The Repentance of Hypocrites
Published in February 22, 2018
Translated by: Ahmed Fathy
Introduction:
1- Within the Yathreb city-state led by Muhammad, there was absolute religious freedom and the freedom of peaceful political opposition. The affluent class of disbelieving hypocrites in Yathreb lost their authority and power as citizens of the Yathreb city-state were equal; even Muhammad was commanded to apply direct democracy within the Islamic Shura consultation as all men and women attended assemblies or councils to tackle all affairs of the Yathreb city-state; those who did not attend were severely rebuked as per the last three verses of the Quranic Chapter 24. This active political participation of all citizens made the affluent, ruling class of disbelieving hypocritical leaders among the two main Yathrebian tribes (i.e., Al-Aws and Al-Khazraj) lose all power and authority; the explicit hypocrites expressed their political opposition openly and plainly, ridiculed Muhammad and the Quran, and plotted and conspired against Muhammad and the early believers. Muhammad used to bear patiently with their verbal abuse, slander, and harm and never defended himself regarding the accusations they leveled against him. The Quranic revelation has defended Muhammad, and when Muhammad asked God to pardon them, God has told him that He will never pardon or forgive them; this fact puts to question the accepted repentance of hypocrites on the Last Day.
2- The Yathrebian society within the last year of Muhammad's life had many various trends in terms of belief and disbelief within people's hearts; the Omniscient Lord God knows what is inside hearts/minds of all people; He tells us in the Quranic Chapter 9 about the different spectra of the dwellers of Yathreb; they included (1) explicit hypocrites whose deeds, stances, and words exposed their feelings of animosity and hatred, (2) those adamant in hypocrisy who concealed their true stances and feelings and pretended to be believers, (3) those who are Forerunners in good deeds and good monotheistic faith, (4) those who mixed good deeds with bad ones and sought God's pardon and forgiveness within their repentance and atonement which they hoped to be accepted by God if they were sincere enough, as their fate is up to God, and (5) those who were misguided and disbelieved in the Quran and these polytheistic disbelievers mostly died as such. The Quranic details about hypocrites in the Quranic Chapter 9 are the basis of this article about the repentance (or lack of it) of hypocrites.
Firstly: the main purpose is guiding oneself before one's death:
The Quranic verses descended with the aim of guiding all people; within the Quranic preaching and warning, God tells people in many verses about the fate in Hell for eternity for those who died as disbelievers, sinners, disobedient ones, and hypocrites, so that the living ones among them during Muhammad's lifetime may repent when they had the chance before it would be too late for them upon the moment of their death. Within light of this, we ponder the following verses about the hypocrites of Yathreb in the points below.
1- Some hypocrites allied themselves to the polytheistic aggressors who attacked Yathreb; God has warned them in these verses: "Inform the hypocrites that they will have a painful torment. Those who ally themselves with the disbelievers instead of the believers. Do they seek glory in them? All glory belongs to God." (4:138-139).
2- Some hypocrites held councils to ridicule the Quranic verses; God has warned them here along with those believers who attended such councils: "He has revealed to you in the Book that when you hear God's Verses being rejected, or ridiculed, do not sit with them until they engage in some other subject. Otherwise, you would be like them. God will gather the hypocrites and the disbelievers, into Hell, altogether." (4:140). Part of their ridiculing the Quranic verses is manipulating them and distorting their meanings: "If you ask them, they will say, "We were just joking and playing." Say, "Were you making jokes about God, His Verses, and His Messenger?" Do not apologize. You have disbelieved after your belief. If We pardon some of you, We will torment others, because they are guilty." (9:65-66). God asserts their being disbelievers though they believed at first; many of them pretended to be believers while they were not; yet, God has given them the chance to repent for the rest of the durations of their lifetimes. This Quranic fact refutes the Sunnite myth of penalty for apostasy (i.e., the false notion of putting apostates/heretics or rejecters of Islam to death).
