere methods. In order to win Muslims’ and their leader’s trust they always tell ‘How much they love Muslims and how deeply they are committed to them.’ When there is a matter of success, in order to win Muslims’ favor they say things that will exalt them all the time and they steeply talk about their happiness about this accomplishment. When Muslims gain a victory against unbelievers, they talk exaggeratedly as if they feel a huge happiness and joy like sincere Muslims.

Likewise in the era of our Prophet (pbuh), when Muslims gained power over unbelievers and Islam started spreading through extensive lands or Muslims gained a victory in somewhere, hypocrites were making complimentary speeches like: “You are the Messenger of God, we love you so much, you are a peerless leader. You are too smart and farsighted. You won a great victory, you pulverized unbelievers and defused their ruses’’ or “God gives you victory, it is obvious that you are truly the Messenger of God (pbuh), thus we love you so much, we are committed to you so much.’’ God reported to our Prophet (pbuh) that the insincere speeches of hypocrites’ are just made to establish a reputation even though they actually think the opposite of what they say:

When the hypocrites come to you they say, ‘We bear witness that you are indeed the Messenger of God.’ God knows that you are indeed His Messenger and God bears witness that the hypocrites are certainly liars. (Surat al-Munafiqun, 1)

When hypocrites made all these speeches that they did not believe in, ‘it was like they were being cut to the bones and incredibly suffering.’ To our Prophet (pbuh) they were saying, “You are the Messenger of God (pbuh), so we love you so much’ but at heart they were hating him. They were holding a grudge against him insidiously. Meanwhile, they were plotting schemes with these kind of thoughts, “I wonder how can I give damage to Him and where? How can I do evil or back-stab him? How can I lead to disturbance, unrest and disorder between Muslims?’’

Today, when there is an improvement in countenance of Muslims as believers spoil the games of hypocrites’ and perish unbelievers in terms of their ideology, hypocrites hugely suffer in the same way with immense pain in their hearts. When the sneaky cooperation between hypocrites and unbelievers is exposed and the plots they were eager to conspire fail, hypocrites almost ‘have death throes’. Because one of the things hypocrites do not want to happen most is Muslims to gain power. God explains their perfidy in a verse: “If something good happens to you, it galls them. If something bad strikes you, they rejoice at it.’’ (Surah Al ‘Imran, 120) Despite this, they keep their anger, rage and grudge inside and talk in an utterly opposite way of their feelings. They enthusiastically express their joy for so-called happiness they feel from unbelievers’ defeat. While their real intend is to cause damage to Muslims and mislead them into failure, they display the ‘flattery’ which they describe as their act of treacherous indecency. They put on the scene and act as if they are happy after the success of Muslims.

In the Qur'an, hypocrites’ ‘two-faced trickery’ and the reality that they ‘hide a huge grudge, anger and rage within their heart instead of love’ is reported as follows:

You who have faith! Do not take any outside yourselves as intimates. They will do anything to harm you. They love what causes you distress. Hatred has appeared out of their mouths, but what their breasts hide is far worse. We have made the Signs clear to you if you use your intellect. (Surah Al ‘Imran, 118)

There you are, loving them when they do not love you, even though you have faith in all the Books. When they meet you, they say, ‘We have faith.’ But when they leave they bite their fingers out of rage against you. Say, ‘Die in your rage.’ God knows what your hearts contain. (Surah Al ‘Imran, 119)

If something good happens to you, it galls them. If something bad strikes you, they rejoice at it. But if you are steadfast and have fear of God, their scheming will not harm you in any way. God encompasses what they do. (Surah Al ‘Imran, 120)

In verses, God reveals that the ‘hypocrites’ scheming and sneaky attempts will not harm believers.’ Indeed this case is a great rout for the hypocrite.

When hypocrites collaborate with unbelievers, they suppose that everything is going to be easy, they can cheat Muslims as they wish and achieve their objectives. While hoping these to be their accomplishments, when the unbelievers who the hypocrites reckoned as powerful are defeated intellectually, hypocrites suffer tremendously in agony and pain.

