Mard~e~Musalman: Peom by Allama IQBAL

Har Lehza Hai Moomin Ki Nayee Shaan Nayee Aaan;
Guftar Mein Kirdaar Mein Allah Ki Burhaan.

Every Moment of a True Believer is a new grandeur;
By words and deeds he gives a proof Of Mighty God, His reach and power

Qahhari-o-Ghaffari-o-Quddusi-o-Jabrood;
Yeh Chaar Anasir Ho Tho Banta Hai Musalmaan.

Rout the foes, Grant them Reprieve, Do pious deeds & show great might;
Are the four characteristics that make A Perfect Muslim

Hamsaaya-e-Jibreel-e-Ameen Banda-e-Khaki;
Hai Iska Nasheman Na Bukhaara Na Badakhshaan.

This clay-born man has kinship close to Gabriel the trusted;
His dwelling place is neve r a land or clime.

Ye Raaz Kisiko Nahin Maalum Ke Moomin!
Qari Nazar Aata Hai; Haqeekat Mein Hai Qur’an.

The Believer’s Secret has not been known by anyone.
He looks like a Reciter; But in fact he himself is the Qur’an.

Qudrat Ke Maqasid Ka Ayyar, Iske Iraade;
Duniya Mein Bhi Mizaan, Qayamat Mein Bhi Mizaan.

The Nature’s aims and ends are his intentions;
He keeps Balance in this World also & keeps Balance in the Hereafter also.

Jis’se Jigar-e-Laala Mein Thandak Ho Wo Shabnam;
Daryawon Ke Dil Jis’se Dahel Jaaye Wo Toofaan.

With friends and mates, He is dew that cools the tulip;
With enemies he is like torrent strong which makes oceans shake.

Fitrat Ka Sarood-e-Azal Iske Shab-o-Roz;
Aahang Mein Ekta, Sifat-e-Sura-e-Rehmaan

His Days and Nights are Nature’s Sweet Song;
Like Chapter Rehman of Qur’an is his Melodious rhyming tune.

Bante Hain Meri Kargah-e-Fikr Mein Anjum;
Le Apne Muqaddar Ke Sitare Ko Tu Pehchaan.

Such thoughts that shine like lustrous stars are provided in my Brain
Recognize the star which will guide your Fate.

Zamana Aaya Hai: Peom by Allama IQBAL

A Peom by Allama IQBAL: This poem in Audio

With Roman Urdu to English translation:

Zamana Aaya Hai Be-Hijabi Ka, Aam Deedar-e-Yaar Hoga;
Sakoot Tha PardaDaar Jiska Wo Raaz Ab Aashkaar Hoga.

Era has come for openness, so Beloved’s Sight will be common.
The secret which silence had concealed, will be unveiled now.

Guzar Gaya Ab Wo Daur Saaqi, Ke Chupke Peetey The PeeneWaale;
Banega Saara Jahaan Mai’Khaana; Har Koi Badah Khwaar Hoga.

O Cup-bearer! Time has gone when wine was taken secretly.
The whole world will become a Bar, everyone will be drinking

Kabhi Jo Aawarah Junoon The, Wo Bastiyon Mein Phir Aa Basenge;
BarahnaPaayi Wahi Rahegi, Magar Naya KhaarZaad Hoga.

Those who once wandered insane, will return to habitations;
Lovers’ wandering will be the same but deserts will be anew.

Suna Diya Gosh-e-Muntazir Ko Hijaaz Ki Khamoshi Ne Aakhir;
Jo Aehad Sehra’iyon Se Baandha Gaya Tha Phir Ustawaar Hoga.

The Hijaz’ silence has proclaimed to the waiting ear at last
The covenants established with deserters will be re’assured

Nikal Ke Sehra Se Jisne Rooma Ki Saltanat Ko Ulat Diya Tha;
Suna Hai Ye Qudsiyon Se Maine Wo Sher Phir Hoshiyar Hoga.

