Hawzah News Agency (Qom, Iran) - When Islam started advancing rapidly, the party of hypocrites who felt that they were threatened more than all other opposition parties attempted to destroy the pillars of the Islamic government. They made oaths to the Prophet (sawa), then declined to fulfill their duties when the time came for them to execute them. They also criticized the believers.
 

This destructive and corruptive minority was not able to tolerate the people’s faith and devotion to the Messenger of Allah (S). The leader of these hypocrites was Abu Amir (the priest), who was the chief of the People of the Book in Medina, where he gained a reputation among the people for being a religious man. He prophesied the advent of the Prophet (S) prior to his Message and during the first stages of his Prophet hood. Later he was unable to tolerate the loss of his reputation because of the spread of Islam, so he migrated to Mecca and joined the polytheists war against the Prophet (S) at Badr and Uhud.
 

Abu Amir then fled to the Romans where he began plotting to eradicate the tree of Islam. It was with his instigation that his companions built the “Mosque of Dissension in Medina. At the time this Mosque was constructed no one was allowed to build a mosque without the consent of the Holy Messenger (S). The Prophet (S) granted them permission to build the mosque and when he returned from the battle of Tabuk, the people of the mosque called the Prophet to honor the opening.
 

Beforehand, Allah, the Almighty, had revealed to His Messenger the men’s evil intentions and the Prophet refused to go and commanded the army to destroy the mosque.
 

“Only he shall visit the mosques of Allah who believes in Allah and the latter day, and keeps up prayer and pays the poor rate and fears none but Allah; so (as for) these, it may be that they are of the followers of the right course.” (The Holy Qur’an 9:18)
 

In this manner their treacherous plotting was foiled, and the first place of hypocrisy was burnt.
The Holy Qur’an greatly criticizes this group and condemns them in many verses:
 

“And there are some people who say: ‘We believe in Allah and the Last Day’; and they are not at all believers. “They desire to deceive Allah and those who believe, and they do not perceive. “There is disease in their hearts, so Allah added to their disease and they shall have a painful chastisement because they lied. “And when it is said to them. ‘Do not make mischief in the land’, they say: ‘We are but peace-makers’. “Now surely they themselves are the mischief-makers, but they do not perceive.” (The Holy Qur’an 2: 8-12)

Hypocrisy is a spiritual disease; this might have been what Imam ‘Ali (a.s.) was pointing out when he said: “Be aware of the people of hypocrisy for they are the misled, the misleading, and the leaders to wrong paths. Their hearts are ill; and their appearances pure.”1
 

Dr. H. Shakhter said:

“There are some people who argue for no other reason except to become famous. These people are not sure about their beliefs nor do they really believe in what they argue about, yet they would rather criticize others instead of remaining silent as it is difficult for them to tolerate others indifference to them. Another type of people are those that when they notice people’s indifference to them, follow the path of hypocrisy to create dissension and hence prove their existence.”

Imam ‘Ali (a.s.) said:
 

“A hypocrite: His words are beautiful, and his inner (conscience) is ill.”2
 

A hypocritical person does not have a group he can rely on, therefore, he constantly lives in confusion. The Messenger (S) described hypocrisy by saying: “A hypocrite is like a sheep confused between two herds.” 3
 

The Prophet (S) revealed to us three signs of a hypocrite when he said:
 

“And there are three signs of hypocrites: When they speak they lie. When they make promises they do not keep them. And when they are trusted they cheat.” 4
 

Imam al-Baqir (a.s.) said:
 

“It is evil for a worshipper to have two faces and two tongues, praise his brother in his presence and slander him in his absence. If he gives to his brother he envies him, and if his brother is tested he fails (to help him).” 5
 

Imam ‘Ali (a.s.) pointed out another characteristic of hypocrites when he stated that they are always defensive but critical of others: “The hypocrite is a flatterer of himself, and a defamer of other people.” 6
 

Dr. S. Smiles said:
 

“Flatterers and hypocrites always think about themselves and are never concerned with others. They concentrate on their own actions and affairs until their minor and lowly existence becomes their universe and great idol.”7
 

Imam al-Sadiq (S) explains Luqman’s following admonition to his son:
 

“A hypocrite has three signs: his tongue contradicts his heart, his heart contradicts his conduct, and his appearance contradicts his inner (beliefs).”8
 

Man’s thoughts reveal his real self. People who attempt to conceal what is in their hearts beneath hypocrisy and flattery will never be successful, for their reality and the truth will eventually be revealed.
 

A man said to Imam al-Sadiq (a.s.):
 

"When a person says to me: ‘I like (or love) you.’ How do I know that he is telling the truth?”
The Imam (a.s.) answered the man:

“Examine your heart, if you like him then he likes you. Look in your heart, if it refuses your
companion then one of you has done something.”9
 

Dr. Mardin said:
“If you really think that you can introduce yourself with words then you have deceived yourselves. Because others will not judge you by the norms you wish to assign. Rather they will know you by your actions, words, conditions, conscience, and your inner self. The people who you talk to will notice the strengths and weaknesses of your ideas, your hypocrisy and reality from your speech and even your silence. The people around you will discover your hopes and intentions, and then form their opinions about you; even if you object to some of their views about you, they will be unwilling to change them.
 

“Sometimes we hear people say: ‘I can’t even stand to look at a specific person.’ These individuals cannot tolerate the hated ones, even though they may have some praiseworthy traits or a pleasant appearance. People who feel this way do so because they have read the thoughts and feelings of others. We also feel that Way about some people. This is the effect of thoughts. All our thoughts and feelings spread around us and others sense them with the rays of their thought’’10
 

Imam (a.s.) said:
“Healthy consciences have more truthful testimonies than eloquent tongues.”11
 

When we say hypocrisy, we mean it in a broader sense than just ideological, behavioral, moral, or verbal hypocrisy, for Islam has called all its adherents to a total and comprehensive unity, so as to lead them to a sincere life free of hypocrisy, dissension and treachery.
 

1. Ghurar al-Hikam p. 146
2. Ghurar al-Hikam p. 60
3. Nahj al-Fasahah p. 562
4. Bihar al-Anwar v.15, p. 30
5. Bihar al-Anwar v. 15, p 172
6. Ghurar al-Hikam p.88
7. Akhlaq.
8. Bihar al-Anwar v.15, p. 30
9. Al-Wafi v.3, p. 106
10. Pirozi Fikr
11. Ghurar al-Hikam p. 105

Reference:
Sayyid Mujtaba Musavi Lari, Youth and Morals, published by Createspace Independent Pub, 2014