Suleiman Hani – Hypocrisy Unmasked – Lessons from the Quran
AI: Summary ©
The Munafiq is a term used to describe people who are not trustworthy and are not regularly visiting the community. The term is used to describe people who are not regularly visiting the community and are not regularly listening to people on social media. The importance of being aware of one's rights and the potential negative effects on one's behavior is emphasized. The speaker also discusses the rise of praised Islamophobia and the importance of advocating for justice and avoiding workplace bullying.AI: Transcript ©
In light of what's happening around the world,
in light of what's happening in our individual
lives, in light of what's happening across this
country and across university campuses and and many
other places around the world, it is important
always
for us
to take a step back
as tension rises,
as reactions are witnessed, as brutality
increases,
as trials of ease and of difficulty take
different forms in people's lives, many of them
students and faculty. May Allah
reward those who are doing good work.
And it's important for us always to look
at also where things are headed
and what we need to be prepared for,
especially from a religious and spiritual perspective, but
also from a community perspective.
One of the most interesting ways to do
this and one of the most effective
is to pay a little more attention when
we recite the Quran and listen to it
for the traits of the believers.
What is it that kept them firm when
things got really difficult? How did they weather
the storm?
And also the traits of hypocrites,
the traits of cowards, the traits of disbelievers,
people who receive signs, evidences, messages of truth,
they ignore, they reject, and in fact many
of them start to oppose those messages.
Whether it's a message that a genocide and
evidence that a genocide is happening or it's
literally the message of truth.
And one way to do this is to
look at the traits of hypocrisy.
Hypocrisy from the Islamic perspective is of 2
types, generally speaking. Just for the sake of
benefit,
there's the hypocrisy
of action,
and there's a hypocrisy of beliefs,
which is the major one.
As for the major one it means that
there's somebody of evil they are not really
believers but they've infiltrated a community trying to
create divisions, problems, whatever it is they're trying
to do.
And oftentimes in Madinah you find the stories
of the hypocrites. Reference in the Quran it's
usually in Madinah because that's where now they
had a benefit
externally to acting like they were Muslims, and
they had plans and strategies. They tried to
assassinate the prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam and the
Muslims a number of times. They created
problems for the Muslims with their allies, they
were the reason some of the tribes that
violated their treaties with the Prophet sallallahu alaihi
sallam in the constitution of Madinah, dustur al
Madinah, they were the reason those people felt
like there was additional support on the inside.
They were people who were informants,
they were people who spied on Muslims, they
were people who whispered, they were the people
who mocked, they ridiculed,
but ultimately they were planning and plotting.
When we look at this type we find
that it is the most referenced type in
the Quran.
In fact this is the primary aspect of
hypocrisy mentioned in the Quran.
As for the other type, it is more
important for us to pay attention to on
a daily basis.
The hypocrisy of actions.
The actions that the Muslims should stay away
from the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam.
He said, from
the signs of the hypocrite
in another report 4 3 or
4 even if this person were to fast
and to pray and to swear that they
are Muslim, these were the people again who
had infiltrated,
but there are signs you could tell they're
not really Muslim.
Every time they speak,
when they speak they are usually lying. They
lie and they lie and they lie and
they lie.
When they make promises they break their promises
all the time, they're known for it, they're
not trustworthy.
When they're entrusted with something
some kind of, thing an object, money whatever
it may be they usually will betray that
trust There's another narration that adds one more
when they argue, when they dispute
they are very
transgressive, they cross a lot of lines.
They are not just going back and forth.
They cross a lot of lines. They don't
understand, oh, one for a one proportionate risk.
No. No. There's none of that. You said
this, they went to a whole another level
of disgust,
a pathetic low that nobody would imagine. But
this is one of the signs of the
Munafiq now. When we see that these are
not
limited to non Muslims,
to a person who is not actually Muslim
infiltrating the community
in Madinah or anywhere else even today
we find that we have to be cautious
not to fall into these traits that when
you speak you are always speaking according to
what Allah
commanded
Oh, you who believe, be mindful of your
Lord. Know that he is watching, and be
amongst those who always tell the truth.
So look at the traits of hypocrisy only
to protect yourself and your heart and your
afterlife. That when you make promises,
whether you are old or young, a father,
a mother, doesn't matter. When you make promises,
you always fulfill those promises.
That when you are entrusted with something, a
secret or information or an object, whatever it
may be, that you are fulfilling that trust.
And if there's a dispute, that you do
not cross lines, that you think before you
speak and you recognize your Lord is watching.
