Hypocrisy

You know,

Muslims usually say

that there is no distinction between religion and politics in Islam,

and of course this has to be true.

If our Deen is to reach into all corners of our lives

that must include all our understandings of right and wrong,

and right governance,

and justice

and community power,

so indeed politics must be a part of our Deen.

And of course, that is the way it should be,

as living the Islamic way of life

should bring humility and selflessness

to those who are chosen to rule.

Unfortunately this also means that all the corrupt self-centred power struggles

of what is normally thought of as the political world

can be found in religious organisations.

So, politicians are often accused of saying one thing

and thinking another,

or 'lying' as we usually call it.

And they are often accused of saying they will do one thing

and then doing another,

or as we know it 'breaking trust'.

Or they might do good things,

but only because what they do will make them look good,

not for good reasons, the good itself,

and they may well sound good

but only in public.

Such people might pretend to believe the same as those around them

if they thought it might help them gain an advantage.

And making a play of religious sincerity

would certainly help them gain the trust of the community.

They could use their simulated faith as a route to personal gain

or power in the faith community.

And this dissembling use of religious belief is known as Hypocrisy.

Now there is something particular to hypocrisy,

which makes it more than just lying or breaking trust.

It is the bit about hypocrites pretending to be part of a religious community,

giving the impression that they believe what the community does,

and going through the motions of worship

when in fact they don't believe.

The hypocrite acts out the role of a good and faithful person

to gain the trust of those who do believe.

But what the hypocrites do is not for the sake of God

but for themselves,

for their own power

or wealth or glory.

They may not believe in the God they speak of,

but in religions they can get to places where

they can pretend that God wants something,

when really they are the ones who want it themselves.

Someone who is being hypocritical

is preying on the community in its most tender place,

its trust in those following the Deen of their community.

The hypocrites are therefore very dangerous

and we are frequently warned against them in the Qur'an.

So we need to be able to recognise hypocrisy when we meet it,

and be able to tell the difference between pretence and sincerity.

And of course that doesn't just apply to those around us,

because we have to be able to recognise it in ourselves.

We need to be able to face those around us with sincerity,

follow our Deen with sincerity,

approach our Creator with sincerity,

and surrender our lives to the One God,

Allah,

the All-Subtle, the All-Aware.