Allah,
the Exalted, says:
"And fulfill (every) covenant. Verily! The covenant will be
questioned about. (17:34)
"And fulfill the Covenant of Allah (Bai`ah: pledge for Islam)
when you have covenanted.'' (16:91)
"O you who believe! Fulfill (your) obligations.'' (5:1)
"O you who believe! Why do you say that which you do not do?
Most hateful it is with Allah that you say that which you do not do.'' (61:2,3)
Abu Hurairah (May
Allah be pleased with him) reported: Messenger of Allah (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa
sallam) said, "Three
are the signs of a hypocrite: MWhen he speaks,
he lies;
Pwhen
he makes a promise, he breaks it; and
B
when he is trusted, he betrays his trust.''
[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].
Another narration adds the words: "Even
if he observes Saum (fasts), performs Salat (prayer) and claims to be a
Muslim.''
Commentary: This
Hadith has already been mentioned in the chapter about trusts. See Commentary
on Hadith No. 201. Its repetition here is meant to stress the point that a
hypocrite is recognized by breaking his promise.
`Abdullah bin `Amr bin Al-`as (May Allah be pleased with him)
reported: The Messenger of Allah (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) said, "Four are the qualities which, when found in a person, make
him a sheer hypocrite, and one who possesses one of them, possesses one
characteristic of hypocrisy until he abandons it. These are: When he is
entrusted with something, he betrays trust; when he speaks, he lies; when he
promises, he acts treacherously; and when he argues, he behaves in a very
imprudent, insulting manner.''
[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].
Commentary:
Theologically speaking, a disagreement between heart and tongue - or word
and deed - about the declaration of faith in Islam is defined as hypocrisy. In
the lifetime of the Prophet (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) there existed a
group of hypocrites whose traits of characters have been outlined in Ahadith.
Humanly it is not possible to perceive malice hidden in one's heart.
Even Messenger of Allah (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam)
hardly knew what lay in the hearts of people because, despite having the
exalted status of Prophethood, he was fundamentally a human. Allah, however,
had revealed hearts to him. But today, we have no error-free source to pick
hypocrites from the ranks of believers. Quite naturally, we fall back on the
Hadith which provides us definite symptoms of the character and manners of
hypocrites so as to distinguish them from sincere Muslims.
`Ulama' say that there are two aspects of
hypocrisy, relating to faith and practice. In the first case, a hypocrite
conceals his disbelief in his heart but verbally professes Islam. Anyone who
belongs to this category of hypocrites will be, as stated in the Qur'an: "In the lowest depths of the Fire.''
(4:145).
In the second case, a
man does have faith in his heart but in practice he portrays the
characteristics of a hypocrite, unfortunately a majority of today's Muslims
practically behave like hypocrites and possess their propensities.
It is this
hypocritical attitude and moral deficiencies of Muslims that have degraded them
and made Islam unappealing. May Allah put Muslims on the right path!
Jabir (May Allah be pleased with him)
reported: The Prophet (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) said to me, "When the revenues of Bahrain will
arrive, I shall give you such and such and such.'' He passed away before the
revenues were received. When they arrive during the caliphate of Abu Bakr (May
Allah be pleased with him), he ordered to be announced: "Anyone whom
Messenger of Allah (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) promised or owed anything,
should come to him.'' I went to him and said: "Messenger of Allah
(sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) had said to me such and such.'' He took a
double handful out of the money and gave it to me. I counted it and found that
it was five hundred dirham. Then Abu Bakr (May Allah be pleased with him) said
to me: "Take twice as much more of that amount.''
[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].
Commentary: Messenger of Allah (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam), according to
Al-Bukhari, spread his both hands
thrice in a gesture and indicated to Jabir (May Allah be pleased with him):
"I will give you double handfuls of money thrice''. Abu Bakr (May Allah be
pleased with him), however, fulfilled the Prophet's promise during his caliphate.
This Hadith is suggestive of fulfillment of the deceased
pledge by the ascendant, that is, his death will not invalidate it. Rather, the
responsibility of fulfilling his pledge devolves upon his inheritors.
Similarly, a new ruler is under obligation to carry out the commitment made by
his predecessor on the government level.
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