The Hypocrite Exploits Injustice

 

بِسۡمِ اللّٰہِ الرَّحۡمٰنِ الرَّحِیۡمِ

In the Name of Allah, the Rahman, the Merciful

All praise belongs to Allah, Lord of the worlds

Peace and benedictions upon you, my Master, Apostle of Allah

Allah, holy and exalted is He, says:

اَلۡمُنٰفِقُوۡنَ وَالۡمُنٰفِقٰتُ بَعۡضُہُمۡ مِّنۡۢ بَعۡضٍ ۘ یَاۡمُرُوۡنَ بِالۡمُنۡکَرِ وَیَنۡہَوۡنَ عَنِ الۡمَعۡرُوۡفِ وَیَقۡبِضُوۡنَ اَیۡدِیَہُمۡ ؕ نَسُوا اللّٰہَ فَنَسِیَہُمۡ ؕ اِنَّ الۡمُنٰفِقِیۡنَ ہُمُ الۡفٰسِقُوۡنَ

The hypocrite men and the hypocrite women are of one another. They enjoin evil and forbid goodness and close their hands. They forgot Allah so He has forsaken them. Verily, the hypocrites are the disobedient

(Surah 9, Ayah 67)

The separate mention of hypocrite women is significant as it is not until relatively recently hypocrite women of the Muslim community have come to the forefront in playing a role of harm to the interests of Islam and Muslims. In much of Europe laws have been enacted or there is a danger of such laws being passed soon which prevent Muslims from practising the basics of their Religion. The practise of veiling among our ladies is the major point of contention in Europe. According to the “enlightened” secular and liberal philosophy which the European apparently follows every one has the right to practice their religion freely. But when it comes to Muslims, the European hypocritically denies this fundamental freedom to Muslim ladies, because they only feign to be liberal and enlightened when in reality they are extremely bigoted and chauvinistic for their own culture and intolerant of other cultures that do not accord to their own. Countries like France and Denmark have imposed severe restrictions on Muslim ladies, preventing them from veiling as per their religious belief and conscience. Cunningly, the European justifies his violation of the basic religious freedom of Muslim ladies by empowering and giving a voice to the hypocrite women in our ranks, who identify as Muslim, but proclaim that veiling has nothing to do with Islam and that the governments are justified in banning its observance. The intrusion of such hypocrite women who have no sincerity to Islam on this issue, siding with the unbelieving European bigot against the interests of the community they identify with is extremely damaging to us. It is apt to label such depraved character “Uncle Tom” and “House Negro”. The Ayah is precise in saying that these hypocrites enjoin what is wrong and forbid what is right.

In the political arena, the role of the Hypocrite, who outwardly identifies with the Muslim community, has also been tremendously harmful. At times when unity and solidarity are critical, the Hypocrite, dancing to the tune of a non-Muslim power, attempts to sabotage that unity and create dissension within the Muslim ranks. A classic example of this phenomenon are the various and many ethnonationalist movevements in the Muslim world, materially and morally backed by the enemy (Israel and India), that engage in separatist politics, armed insurrection and even terrorism. The current Baluch separatist movement in Baluchistan province of Pakistan is known to be backed by Hindu India, and likely the Zionists too. The Zionists strongly backed Marxist Kurdish factions in Iraq and Syria to undermine the unity of the Muslims there. Thankfully, the Kurdish separatist insurgency in Turkey has been crushed and has surrendered. The leader of the PKK, Abdullah Ocalan, announced from his jail cell an end to the separatist movement. Yet elsewhere, in the name of ethnic nationalism, ethnic separatism, feminism, sectarianism or some form of secular leftism, the Hypocrite is continuously trying to undermine the strength and unity of the Millah. The Hypocrite attempts to muddle the issue by exploiting actual transgressions and wrongs that are committed by our Muslim rulers and leaders, thereby successfully stirring dissension. Hence, Allah, holy and exalted is He, says:

ہُمُ الَّذِیۡنَ یَقُوۡلُوۡنَ لَا تُنۡفِقُوۡا عَلٰی مَنۡ عِنۡدَ رَسُوۡلِ اللّٰہِ حَتّٰی یَنۡفَضُّوۡا ؕ وَلِلّٰہِ خَزَآئِنُ السَّمٰوٰتِ وَالۡاَرۡضِ وَلٰکِنَّ الۡمُنٰفِقِیۡنَ لَا یَفۡقَہُوۡنَ

