Signs of Hypocrisy | Imam Nadim Bashir | Jumuah Khutbah

Du'a Requests

As-salamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu. A few requests for du'as. Number one is a sister of our Hifz program that we have here. Her name is Sister Nafisa. She's requesting du'a for her father-in-law, Muhammad Munir Malik. He has come down with pneumonia and he's extremely sick. We ask Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala to grant him shifa. Number two is there's a brother of our community, Brother Abdullah al-Shammari, requesting du'a for his sister. She is sick. We ask Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. In fact, she passed away. إِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُونَ. We ask Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala to have mercy upon her. And finally, there was a brother who just came to me, requesting du'a for his mother in Pakistan. She had a heart attack and she's currently in the ICU. We ask Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, all those who are sick, may Allah give all of them shifa.

And all those who may have passed away, may Allah have mercy upon them. إِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُونَ.

Ameen, Rabbil alameen.

The Context of Ghazwatul Ahzab

Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu. There is none worthy of worship except Allah. I bear witness that there is none worthy of worship except Allah. I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah. Allah is the Greatest. There is none worthy of worship except Allah.

So whenever you have a situation like this, they always feel, the ones who are always threatened, they always feel that we need to remove this obstacle once and for all. Hence when they came for Ghazwatul Ahzab, then at that time not only did they come alone, they came with other alliances. They built up partnerships with other tribes, powerful tribes, resourceful tribes, to come and wipe out the Muslims.

Now the Muslims on the other hand, they were dealing with their own dilemma. Their dilemma was that internally, there were initially three Jewish tribes in Medina. Two of them were no longer there, but one Jewish tribe was still in Medina. And historically speaking, Rasulullah ﷺ always knew that these were a group of people that they could not be trusted. And not only that, in addition to that challenge, you had the Munafiqun also living in Medina. So the Prophet ﷺ is facing an opposition from the front, and he's facing an opposition internally. So understand how difficult this situation is. Of course you factor in the shortage of food, you factor in the weather, the cold weather, and you're talking about a mixture of challenges.

The Quranic Pedagogy About Hypocrites

During this time, Allah in Ghazwatul Ahzab, He talks about the Munafiqun in some details. He talks about their characteristics, which I want to highlight today in this khutbah. And the reason why we cover these ayat is because this is how Allah and this is how the Quran educates you and I. This is the pedagogy of the Quran.

The Quran does not just talk about people from the outside, it talks about the people outside, so that you and I, we take a lesson from this. We should not feel immune. This is the biggest problem, one of the biggest problems that we have, is that when Allah is talking to the kuffar, or He's talking about the kuffar, we immediately as Muslims, we zone out. Because we're like, you know what, this is not talking about me, this is talking about them. So I don't have a problem over here. Allah is the one who has a problem with them. That's not how the Quran works. The Quran is talking about them, so that you and I, we don't eventually follow their path.

When Allah talks about the munafiqoon, you and I can sit here and say, well, I'm not a munafiq, so I have nothing to worry about. This is about them again. And once again, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is telling us, that no, these ayat are relevant to you too. Though you may call yourself a Muslim, these munafiqoon in the time of the Prophet ﷺ, they call themselves the Muslims. They thought that they were part of the community of Rasulullah ﷺ.

But the reason why nifaq is so abhorrent in the eyes of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, is because it does not apply any kind of ikhlas. You have double standards. On one end, they're trying to show that they are part of the community of Rasulullah ﷺ. That they show that they are in the interest, they care about the interest of the Muslim community. But behind the scenes, they're the ones who are talking to the Jewish community. They're the ones who are plotting and planning against the community of Rasulullah ﷺ. And as a result, that's why Allah says in the Quran:

The munafiqoon are on the lowest level of the fire of Jahannam. The lowest grade of the fire of Jahannam, in the sense like, they will receive the worst punishment because of their hypocrisy.

