Al-ghurabah
30-03-06, 09:33 AM
One of the most destructive roles in the war between Haq and Batil, the battles between Islam and Kufr is that of some people who claim to be Muslims in order to destroy the Muslims and the Muslim Ummah from within; in particular, when these enemies play their role from within the Muslims rather than openly from the side of the real enemy (i.e. the Kuffar).
Whatever the strength or power of the kuffar may be or whatever they may plot, they can never cause as much damage to us as the enemy within.
It is essential to see what Allah and His Messenger Muhammad (saw) orders us to do about this deadly enemy. Ordinarily, the enemy can never pass the shield, pass the fronts of the Muslims, but if they have one of their people behind this shield then it is easy for the enemy to destroy us from the inside.
They will come to us in the name of the Deen, or they will attempt to identify with us in the name of nationalism or tribalism, in the name of these “isms” and in the name of the Muslim brotherhood. These people can cause destruction for us from within the body of the Muslim Ummah. They can hammer at the Islamic culture and identity which we speak about; they can destroy all our dignity, they can destroy every seed of goodness in the Ummah.
Our real enemy is outside us and not inside and verily they (the Kuffar) knew the fact that they can never defeat us directly or militarily, rather they cannot defeat us except from within.
Always in the past, whenever they try to fight us militarily, the Muslims were undefeated, in fact, we find that whenever we were defeated - it was always actually a defeat from within.
When the enemy realised this, they went to all those people within us, those people who are the apostates, the Munafiqeen, those people who are secular etc. They are the hammer that the kuffar use to destroy us from inside. That is why the enemy outside of us no longer wants to face us face to face; instead they start to rely on our enemy within to fight us.
That is why we are in a very dangerous situation unless we deal with that enemy within. We see them, how they sell out their own deen and honour for a very small price. In the past it was the Baatinis, the Alqamis, and the Raafidis etc who were enemies within. Those enemies from the Munafiqeen always tried to cause destruction for the Muslim Ummah, we see how they come out proudly and loudly declaring their betrayal, they become well respected among the kuffar and that is because they become the ambassadors of the Kufr and the shirk and the representatives of the mushrikeen.
THE HYPOCRITES
Munafiqeen, the hypocrites
We have many enemies within; the apostates, the Munafiqeen, the seculars and atheists, we even have the deviant sects (although we do not see many of the deviant sects as enemies as such e.g. Ash’aris, Maaturidis etc unless they become hypocrites). One of the enemies are the hypocrites – the Munafiqeen.
So who are the Munafiqeen? Verily they have many characteristics, they are a form of people who have a very complex personality; they wear a certain mask and live between the Muslims; their main aim is to destroy the Muslim unity and to destroy the ummah from within.
Whatever they claim and whatever they show us, verily they are the eyes of dalaal (misguidance), the eyes of the enemy; they cause fasad (corruption) and destruction for the honour and wealth of the Muslims.
Allah (swt) informs us about the Munafiqeen, how we could sometimes be impressed by their looks, status and their smart dress, that they will speak about Islam but mention all kufr and shirk in their speech. Allah (swt) says,
"When you look to them you are impressed by their appearance, when they speak, you listen to their words, they are as (worthless as hollow) pieces of timber propped up, (unable to stand on their own). They think that every cry is against them. They are the enemies; so beware of them. The curse of Allah is on them! How they are deluded.” [EMQ 63:4]
They are the enemy, those who you will be impressed by them, they will speak in a very articulate manner and try to convince you to commit kufr, and they will try to convince you to obey the queen, to vote for man-made law, to participate in democracy.
Allah warned us that they are the enemy and we must be careful of them. Verily, the one who Allah guides, nobody will misguide; if there is no Imaan and no Islam then there is no meaning for the man but inside the Munafiq is a kafir and on the outside he shows us Islam; they declare Imaan and hold in their hearts Kufr, Fusq and Fujur.
The Munafiq is the one who’s outer does not match what is inside of him. They are divided into two,
(i) Nifaq Akbar and
(ii) Nifaq Asghar
The Big Nifaq is the one that takes one out of the fold of Islam and the Nifaq Asghar is the one who is not kafir but has some attributes of the Munafiq.
We see how the enemy cannot attack us face-to-face, so that is why they always try to attack us from within - this Munafiq is the one who wants to show Islam publicly but inside or in his private life he is in fact kafir.
He is not a mu'min at all, rather he is a person who has no honour, no karamah, no respect whatsoever and he is the most dangerous person against the Muslims, Allah described them in many ayat that,
"They are the real enemy"
Allah (swt) did not say that they are the assistants of the enemy, nor that they are 'from among the enemy,' rather He (swt) says that they are THE enemy, they think that they deceive Allah and the believers, but they only deceive themselves, Allah (swt) says,
“They (attempt to) deceive Allah and those who believe, but they only deceive themselves while they do not know.” [EMQ 2:9]
The question arises, how can we deal with them? Especially when they come out with Islam in their exterior, and Ahl Al Sunnah wal Jama'ah judge everyone only by what is apparent. The apparent actions of the Munafiqeen are Islam; that is why they are a very difficult enemy to face.
We know how they are the lowest in the hellfire but how can we recognise them? How can we deal with them? We know that the great destruction of the Muslims in the past was always at the hands of the Munafiqeen, they are the most destructive people in the Islamic state, even in the time of Muhammad (saw) and in the time of Abu Bakr Al Siddiq (ra).