Why are we mentioning this? Of all the
verses of the Quran,
one of the most interesting parallels we find
between the Munafiqeen
and many of the Zionists of the world
that we are in today is in one
particular verse in Surat Al Munafiqun,
and Allah
in the singular verse mentioned not 1 or
2 or 3 or 4 but 8 characteristics
of the munafiqeen and we find that there's
a benefit to study these not just to
refrain but also to be more cautious and
prepared And this is the verse in which
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says,
The first trait, when you see the hypocrites
of Madinah,
when you see the Munafiqeen,
you're impressed by their bodies. What does this
mean?
Abdullah bin Abbas radhiallahu an, he said that
one of the Munafiqeen
Abdullah bin Ubay he was very strongly built
he was a very handsome man he was
very healthy remember not everyone had access to
food and not everyone was nourished properly
and he was a very eloquent person
and he says, Abdullah ibn Abbas
that was the case for many of his
friends as well, many of the elites, the
politicians
who had all this power
and status,
and they refused to accept Islam because they
didn't want everyone to be equal,
they didn't want to accept the truth. Can
you silence your phones about a khalafiqum? So
this was interesting why because Abdullah bin Abbas
he says this was the case for the
nobles of Madinah,
and this is a good starting point
that sometimes people are deceived by looks.
This person has status.
This person looks good. In fact, there are
many psychological studies that have found there's such
thing as the beauty factor that when someone
is handsome or beautiful they may be given
a little more trust even though they may
also equally be lying and deceptive. This is
not the case for everyone. Of course,
You see physically something superficial. Don't assume that
that is an equivalent metric to truth,
to goodness, or to justice. Again, it doesn't
work both ways. Don't assume that everyone who
is also this way that is, deceptive. But
the second thing Allah
says right after this,
When they talk, you listen to their speech.
Why? They are very eloquent.
They might have degrees. They might be educated
because they had the wealth. Again, these are
the nobles of Medina.
So when they talk, people would listen.
And when they spoke, they were very eloquent.
And because of their eloquence, sometimes they deceive
people and people were convinced by what they
were saying of lies.
So it was not weird, unusual back then
nor is it unusual today
that some of the cowards or hypocrites or
people of evil in the world,
they may be extremely eloquent and powerful in
how they write,
in how they speak, and how they mobilize
other people, in their influence in media.
They may be trained at times also to
deliver messages in a specific way. They may
have authoritative power, political power, connections of some
sort, economic power, massive following influence, and so
on and so forth. Do not let that
be your measuring stick. Do not allow the
measuring stick of truth be deceived or distorted
by
the education,
the degrees,
the credentials,
the wealth, the political connections of people regardless
of what they show on the outside.
We measure things according to truth, and the
truth is as defined by Allah
Is this hard to do at times? Yes.
It is a fitnah. It is a trial.
It is a tribulation to one of many.
So do not be fooled by appearances in
this world. Do not be fooled by people
who are all over social media or they
are on different, news channels and platforms
spreading propaganda of evil, twisting the narratives,
changing the world's perspective on who the oppressor
is and who is the oppressed. This is
the reality of the world that we are
in. A college student, a high school student
already knows at that age that a sentence
that is very short could be extended out
into an entire essay, and it doesn't really
mean much. And the professor or the one
who is grading, who really understands, looks through
and says, actually there's no content here it's
all fluff. They understand
when you are extending things out and adding
more words and more pages
and so this is a clumsy analogy to
the reality that sometimes people will deceive.
May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala protect us in
our communities.
The second thing that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala
says here or the third thing technically
They speak, they're eloquent. You look at them,
they may be handsome, they have nice clothes,
they have brand names, whatever it may be.
This is an insult but also a fact,
a reality.
They are like worthless planks of wood leaning
against the wall. What does that mean?
There's no moral benefit in these cowards. There's
no benefit you're going to get in your
afterlife from listening to them, no matter how
eloquent they are. Why is it mentioned that
they are leaning back? Because they would sit
in their gatherings and when the Muslims would
sit close to the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam
to listen
not because of medical reasons the elite these
would be sitting on their nice fancy couches
and so on and so forth ignoring the
gathering of the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam,
and they would oftentimes look down on the
Muslims and the Sahaba, but this is their
reality. They are worthless. They don't actually have
value. They assume they do. In fact, the
believer,
no matter how weak they are in their
faith or how many sins they've committed, they're
trying to stop from. In general.
The prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam talks about
the strong believer
and the weak believer, and the strong is
more beloved to Allah, so seek that strength.
But there's good in all believers.
As for the they are worthless. They have
no value.
The next characteristic
Allah
says
the hypocrites assume literal translation would be like
every shout
every accusation, every noise, it's about them. Someone's
attacking them. Someone's exposed them. They have a
guilty conscience.
You know when someone commits a lot of
crimes
and they're always getting away with it, and
then they start
to live on edge, they're looking over their
shoulders. Anytime someone talks about a topic that
they know they're guilty of, what do they
start to do? They start to gaslight.
They start to insult. They start to twist
the narrative in the story. So you saw
the idea of soldiers and the politicians of
all levels. There is no
exception. Of all levels of their corrupt government
and their occupation.
You saw them insulting and saying things about,
accusations of * and sexual assault, the beheadings
of babies.
We heard a 101 lies at that time,
and those who knew they already knew.
But what happens
when you start to see the reality
on the ground for those who did not
know what was happening for 75 years?
You start to see that in fact it's
as though every accusation,
it's actually something they are guilty of. They're
talking about being a victim. They're talking about
killing children. They've killed over 15,000 children, and
that's just in the last 6 months. What
about the last 75 years? The number of
cases of sexual assault and *, and I
apologize for being very explicit, but this is
the reality on the ground. So when the
world starts to focus on their crimes, what
do they do?
They start to have more fear.
They are intimidated
by the reality that the world that is
witnessing this and the many students on campuses
that they are not intimidated, that they are
aware of who really is the oppressor, that
they are aware of your crimes you cannot
deny. The hundreds of human rights lawyers, and
organizations,
and politicians even over there who've admitted to
things that nobody would admit and get away
with.
The reality of this situation is that any
noise,
any accusation frightens them. So what do they
do? Because they are backed into a corner,
they start to do the most ridiculous and
bizarre things as a reaction at every political
level possible. So they are trying to pass
a bill which now partially passed in the
United States, the antisemitism
bill that has for the first time in
American history
taken the concept of free speech when it
comes to,
political parties and entities and says you cannot
even criticize that. Yes. They are trying to
act like, no, there's an exception. There is
no exception.
According to this new bill that is being
passed, 6090,
This new bill would therefore define the entirety
of the Bible, the New Testament for Christians,
as anti Semitic because of a number of
verses in the Bible that talk about Jews
who had killed the prophets they said. And
in one of the verses,
in 2, chapter 2, verse 14 speaks about
the Jews who had killed the prophet and
killed Lord Jesus, and this is according to
the New Testament, according to that new definition.
The entirety of the Bible
is now anti Semitic. All the students on
campuses who say no more genocide,
now they are anti Semitic. Everyone who wears
anything at all that resemble resembles Palestinian culture
or justice or resistance to evil,
Semitic. Anyone who says we don't want our
politicians
funded by foreign entities and foreign interest is
now anti Semitic.
By definition,
they have turned the entire world except for
a few. They have turned everyone
into an anti Semitic person. And so by
definition, they are, as many Jewish scholars
and activists and others have stated, they are
causing more actual antisemitism
in the world than anyone else. And the
reality for us as Muslims, when we see
this trait mentioned in the Quran,
we recognize number 1, the Munafiqeen are so
guilty
because they know who they really are. They
know they are not really Muslim. They know
they're infiltrating. They know they're causing problems. They
know they're trying to divide. They are paranoid.
When the paranoid person is exposed, they start
to do disgusting things.
Like the students who showed up at UCLA,
and they started to physically assault the students
who are literally having a peaceful encampment with
no issues whatsoever.
They dragged an old lady and said even
you all day, insulting somebody who is 3,
4 times their age.
And the reality of these people is that
when they are paranoid and backed into a
corner, they will start to do more ridiculous
things, violate more rights.
And as American Muslims we have to be
very conscious of that. We have to be
very aware of that. We also have to
be very active and engaged in our own
system
to ensure that our voices are being heard
in different ways. May Allah
protect all of those who are seeking universal
justice and peace all around the world. The
next characteristic Allah says about the munafiqeen,
They are the enemy.
Lest you forget
that sometimes the hidden enemy is more dangerous
to you than the exposed one. They are
the enemy, and oftentimes
of the worst of people in this ummah
are those who hide their realities.
If they can hide their realities from the
Sahaba
and some of them in in the beginning
hid their realities from the prophet salallahu alaihi
wasallam before he was given that information.
What about their effects on the rest of
mankind?