The one coming from deserts had overturned the Roman Empire;
I have heard from the Qudsis that the same Lion will be re-awakened

Diyaar-e-Maghrib K Rehne Walon, Khuda Ki Basti Dukan Nahi Hai;
Khara Jise Tum Samajh Rahe Ho Wo Ab Zar-e-Kam ‘Ayaar Hoga.

O Western world’s inhabitants, God’s world is not a shop!
What you are considering genuine, will be regarded counterfeit.

Tumhaari Tehzeeb Apne Khanjar Se Aap Hi Khudkashi Karegi;
Jo Shaakh-e-Naazuk Pe Aashiyana Banega Na-Payedaar Hoga.

Your civilization will commit suicide with its own knife;
The nest built on the weak branch will not be permanent, stable.

–

Chaman Mein Lala Dikhaata Phirta Hai Daag Apna, Kali Kali Ko;
Ye Jaanta Hai Ke Is Dikhaawe Se Diljalon Mein Shumaar Hoga.

The Lala (a bird), shows its spots to every flower-bud in the garden.
Knowing that by doing this it will be among the Love haters.

Jo Ek Tha Aye Nigaah Toone Hazaar Karke Hamein Dikhaaya;
Yahi Agar Kaifiyath Hai Teri Tho Phir Kise Aitebaar Hoga?

O Sight! that which was the One(God) you showed us as a thousand?
If this is still your state, what will be your trustfulness?

—

Khuda Ke Ashiq To Hain Hazaro Bano Mein Phirtey Hain Marey Marey
Main Uska Banda Banonga Jisko,Khuda Ke Bandon Se Pyar Hoga

God’s Lovers are in thousands, roaming here & there in the caves;
I shall adore the one who will be the lover of God’s people

Main Zulmat-e-Shab Mein Leke Niklunga Apne DarManda Karwaan Ko;
Sharar Fashaan Hogi Aah Meri, Nafs Mera Sholabaar Hoga!

In the darkness of the night I shall take out my tired caravan
My sigh will be shedding sparks my breath will be throwing flames

—

Na Pooch Iqbal Ka Thikaana, Abhi Wahi Kaifiyat Hai Uski;
Kahin Sar-e-Raah Guzaar Baitha, Sitam Kash-e-Intezaar Hoga.

Do not ask about the condition of Iqbal,he is in the same state;
Sitting somewhere by the wayside waiting for oppression!

-~-
A beautiful poem by Alaama Muhammad Iqbal a century ago still fit in current “neo world order”, The system of evil n Oppression.

From the Words of “Abdullah Azzam”…9.

Ghayrah for Islam Has Become a Deficiency

“…It is a disaster that your heart dies without you noticing. It is as if you say: ‘O Lord! How often I rebel against You without you punishing me for it!’ And He replies: ‘How often I punish you without you even noticing! Haven’t I removed the life from your heart?’

The death of the heart, the lack of reaction to the Shar’i texts, that your face doesn’t become red for the sake of Allah…that’s it. Your heart is dead. It no longer pumps blood. In fact, this has now become something shameful. It has now become blameworthy for one to have zeal and to react strongly when he sees some corruption or evil in front of him. This is now considered a deficiency of the many deficiencies that can exist in one’s character. People will say that you are a poor guy who is quick to get charged up, or that you are passionate, or that you are zealous, or that you are rash, or that you are a fundamentalist, etc. Yes! It is now something blameworthy!

…Yes, and this is why we now use these terms without realizing what we’re saying. This person is too simple-minded, this person is too passionate, that person is a fanatic, easily charged up, zealous, etc. And is this religion given victory by mere reason, or is it given victory by zeal and passion? Reason tells you: how can you stand against Russia? Malik bin Nabi said that the index finger of Bilal that was raised to the sky saying ‘Ahad, Ahad (He is One, He is One)’ was not the voice of reason. Rather, this was the voice of emotion, because reason would tell him to deceive Umayyah bin Khalaf and then come at night and renew his Islam with Muhammad.