MUHAMMAD (SAW)
We see how much suffering and damage they caused this ummah, we see in the time of Muhammad (saw) that the Munafiqeen were the most active to cause destruction to the Muslims, they even built a Masjid to harm and divide the Muslims; just like today we see all the 'mosques' all become a post to spy on the Muslims, to divide them, to promote the kufr and shirk and to reject the jihad and shari'ah. Even these so-called mosques, will by the kufr law that they uphold, spy on the Muslims and report anyone who they consider 'suspicious' to the kuffar.
ABU BAKR
In the time of Abu Bakr (ra), despite the very short time in power as the Khalifah, his rule was consumed by the Munafiqeen who came out to rebel against the khalifah. All of a sudden, they did not want to pay the zakat and Abu Bakr dealt with them severely and left them no room even to breathe.
In the time of Muhammad (saw), the Munafiqeen used to be worried and hide all the time; that is because Allah used to reveal about and expose them. In Surah Taubah, Allah says,
"The Munafiqeen are worried that there might come a chapter about them, exposing what is really in their hearts. Say, 'Mock (as you like)! Allah will expose everything that you fear”." [EMQ 9:64]
That is why they came out in the time of Abu Bakr; they came out knowing that there will be no revelation anymore, so they became brave in their kufr.
We must learn and study about what Abu Bakr Al Siddiq did in return. When they started to declare their intention (the Munafiqeen came out and spoke out) saying “We do not want to pay the zakat anymore because we used to pay it to the messenger.” Abu Bakr saw their corruption spread everywhere, and he said,
"By Allah, I will fight anyone who differentiates between salah and zakat"
He fought them all over the Arabian Peninsula, he took their lives, wealth and money, and he killed thousands from them and took their property and families as booty until they surrendered and until they declared that the dead from among them all died in jahiliyyah and are in the hellfire.
UMAR IBN KHATTAB
In the time of Al Farouq, the Munafiqeen tried again to destroy the Muslims from within. One man called Abu Lu'lu'a and his people came to Umar and claimed that he wanted to embrace Islam.
Abu lu'lua (really a fire-worshipper) and two other men claimed to embrace Islam with Umar ibn Khattab and then they betrayed him and stabbed him in the back while he was praying Salat ul fajr.
UTHMAN IBN AFFAN & ALI IBN ABI TALIB
The Munafiqeen are the enemy within, they failed against the messenger (saw), they tried against Abu Bakr and failed, they killed Umar ibn Khattab and in the time of Uthman they came again.
They moved everywhere in a new organised way, they managed to maintain a level of organisation that they never managed before. They followed Abdullah ibn Saba' and ibn Sawda', they started to make their fitnah and without any shame or fear they publicly declared that Uthman was doing wrong, they spread the fabrications and lies
The people at that time just like today listened to them; that is because we do not know that they are Munafiq, because they look and sound so impressive, they killed Uthman ibn Affan (ra) and Uthman's blood spread everywhere and even soaked the Mushaf of Uthman.
They, the Munafiqeen managed to reach the Khalifah, the most vital man in the Ummah, the one who we are obliged to protect. They reached him from within the Muslims and that even opened the door of the fitnah that has not stopped even until today.
At that time the fitnah occurred because people asked "Who killed Uthman?" They wanted to punish the killer, they even took the blood soaked shirt of Uthman asking, "Who killed Uthman?" Among them was Mu'awiyah ibn Abu Sufyan, he was a governor at that time. He saw himself as the wali of Uthman because he was his next of kin. Some of the sahabah went with Mu'awiyah looking for the killer of Uthman, he declared Baraa' from the murderer and said that they should wait until they find him. This was the fitnah caused by the Munafiqeen, great Sahabah were not saved from it, even Umar ibn Khattab, even Aisha, even Ali, Mu'awiyah (may Allah be pleased with all of them)
In this fitnah instigated by the Munafiqeen, ALL of the Sahabah were on Haq but Ali was closer to the Haq. Ali said to Hasan,
“Your father wishes that he was dead years ago (before the fitnah)" Hasan said, “You used to forbid me to say such a thing.” He replied, “I didn’t know that it would go that far.”
How severe was the damage caused by this enemy within?
THE LATER KHULAFAH
Even in the later khulafah, the Munafiqeen did not hold back, ibn Kathir narrated about the Munafiqeen,
"Al Musta'sim billah used to have a minister called ibn Al Alqami.”
Ibn Al Alqami was a Munafiq, Raafidi Ithna 'ashari (those Mushrikeen from the Shi’ah who curse the Sahabah), he was severely corrupted but he used to show to the people that he was a man of Salah and piety. He was the one who wrote letters to Hulaqo (a king from the Kuffar), he wrote to him,
"I am willing to help you conquer all of Baghdad on the condition that you remove the Khilafah of the Muslims"
Just like the Allaawi of today, they help the kuffar enter the Muslim countries to fight the Muslims, we see the Raafidhah - taa'ifatu shirki (a sect of Shirk – polytheism), these people of adultery and Muta' (temporary ‘marriage’). 99% of what they say is lies and 1% is Tuqiyyah (another form of lying and hypocrisy, saying with the tongue what they do not believe in the heart).
Subsequently, Hulaqo came to Baghdad with the help of this enemy within; the kuffar entered and killed the khalifah and so many of the Muslims.
Ibn Al Alqami thought that by allowing and helping the kuffar to do so that he can get rid of the Sunnis in Iraq and establish a Shi'i state, a Raafidi state etc. He plotted and planned against the Muslims, he would go to the khalifah and advise him to release 15,000 soldiers from the army; he claimed that it was too costly and not necessary to retain them. He insisted until the khalifah agreed and allowed 15,000 of the army to return home. After a few months, ibn al alqami returned and advised him to release another 20,000 soldiers and again the khalifah was fooled and took what he though was his expert advice.