What about their effects on communities when they
try to create divisions?
They try to take down activists,
scholars, Islamic centers, Islamic organizations.
What a lot of Muslims don't know, but
is extremely important, is that every single one
of us and every Muslim, all 2,000,000,000 around
the world,
are affected
by the propagation of Islamophobia
and there have been countless studies, publications,
investigative journalism
from people of all backgrounds, not just Muslims,
that found that Islamophobia
is primarily funded in the 100 of 1,000,000
of dollars by people who are also pro
Zionist.
The very same people who are supporting the
occupation are the people making the world think
that you and I are terrorists. Are the
people trying to damage the image of Islam?
Are the people trying to create divisions and
doubts in Muslims old and young? There is
a link between the two. So the rise
of Zionism is also the rise of Islamophobia.
It is the rise of antisemitism.
It is the rise of injustice and divisions.
It is the rise of hijacking American politicians
when the majority of people are saying we
don't want genocide.
Be very aware. The reality of your rights,
your existence, if they don't care about killing
35 innocent people, 35,000 innocent people there in
75 years of occupation when the entire world
is a witness, who says they care about
your rights over here? Your rights at your
workplace,
your rights anywhere else in the world. Be
very conscious of this reality
because they are not hiding it.
Allah then says beware of them.
The context once again is the
the hypocrites.
You cannot deny the parallels between the 2.
When Allah says
beware of them,
there's a type of taribiya given to us
here from our Lord. He doesn't say after
all these traits,
they have power, they have wealth, they have
they're handsome, eloquent. He doesn't say, you know,
be afraid of them.
No.
Allah says beware of them. Don't be deceived
by them. Know what they are doing. Be
very conscious when someone is telling you they're
trying to take away your rights, kill your
family members,
commit genocide, steal everything you have of rights
and resources in this very country where many
Americans are suffering as it is,
and so
Allah says beware of
them. Don't be afraid.
Beware of them. Sometimes, as many students have
expressed and many people of different backgrounds,
when they see something that seems mountainous,
when it seems just monumental, how do you
deal with this huge issue
or this great enemy, let's say, an enemy
who is trying to kill innocent people? The
Munafiqeen were trying to kill the Muslims, for
example. How do you deal with something like
this? You look at their military might, you
look at all the money that they have,
you look at all the connections politically speaking
that they may have especially in Madinah
and you find what Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala
does not say fear
them. No. He says
beware of them, be vigilant,
be very wise, don't lock down your guard.
You know the believer is not supposed to
be stung twice from the same source. What
about now 75 years of being stung?
What about now 75 years of being hurt?
How many more times? How many more deaths?
How much more genocide?
How much more killing
does it take for those who keep dropping
their guards to finally say I'm going to
be vigilant.
It doesn't matter what a normalization looks like
at a political level between other countries. There's
an obvious agenda for that and it's not
for the sake of Muslims. It's not for
the sake of Islam. It's not for the
sake of Palestinians.
No. There are agendas that have nothing to
do with our rights as Muslims.
And so we look at this situation, we
say we have to be cautious,
have no fear.
The only fear that we have is transgressing
against the boundaries of Allah.
Have no fear.
In another verse about the devils, Allah
says, do not fear them but fear me,
meaning have fear of my power. Don't compromise
your faith, your principles, your Islam, your dignity,
your pursuit of justice. Don't compromise what is
good because you're afraid of what is evil.
For there is nothing that is greater for
you and nothing in terms of support and
power to protect you
than the power of Allah
And that's why when we say,
we really need to be mindful in our
hearts, in our minds. May Allah subhanahu wa
ta'ala grant us that. And then finally Allah
subhanahu wa ta'ala says,
2 things technically here.
Literally translate as may Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala
kill them, but what it actually means or
Allah has killed them.
What it actually means may Allah curse them,
condemn them. Allah has already condemned them.
This is not a type of in a
way but also a verdict of where they're
going to end up. That Allah is aware
these particular people,
again, very specific context, they are not turning
back to Allah
So in the Arabic language, this is an
expression to indicate the anger of Allah, to
indicate where these people are heading.
How can they be so deluded?
The truth is so clear. The evidence is
so clear. How can you be so diluted
unless
truth is not your priority, but rather something
else? And this is the case for many
university administrators,
presidents, regents, and others. This is the case
for many politicians,
especially in the United States of America where
Zionism is intertwined
with Christian Zionism, with evangelical Christians, with the
general federal body, with the state level. That
Zionism is one of the reasons that so
many politicians are able to get to the
places they are at in both political parties.
