Volume 8 Surah 9 - Enjoy Islam

Al-Tawbah (The Repentance) | MANIFESTATIONS OF HYPOCRISYThe sūrah goes on to portray more cases of hypocrisy and how the hypocritesbehave. “Some of them have pledged to God: ‘If He gives us of His bounty, we will certainlyspend in charity, and we will be among the righteous.’ But when He had given them of Hisbounty they grew niggardly and turned away, heedless [of their pledges].” (Verses 75-76)Some of these hypocrites pledge solemnly to God that if He would bestow Hisgrace on them and give them some of His bounty, they would be very charitable tothe poor and behave in the way expected of righteous people. Such a pledge,however, is given at a time when those people are poor, when their poverty makesthem yearn for a time of plenty. Yet when God answers their prayers, and favoursthem with His bounty, they forget all about their pledges, and behave like misers.They turn away unwilling to honour their pledges. This violation of their promisesand lying to God make hypocrisy take root in their hearts. Hence they continue to behypocrites until they die.Human beings are weak and niggardly, except for the few who manage, by God’sgrace, to elevate themselves. They cannot rid themselves of their miserliness unlesstheir hearts become full of faith, raising them above the needs of this world andfreeing them of their eagerness to protect their immediate interests. This is easy ifthey hope to achieve something better in the hereafter, and aspire to receive God’sacceptance, which is far superior to all comforts and enjoyments. A believer’s heart isreassured by faith, does not fear to be poor as a result of spending in charity or forGod’s cause, because he knows that what people may have will be exhausted andwhat God has in store is inexhaustible. His knowledge motivates him to pay infurthering God’s cause willingly, without any fear that he will be left in need. Even ifhe becomes without money, what he hopes to receive from God is infinitely betterand far greater.When a person’s heart is devoid of true faith, his natural instinct to keep hiswealth for himself is aroused whenever he is called upon to give in charity or tospend something for God’s cause. The fear of poverty overrides his weaker desire torespond to such a call. He is imprisoned within his niggardliness, feeling insecure. Aperson who makes a pledge to God and then reneges on his pledge and lies to God isnot free from hypocrisy. The Prophet is authentically quoted as saying: “The mark ofa hypocrite is threefold: he lies when he speaks, reneges on his promises and betrayshis trust.”Hence their deliberately unfulfilled pledges and their repeated lies breedhypocrisy which settles permanently in their hearts, as the Qur’ānic verse describes:“In consequence, He caused hypocrisy to take root in their hearts till the Day on which theywill meet Him, because they have been untrue to the pledges they made to God, and because ofthe lies they used to tell.” (Verse 77)168