Worse than that, ibn Al Alqami personally chose the best of the fighters and he took their weapons from them and sent them home, those 20,000 soldiers that he released were equivalent to a million of the tatarian army because they were brave and ready to fight. Ibn Al Alqami kept releasing more and more of the army until there were only 10,000 men left.
Once he had completed his conspiracy, he wrote to Holaqo and informed him how Baghdad now had no more than 10,000 soldiers, he instructed him to come from the north of Baghdad and that he would divide the army to all other fronts in the south and the east.
Just like the Shi’a in Baghdad today, those Munafiqeen in Iraq instructed the US exactly how to enter and how to take Iraq, similarly the Tatarians came with 300,000 soldiers against the 10,000 soldiers of the Muslims. Despite the disadvantage the Muslims fought sincerely and hard and they even managed to capture and kill many of the kuffar; that was until ibn al Alqami taught Holaco how to defeat the Muslims, he told them to cut off the water and use it to flood the area stopping the Mujahideen by the deep mud.
Ibn Al Alqami was the one who betrayed and used all means to destroy the Muslims from within. Holaqo came back and entered Baghdad early in the morning and started to kill the women, the children, the elderly, they raped and mutilated much from the Muslims. It was the biggest massacre of Iraq, similar to the massacres of Fallujah and Basra today. They went to the room of the khalifah and his army wrapped and hit the khalifah in his tent with their shoes until his bones were broken and then they let the horses jump onto him until he was killed.
They did not leave anyone alive, they continued killing and burning everything for 40 days until nothing was left. Ibn Kathir described Baghdad as being full of bodies until the smell made it difficult to breathe and diseases had spread causing many more people to die. Then it was declared that Baghdad was under the control of the Tatarians, it was complete chaos, no-one could recognise their own brother or mother because all the bodies were so badly mutilated and rotten.
But after this Holaco called ibn al alqami, he was shrewd and he knew that the hypocrite was not trustworthy, he said,
"I do not see anything that you deserve for your co-operation with me except to kill you in a very bad way."
That is for the Munafiq, they hung him from his legs and let everyone cut his body into pieces, and ultimately that is the end of all the Munafiqeen.
The same happened in the Uthmani Khilafah and we see them rising again and again, we see how they rose with the northern alliance to fight the mujahideen in Afghanistan.
When we speak about the Munafiqeen or the apostates, we are speaking about the enemy within, unless we deal with them, we are in grave danger. We have a responsibility, we cannot leave them or ignore them; rather we must seek them out and deal with them.
SIGNS OF THE MUNAFIQ
We recognise the Munafiq by certain criteria and it is a duty upon us to declare him Munafiq. His own actions will declare if he is a Munafiq or not and Allah (swt) taught us how to recognise him, how to treat him and how to warn the people from him.
One of their signs is that they do not have the bravery to declare their real stance while the Muslims have some strength or power, but whenever the Muslims are a little weak, they will come out so strongly with their ideas.
1- When the Muslims are weak they speak out their corruption
All those Munafiqeen never used to dare come out publicly in the past, people like Iqbal Sacranie never showed their face before; that is, until 9/11. After that they all came out openly exposing themselves, they are the ones that Allah (swt) says,
"They have a disease in their hearts and Allah has increased their disease, for them is a severe punishment because they disbelieve.” [EMQ 2:10]
They do not speak the Haq; that is why, if you are from the Muslims, then you should come out openly and clearly with the Haq and you should not be silent, otherwise you may look like a Munafiq even if you are not. Allah (swt) says,
“The Hypocrites, men and women, with each other: They enjoin evil, and forbid what is just, and are close with their hands. They have forgotten Allah; so He hath forgotten them. Verily the Hypocrites are rebellious and perverse.” [EMQ 9:67]
2- If the kuffar have the upper hand, they will come out and they will declare alliance with the kuffar and Baraa’ from the Muslims,
Allah (swt) says,
"Those who ally with the kuffar instead of the believers, do they seek from them dignity? All the dignity is all with Allah (swt)." [EMQ 4:139]
3- When the kuffar have the upper-hand they plot against the Muslims
That is one of the most apparent attributes of the Munafiq, because they have the upper-hand they will always use it to attack and harm the Muslims. Allah (swt) says,
“And there are those who put up a mosque by way of mischief and infidelity - to disunite the Believers - and in preparation for one who warred against Allah and His Messenger aforetime. They will indeed swear that their intention is nothing but good; but Allah doth declare that they are certainly liars.” [EMQ 9:107]
4- They seek to take booty from the Muslims
They seek to take your wealth, to take your Masjid, they the Munafiqeen want to take everything and they will do anything to take power over you. They will even claim all of their evil is “for the sake of Islam". Allah (swt) says,
"Those who plot against you, if you are victorious, they will say 'we were with you' and if the kafir have the victory, they will say 'didn't we serve you? And protect you from the believers? Allah will judge between them, and Allah will never allow the kafir to have any upper-hand over the believers." [EMQ 4:141]
5- Whenever the Muslims have any goodness they will be upset and whenever they have any attack on them they are overjoyed.
When the kuffar arrest the Muslims, when they raid our houses then they are so happy; but whenever the Munafiq hears any victory for the Mujahideen, any operation of Jihad, whenever they hear of any kuffar killed in Iraq or Afghanistan then they will be so upset. Allah (swt) says,
“If a good befalls you, it grieves them, but if some evil overtakes you, they rejoice at it. But if you remain firm (and patient) and become Al-Muttaqun, not the least harm will their plot do to you. Surely, Allah is aware of all that they do.” [EMQ 3:120]
Whenever they hear that the Mujahideen are arrested they are so happy.