Someone once said to me: “Brother, we shouldn’t be so open with everything we say. I sat for two years in an office without my coworker knowing my mindset.” So, I said to him: “May Allah ease your affairs. This means that for two years, you didn’t speak a single word encouraging good or forbidding evil because if you had spoken, he would have known your mindset?” And he considers this to have been cleverness on his part!

The cowards think that cowardliness is intelligence * This is the deception of the wicked soul…”

['Fi Dhilal Surat at-Tawbah'; p. 223]

From the Words of “Abdullah Azzam”…8.

Tawriyah Is Not Allowed When it Comes to Issues of ‘Aqidah :

“Some of Sayyid Qutb’s students asked him: “Why were you so bold and straightforward in front of the court despite the fact that your neck was between the noose?” He replied: “For two reasons. The first is that we are speaking about issues of belief, and it is not allowed to use deceptive double-talk (tawriyah) when it comes to issues of belief. Deceptive double-talk is not allowed! Deceptive double-talk is not allowed!”

This is when someone says to you: ‘What do you think about this ruling?’ and you reply: ‘By Allah, praise be to Allah, it is good,’ while you deceptively intend with your words to say ‘You are good,’ or ‘Some of the people are good’ – this type of deceptive double-talk is not allowed when it comes to issues of ‘Aqidah.

Because of this, there is a huge difference between the stand of Ahmad bin Hambal regarding the creation of the Qur’an and the stand of others. When they asked one of the scholars – and it is said to have been ash-Shafi’i – “What do you think of this Qur’an? Is it created?” He replied, counting on his fingers: “The Torah, the Psalms, the Gospel, the Qur’an – these four are created,” and he meant that his fingers were created. This is deceptive double-talk (tawriyah). What a difference between this stand and the stand of al-Imam Ahmad.

al-Maruzi said that he entered upon Ahmad when they had prepared him to be whipped, and said to him: “O Ahmad! Allah Said: {“…and do not kill yourselves…”}, and these people have prepared you to be killed!” He replied: “O Maruzi! Step outside this prison and tell me what you see.” So, he stepped outside to see thousands of people holding papers and pens. He asked them: “What do you want?” They replied: “We await the reply of Ahmad bin Hambal.” So, al-Maruzi returned and told Ahmad what he saw, and Ahmad said: “O Maruzi! That I die is more beloved to me than that I betray those people you saw.”

So, Sayyid Qutb would say that there is no tawriyah allowed when it came to issues of ‘Aqidah, and his second reason was that those whom the people look up to and follow are not allowed to speak a word of kufr. To legitimize jahiliyyah, Socialism, nationalism, etc. is only allowed for the follower {“…except if he is coerced while his heart is secure with faith…”}

As for the one who is followed, this is not allowed for him. The likes of ‘Ammar bin Yasir: ‘Ammar was a follower, not one who was followed. Would it have been allowed for the Messenger to do what ‘Ammar did?”

['Fi Dhilal Surat at-Tawbah'; p. 19]

From the Words of “Abdullah Azzam”…7.

The Best Way to Deal With the Ignorant:

“…And from the best ways of dealing with the ignorant is to ignore and avoid them. This is because if you debate with them, they beat you, and if you beat them, they will end up hating you and will not admit your being correct. Therefore, ignore them:

{“So, avoid those who turn away from Our Reminder…”} [an-Najm; 29]

{“…So, overlook their faults in a beautiful manner.”} [al-Hijr; 85]

Avoid them and do not debate them, because debating them puffs up their chests and increases their confidence, and ash-Shafi’i said: “I never debated an ignorant person except that he won, and I never debated a knowledgeable person except that I won.” This is because the ignorant one will deny even the presence of the Sun at noon, and will deny the presence of the Moon on a night when it is full!