They are the ones say, ‘Spend not on those who are with the Messenger of Allah that they may disperse.’ While to Allah belong the treasures of the Heavens and the Earth; but the hypocrites understand not

(Surah 63, Ayah 7)

Interestingly, this Ayah was revealed concerning an incident in which a hypocrite, outwardly from the ranks of the Ansar of Medina, was oppressed and suffered violence to his person:

حَدَّثَنَا زَيْدُ بْنُ أَرْقَمَ قَالَ غَزَوْنَا مَعَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم وَكَانَ مَعَنَا أُنَاسٌ مِنَ الأَعْرَابِ فَكُنَّا نَبْتَدِرُ الْمَاءَ وَكَانَ الأَعْرَابُ يَسْبِقُونَّا إِلَيْهِ فَسَبَقَ أَعْرَابِيٌّ أَصْحَابَهُ فَسَبَقَ الأَعْرَابِيُّ فَيَمْلأُ الْحَوْضَ وَيَجْعَلُ حَوْلَهُ حِجَارَةً وَيَجْعَلُ النَّطْعَ عَلَيْهِ حَتَّى يَجِيءَ أَصْحَابُهُ ‏‏ قَالَ فَأَتَى رَجُلٌ مِنَ الأَنْصَارِ أَعْرَابِيًّا فَأَرْخَى زِمَامَ نَاقَتِهِ لِتَشْرَبَ فَأَبَى أَنْ يَدَعَهُ فَانْتَزَعَ قِبَاضَ الْمَاءِ فَرَفَعَ الأَعْرَابِيُّ خَشَبَتَهُ فَضَرَبَ بِهَا رَأْسَ الأَنْصَارِيِّ فَشَجَّهُ فَأَتَى عَبْدَ اللَّهِ بْنَ أُبَىٍّ رَأْسَ الْمُنَافِقِينَ فَأَخْبَرَهُ وَكَانَ مِنْ أَصْحَابِهِ فَغَضِبَ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ أُبَىٍّ ثُمَّ قَالَ ‏لا تُنْفِقُوا عَلَى مَنْ عِنْدَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ حَتَّى يَنْفَضُّوا‏ مِنْ حَوْلِهِ‏ يَعْنِي الأَعْرَابَ

Zayd bin Arqam رضى الله عنه narrated to us: We went on a military expedition with the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم and there were some Bedouins with us. We would race to the water, and the Bedouins would outpace us. One Bedouin outran his companions, so the Bedouin would fill the cistern, place stones around it, and place the mats on it until his companions came. Then a man from the Ansar came to the Bedouin and let go of the reins of his camel so that she could drink. But he refused him, so he grabbed the water jug. The Bedouin raised his wooden stick and struck the Ansari man’s head with it, splitting it. Then he (the Ansari) went to Abdullah bin Ubayy, the leader of the hypocrites, and informed him. He was one of his companions. Abdullah bin Ubayy was furious and said, “Do not spend on those who are with the Messenger of Allah until they disperse from around him,” meaning the Bedouins (Jami at-Tirmidhi: Kitab Tafsir al-Quran)

Here we see how Ibn Ubayy, the Chief of the Hypocrites, exploited a serious wrong suffered by one of his companions at the hands of a Bedouin who was within the ranks of the Muslim forces. Ibn Ubayy called for the people to stop spending on the Bedouins so that they would eventually abandon the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم, thereby effecting some harm to the Muslims and their cause. This is not unlike how the Hypocrite justifies rebellion against the State, in Pakistan for instance, by drawing attention to injustice, real or imagined, experienced by some of the population. This was the playbook of the fascist Bengali secessionists of the Mukti Bahini which succeeded in breaking up Pakistan in 1971, and today the same playbook is being followed by Baluch separatists. While we Muslims must always speak out against injustice and oppression, it is an evil act of hypocrisy most hated to Allah to exploit that injustice to undermine the unity and strength of the Muslims, or to act treacherously and dance to the tune of the enemy.