6- They will always claim to you that there is no Jihad.
They wish to terrify the people, to put the Mujahideen down; they will report the Muwahhideen to the Kuffar and call others to do the same, if you ask them to come to jihad, they will not come out, and if there is fighting they will not support you and if they support, then they will run away, Allah (swt) says,
“If they had come out with you, they would not have added to your (strength) but only (made for) disorder, hurrying to and fro in your midst and sowing sedition among you, and there would have been some among you who would have listened to them. But Allah knows well those who do wrong.” [EMQ 9:47]
They do not want any struggle and they will blame you for anything that happens. Allah (swt) says,
“Those who were left behind (in the Tabuk expedition) rejoiced in their inaction behind the back of the Messenger of Allah: they hated to strive and fight, with their wealth and their lives in the cause of Allah: they said, "Go not forth in the heat." Say, "The fire of Hell is fiercer in heat." If only they could understand!” [EMQ 9:81]
7- The Munafiq does not want to arbitrate to the Shari'ah.
They want only to arbitrate to the kufr court and that is a big sign of the Munafiq. They reject the Shari’ah; they reject any hukm according to Islam. If the Shari'ah says to wear Khimar and Jilbaab, forbids freemixing, forbids the Ribaa, forbids the lottery, then they will reject whatever the shari’ah says, Allah (swt) described them.
"Have you seen those who falsely claim to believe in what has been revealed to you and to those before you and yet they want to arbitrate to the taghout while they have been ordered to reject it…?" [EMQ 4:60]
THE CURE FOR THE MUNAFIQ
These are some of the big signs of the Munafiq and there are many other signs; however the question remains what should we do with them? How do we deal with them?
1- We should expose them and stay away from them.
Have Baraa' from them, we should not increase their numbers at all, Allah (swt) says,
"O you who believe! Take not as (your) Bitânah (advisors, consultants, protectors, helpers, friends) those outside your religion (pagans, Jews, Christians, and hypocrites) since they will not fail to do their best to corrupt you. They desire to harm you severely. Hatred has already appeared from their mouths, but what their breasts conceal is far worse. Indeed We have made plain to you the Ayat if you have sanity. Here you are! You are the ones who love them but they love you not, and you believe in all the Books [i.e. you believe in the Taurât (Torah) and the Injeel (Gospel), while they disbelieve in your Book, the Qur’an]. And when they meet you, they say, "We believe". But when they are alone, they bite the tips of their fingers at you in rage. Say: "Perish in your rage. Certainly, Allah knows what is in the breasts (all the secrets)." [EMQ 3: 118-119]
Do not sit with them, do not attend their gatherings, do not support them or have any inclination to them.
2- We should preach to them,
We should tell them that they are Munafiq and expose them, Allah (swt) says,
“They (hypocrites) are those of whom Allah knows what is in their hearts; so turn aside from them and admonish them, and speak to them an effective word to reach their innerselves.” [EMQ 4: 63]
Allah (swt) says,
“Surely, We have sent down to you (O Muhammad SAW) the Book (this Qur’an) in truth that you might judge between men by that which Allah has shown you (i.e. has taught you through Divine Inspiration), so be not a pleader for the treacherous.” [EMQ 4:105]
3- We must remember how to deal with them
We must humiliate them, do not increase their numbers, rather always belittle them, and always speak down about them. The Prophet (saw) said,
"Do not say for the hypocrite Sayyid, if this is the Sayyid, you anger Allah (swt)."
Do not say to them “Brother” or “Akhi”, say to them “Munafiq!” Do not say to them “boss”, rather put him down.
4- Do not ever pray janazah for them if they die.
Even the one who you know that he was Munafiq but was not murtad, do not pray over him and do not go to his grave, Allah (swt) says,
“And never (O Muhammad SAW) pray (funeral prayer) for any of them (hypocrites) who dies, nor stand at his grave. Certainly they disbelieved in Allah and His Messenger, and died while they were Fasiqun (rebellious, - disobedient to Allah and His Messenger SAW).” [EMQ 9:84]
5- And if you have the ability fulfil the command of Allah (swt),
“O Prophet (Muhammad SAW)! Fight against the disbelievers and the Munafiqeen (Hypocrites) and be harsh against them, their abode is Hell, - and worst indeed is that destination.” [EMQ 9: 73]
You should be harsh against them, hate them, declare animosity towards them, stay away from them and declare that they are on the falsehood.
The Munafiqeen are from the worst and most dangerous of our enemies, we must always be on the guard from them, we must always keep this Ummah from being harmed by them – they are the traitors who are waiting to betray us whenever they have a chance, we must uproot their evil first, we must abandon them and their secular beliefs; we must disassociate ourselves from them and their organisations, we must refrain from their gatherings and their funerals.
They are people who will dress smart and seem to be successful, they will show off with their wealth and their articulate speech and they will command all the evil deeds from freemixing, insurance, mortgages, voting for man-made law and political participation and they will disguise all that even with an ‘Islamic’ mask.
They will forbid you from the good deeds, they will forbid the Da’wah and condemn the Da’ee, they will attack the Jihad and label the Mujahideen and they will celebrate and declare joy when the Du’aat and Mujahideen are arrested.
Verily these are familiar scenes to all of us, we remember the treachery of the hypocrites as they collaborated with the Kuffar to raid and violate the house of Allah (swt) in Finsbury park, we remember how they rejoiced when Sheikh Abu Hamza, Sheikh Abu Qatada, Sheikh Faisal and so many others were arrested, we saw how they ordered the Muslims to vote for the Kufr parties in the elections and even threatened those who refused to vote with sin.