So, watch the ignorant die if you avoid them, and be given life if you debate them. It might be that they come to their senses if you ignore them, and will realize their status if you are shown to be above debating and discussing with them – this is if you are sure that he is an ignorant follower of desires, not seeking to admit the truth, and not seeking to follow that which is certain…”

['at-Tarbiyah al-Jihadiyyah wal-Bina''; 1/301]

From the Words of “Abdullah Azzam”…6.

Fighting Your Desires:

“…So, fight your desires at a time when you can eat. The soul is never satisfied. Satisfying your desires is like satisfying the thirsty person who went to drink water from the sea – the more he drinks, the thirstier he gets, since the water is salty.

These Romans used to eat all types of food and sweets to the point that they no longer felt the pleasure in eating food. So, they would fast in order to once again feel the taste of their food. Likewise, they drowned in sex to the point that they hated women. So, they would move far away from the cities until they once again longed for women.

The Europeans opened the door of sexuality as far as it could be opened, and sex became as widespread as food, drink, and oxygen. As a result, they now see endless cases of rape, sexually transmitted disease, etc. This is because desires are never satisfied. Whenever you nourish them, they increase in hunger:

And the soul increases in desire when you awaken its desire * And if it is restricted to little, it becomes content

Jabir was once walking to the marketplace. So, ‘Umar asked him: “Where are you going, Jabir?” He said: “My soul longed for some meat, and I want to go buy some meat with a dirham.” ‘Umar replied: “O Jabir! Whenever you have the desire for something, you go out and buy it?”

One time, ‘Umar had some food placed in front of him, and he began to weep. It was asked of him: “Why are you weeping, O Commander of the Believers?” He said: “I am afraid that it would be said to me on the Day of Judgement: {“On the Day when those who disbelieve will be exposed to the Fire, it will be said: ‘You received your good things in the life of the world, and you took your pleasure therein. Now, this Day, you shall be recompensed with a torment of humiliation because you were arrogant in the land without a right, and because you used to rebel and disobey.’”} [al-Ahqaf; 20]“

Therefore, it should be everyone’s goal to be abstinent from worldly pleasures and to fight their desires, since it is impossible for the soul to rise and ascend except if it dominates over its desires and whims. The soul that becomes a prisoner to its desires will never be able to face the enemy on the battlefield. So, if you wish to remain travelling upon the path to Allah, hold yourself back.

Unfortunately, this type of knowledge is not taught in the universities or schools – the knowledge of behavior and conduct (suluk). This knowledge is missing because there are no murabbin, and it is not taught in al-Azhar or other colleges of Shari’ah – the science of behavior and manners, the science of nurturing the soul, the science of tarbiyah.

So, you sometimes find the youth who has memorized much – ma Sha’ Allah – from many books and ahadith: he read ‘Riyad as-Salihin’ from a while back, he studied ‘Rawdat an-Nadhir,’ he read ‘Nayl al-Awtar,’ ‘Subul as-Salam,’ ‘Fath al-Bari,’ etc. Despite this, you never find him fasting any optional fasts or praying at night. His soul is dead. He prays no optional prayers, and he follows every license of ease (rukhsah) that he comes across. Why? Because his soul is sick. He did not nurture himself. And his desires…I seek refuge with Allah!”

['at-Tarbiyah al-Jihadiyyah wal-Bina''; 1/367-368]

From the Words of “Abdullah Azzam”…5.

Who Will Step Up to Solve the Problems Of Our Reality?:

“…Who will derive rulings from the texts? There are no brains that can understand the problems of our times, and can then present solutions to these problems…we took the best youth of our society, and we told them that they were not made for this religion. As for the Shari’ah of Allah, we left it for those who do not have the ability to face society, and do not have the ability to lead and guide the Ummah, and this is another deficiency in tarbiyah. Even when it comes to the calls of the various Islamic groups, the manner of tarbiyah is wrong. They ended up sending their youth…one to medical school, another to study engineering, another to study pharmacy…we want a Muslim doctor! We want a Muslim engineer! We want a Muslim pharmacist! However, we do not want a Muslim Faqih!