3- Some hypocrites uttered words of blasphemy, disbelief, and polytheism and were ready and eager to commit violence and aggression, though the hypocritical affluent (or capitalist) class members among them in Yathreb grew richer (as the affairs of the Yathreb city-state settled after achieving self-defense military victories) but remained ungrateful and unthankful to the Lord God. When those hypocrites were accused of uttering words of blasphemy and plotting aggression, they typically swore by the Name of God to declare themselves as innocent; God has exposed their lies here: "They swear by God that they said nothing; but they did utter the word of blasphemy, and they renounced faith after their submission. And they plotted what they could not attain. They were resentful only because God and His Messenger have enriched them out of His grace. If they repent, it would be best for them; but if they turn away, God will afflict them with a painful torment - in this life and in the Hereafter - and they will have on earth no protector and no supporter." (9:74). We see here that God has given them the chance to repent and save themselves as long as they live despite their uttering blasphemies and their rejection of faith after their initial belief; again, this Quranic fact refutes the Sunnite myth of killing people as a penalty for apostasy.
4- These Quranic verses apply to those who died as disbelievers and hypocrites who never repented: "God will torment the hypocrites, men and women, and the polytheists, men and women. And God will redeem the believers, men and women. God is Ever-Forgiving, Most Merciful." (33:73); "And He will torment the hypocrites, men and women, and the polytheists, men and women, those who harbor evil thoughts about God. They are surrounded by evil; and God is angry with them, and has cursed them, and has prepared for them Hell - a miserable destination." (48:6).
5- This means that repentance is the main purpose of the Quranic warning and preaching addressing those who are alive; we read these verses about God's Word, the Quran itself: "We did not teach him poetry, nor is it proper for him. It is only a reminder, and a Clear Quran. That he may warn whoever is alive, and prove the Word against the disbelievers." (36:69-70).
Secondly: the general rule of the repentance of hypocrites:
1- Repentance deemed acceptable by God results in His pardoning and forgiving those repentant ones on the Last Day and overlooking their sins; this repentance must be sincere and last for the rest of one's lifetime within correction of one's faith to be truly monotheistic and within atonement and reforming oneself by performing many good deeds so that the bad ones are removed and forgiven by God on the Last Day as they will be replaced with the good deeds; we infer this from the following verses: "When those who believe in Our Verses come to you, say, "Peace be upon you, your Lord has prescribed mercy for Himself. Whoever among you does wrong out of ignorance, and then repents afterwards and reforms-He is Forgiving and Merciful."" (6:54); "And I am Forgiving towards him who repents, believes, acts righteously, and then remains guided." (20:82); "But he who repents, and believes, and does righteous deeds, may well be among the winners." (28:67).
2- The repentance of hypocrites has special conditions as we understand from these verses: "The hypocrites will be in the lowest level of the Fire, and you will find no helper for them. Except those who repent, and reform, and hold fast to God, and dedicate their religion to God alone. These are with the believers; and God will give the believers a great reward." (4:145-146). We emphasize the following points we have inferred from 4:145-146.
2/1: Those hypocrites who died without repentance are worse than those ordinary explicit disbelievers who plainly and openly declared their disbelief; hypocrites will be in the deepest level of Hell.
2/2: Besides reforming and atonement, the repentance of hypocrites entails adherence to the Quran, God's Word, and to dedicate their acts of worship and their religion only to God.
2/3: If this repentance is deemed sincere and acceptable by God, these sincere repentant ones who reformed themselves, corrected their faith, and atoned for their sins by many good deeds within monotheism will be with the believers in Paradise and will be included within God's Mercy and Light on the Last Day; those unrepentant who feigned repentance and belief and died as hypocrites will be exposed on the Last Day: "On the Day when you see the believing men and believing women-their light radiating ahead of them, and to their right: "Good news for you today: gardens beneath which rivers flow, dwelling therein forever. That is the great triumph." On the Day when the hypocritical men and hypocritical women will say to those who believed, "Wait for us; let us absorb some of your light." It will be said, "Go back behind you, and seek light." A wall will be raised between them, in which is a door; within it is mercy, and outside it is torment. They will call to them, "Were we not with you?" They will say, "Yes, but you cheated your souls, and waited, and doubted, and became deluded by wishful thinking, until the command of God arrived; and arrogance deceived you regarding God."" (57:12-14).