These are the enemies within that we must be careful of, we must be on guard from them, and we must boycott them and warn the people from them before they turn on us to a greater extent as in our past. O Allah! Protect us from the Nifaq and the Munafiqeen
Whatever the strength or power of the kuffar may be or whatever they may plot, they can never cause as much damage to us as the enemy within.
It is essential to see what Allah and His Messenger Muhammad (saw) orders us to do about this deadly enemy. Ordinarily, the enemy can never pass the shield, pass the fronts of the Muslims, but if they have one of their people behind this shield then it is easy for the enemy to destroy us from the inside.
They will come to us in the name of the Deen, or they will attempt to identify with us in the name of nationalism or tribalism, in the name of these “isms” and in the name of the Muslim brotherhood. These people can cause destruction for us from within the body of the Muslim Ummah. They can hammer at the Islamic culture and identity which we speak about; they can destroy all our dignity, they can destroy every seed of goodness in the Ummah.
Our real enemy is outside us and not inside and verily they (the Kuffar) knew the fact that they can never defeat us directly or militarily, rather they cannot defeat us except from within.
Always in the past, whenever they try to fight us militarily, the Muslims were undefeated, in fact, we find that whenever we were defeated - it was always actually a defeat from within.
When the enemy realised this, they went to all those people within us, those people who are the apostates, the Munafiqeen, those people who are secular etc. They are the hammer that the kuffar use to destroy us from inside. That is why the enemy outside of us no longer wants to face us face to face; instead they start to rely on our enemy within to fight us.
That is why we are in a very dangerous situation unless we deal with that enemy within. We see them, how they sell out their own deen and honour for a very small price. In the past it was the Baatinis, the Alqamis, and the Raafidis etc who were enemies within. Those enemies from the Munafiqeen always tried to cause destruction for the Muslim Ummah, we see how they come out proudly and loudly declaring their betrayal, they become well respected among the kuffar and that is because they become the ambassadors of the Kufr and the shirk and the representatives of the mushrikeen.
THE HYPOCRITES
Munafiqeen, the hypocrites
We have many enemies within; the apostates, the Munafiqeen, the seculars and atheists, we even have the deviant sects (although we do not see many of the deviant sects as enemies as such e.g. Ash’aris, Maaturidis etc unless they become hypocrites). One of the enemies are the hypocrites – the Munafiqeen.
So who are the Munafiqeen? Verily they have many characteristics, they are a form of people who have a very complex personality; they wear a certain mask and live between the Muslims; their main aim is to destroy the Muslim unity and to destroy the ummah from within.
Whatever they claim and whatever they show us, verily they are the eyes of dalaal (misguidance), the eyes of the enemy; they cause fasad (corruption) and destruction for the honour and wealth of the Muslims.
Allah (swt) informs us about the Munafiqeen, how we could sometimes be impressed by their looks, status and their smart dress, that they will speak about Islam but mention all kufr and shirk in their speech. Allah (swt) says,
"When you look to them you are impressed by their appearance, when they speak, you listen to their words, they are as (worthless as hollow) pieces of timber propped up, (unable to stand on their own). They think that every cry is against them. They are the enemies; so beware of them. The curse of Allah is on them! How they are deluded.” [EMQ 63:4]
They are the enemy, those who you will be impressed by them, they will speak in a very articulate manner and try to convince you to commit kufr, and they will try to convince you to obey the queen, to vote for man-made law, to participate in democracy.
Allah warned us that they are the enemy and we must be careful of them. Verily, the one who Allah guides, nobody will misguide; if there is no Imaan and no Islam then there is no meaning for the man but inside the Munafiq is a kafir and on the outside he shows us Islam; they declare Imaan and hold in their hearts Kufr, Fusq and Fujur.
The Munafiq is the one who’s outer does not match what is inside of him. They are divided into two,
(i) Nifaq Akbar and
(ii) Nifaq Asghar
The Big Nifaq is the one that takes one out of the fold of Islam and the Nifaq Asghar is the one who is not kafir but has some attributes of the Munafiq.
We see how the enemy cannot attack us face-to-face, so that is why they always try to attack us from within - this Munafiq is the one who wants to show Islam publicly but inside or in his private life he is in fact kafir.
He is not a mu'min at all, rather he is a person who has no honour, no karamah, no respect whatsoever and he is the most dangerous person against the Muslims, Allah described them in many ayat that,
"They are the real enemy"
Allah (swt) did not say that they are the assistants of the enemy, nor that they are 'from among the enemy,' rather He (swt) says that they are THE enemy, they think that they deceive Allah and the believers, but they only deceive themselves, Allah (swt) says,
“They (attempt to) deceive Allah and those who believe, but they only deceive themselves while they do not know.” [EMQ 2:9]
The question arises, how can we deal with them? Especially when they come out with Islam in their exterior, and Ahl Al Sunnah wal Jama'ah judge everyone only by what is apparent. The apparent actions of the Munafiqeen are Islam; that is why they are a very difficult enemy to face.
We know how they are the lowest in the hellfire but how can we recognise them? How can we deal with them? We know that the great destruction of the Muslims in the past was always at the hands of the Munafiqeen, they are the most destructive people in the Islamic state, even in the time of Muhammad (saw) and in the time of Abu Bakr Al Siddiq (ra).
MUHAMMAD (SAW)
We see how much suffering and damage they caused this ummah, we see in the time of Muhammad (saw) that the Munafiqeen were the most active to cause destruction to the Muslims, they even built a Masjid to harm and divide the Muslims; just like today we see all the 'mosques' all become a post to spy on the Muslims, to divide them, to promote the kufr and shirk and to reject the jihad and shari'ah. Even these so-called mosques, will by the kufr law that they uphold, spy on the Muslims and report anyone who they consider 'suspicious' to the kuffar.
