1.    Allah the Most Gracious has created a human being with a sense of freedom in his personality trait.

2.    It was all beautiful and brotherly with no love lost among the people and the nations till the advent of the 21st century.

3.    Life is not a 100 meters race but it is a test of our spiritual essence of brotherhood and divine attributes.

4.    May this Independence Day celebration bring in us the understanding of the values of Huqooq ul Ibad (other’s rights on us).

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Humankind’s Turn to Hypocrisy

The world at the moment has horrendous problems that are threatening to take humanity on the verge of no return.  The human being is unable to understand how did this happen because it was all beautiful and brotherly with no love lost among the people and the nations till the advent of the 21st century. The twenty-first century brought a storm of scientific inventions the most prominent among them being the invention of the internet. Internet and information technology transformed the world into a village and the residents of this village engaged themselves in a race of materialistic supremacism.

This 21st-century materialistic race took a form of a 100 meters race in which no competitor has time to take even a breath in a quest of reaching the mark of glory. We, the human being forgot that life is not a 100 meters race but it is a test of our spiritual essence of brotherhood and divine attributes. This mentality of ours has transformed us into a mechanically controlled hypocrite.

(Photo courtesy: iStock)

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God’s Ingrained Sense of Freedom

Allah the Most Gracious has created a human being with a sense of freedom in his personality trait. Human beings love the freedom of speech, information, thoughts and the acquisition of worldly possessions. This inborn freedom bestowed upon them has been snatched from them with the advent of a hypocritical mentality that has turned the sense of Huqooq ul Ibad into a scratch.

Allah, the Almighty has granted to a human being the right to live the way he desires. To make this freedom a surety, the Holy Books have been revealed with all the needed rules and regulations formulated by Allah, the All-Knower who knows all the ins and outs of the worldly life from its inception to the end.

Humankind, ingrained with the essence of independence and freedom and a constitution to follow, has been bestowed upon with wisdom and intellect to understand and follow the instructions for his betterment in his life hereafter. One who does not obey the rules and regulations formulated by divinity neither does accept his guilt nor asks for His forgiveness, is subjected to punishment by Him on the Day of Judgment? The importance of freedom, the punishment of hypocrisy and the abuse of Huqooq ul Ibad have all been time and again revealed in the Holy Quran for the human being to use his wisdom and tread the righteous path shown by Allah, the Most Gracious.

Ayat of the Holy Quran Describing and Denouncing the Hypocrites

And when it is said to them, “Come to what Allah has revealed and to the Messenger,” you see the hypocrites turning away from you in aversion. – (4:88)

Give tidings to the hypocrites that there is for them a painful punishment – (4:140)

And when it is said to them: “Do not make damage in the universe”, they answer: “We indeed make repairs.” Remember, in fact, they are the people who make damage, but they are not aware. – (Al- Baqarah: 11-12)

Surely the hypocrites placed at the lowest level of hell. And you will never get a helper for them. –  (An-Nisa: 145)

When hypocrites come to you, they say: “We admitted that you truly are the Messenger of Allah.” And Allah knows that truly you are His Messenger, and Allah knows that the hypocrites are really liars. They make their vow as a shield then they block humans from the path of Allah. Surely it is very bad what they have done. – (Al Munafiqun:  1-2)

And that He might make evident those who are hypocrites. For it was said to them, “Come, fight in the way of Allah or (at least) defend.” They said, “If we had known (there would be) fighting, we would have followed you.” They were nearer to disbelief that day than to faith, saying with their mouths what was not in their hearts. And Allah is most Knowing of what they conceal – (4:61)

Prophetic Tradition Denouncing Hypocrisy

‘Abd Allah ibn ‘Amr ibn al-‘As reported the Messenger of Allah as saying: Four characteristics constitute anyone who possesses them a sheer hypocrite (Munafiq), and anyone who possesses one of them possesses characteristics of hypocrisy till he abandons it:

When he talks he lies,

When he makes a promise he violates it,

When he makes a covenant he acts treacherously, and

When he quarrels, he deviates from the Truth.  – (Sunan Abu Dawud 4688: Book 42, Hadith 93)

Narrated Abu Huraira: The Prophet said, “The signs of a Munafiq are three:

Whenever he speaks, he tells a lie.

Whenever he promises, he always breaks it (his promise).

If you trust him, he proves to be dishonest. (If you keep something as a trust with him, he will not return it.)” Another narration adds the words: “Even if he observes Saum (fasts), performs Salat (prayer) and claims to be a Muslim.” – (Sahih al-Bukhari)

Narrated Abdullah ibn Umar: Allah’s Messenger said, “A believer eats in one intestine (is satisfied with a little food), and a Kafir (unbeliever) or a Munafiq eats in seven intestines (eats too much). (Sahih al-Bukhari)

It was narrated from Ibn ‘Umar that: The Messenger of Allah said: “The parable of the Munafiq is that of a sheep that hesitates between two flocks, sometimes following one, and sometimes following another, not knowing which to follow.” – (Sunan an-Nasa’i)

Hypocrisy Killed Huqooq ul Ibad

Hypocrites are those who live for themselves unmindful of the people around them. They lose every sense of community or family relationships. They do not understand they have some responsibilities towards the society that is responsible for their upbringing. They tear apart the string that binds human relationships. They are the hypocrites who promise the sky before reaching their goals and forget the rights others have on them.

Abuse of Huqooq ul Ibad is one of the most heinous abuse of freedom of human rights in front of God. Every creation of God, the birds, the animals, the plants or any other being in the environment has a sense of freedom ingrained in its soul that should be respected at all cost.

We need to have freedom from hypocrisy and hypocrites and bring Huqooq ul Ibad into the lives of all those who have forgotten their Creator and that they have to return to Him. Freedom from hypocrisy and resultantly from the negativities spread in the environment will create a sense of spiritual ethics of pluralism and compassion.

My Good Wishes to my countrymen, wherever they are, on the 75th Independence Day with the hope of maintaining our Idea of India that is Unity in Diversity. May this Independence Day celebration bring in us the understanding of the values of Huqooq ul Ibad (other’s rights on us).

Reference URL: Islamic Ideology