Hypocrites’ heart is full of resentment; this dirt and evil reflects on their face

When Muslims encounter goodness, reach success or gain power, this burns out and weighs heavily on the hypocrites from within. It is overwhelmingly distressing for hypocrites when Muslims are in blessings with joy, peace and experiencing love and friendship profoundly between each other. Because quite the contrary, the hypocrites live in misery under depression and in an unhappy way with nuisance at all times. The hypocrites have chosen to be with Muslims but they are passionate to be wrapped up in unbelievers’ lives. Since they strive for worldly desires, hypocrites assume that if they could be with unbelievers they would live a far better life than they are living with Muslims. Not being with unbelievers, not living through the immorality of those lifestyles as they wish, not gaining any benefit from those, make the hypocrites suffer substantially. The resentment and rage they feel due to the regret of being with Muslims surrounds their soul. Thereupon, seeing Muslims’ heavenly lives everywhere augments their pain, envy and uneasiness. Gradually this grudge reaches to such an excruciating level that the hypocrites can’t hide it anymore. Their anger, hatred, jealousy start to overflow from their whole body bearing out as expressions from their mouths, tongues, eyes and faces. In the Qur'an, God informs of this evil mood of the hypocrites in the following verse:

You who have faith! Do not take any outside yourselves as intimates. They will do anything to harm you. They love what causes you distress. Hatred has appeared out of their mouths, but what their breasts hide is far worse. We have made the Signs clear to you if you use your intellect. (Surah Al ‘Imran, 118)

The hypocrites start to live with this pitiless anger at all hours of the day and night. Nothing can be enough to choke down their rage. From the time they wake up until they sleep they reflect this psychological state in all their attitudes. God explains the reason of the hypocrites’ grudge in the Qur'an in a verse, “If something good happens to you, it galls them. If something bad strikes you, they rejoice at it…’’ (Surah Al ‘Imran, 120). Muslims living in goodness, beauty, blessings, prosperity, peace, joy, love, friendship and happiness causes the hypocrites to live a life of bitterness, exasperation and sadness.

While Muslims start their day with happiness and gratitude to God for all the blessings, the hypocrites wake up in miserableness every morning because they once again start a day in which they will be with the people they don’t want, love nor share common goals and beliefs. They have to continue acting to people whom they envy, begrudge and don’t consider as friends or feel any love for. Even though they don’t want to, they are going to show them love and respect, make compliments, support their beneficial activities and pretend to be happy with them for all their successes.

While they are going through this tormented mood, Muslims are in happiness with being sincere, living true love and friendship, being in the safest place with the neatest and securest people and experiencing a peaceful life. Since the hypocrites are perfectly conscious of this contrast, they live in the enervation and anger for all day long.

The resentment, anger and jealousy within hypocrites’ heart, reflects on their attitudes for all day long

One of the most important signs that peach on the hypocrites is their ‘body language’. In a verse God informs of the defects of hypocrites’ speech, manner, attitude and indicate that if watched carefully one can realize hypocrites’ signs with God’s will: “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)

Seeing Muslims’ joy, success, wealth, comfort, profound wisdom, beauty, health and glory turn the jealousy within the hypocrites into venomous anger. Therefore, hypocrites who are blinded by rage try to persecute Muslims constantly throughout the day. They covetously try to diminish Muslims’ opportunities, put a damper on them, and prevent their achievements. But of course they don’t do these bluntly, they use their evil intelligence and use devious methods secretly. With their low wit, they assume that this way they can ‘enfeeble Muslims mentally and corrode them’.

Whereas, psychological pressure implemented by hypocrites and their secret struggle against Muslims never make a negative impact on Muslims. On the contrary, the hypocrites make Muslims stronger, happier and more zealous with effacing any sluggishness and strengthening their efforts for elucidating and spreading Islam. Hypocrites enhance Muslims’ vigilance, strengthen their capability of taking measures against any hazard and most importantly increase their love for God, devoutness and fear of God.