ABU BAKR
In the time of Abu Bakr (ra), despite the very short time in power as the Khalifah, his rule was consumed by the Munafiqeen who came out to rebel against the khalifah. All of a sudden, they did not want to pay the zakat and Abu Bakr dealt with them severely and left them no room even to breathe.
In the time of Muhammad (saw), the Munafiqeen used to be worried and hide all the time; that is because Allah used to reveal about and expose them. In Surah Taubah, Allah says,
"The Munafiqeen are worried that there might come a chapter about them, exposing what is really in their hearts. Say, 'Mock (as you like)! Allah will expose everything that you fear”." [EMQ 9:64]
That is why they came out in the time of Abu Bakr; they came out knowing that there will be no revelation anymore, so they became brave in their kufr.
We must learn and study about what Abu Bakr Al Siddiq did in return. When they started to declare their intention (the Munafiqeen came out and spoke out) saying “We do not want to pay the zakat anymore because we used to pay it to the messenger.” Abu Bakr saw their corruption spread everywhere, and he said,
"By Allah, I will fight anyone who differentiates between salah and zakat"
He fought them all over the Arabian Peninsula, he took their lives, wealth and money, and he killed thousands from them and took their property and families as booty until they surrendered and until they declared that the dead from among them all died in jahiliyyah and are in the hellfire.
UMAR IBN KHATTAB
In the time of Al Farouq, the Munafiqeen tried again to destroy the Muslims from within. One man called Abu Lu'lu'a and his people came to Umar and claimed that he wanted to embrace Islam.
Abu lu'lua (really a fire-worshipper) and two other men claimed to embrace Islam with Umar ibn Khattab and then they betrayed him and stabbed him in the back while he was praying Salat ul fajr.
UTHMAN IBN AFFAN & ALI IBN ABI TALIB
The Munafiqeen are the enemy within, they failed against the messenger (saw), they tried against Abu Bakr and failed, they killed Umar ibn Khattab and in the time of Uthman they came again.
They moved everywhere in a new organised way, they managed to maintain a level of organisation that they never managed before. They followed Abdullah ibn Saba' and ibn Sawda', they started to make their fitnah and without any shame or fear they publicly declared that Uthman was doing wrong, they spread the fabrications and lies
The people at that time just like today listened to them; that is because we do not know that they are Munafiq, because they look and sound so impressive, they killed Uthman ibn Affan (ra) and Uthman's blood spread everywhere and even soaked the Mushaf of Uthman.
They, the Munafiqeen managed to reach the Khalifah, the most vital man in the Ummah, the one who we are obliged to protect. They reached him from within the Muslims and that even opened the door of the fitnah that has not stopped even until today.
At that time the fitnah occurred because people asked "Who killed Uthman?" They wanted to punish the killer, they even took the blood soaked shirt of Uthman asking, "Who killed Uthman?" Among them was Mu'awiyah ibn Abu Sufyan, he was a governor at that time. He saw himself as the wali of Uthman because he was his next of kin. Some of the sahabah went with Mu'awiyah looking for the killer of Uthman, he declared Baraa' from the murderer and said that they should wait until they find him. This was the fitnah caused by the Munafiqeen, great Sahabah were not saved from it, even Umar ibn Khattab, even Aisha, even Ali, Mu'awiyah (may Allah be pleased with all of them)
In this fitnah instigated by the Munafiqeen, ALL of the Sahabah were on Haq but Ali was closer to the Haq. Ali said to Hasan,
“Your father wishes that he was dead years ago (before the fitnah)" Hasan said, “You used to forbid me to say such a thing.” He replied, “I didn’t know that it would go that far.”
How severe was the damage caused by this enemy within?
THE LATER KHULAFAH
Even in the later khulafah, the Munafiqeen did not hold back, ibn Kathir narrated about the Munafiqeen,
"Al Musta'sim billah used to have a minister called ibn Al Alqami.”
Ibn Al Alqami was a Munafiq, Raafidi Ithna 'ashari (those Mushrikeen from the Shi’ah who curse the Sahabah), he was severely corrupted but he used to show to the people that he was a man of Salah and piety. He was the one who wrote letters to Hulaqo (a king from the Kuffar), he wrote to him,
"I am willing to help you conquer all of Baghdad on the condition that you remove the Khilafah of the Muslims"
Just like the Allaawi of today, they help the kuffar enter the Muslim countries to fight the Muslims, we see the Raafidhah - taa'ifatu shirki (a sect of Shirk – polytheism), these people of adultery and Muta' (temporary ‘marriage’). 99% of what they say is lies and 1% is Tuqiyyah (another form of lying and hypocrisy, saying with the tongue what they do not believe in the heart).
Subsequently, Hulaqo came to Baghdad with the help of this enemy within; the kuffar entered and killed the khalifah and so many of the Muslims.
Ibn Al Alqami thought that by allowing and helping the kuffar to do so that he can get rid of the Sunnis in Iraq and establish a Shi'i state, a Raafidi state etc. He plotted and planned against the Muslims, he would go to the khalifah and advise him to release 15,000 soldiers from the army; he claimed that it was too costly and not necessary to retain them. He insisted until the khalifah agreed and allowed 15,000 of the army to return home. After a few months, ibn al alqami returned and advised him to release another 20,000 soldiers and again the khalifah was fooled and took what he though was his expert advice.
Worse than that, ibn Al Alqami personally chose the best of the fighters and he took their weapons from them and sent them home, those 20,000 soldiers that he released were equivalent to a million of the tatarian army because they were brave and ready to fight. Ibn Al Alqami kept releasing more and more of the army until there were only 10,000 men left.
