Islam Abhors All Types of Hypocrisy. One of the worst characteristics that Islam abhors is hypocrisy.The Prophet (peace be upon him) spoke about it several times,and every time he used some graphic description that showed how ugly and unbecoming all types of hypocrisy were. Two Hadiths in this connection are particularly interesting. The first is put very simply by the Prophet who wanted his audience to fully understand his purpose. He said: “One of the worst people is a double-faced man, who come to one group with one face and to another group with a totally different face.” (Related by Al-Bukhari and Ibn Hibban). The Prophet (peace be upon him) describes a hypocrite person as double-faced, and then he explains why he has described him as such, showing him as though he actually had two faces. If there are two groups with some differences, or dispute, he would speak to each one in a way that would please them, and say to one group the opposite of what he says to the other. Hence, the Prophet says that such a person is one of the worst types of people. This is certainly true, because such a person could not be a man of faith who fears God. As such, he always seeks what he thinks to serve his immediate interests, knowing that this will mean that he lies to both groups or at least one of them. A similar Hadith is reported by Ammar ibn Yasir, an early companion of the Prophet, who quotes him as saying: “Whoever is double-faced in this life will have two tongues of fire in the hereafter.” A big man then passed by and the Prophet said: “This is one of them.” (Related by Al-Bukhari in Al-Adab Al-Mufrad, Abu Dawood, Al-Darimi and others). Here the Prophet gives a more graphic description of hypocrites. The description concentrates on the hypocrite’s tongue, because it is with his words that he tries to cheat people and get the better of them. He always says to his interlocutors what would please them, so that he is included in their good books. He does not care if what he says is untrue, because all that he cares for is his own interest. Because a hypocrite relies on lying, thinking that he could lie his way out of any difficulty, God gives him two tongues on the Day of Judgment, but both are made of fire. This is a horrid picture, but very apt for such a person. One thing every hypocrite lacks is a sense of shame. When he does something against the morality of society, he does not feel ashamed because he thinks that he can still get away with it, saying a few words to please this person and a few others to please someone else. That his words are lies does not trouble him. He has no sense of shame. But this sense is one that all divine messages try to promote. The Prophet says: “Among the words people received from early prophets are: if you feel no shame, then do as you wish.” (Related by Al-Bukhari, Abu Dawood, Ibn Majah, Ahmad and others). This Hadith admits more than one interpretation. The first is that if you feel you will not be ashamed for doing what you intend to do because you can justify it as correct and there is nothing in it to be ashamed of, then you may go ahead and do it without hesitation. It may be that what you are about to do is something right, although some people may prefer that you do not do it. Since you are sure that it is just and fair, then you have nothing to answer for as a result of doing it. You are perfectly entitled to do it. If we prefer this interpretation of this Hadith, then it is important to examine what we intend to do before embarking on it. If we find it to be perfectly acceptable and we are clear in our conscience that it is right for us to do, then that is all we need to ascertain in order to proceed with it. Secondly, the Hadith may be taken to mean that if a person is incapable of any feeling of shame, and could not care less whether he brought shame on himself, his family or his people, then there is nothing to stop him from doing what is censurable. If we take this interpretation of the Hadith, then we observe that it is phrased in the imperative, but it is meant as a reproach. It could also be said that the Hadith means that having no sense of shame is much worse than what one may actually do. It is important to know what may be included in having a proper sense of shame. Some people suggest that a shy person is incapable of confronting others with the truth he knows. As a result, he does not fulfill his duty to enjoin what is right and to speak out against what is wrong. His shyness may even lead him to the non-fulfillment of certain rights or duties. Such an attitude is not what is meant in having a sense of shame in the above-mentioned Hadith. This is simply a manifestation of weakness. A proper sense of shame is that which causes a person to feel afraid of being blamed for something unbecoming. It may also lead a person to forgo what rightfully belongs to him because he is too shy to demand it. Hence the virtue Islam values highly is to feel ashamed as a result of a wrong that one may do, to be afraid of blame for committing something unbecoming, and to be too modest to demand something for oneself if people may think that such a demand is made for a personal gain. It is such modesty that the Prophet describes as being part of faith. Abdullah ibn Umar reports that God’s messenger (peace be on him) passed by a man who