Thirdly: the disbelieving hypocrites who died without repentance:
The Omniscient Lord God tells us in the Quran about hypocrites who died without repentance and about their fate in Hell for eternity, as per many Quranic verses that assert the impossibility of repentance for those whose hearts/mind/souls have been controlled by Satan and the devils so that they perceive their evil, bad deeds as good ones. Some of the hypocrites in Yathreb during Muhammad's lifetime fall into that category of misguided ones who committed many sins and evil deeds; let us exemplify this within the Quranic verses.
1- Some of the hypocrites in Yathreb were impecunious; they vowed that if God would grant them wealth, they will donate for charity and be good persons, but once they attained their goal and became rich enough, they became ungrateful and unthankful and were so stingy; they reneged on their vows and promises, and God tells us that these hypocrites died as such and never repented: "Among them are those who promised God: "If He gives us of His bounty, we will donate and be among the upright." But when He has given them of His bounty, they became stingy with it, and turned away in aversion. So He penalized them with hypocrisy in their hearts, until the Day they face Him - because they broke their promise to God, and because they used to lie. Do they not know that God knows their secrets and their conspiracies? And that God is the Knower of the unseen?" (9:75-58). This is a lesson of vital importance – it reminds us of one person in Cairo, Egypt, who claimed to be a Quranist man and he vowed that he would donate a large sum of money to help build a Quranist mosque in Cairo if he would win a case that will bring him millions of LE, but sadly, once he won the case, he was arrogant and never fulfilled his vow.
2- Some of the hypocrites in Yathreb were reluctant to donate money for the sake of self-defense military endeavors and they ridiculed the poor Yathreb dwellers who donated their little money and efforts: "Those who criticize the believers who give charity voluntarily, and ridicule those who find nothing to give except their own efforts - God ridicules them. They will have a painful torment. Whether you ask forgiveness for them, or do not ask forgiveness for them-even if you ask forgiveness for them seventy times, God will not forgive them. That is because they disbelieved in God and His Messenger. God does not guide the immoral people." (9:79-80).
3- Some of the hypocrites in Yathreb were addicted to disobedience and telling lies within swearing falsely and in vain by God's Name to protect themselves but they were harming themselves unawares: "...Still they swear by God: "Had we been able, we would have marched out with you." They damn their own souls, and God knows that they are lying." (9:42). God says the following about their hypocrisy: "When the hypocrites come to you, they say, "We bear witness that you are God's messenger." God knows that you are His messenger, and God bears witness that the hypocrites are liars. They treat their oaths as a cover, and so they repel others from God's Path. Evil is what they do. That is because they believed, and then disbelieved; so their hearts were sealed, and they cannot understand." (63:1-3); yet, later on, they arrogantly refused to repent and God has told Muhammad to stop asking pardon for them: "And when it is said to them, "Come, the Messenger of God will ask forgiveness for you," they bend their heads, and you see them turning away arrogantly. It is the same for them, whether you ask forgiveness for them, or do not ask forgiveness for them; God will not forgive them. God does not guide the sinful people." (63:5-6). God tells us here about their fate on the Last Day and how their addiction to swear by God's Name falsely and in vain will go on after Resurrection: "Have you considered those who befriended a people with whom God has become angry? They are not of you, nor of them. And they swear to a lie while they know. God has prepared for them a terrible punishment. Evil is what they used to do. They took their oaths as a screen, and prevented others from God's path. They will have a shameful torment. Neither their possessions nor their children will avail them anything against God. These are the inhabitants of the Fire, dwelling therein forever. On the Day when God will resurrect them altogether - they will swear to Him, as they swear to you, thinking that they are upon something. Indeed, they themselves are the liars. Satan has taken hold of them, and so has caused them to forget the remembrance of God. These are the allies of Satan. Indeed, it is Satan's partisans who are the losers." (58:14-19).