Once he had completed his conspiracy, he wrote to Holaqo and informed him how Baghdad now had no more than 10,000 soldiers, he instructed him to come from the north of Baghdad and that he would divide the army to all other fronts in the south and the east.
Just like the Shi’a in Baghdad today, those Munafiqeen in Iraq instructed the US exactly how to enter and how to take Iraq, similarly the Tatarians came with 300,000 soldiers against the 10,000 soldiers of the Muslims. Despite the disadvantage the Muslims fought sincerely and hard and they even managed to capture and kill many of the kuffar; that was until ibn al Alqami taught Holaco how to defeat the Muslims, he told them to cut off the water and use it to flood the area stopping the Mujahideen by the deep mud.
Ibn Al Alqami was the one who betrayed and used all means to destroy the Muslims from within. Holaqo came back and entered Baghdad early in the morning and started to kill the women, the children, the elderly, they raped and mutilated much from the Muslims. It was the biggest massacre of Iraq, similar to the massacres of Fallujah and Basra today. They went to the room of the khalifah and his army wrapped and hit the khalifah in his tent with their shoes until his bones were broken and then they let the horses jump onto him until he was killed.
They did not leave anyone alive, they continued killing and burning everything for 40 days until nothing was left. Ibn Kathir described Baghdad as being full of bodies until the smell made it difficult to breathe and diseases had spread causing many more people to die. Then it was declared that Baghdad was under the control of the Tatarians, it was complete chaos, no-one could recognise their own brother or mother because all the bodies were so badly mutilated and rotten.
But after this Holaco called ibn al alqami, he was shrewd and he knew that the hypocrite was not trustworthy, he said,
"I do not see anything that you deserve for your co-operation with me except to kill you in a very bad way."
That is for the Munafiq, they hung him from his legs and let everyone cut his body into pieces, and ultimately that is the end of all the Munafiqeen.
The same happened in the Uthmani Khilafah and we see them rising again and again, we see how they rose with the northern alliance to fight the mujahideen in Afghanistan.
When we speak about the Munafiqeen or the apostates, we are speaking about the enemy within, unless we deal with them, we are in grave danger. We have a responsibility, we cannot leave them or ignore them; rather we must seek them out and deal with them.
SIGNS OF THE MUNAFIQ
We recognise the Munafiq by certain criteria and it is a duty upon us to declare him Munafiq. His own actions will declare if he is a Munafiq or not and Allah (swt) taught us how to recognise him, how to treat him and how to warn the people from him.
One of their signs is that they do not have the bravery to declare their real stance while the Muslims have some strength or power, but whenever the Muslims are a little weak, they will come out so strongly with their ideas.
1- When the Muslims are weak they speak out their corruption
All those Munafiqeen never used to dare come out publicly in the past, people like Iqbal Sacranie never showed their face before; that is, until 9/11. After that they all came out openly exposing themselves, they are the ones that Allah (swt) says,
"They have a disease in their hearts and Allah has increased their disease, for them is a severe punishment because they disbelieve.” [EMQ 2:10]
They do not speak the Haq; that is why, if you are from the Muslims, then you should come out openly and clearly with the Haq and you should not be silent, otherwise you may look like a Munafiq even if you are not. Allah (swt) says,
“The Hypocrites, men and women, with each other: They enjoin evil, and forbid what is just, and are close with their hands. They have forgotten Allah; so He hath forgotten them. Verily the Hypocrites are rebellious and perverse.” [EMQ 9:67]
2- If the kuffar have the upper hand, they will come out and they will declare alliance with the kuffar and Baraa’ from the Muslims,
Allah (swt) says,
"Those who ally with the kuffar instead of the believers, do they seek from them dignity? All the dignity is all with Allah (swt)." [EMQ 4:139]
3- When the kuffar have the upper-hand they plot against the Muslims
That is one of the most apparent attributes of the Munafiq, because they have the upper-hand they will always use it to attack and harm the Muslims. Allah (swt) says,
“And there are those who put up a mosque by way of mischief and infidelity - to disunite the Believers - and in preparation for one who warred against Allah and His Messenger aforetime. They will indeed swear that their intention is nothing but good; but Allah doth declare that they are certainly liars.” [EMQ 9:107]
4- They seek to take booty from the Muslims
They seek to take your wealth, to take your Masjid, they the Munafiqeen want to take everything and they will do anything to take power over you. They will even claim all of their evil is “for the sake of Islam". Allah (swt) says,
"Those who plot against you, if you are victorious, they will say 'we were with you' and if the kafir have the victory, they will say 'didn't we serve you? And protect you from the believers? Allah will judge between them, and Allah will never allow the kafir to have any upper-hand over the believers." [EMQ 4:141]
5- Whenever the Muslims have any goodness they will be upset and whenever they have any attack on them they are overjoyed.
When the kuffar arrest the Muslims, when they raid our houses then they are so happy; but whenever the Munafiq hears any victory for the Mujahideen, any operation of Jihad, whenever they hear of any kuffar killed in Iraq or Afghanistan then they will be so upset. Allah (swt) says,
“If a good befalls you, it grieves them, but if some evil overtakes you, they rejoice at it. But if you remain firm (and patient) and become Al-Muttaqun, not the least harm will their plot do to you. Surely, Allah is aware of all that they do.” [EMQ 3:120]
Whenever they hear that the Mujahideen are arrested they are so happy.
6- They will always claim to you that there is no Jihad.