Look at the youth in the University of Jordan, with their unmatched brains in the schools of engineering and medicine. All day, you have a scalpel with which you open up a stomach and stitch it back up. I said to one of them: “What is your specialty?” He answered: “Childbirth.” I said to him: “There is no might nor power except with Allah. You will blind yourself looking at the private parts of women all day while giving birth to them.” I said to another one: “What is your specialty?” He said: “The urinary tract.” I said to him: “There is no might nor power except with Allah, the High and Mighty.”

Yes, it is a must for you to spend your entire life engaged in the necessary and obligatory issues of life. However, who will look in the Book of Allah? Who will derive rulings from it with which to solve the problems of our reality? So, you find that the leadership of the various Islamic groups are not from the scholars. Why not? Because, their brains are not made for leadership! You find that the leader of an Islamic group is either a doctor, or an engineer, or a pharmacist, etc. Such people do not have much knowledge of the Shari’ah. As a result, you find them constantly making mistakes. They have sincerity. However, they did not come across the knowledge of those who came before us. With those who came before us, the best of the society’s youth would sit in the mosque and learn the Religion of Allah. For ten years, from sunrise to sunset, he would be sitting in front of his teacher, learning and accepting, while he sees his shaykh sitting in front of him…”

['at-Tarbiyah al-Jihadiyyah wal-Bina''; 4/334-335]

From the Words of “Abdullah Azzam”…4.

The Issue Isn’t As Simple As You Think:

“Pay attention to this issue. I never paid it much attention until after I’d studied it this year in the books of Fiqh, while I was studying the issues of Jihad, pacts, and promises of security. If you are given a visa to any country in the world, it is not allowed for you to partake in any action that breaks its laws. This is not allowed, unless this would contradict something from Islam, such as the prayer, fasting, etc. It is not allowed for you to cheat them or take from their wealth. It is not allowed, for example, for you to take one of their daughters, and marry her without the permission of her father. It is not allowed for you to rip up a telephone bill. It is not allowed for you to harm the state, and it is not allowed for you to place a magnet on the electric meter of your home. It is not allowed for you to tear up your phone bill, because there, in America, and in the Western nations, despite their disbelief and enmity towards Islam and the Muslims, they place trust in the individual. They generally treat the human being with a strange level of respect (compared to the treatment in the Muslim lands)…

One of the brothers – a Muslim youth – told me about his trip to attain a doctorate in America. He said: “They sent me both my electric and phone bills. So, I said to them: “I wish to pay what I have due.” They replied: “No problem. Return to your home country, and we will give you an address to which you can send your payment from your country.”" Can you imagine? He said to them: “I wish to leave this land,” and they reply: “No problem. Go back to Jordan, and send your payment from there.”

Trust! Security!…The Arab, in America, if his business is about to fail, he would burn down his factory, go to the insurance company, tell them that his factory was burned down, and he would rake in the million dollars that he had insured his factory with.”

(A brother in the audience debates): “But, Shaykh, this was even there before, when Islam had strength and reputation, and Abu Hanifah said that if a Muslim breaks something of a Christian’s, the Muslim must insure him.”

Shaykh: “Even now, he must insure him.”

Brother: “However, now, they come to our lands mostly to spread their ideology.”

Shaykh: “My brother, who has brought them into our lands?”

Brother: “A disbeliever, like them.”

Shaykh: “OK, excellent. You say to them that the one who has brought you into this land is a disbeliever. Therefore, you cannot be here…You must warn them, is this not so? Either Islam, or the jizyah, or the sword. Is this not so? So, you must warn them, my brother. Send them a message: ‘You are spreading this evil, so, leave this land. Otherwise, you will die.’ That’s it. After this, kill him. As for coming to kill him while he is secure and under a pact of security, this is not allowed.

