MATHEW 23 – A Warning Against Hypocrisy

1Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: 2“The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. 3So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. 4They tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.

5“Everything they do is done for people to see: They make their phylacteries ^a wide and the tassels on their garments long; 6they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; 7they love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and to be called ‘Rabbi’ by others.

8“But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers. 9And do not call anyone on earth ‘father,’ for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. 10Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one Instructor, the Messiah. 11The greatest among you will be your servant. 12For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.

Seven Woes on the Teachers of the Law and the Pharisees

13“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to. [14] ^b

15“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when you have succeeded, you make them twice as much a child of hell as you are.

29“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous. 30And you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ 31So you testify against yourselves that you are the descendants of those who murdered the prophets. 32Go ahead, then, and complete what your ancestors started!

33“You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell? 34Therefore I am sending you prophets and sages and teachers. Some of them you will kill and crucify; others you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town. 35And so upon you will come all the righteous blood that has been shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berekiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. 36Truly I tell you, all this will come on this generation.

37“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing. 38Look, your house is left to you desolate. 39For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’ ^c ”

Paying the Imperial Tax to Caesar

¹⁵ Then the Pharisees went out and laid plans to trap him in his words. ¹⁶ They sent their disciples to him along with the Herodians. “Teacher,” they said, “we know that you are a man of integrity and that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. You aren’t swayed by others, because you pay no attention to who they are. ¹⁷ Tell us then, what is your opinion? Is it right to pay the imperial tax^[a] to Caesar or not?”

¹⁸ But Jesus, knowing their evil intent, said, “You hypocrites, why are you trying to trap me? ¹⁹ Show me the coin used for paying the tax.” They brought him a denarius, ²⁰ and he asked them, “Whose image is this? And whose inscription?”

²¹ “Caesar’s,” they replied. Then he said to them, “So give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.”

²² When they heard this, they were amazed. So they left him and went away.

HYPOCRITES IN Quran Kareem

Hypocrisy in Islam is a serious sickness and a great crime. It means making an outward display of Islam whilst inwardly concealing disbelief. Hypocrisy is more dangerous than disbelief and the punishment for it is more severe, because it is disbelief mixed with Islam and its harmful effects are greater. Hence Allah will put the hypocrites in the lowest level of Hell, as He says (interpretation of the meaning): 

{Verily, the hypocrites will be in the lowest depth (grade) of the Fire; no helper will you find for them.} [Al-Nisa/ Women 4:145] 

The hypocrites are always confused, always planning deceit and plots. Although outwardly they appear to be with the believers, inwardly they are with the disbelievers. So sometimes they are inclined towards the believers and sometimes they are inclined towards the disbelievers. 

It was narrated from ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “There are four characteristics, whoever has them all is a pure hypocrite, and whoever has one of them has one of the characteristics of hypocrisy, until he gives it up: when he is entrusted with something he betrays that trust, when he speaks he lies, when he makes a covenant he breaks it, and when he disputes he resorts to obscene speech.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari (54) and Muslim (58). 

If any of those who believe in Tawheed (the Oneness of Allah/ God) has any of these characteristics, he has fallen into minor hypocrisy to the extent to which he has done such deeds or has that characteristic, because he resembles the hypocrites in some of their actions, even if he is not exactly like them. 

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allah have mercy on him) said:  The word hypocrisy refers to major hypocrisy which means concealing disbelief, or minor hypocrisy which means behaving differently in private and in public with regard to obligatory duties. … This is well known among the scholars and this is how they interpreted the words of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), “The signs of the hypocrite are three: when he speaks he lies, when he makes a promise he breaks it, and when he is entrusted with something he betrays that trust.”  Narrated by at-Tirmidhi and others. More than one of the early scholars said: A lesser form of kufr, a lesser form of hypocrisy, a lesser form of shirk. “(Majmoo‘ al-Fataawa, 11/140 )

Abdullah ibn Amr reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “Verily, most of the hypocrites in my nation are among its reciters.” ( of Quran)

Source: Musnad Ahmad 6633; Grade: Sahih (authentic) according to Al-Arna’ut; عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عَمْرِو بْنِ الْعَاصِي قَالَ قَالَ رَسُول اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ إِنَّ أَكْثَرَ مُنَافِقِي أُمَّتِي قُرَّاؤُهَا 6633 مسند أحمد بن حنبل 11/210 المحدث شعيب الأرناؤوط خلاصة حكم المحدث صحيح في تخريج المسند

SURAH MUNAFIKUN- THE HYPOCRITES- QURAN TRANSLATION

In the name of Allah/ God, the Gracious, the Merciful.

1. When the hypocrites come to you (Muhammad- saw), 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. 2. They treat their oaths as a cover, and so they repel others from God’s path. Evil is what they do.

3. That is because they believed, and then disbelieved; so their hearts were sealed, and they cannot understand.

4. When you see them, their appearance impresses you. And when they speak, you listen to what they say. They are like propped-up timber. They think every shout is aimed at them. They are the enemy, so beware of them. God condemns them; how deluded they are!

5. 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.

6. 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.

7. It is they who say: “Do not spend anything on those who side with God’s Messenger, unless they have dispersed.” To God belong the treasures of the heavens and the earth, but the hypocrites do not understand.

8. They say, “If we return to the City, the more powerful therein will evict the weak.” But power belongs to God, and His Messenger, and the believers; but the hypocrites do not know.

9. O you who believe! Let neither your possessions nor your children distract you from the remembrance of God. Whoever does that—these are the losers.

10. And give from what We have provided for you, before death approaches one of you, and he says, “My Lord, if only You would delay me for a short while, so that I may be charitable, and be one of the righteous.”

11. But God will not delay a soul when its time has come. God is Informed of what you do.

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