was blaming his brother for being too modest. The Prophet said to him: “Leave him alone. Modesty is a characteristic of faith.” (Related by Al-Bukhari, Muslim, At-Tirmidhi and others). Apparently the man who was being blamed was too modest to claim what rightfully belongs to him. It may be very difficult to change his attitude. Many a person lends money to another for a specific period of time. When the term of the loan is over, the borrower may take his time before settling his debt. The lender may be in need of the money, but his modesty prevents him from demanding repayment. His difficulty in requesting repayment is greater than that of the borrower in asking for the loan in the first place. We notice that the Prophet has counseled this man to leave his brother alone making it clear to him that such modesty and having a sense of shame is indicative of strong faith. The Prophet’s statement makes it clear that although modesty may prevent a person from demanding his rights, it remains a virtue for which no one should be blamed. It is true that a modest person may not get his rights, but by forgoing them, he is sure to receive a much greater reward from God. It should be added here that the Prophet himself was a very modest person. He is described to have had a more refined sense of shame than a virgin in her private room. Makkah Imam Calls on Terrorists to Surrender. JEDDAH, 10 July 2004 — An imam of the Grand Mosque in Makkah has thrown his weight behind calls for terrorists to surrender under a month-long amnesty announced by the government in late June. “Hurry, you who committed mistakes and are now in hiding, to make this initiative a new beginning in correcting (your behavior) and return to the true path,” Sheikh Saud Al-Sheraim said in his Friday sermon. Addressing hundreds of thousands of worshippers at the Grand Mosque,he said Saudi authorities were sincere in forgiving militants who voluntarily surrender. Praising repentance as an Islamic ideal, he called on all those who deviated from the right path to return to the fold of Islam. “Hurry to catch up with those who have been promised forgiveness in life and death, for Almighty Allah has said to those who have repented ... that He is forgiving and merciful.” The one-month offer announced by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd on June 23 gave terrorists 30 days to turn themselves in. “All those affiliated to this group (of terrorists) and who were not captured have a chance to return to God and engage in soul-searching.” Those surrendering would be guaranteed personal safety but would still have to face claims from the families of victims, Crown Prince Abdullah said in a televised speech. So far two terror suspects, one of whom appeared on a list of 26 most wanted militants, have handed themselves in under the amnesty. Al-Sheraim stressed the need for Muslims to seek advice in searching for the truth, and attempt cooperation and reconciliation. He indicated that terror attacks in Muslim countries was a sign of “grave danger” and must be confronted. “What is taking place in Muslim countries, the killing and terrorizing of the innocent, is something evil and a sign of great danger,” he said. “Such acts must never be ignored or justified but confronted and stopped by all available means. These acts should never be accepted under any justification. The only winners are the enemy lying in wait and the envious who rejoice in others’ misfortune,” he added. Punishment in the Grave Q. People give different views about punishment in the grave, with some saying that all punishment is administered only on the Day of Judgment, while others say that it starts shortly after the person is buried. Which is correct? A. There are certain things Islam mentions about happenings after this life is over, without giving much explanation. We take these as they are, without going into too much detail, because if God has not provided these details, there is no means that we can ascertain them. One of these is punishment in the grave, which is clearly, though implicitly, mentioned in the Qur’an when God refers to the punishment suffered by Pharaoh’s people: “A grievous scourge encompasses Pharaoh’s people: before the Fire they are brought morning and evening, and on the day the Last Hour strikes, a voice will say: ‘Mete out the sternest punishment to Pharaoh’s people.’” (40: 45-46) These verses clearly show that there are two stages of punishment. The first is when Pharaoh’s people are brought before the fire of hell every morning and every evening. The second is clearly spelt out for the Day of Judgment. So, the first stage is the one meted out in the grave. Hence, we are taught by the Prophet (peace be upon him) to pray to God for protection against punishment in the grave. May God guard us all against it and against punishment in the hereafter. ___________________________________________________________ How much mail storage do you get for free? Yahoo! Mail gives you 100MB! Get Yahoo! Mail http://uk.mail.yahoo.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ To Search in the Gambia-L archives, go to: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/CGI/wa.exe?S1=gambia-l To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to: [log in to unmask] To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~