4- Within their telling lies, they used to apologize for not participating in the self-defense endeavors though they could afford it; engaging into the self-defense endeavors was done voluntarily by believers, and never obligatorily, for the sake of the Dominant Lord God; those who refused to participate in it lost the chance to participate in that honorable mission and lost their stature and respectability within the Yathreb society; this is why God has told Muhammad the following about these hypocrites: "Those who stayed behind rejoiced at their staying behind the messenger of God. And they hated to strive with their wealth and their lives in God's way. And they said, "Do not venture out in the heat." Say, "The Fire of Hell is much hotter, if they only understood." Let them laugh a little, and weep much; in recompense for what they used to earn. If God brings you back to a party of them, and they ask your permission to go out, say, "You will not go out with me, ever, nor will you ever fight an enemy with me. You were content to sit back the first time, so sit back with those who stay behind." You are never to pray over anyone of them who dies, nor are you to stand at his graveside. They rejected God and His Messenger, and died while they were sinners. Do not let their possessions and their children impress you. God desires to torment them through them in this world, and their souls expire while they are disbelievers." (9:81-85).
5- Among those hypocrites were those who established a mosque to conspire against the Yathreb city-state and repel people away from Islam; Muhammad was initially deceived as he performed prayers in this mosque, but God has exposed this plot and told Muhammad never to enter into such harmful mosque of those liars who used to swear falsely and in vain in the Name of God: "Then there are those who establish a mosque to cause harm, and disbelief, and disunity among the believers, and as an outpost for those who fight God and His Messenger. They will swear: "Our intentions are nothing but good." But God bears witness that they are liars. Do not stand in it, ever. A mosque founded upon piety from the first day is worthier of your standing in it. In it are men who love to be purified. God loves those who purify themselves. Is he who founds his structure upon piety and acceptance from God better, or he who founds his structure on the brink of a cliff that is about to tumble, so it tumbles with him into the Fire of Hell? God does not guide the unjust people. The structure which they built will remain questionable in their hearts, until their hearts are stopped. God is Knowing and Wise." (9:107-110). Ironically, those liars and hypocrites are deified by the Sunnite religion imams who consider all companions/contemporaries of Muhammad as infallible. This means that imams of the Sunnite religion are hypocritical liars who spread falsehoods.
6- The worst type of hypocrites is those adamant in hypocrisy who concealed their real stances and feelings so as not to get exposed – those are the treacherous spies and agents of Qorayish sent to Yathreb to surround Muhammad, watching him closely and getting nearer to him to gain authority after his death; thus, once Muhammad died, those adamant in hypocrisy became leaders among immigrants in Yathreb and leaders of Arab conquests troops and civil wars as well; those adamant in hypocrisy included the four pre-Umayyad caliphs who helped the Qorayish tribe to control Arabs in Arabia and to form an Arab empire. God tells us beforehand about adamant in hypocrisy and their being tormented twice in this world and then in the Last Day; this means they died without repentance at all: "Among the Desert-Arabs around you there are some hypocrites, and among the inhabitants of Medina too. They have become adamant in hypocrisy. You do not know them, but We know them. We will torment them twice; then they will be returned to a severe torment." (9:101).
Lastly:
1- God does not mention hypocrites in several verses for no reason or as a jest – exalted and glorified be His Holy Name above any jesting or joking. Hence, the Quranic details about hypocrites and hypocrisy assert the fact that hypocrisy will go on after Muhammad's death.
2- In fact, hypocrisy is the basis of the earthly, man-made religions of the Muhammadans who hypocritically assume that their religions belong to Islam, though they contradict the Quran. Therefore, it is no wonder that the explicit hypocrites and those adamant in hypocrisy among the companions/contemporaries of Muhammad are now deemed as sanctified, immortal deities/saints within the earthly, man-made religions of the Muhammadans.