Preparing Our Hearts for Ramadan

So we go through these ayahs, so that I need to ask myself, that before Ramadan comes, if I have these spiritual illnesses, and I don't remove them now, I'm gonna go into Ramadan with those spiritual illnesses. And just like I gave the example of clean water, you have spiritual illnesses in that heart, in that vessel, and you're trying to add the Quran to that, you're gonna leave Ramadan even more confused. So that is why it is important that these sicknesses, the diseases, the illnesses have to be removed, and they may not be removed 100%. But we make a sincere attempt starting now, so that when Ramadan comes, our heart inshallah is clean enough to internalize the Quran and the barakah of the Quran.

Sign #1: Doubting Allah and His Prophet

This is the very first thing Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala talks about when He talks about the munafiqun. So to give you some context, when Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam was digging up the trenches, of course, these sahaba, they were going through so much extreme hunger, that they had tie stones to their stomachs. Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam, his sacrifices were always a notch higher than the sahaba. So he had tied two stones to his belly.

And while they're going through this, imagine, picture yourself in that kind of situation. Here you're talking about protecting yourself, digging up a trench, so that the Quraysh are not able to come into Medina. They did not go anywhere outside. They were still sitting in their hometown in Medina. They're trying to protect their hometown. And then Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam begins to talk about, what is going to happen down the road. He's giving them signs and news of what's going to happen in the future. Of how Muslims are going to conquer certain lands.

And at that time you had Muslims, and you had the munafiqun. Now the Muslim says, if Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam is making all these promises, yet we are here. Our security is at risk here. But if Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam is saying, that we will be victorious, and we will emerge, and there are certain lands that will come into the hands of the Muslims. I believe Allah and His Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam.

The munafiqun turned around and said, that how are all these promises even realistic? You understand? I mean here you're talking about a man, who's in this situation. He's talking about conquering other lands. So what they did was, that they began to doubt Allah and His Rasul sallallahu alayhi wasallam. And perhaps the very first sign, that is a sign of nifaq and hypocrisy, is that a person begins to doubt Allah and His Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam.

How We Doubt Allah Today

Now how do we generally doubt Allah and His Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam? How many times I've heard people say, that I don't make du'a anymore. Why? Because du'a does not work. Or I don't believe that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala answers prayers. Just because you went through an issue in your life, and perhaps you heard some kind of video, or you came across a video on Instagram or somewhere, where you heard someone say, that if you recite this du'a, Allah will answer your du'a. And you're thinking to yourself, that you know what, I'm in this desperate situation. This is the du'a that I was looking for. You make that du'a, but Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala does not come to your aid immediately. And what happens is, you begin to doubt Allah and His Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam. So this is the very first step of nifaq and hypocrisy.

And brothers and sisters, what's important for us is, that when we talk about iman, we also talk about yaqeen, we talk about certainty. This is the behavior of a Muslim. You don't ever doubt Allah and His Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam. In fact, Allah will bring situations to test how committed you are to your claim. When you claim that, I believe in Allah and His Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam, Allah is gonna test that loyalty. And generally in that test, that is where many people, they have doubts in Allah azza wa jal.

So that is why in a time like today, we should never ever doubt Allah azza wa jal. I ask all of you, and think about this for a moment. Allah told us to make du'a to Him. And so we make du'a. But did Allah guarantee that He will accept our du'as based on our timing? There's not a single hadith like that. There's not a single verse of the Quran like that. Yet you and I, because we live in a society, where everything is done probably in 2-3 minutes. Now I made du'a, I probably committed so much haram, but now I sat down one time, I made du'a, I want Allah to be there for me immediately. That's not the way it works brothers and sisters. Allah is telling us, you make du'a, I will decide when to accept your du'a. And that is why we always, we keep our faith in Allah azza wa jal.

Sign #2: Spreading Fear and Doubt

Now usually what happens is that when you have all these doubts in your heart, you're not gonna keep them to yourself. You're often gonna share those doubts and that fear with someone else. And that brings me to sign number 2, which Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala also highlights in the very next verse. He says:

So in the battlefield, these hypocrites, they did not remain silent. They had this fear, they had these doubts, now they're spreading all this. And they're telling others, convincing them, that there's no point of you staying over here. There's no point of sitting around Rasulullah ﷺ. This place Medina is not a safe place. We need to leave. This is not a safe haven for us, and our security is at risk over here.