Hypocrites look menacingly in order to discomfort Muslims and lead to disturbance

The hypocrites are on the rack for not being able to do any overt action against Muslims whom they inwardly hate. They have to hide themselves sneakily for benefits and profits they hope to gain from them. For this reason they can’t tell their true feelings, or hurt them explicitly as they wish and can’t fight against them decisively. In this situation the only thing that the hypocrites are able to do is trying to cause damage slyly and in an under-handed way. That being so they have to contrive their schemes in a shroud of stealth, so as to prevent divulgence. Here the most effective method for the hypocrites is ‘protesting with their glances’.

One of the most significant features of Muslims is the expression of their glance, which is full of pureness, tranquility, trust and love. In a verse, God describes this pleasant expression, which is full of faith on believers’ faces as follows: “...You see them bowing and prostrating, seeking God’s good favor and His pleasure. Their mark is on their faces, the traces of prostration…” (Surat al-Fath, 29)

Everyone can put various looks on their faces as they wish. At times ‘giving sad, happy or angry expression’ is possible for a lot of people. But, what God describes as “the traces of prostration” in the verse is a spiritual beauty that cannot be obtained neither with imitation nor effort. It is a beauty, which can only be gained as a blessing by having profound love for God, surrendering into God’s destiny and living sincerely by the morals of the Qur'an. Therefore, this miraculous Muslim attribute also engenders important evidence that shows the reverse character of the hypocrite.

While a Muslim draws attention with his peaceful, warm-hearted and reverential face throughout the day, the hypocrites manifest themselves with their ill-conditioned and wicked face. They have an ominous, dingy and evil expression on their faces just like satan. Sometimes they look gawkily, sometimes loathingly, sometimes discontentedly, and at other times acrimoniously and truculently. As it is described in a verse in the Qur’an, they have matte looks: “... you see those with sickness in their hearts looking at you with the look of someone about to faint from fear of death....” (Surah Muhammad, 20) Their glances are meaningless. They look with a glance that is devoid of love, joy, and vitality; just as if their soul is taken and they’re dead. Since the heart of hypocrites is full of foulness, sin and perfidy, their looks are dingy just alike. When their glances are compared to warm-hearted, faithful, lively and honest glances of Muslims’ whose heart, wisdom, soul are stainless and shining; abnormality in the glances of the hypocrites is diagnosed at once. In the Qur’an, God informs us about ‘grimy glances which are hypocrites’ one of the most important characteristics’ with this verse: “He [God] knows the eyes’ deceit and what people’s breasts conceal.’’ (Surah Ghafir, 19)

Hypocrites’ aim with this evil look is ‘incommoding and putting a damper on Muslims who live in tranquility’. Because, when hypocrites can’t damage Muslims unambiguously, their ‘glances’ become the most effective weapon of them. In the Qur'an, God informs of the intensity of hypocrites’ immorality by means of their evil glances as follows:

Those who are unbelievers all but strike you down with their evil looks when they hear the Reminder… (Surat al-Qalam, 51)

Hypocrites in the era of our Prophet (pbuh), were feeling incredible resentment and anger since our Prophet (pbuh) and Muslims were living with moral values of the Qur'an and spreading the message of God. Hypocrites were showing their rage and envy towards our Prophet (pbuh) with their dingy glances. They were visiting the mosque of our Prophet (pbuh) with their looks that were full of malice. God describes the intensity of hypocrites’ rage in a verse with these words, “Those who are unbelievers all but strike you down with their evil looks’’.

The hypocritical character in that era shows up alike today just as it is stated in the Qur'an. In that time hypocrites targeted our Prophet (pbuh) to incommode, disturb and put a damper on; likewise today they direct their evil actions towards the one who is serving for Islam in the most successful way and taking the lead of Muslims most effectively.

However the hypocrites carry out their indecency sneakily and in a way that they can hide themselves with showing their intentions differently. Yet, the main method among what they are best skilled at is ‘being able to predominate their eyes’. The hypocrites command their eyes as they want and they know very well to veer in accordance to the incidents.