They wish to terrify the people, to put the Mujahideen down; they will report the Muwahhideen to the Kuffar and call others to do the same, if you ask them to come to jihad, they will not come out, and if there is fighting they will not support you and if they support, then they will run away, Allah (swt) says,
“If they had come out with you, they would not have added to your (strength) but only (made for) disorder, hurrying to and fro in your midst and sowing sedition among you, and there would have been some among you who would have listened to them. But Allah knows well those who do wrong.” [EMQ 9:47]
They do not want any struggle and they will blame you for anything that happens. Allah (swt) says,
“Those who were left behind (in the Tabuk expedition) rejoiced in their inaction behind the back of the Messenger of Allah: they hated to strive and fight, with their wealth and their lives in the cause of Allah: they said, "Go not forth in the heat." Say, "The fire of Hell is fiercer in heat." If only they could understand!” [EMQ 9:81]
7- The Munafiq does not want to arbitrate to the Shari'ah.
They want only to arbitrate to the kufr court and that is a big sign of the Munafiq. They reject the Shari’ah; they reject any hukm according to Islam. If the Shari'ah says to wear Khimar and Jilbaab, forbids freemixing, forbids the Ribaa, forbids the lottery, then they will reject whatever the shari’ah says, Allah (swt) described them.
"Have you seen those who falsely claim to believe in what has been revealed to you and to those before you and yet they want to arbitrate to the taghout while they have been ordered to reject it…?" [EMQ 4:60]
THE CURE FOR THE MUNAFIQ
These are some of the big signs of the Munafiq and there are many other signs; however the question remains what should we do with them? How do we deal with them?
1- We should expose them and stay away from them.
Have Baraa' from them, we should not increase their numbers at all, Allah (swt) says,
"O you who believe! Take not as (your) Bitânah (advisors, consultants, protectors, helpers, friends) those outside your religion (pagans, Jews, Christians, and hypocrites) since they will not fail to do their best to corrupt you. They desire to harm you severely. Hatred has already appeared from their mouths, but what their breasts conceal is far worse. Indeed We have made plain to you the Ayat if you have sanity. Here you are! You are the ones who love them but they love you not, and you believe in all the Books [i.e. you believe in the Taurât (Torah) and the Injeel (Gospel), while they disbelieve in your Book, the Qur’an]. And when they meet you, they say, "We believe". But when they are alone, they bite the tips of their fingers at you in rage. Say: "Perish in your rage. Certainly, Allah knows what is in the breasts (all the secrets)." [EMQ 3: 118-119]
Do not sit with them, do not attend their gatherings, do not support them or have any inclination to them.
2- We should preach to them,
We should tell them that they are Munafiq and expose them, Allah (swt) says,
“They (hypocrites) are those of whom Allah knows what is in their hearts; so turn aside from them and admonish them, and speak to them an effective word to reach their innerselves.” [EMQ 4: 63]
Allah (swt) says,
“Surely, We have sent down to you (O Muhammad SAW) the Book (this Qur’an) in truth that you might judge between men by that which Allah has shown you (i.e. has taught you through Divine Inspiration), so be not a pleader for the treacherous.” [EMQ 4:105]
3- We must remember how to deal with them
We must humiliate them, do not increase their numbers, rather always belittle them, and always speak down about them. The Prophet (saw) said,
"Do not say for the hypocrite Sayyid, if this is the Sayyid, you anger Allah (swt)."
Do not say to them “Brother” or “Akhi”, say to them “Munafiq!” Do not say to them “boss”, rather put him down.
4- Do not ever pray janazah for them if they die.
Even the one who you know that he was Munafiq but was not murtad, do not pray over him and do not go to his grave, Allah (swt) says,
“And never (O Muhammad SAW) pray (funeral prayer) for any of them (hypocrites) who dies, nor stand at his grave. Certainly they disbelieved in Allah and His Messenger, and died while they were Fasiqun (rebellious, - disobedient to Allah and His Messenger SAW).” [EMQ 9:84]
5- And if you have the ability fulfil the command of Allah (swt),
“O Prophet (Muhammad SAW)! Fight against the disbelievers and the Munafiqeen (Hypocrites) and be harsh against them, their abode is Hell, - and worst indeed is that destination.” [EMQ 9: 73]
You should be harsh against them, hate them, declare animosity towards them, stay away from them and declare that they are on the falsehood.
The Munafiqeen are from the worst and most dangerous of our enemies, we must always be on the guard from them, we must always keep this Ummah from being harmed by them – they are the traitors who are waiting to betray us whenever they have a chance, we must uproot their evil first, we must abandon them and their secular beliefs; we must disassociate ourselves from them and their organisations, we must refrain from their gatherings and their funerals.
They are people who will dress smart and seem to be successful, they will show off with their wealth and their articulate speech and they will command all the evil deeds from freemixing, insurance, mortgages, voting for man-made law and political participation and they will disguise all that even with an ‘Islamic’ mask.
They will forbid you from the good deeds, they will forbid the Da’wah and condemn the Da’ee, they will attack the Jihad and label the Mujahideen and they will celebrate and declare joy when the Du’aat and Mujahideen are arrested.
Verily these are familiar scenes to all of us, we remember the treachery of the hypocrites as they collaborated with the Kuffar to raid and violate the house of Allah (swt) in Finsbury park, we remember how they rejoiced when Sheikh Abu Hamza, Sheikh Abu Qatada, Sheikh Faisal and so many others were arrested, we saw how they ordered the Muslims to vote for the Kufr parties in the elections and even threatened those who refused to vote with sin.
These are the enemies within that we must be careful of, we must be on guard from them, and we must boycott them and warn the people from them before they turn on us to a greater extent as in our past. O Allah! Protect us from the Nifaq and the Munafiqeen