Emotional Irresponsibility

So this is something that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala also highlights, that this is called emotional irresponsibility. Allowing your fear to dominate the heart when talking to others about it. Look, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala did not say that you cannot have that fear. Fear is gonna be there. But Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala also taught us that when you have fear, the greatest fear you should have is from Allah azza wa jal.

There's gonna be situations, even here in America right now, when you look at the situation, and people are talking about what's gonna happen to Muslims in 10 years, 20 years, and so forth. There is gonna be some level of fear. But the believer says, that no matter what, there is fear. But حَسْبُنَا اللَّهُ وَنِعْمَ الْوَكِيلُ - I put my faith in Allah azza wa jal. I put my faith that inshallah, Allah will take care of us. Allah will keep us in a good situation. There's gonna be ups and downs everywhere. But I put my faith in Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

The munafiq will say, I have fear. But their fear will not lead them to Allah azza wa jal. In fact, if someone says, that yes, there is fear, but just put your trust in Allah.

Signs of Hypocrisy

These are the very first people who will say that, look, putting your faith in Allah is very unrealistic. These are the kind of people who will say these kind of things. That there is no point of saying, I believe in Allah and I fear Allah, and I put my trust in Allah. No, that is irrelevant here. There are other things that we need to be worried about. That is why it is always important. There is always gonna be fear. But no matter what situation it is, we always come back to Allah عز وجل. A believer says, I will come back to Allah. No matter what, because the situation is beyond my control. And if there is anyone who is in control of everything, and all the umur of this dunya, and all the matters of this dunya, it is Allah عز وجل.

First Sign: Doubting Allah and His Prophet

So the very first sign of a munafiq is that they begin to doubt Allah and His Prophet ﷺ. The second sign of that munafiq is they begin to spread their fear in others, and they do not let anyone put their trust in Allah عز وجل. In fact, if they see someone that they are starting to believe, they say that, you know what, I'll put my tawakkul in Allah. They are betrayed, or they are not betrayed, or they are criticized immediately.

Third Sign: Making Excuses

Then the third sign of a munafiq also mentioned in this surah is that these are people who give excuses, but they don't want to take any kind of responsibility. So Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى says:

Allah says that while these munafiqun were sitting around Rasulullah ﷺ, they are telling everyone that this place Medina is not safe. At the same time they are saying, Ya Rasulullah, you know there is something at home that I have to take care of, or our homes are under attack, I need to go home and make sure I protect my family, take care of my family and so forth. Whereas Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى says, وَمَا هِيَ بِعَوْرَةٍ Their houses are not under attack, but they don't want to be around Rasulullah ﷺ, and they are just trying to make excuses so that they can leave and not be around the Prophet ﷺ and the Muslims because they have this fear that they are going to be probably wiped out.

So Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى highlights this, and He says that people who give excuses, when... See one is that you have a legitimate excuse. And this actually happened in the time of the Prophet ﷺ. When there were times where expeditions were taking place, the Prophet ﷺ would tell everyone, if you have an excuse, you come to me and you explain to me your reason why you want to be excused for this expedition. And there were people who came. The sincere believers came. There were some who were sick. There were some who were seniors. And they would come to the Prophet ﷺ, or they had some legitimate reason of staying behind. And they would come to the Prophet ﷺ, give their excuse, and if they were excused, they would actually return back crying. Because deep down in their heart, they wanted to actually go with the Prophet ﷺ.

On the other hand, you had munafiqoon, who would come crying to the Prophet ﷺ, but there were nothing but fake tears. There were crocodile tears. And the Prophet ﷺ knew, he could read through them, like a clear glass. And he knew where they were coming from. They had no intention to be part of this expedition to begin with. They were just trying to make excuses. And then later on, when the Muslims are now enjoying the fruits of their hard work, and now there is ghanimah that is coming into Madinah, now all of a sudden they want a piece of the pie. It doesn't work like that.