As for those People of the Book who live with us in our lands, it is not allowed to kill them in our times, unless they initiate fighting with us. It is not allowed, as this will cause great fitnah that will never end, and the rulers will stand on their side, and they will attack the Muslims, and put pressure on the Islamic movement – all for what? Because of you poking out the eye of a Christian in your land, or you killed a Christian, resulting in tens of Muslims being killed in prison as the result of torture…”

(The brother continues debating)

Shaykh: “It is not allowed for you to take the wealth of a Christian, at all. It is not allowed to kill the Western Christian in the lands of the Muslims, unless you first issue him a warning, and unless it first becomes clear to you that he is engaging in an act that deems his blood lawful. Understood?”

Another questioner asks: “Who is the one that determines what the actions are that deem his blood lawful? Do I determine this? Or do the scholars?”

Shaykh: “The scholars. The scholars are the ones who determine this. Where do fatawa come from? From the scholars – do you kill, or do you not kill? Is it permissible to kill and fight them? Or, do you go on your way? As for – by Allah – a youth who studied one or two words in ‘Kifayat al-Akhyar,’ or ‘Hashiyat Ibn ‘Abidin,’ or the book of Ibn al-Qayyim (he’s referring to ‘Ahkam Ahl adh-Dhimmah’), and he suddenly becomes the Great Mufti of Islam, issuing fatawa to {“Kill them wherever you find them, and expel them from whence they expelled you…”} or {“When the Sacred Months have passed, slay the polytheists wherever you find them…”}, this is not allowed. The issue isn’t as simple as you think, and this is what Jama’at at-Takfir wal-Hijrah was afflicted with. This shaykh – their leader, Shukri Mustafa, rahimahullah – began issuing fatawa, and every single one began reading and issuing fatawa declaring the blood of the Muslims lawful…”

(The brother continues debating, mentioning that the Christians of our times are all muharibin)

Shaykh: “Who are the Christians that are muharibin?”

Brother: “All of the Christians are muharibin.”

Shaykh: “How are they all muharibin?”

Brother: “Those who put the covering on their head, and wear the cross.”

Shaykh: “The one who wears the cross is a muharib? The one who wears the cross, this is his belief.”

(The brother continues arguing)

Shaykh: “My brother, do you still consider them muharibin? The muharib is the one who brandishes weapons against the Muslims!”

(after some more arguement): “I will not give a fatwa for this. Look for some other mufti besides myself.”

['Fi Dhilal Surat at-Tawbah'; p. 132-134]

From the Words of “Abdullah Azzam”…3.

True Men Are Known in Times of Hardship

“…Those who gave Bay’at ar-Ridwan beneath the tree at Hudaybiyah were 1,400 men. When was this? It was in Dhu al-Qi’dah 6 AH. When the treaty was solidified and Quraysh stood aside and held back from fighting the Messenger of Allah (صلى الله عليه و سلم), only then did people begin entering Islam, as they had previously been afraid of Quraysh. So, Quraysh had a treaty with the Messenger of Allah and held back from fighting him, and waves of people saw this as their chance to become Muslims even if Quraysh didn’t like this. So, they became Muslims. Those who came did so 21 months after the Treaty of Hudaybiyah. What happened after this? The conquest of Makkah. Those who came to conquer Makkah with the Messenger were 10,000. This means that how many people had become Muslim in the time leading up to this? At least 8,500 or 8,600 in the two years of peace had decided to enter Islam.

Why? There are people in society who like you. However, they will not dare to help you if the government is angry with you. Isn’t this so?

Believe me, during the time that Egypt was unleashing its wrath on Sayyid Qutb and his family, nobody was able to lend them even a single dirham at a time when the women in the family could not even afford the cost of their weekly visits to Sayyid and Muhammad Qutb. They wouldn’t dare. I heard them saying: “The people have cut themselves off from us. We went to some people to borrow money from, our friends. They said “We don’t know you. Don’t come to us, and we won’t come to you.””