Indeed, the hypocrites are master at sneakily using their eyes against believers, however they can’t manage to damage Muslims despite all their craft. As the grudge and rage within their hearts increase, its depredation on their bodies and souls increases evenly. While Muslims live in serenity, joy and happiness, the hypocrites live with torment in their furious world with their gloomy faces and dingy glances.

The body language hypocrites use for their evil actions

The hypocrites are very talented at ‘using their body adroitly for their evil purposes’. As Muslims reveal their positive personality and lenient morals with all their attitudes, the hypocrites are skillful at reflecting their negative thoughts and evil souls to their bodies and attitudes. God informs which evil methods hypocrites use to do this in one verse in the Qur’an:

He reflected and considered. Curse him, how he considered! Again curse him, how he considered! Then he looked. Then he frowned and glowered. Then he drew back and was proud. (Surah al-Muddassir, 18-23)

1- Contemplating and planning evil actions beforehand:

In the verses, God reveals that the hypocrites think keenly and design their treacherous and perfidious plans before stepping into action. Hypocrites designate every detail of their prospective villainy beforehand. When they start a new day, they make detailed plans as to ‘What kind of accusations can I implement towards Muslims, what kind of aspersions can I cast, how can I depress them, prevent their beneficial activities, or how can I encumber them and steal their time, how can I make them exhausted or keep them sleepless and make them consume the energy they need for spreading God’s message?’ No doubt that their advisor and source of inspiration while planning these sinister and treacherous thoughts is ‘satan’.

2- Their evil looks:

The second stage of hypocrites’ action is ‘reflecting the planned treacheries to their eyes’. Looking with the most disturbing and evil glare distant from Muslim morality, reflecting the character of unbelievers, in the most big headed, sniffy, snob, insolent and impudent way is a method that the hypocrites implement fastidiously and patiently. They want to make Muslims feel ‘uneasy and perturbed’ by roving among them. They assume that they can cause damage to Islam and Muslims by making them occupied with themselves and steal their time. They want to incentivize them to the character of unbelievers with their irreligious conduct among them. If there are some of them who are prone to being hypocritical, with this morality they want to forward a message to them and pull them to their side. Or there may be ones who are well intentioned, newly learning Islam and who have recently had faith in God and the hypocrites also want to deviate them from true faith and pull them to their side.

3- Their scowling:

The hypocrites, who plan each contamination and malice beforehand and then reflect this treachery with their looks, use ‘scowling’ as another part of their actions. As it is known, ‘scowling’ is a gesture, which is deliberately made to give some message. Indeed its lexical meaning is ‘to draw down or contract the brows in a sullen, displeased, or angry manner’.

Of course in normal conditions, a person can scowl as a natural human mimic. But when it comes to the hypocrites, all these details are ‘sneaky and ugly actions which are used for specific purposes’. In an environment where everyone looks at each other with love, respect, full of good morals, sincerity and friendship; the hypocrite uses ‘scowling’ for immorality just as he uses his looks. In settings where Muslims show each other good moral values, tell each other finest words and where there is plenty of blessings and beauty, the hypocrites start to show their immoral actions without any reason. They try to display the most malice, unfavorable, dingy, characterless and ugliest expression on their faces with scowling.

4- Their grimacing:

In the continuance of the verse, it is stated that the hypocrites’ subsequent move is ‘grimacing’. As everyone knows, one can display a diversity of meanings on their face using ‘various gestures’. Most of the time we understand another person’s feelings, thoughts, psychological state or purpose from their facial expression even though they don’t speak. Similarly, we realize the action someone is on the point of doing from his facial expression even if he doesn’t say a thing.