So when you see this reality
you say, how are these people ignoring genocide?
Now you know why they're ignoring genocide. Because
their concern is not truth and justice. It's
not peace. It's not equity for all people,
Muslims and Jews and others. No.
They have career ambitions.
They have political connections.
As one politician
explicitly said, if we were to take any
other stance, it would be political suicide. I
would lose my position, my career, my ambitions.
So you're willing to resign
your moral integrity
rather than resign your position for the pursuit
of what is true. And the reality of
the majority of people in this country is
that they are advocating for justice.
So sometimes
people are deluded because of their pride and
arrogance,
and sometimes because of the influence of those
who are around them. May Allah
protect us from both. May Allah grant us
clarity. May Allah allow us on a personal
level to always pursue that which is pleasing
to Him. May Allah grant us
wisdom in how we advocate for the truth
and for justice for our brothers and sisters
in Palestine and all around the world, and
may Allah forgive us for all of our
shortcomings.
Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala tells us in the
Quran on numerous occasions,
In one verse, In another
verse,
In another verse,
And then you have,
Who is more wrong,
oppressive
than the one who prevents Allah's name from
being mentioned in His places of worship and
they strive to destroy it.
You look at what Masdul Aqsa has gone
through historically,
and you find that for us as Muslims,
this is one of the incentives to defend
our brothers and sisters
in Palestine.
That it's not just a matter that is
humanitarian.
It's not just a matter that is also
political and intertwined with our situations.
It's not also because there's a genocide. There's
a religious component that drives us.
Those who are striving and they've been
destroying houses of worship in different ways
directly or indirectly,
And those who occupy Masjid Al Aqsa, they
are the very same people who don't want
Muslims in these houses of worship. They are
very the very same people who fund Islamophobia
around the world, and they work with other
governments
to repress Muslims in different ways. And that
includes in India where there is actually a
very strong tie to what's happening to Muslims
in Palestine.
They are benefiting from that training. They are
benefiting from that politics. They are benefiting from
oppressing ethnically cleansing in a different way but
still happening.
And this is the case in a lot
of other places too. So as we live
in a country where now we are able
to worship and we are able to attend
salatuljumah,
we can attend the 5 prayers, and that
is one of the greatest things we can
do as a show of gratitude to Allah
Recognize that there are people, and they are
intertwined
with the Zionists who are attacking and occupying
Palestine,
who do not want Muslims and do not
want masajid in this world. And if there
are to be Muslims in this world, they
want Muslims on their terms. Those who are
token Muslims, those who have given up their
pursuit of truth, those who compromise on their
principles, those who say yes there's no problem
with your occupation. That's the kind of Muslim
they want. Just like the liberals or atheists
who want people on their terms. A shell
of a Muslim, not a Muslim who has
all of their principles intact. May Allah subhanahu
wa ta'ala guide us to always do that
which is right. Don't give up and don't
burn out
as you're making dua,
not just for our brothers and sisters in
Palestine and many other countries around the world.
You make dua for those who are seeking
justice, those who are working hard, the many
students who are putting themselves in very difficult
situations. May Allah guide them to the wisdom
that they need in every situation to do
what's right. The faculty members, the university faculty
who are standing with their students as well
as they are literally being dragged and tased
and assaulted and arrested.
Keep making du'a. Keep supporting those who need
support. Reach out to the different students in
different campuses and ask locally how can we
help all the way from Ann Arbor to,
Wayne State soon and other places as well.
Ask how you can support. And on a
personal level, continue advocating
politically through all means possible and engaging and
learning and staying aware. And of course, yes,
boycotting for the sake of Allah
is rewarding even if you did not take
down a corporation.
The point is not that there are 1,000,000,000
of dollars. The point is are you cutting
off access to it? Are you willing to
sacrifice something small for something great later on?
How do we prepare for weathering the storm?
We always go back to our faith, we
reconnect with the Quran, we connect with the
Masajid, the houses of Allah
that we stay active, we keep praying, we
keep coming to the jama'at with our families
and our children, that we show up when
there is a need for the community to
show up, and ultimately perseverance through dua, perseverance
through dua, perseverance through dua. May Allah subhanahu
wa ta'ala alleviate the affairs of our brothers
and sisters in every land and every place,
and forgive us for all of our shortcomings.
May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala bring down his
relief and his swift justice and allow us
to see signs and miracles
affecting those who are oppressing the believers all
around the world. May Allah forgive us and
guide us and guide others through us.
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