…So, as a da’i, if you stand up to the government, the only ones who will stand by you are those who are ready for death or some sort of sacrifice. True men are known in times of hardship. No da’i will stand by you unless he is willing to give up his family, children, wealth, and job…So, nobody will stand by you in harsh circumstances except true men, and they are few – men who live by their beliefs and have principles they stick to.

When the Messenger made the pact with Quraysh, over 8,500 became Muslim in the less than two years that followed. And when Quraysh was defeated in Ramadan of 8 AH and Hawazin was defeated after them in Shawwal of 8 AH, only then did the delegations begin coming to Hunayn from all corners of the Arabian Peninsula to enter Islam in waves: {“When the victory of Allah and the conquest comes, and you see the people enter Allah’s Religion in waves.”} [an-Nasr; 1-2]

So, during difficult circumstances in which you are confronting the massive jahiliyyah around you, don’t expect people to accept your call. None will accept it except those are are prepared to sacrifice everything they own, even their lives.

Quraysh and Hawazin were finished in the 8th year AH. Two years later, in the 10th year AH, the Prophet made Hajj along with 124,000 people. How many were there during the conquest of Makkah? There were 10,000. This means that in the two years between the two, there were 114,000 who became Muslim. However, the core of this society and its essence and foundation and nucleus was the mere thousand who participated at Uhud or the 1,400 who witnessed Bay’at ar-Ridwan. These, if they were to have been removed them from the picture, the entire society would’ve collapsed.

Because of this, the governments are smart when they fight Islam. They are very smart. They don’t come and kill everyone and have this held against them. Rather, they come and remove the five, six, or seven leaders who are the nucleus and essence and solid foundation and kill them off. While they only took out six, they really took out an entire ummah by taking out these six! {“Indeed, Ibrahim was a nation unto himself…”} [an-Nahl; 120]

And how often is one man equal to a thousand * And how often are a thousand men equal to none…”

['Fi Dhilal Surat at-Tawbah'; p. 50-54]

From the Words of “Abdullah Azzam”…2.

Our Inner vs. Outer Condition

“…And the believer – subhan Allah, glory be to You, O Lord – is liked by everyone no matter what.

Why?

The believer isn’t fake. There is nothing you can hold against him. What he does in secret is what he does openly. There aren’t secret acts and public acts. He doesn’t have a personality in secret and a different one in public. They are both the same. So, if you were to peek into his life when he’s alone, you’d find him even better than he is in public. If you were to see him at home at night, you’d find him either praying, sleeping, eating suhur, or reciting the Qur’an. There is nothing you can hold against him. There is no girl he has snuck in to his home to commit indecent acts with, nor does he have stolen money that he is counting.

His outer condition is like his inner condition. In fact, his inner condition is even better than his outer, and the early Muslims would say ‘O Allah, make our inner condition better than our outer condition, and make our outer condition good.’ There is nothing you can hold against him. He has inner confidence, is sure of himself, and is relaxed.

As for the hypocrite, he fears that everyone will discover his faults and that they are privy to his sins. This is why it’s as if the suspicious person wants to tell people ‘Take me away, take me away.’ Why? He is filled with faults, and he suspects that this person knows of them, that person found out, etc. So, his whole life is full of anxiety and constriction.

As for the believer, ‘Umar bin al-Khattab nullified his ablution while on the pulpit. He said: “O people, I’ve passed gas, and I am going to make ablution and return.” He is sure of himself. So, why would he care what people think? On a day other than Friday, he ascended the pulpit and gathered the people and said: “O people, a few years ago, I used to herd sheep for people in Makkah for a few copper coins.” So, ‘Abd ar-Rahman bin ‘Awf took him aside and said to him privately: “Commander of the Believers, you did nothing but belittle yourself in front of everyone.” So, ‘Umar said: “That was exactly my intention. I felt impressed with myself, and therefore wanted to humble myself in front of everyone.””

['Fi Dhilal Surat at-Tawbah'; p. 489]