So that is why the first sign of these kind of people is that they always make excuses. Now to help us understand this, think about it, there are some people that no matter what, they're so busy in their life, that anytime you ask them that can you come and help out a little here, can you come and help out a little there, can you do this, can you do that, things for fee sabilillah. And these are the kind of people who will always say, I have, I'm busy, I am busy, I am busy. Whereas they may just go home and sit on their phone probably for the next half an hour or 45 minutes doing nothing on Instagram or TikTok. These are the kind of people that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is highlighting here. We don't ever make excuses. When the call comes to do something that is khair, something that is good, people who always make excuses, this is who are the people who are being addressed here in this ayah.

Fourth Sign: Overconfidence in Faith

The fourth sign, which is the last sign inshallah I will cover for today, is that these are people that they actually do feel that I have faith, I believe in, I belong in the community of Rasulullah ﷺ, but they're so overly confident about their faith that they have absolutely no fear of nifaq. And Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala talks about this too. He says:

These are people who have already given their commitment to Allah عز وجل. They would never ever turn away from Allah عز وجل. And then Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says that this covenant that you have made, you will be questioned about this. But because these are the same people who claim to have faith, who claim to have iman. But when the time comes, when the pressure comes, when the pressure comes upon the person, then that is when they begin to leave their iman.

When you come under pressure, that really shows Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala what kind of a believer you are. There are some people who worship Allah when things are good. But when things are not going according to plan, then these are the people who turn away from Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. And regarding these people, Allah says in the Quran, He says, خَسِرَ الدُّنْيَا وَالْآخِرَةَ There will be losers here in this dunya, and there will be losers in the akhirah.

You cannot worship Allah on the edge at all the time. And He talks about this:

When everything is going well, they have a good job, they have no debts, they're building up their assets, kids are doing well in school, no one is sick, alhamdulillah. Someone ask that person, like they talk about Allah, someone mentions about Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala in front of them. These are the same people who say that, you know what, Allah is kareem. Allah is arham ar-rahimeen. Allah is the best of providers. Allah is the best of this, best of that. And then as soon as some calamity comes upon them, just like that, just like that, they will turn their hearts away from Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. Allah says, these are losers. These are not people who are committed.

Likewise, you can sit there and beat your chest as much as you want and say, I'm a believer, I'm a believer. But when the pressure comes, when situations come, now you want to hide your face all of a sudden, now you don't want to show that you are a Muslim anywhere because what people are going to say about Muslims and Islam and Muslims, then that really shows where your heart is. And this is also highlighted in this surah.

Self-Reflection, Not Judging Others

Point is brothers and sisters, there's a lot more signs of nifaq that can be covered from the Quran and from the sunnah of Rasulullah ﷺ. But it is important that first we look into our own hearts. We have this habit today, and you will see this all over online. Oh, this person is a munafiq, this person is a kafir, munafiq, kafir. And you know as a sheikh said that every single Muslim has made every other Muslim a kafir. Who's going to go into Jannah honestly? Jannah is going to be empty then. But this is where we are today. We are putting a label of nifaq on everyone else.

Allah did not give us the signs of who are the munafiq so that we can place a label on others. Allah told us the signs of kufr, the signs of nifaq so that I can look in the mirror myself and ask myself, who am I? Do I have kufr in my heart? Do I have nifaq in my heart? That is the question that we need to ask ourselves. It is not there so we can judge others.

Preparing for Ramadan

So I ask Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala that as Ramadan is coming, may Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala first of all, make us from amongst those who will witness the month of Ramadan. اللهم بلغنا رمضان. At the same time, I ask Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala that before Ramadan comes, He cleanses our hearts. Ameen.

Daily Du'as for Protection

I just want to finish by just sharing with you two things that we can make du'a for every single day. The very first one is from Surah Ali Imran. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says:

This is a very powerful du'a that I would strongly recommend everyone to memorize. This is Surah Ali Imran, ayah number eight. If you cannot remember the Arabic, go back to Surah number three, Surah Ali Imran, and go to ayah number eight. InshaAllah, this is a du'a that I implore all of you to memorize and read on a daily basis.

And also, if you want something simple, then:

This is a very simple du'a that you can recite on a daily basis, which means that, Ya Allah, I seek refuge in you from becoming a hypocrite. This is the bare minimum that you can do, inshaAllah. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala clean our hearts, يا رب العالمين.

Closing Du'a