The hypocrites use this vast opportunity all the way in order to bring about their evil actions. They perfectly know which expression to give their face depending on the situation and during the day they parlay this weapon in the most efficient way. They know that an ugly facial expression is very pesky for Muslims whose lives are based upon good moral values, honesty and sincerity; and this is very exciting for the hypocrites. This way, hypocrites can blatantly live by the immorality of unbelievers also among Muslims and use their face in the most grimly way in order to reach every selfish interest they want. They use this means when what they want is not done immediately, things do not go for their benefit, and in order to attract notice and be the agenda topic. Likely, when they aim at disturbing Muslims with uneasiness or taking revenge from someone, they use the dingiest, the most malice facial expression which actually reflects unbelievers’ immorality in the most vile way. Therefore, they assume that Muslims will take an interest in them, with their good morals and high conscience they will show them compassion, love, respect and mercy and try to do things they want to make them happy. As a result of that, they also assume that they can benefit more from Muslims’ opportunities materially and spiritually. They assume that Muslims will think “Let them not do such a sullenness and atrociousness once more, and not lead to disturbance and bother Muslims’, therefore they will be treated as they want.

But there is one thing the hypocrites forget; Muslims’ sense of “love and mercy” depends on the Qur'an. Muslims don’t adopt a manner just to please one person. This manner or action should be compliant to God’s approval and moral values of the Qur'an; and then it can be adopted. Thus while the hypocrites plan all these, they ignore this important Muslim morality. Moreover, the perfidious lack of character they show and the facial expression they have are all signs of the hypocrites. Thus they are unwary of the reality that these signs are to the detriment of themselves as they reveal to be hypocrites.

5- Turning their back on:

If the stages of hypocrites’ evil activities up to this phase fail, the hypocrites carry out their other method of ‘turning their back on’. As it is known ‘turning one’s back on’ means ‘being enemy to the ones who used to be friends, severing all ties with them and not being on their side’. The hypocrites sneakily aim at giving these messages to Muslims and threatening them with all these possibilities. They make them feel that there is one among Muslims who feels free to live by immorality of unbelievers, who is not afraid of God as due and who may be a hypocrite. Thus hypocrites intend to make Muslims feel perturbed. They intend up to their feeble mind to spoil Muslims’ beautiful lives and preventing their mirth and joy while Muslims live delightedly, comfortably and tranquilly to the utmost due to their trust towards God.

For this purpose, despite living with Muslims hypocrites stay away while they are among with them. They adopt a different attitude from them in order to make Muslims feel that they are not happy being with them. When Muslims carry out a beneficial activity all together they don’t help neither corporeally nor spiritually. At times overtly to make sure that Muslims understand that they strike an attitude they move away from them instantly.

6- Their being snobbish

The hypocrites’ activities that they plan sneakily step by step continue with the phase ‘being snobbish’ to the Muslims with ‘an arrogant, wiseacre and self-righteous attitude’. They aim to expound their arrogance to people with their looks, speeches, wordings and gestures. They try to show that ‘they don’t value and respect them; they vilipend them and don’t take their thoughts and speeches into consideration’. They assume up to their own mind that Muslims are extremely ‘foolish and naive’ and they surmise that they have ‘an awesome intelligence, wisdom and talent’. They answer every blessed thing they are said with an arrogant, egocentric, snob, insolent, wiseacre and vulgar attitude. They try to emphasize thir disrespect in the most exaggerated way.

These are the small fraction of the hypocrites’ plansand these attitudes that God informs of as devious acts of the hypocrites against our Prophet (pbuh) in Surat al-Muddassir reveals hypocrites’ immorality equating with an irreligious way of life.

But there is a thing that the hypocrites forget while carrying on these sneaky actions deliberately and treacherously: God will never make hypocrites successful and never let these wicked souls harm Islam and Muslims. The hypocrites will suffocate in their treacherous and perfidious world within their own traps. Games they play will bring their own destruction in this world and the hereafter.

Hypocrites don’t find peace in the immaculate and bright life that Muslims offer to them and surmise that they will be happier as they get closer to the unbelievers; however hypocrites will be dragged to a greater unhappiness with the tyranny of irreligiousness. In the hereafter, they will eternally suffer a huge torment in regret and pain along with satan who is their closest friend.