The hypocrites played a significant role in undermining the Muslim state from the time of the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) to the present day. This was explained by Abdul Qadir Tash Turkistani in his article published in the pages of "Al-Mujtama" in issue (177) on November 27, 1973, titled "The Role of the Hypocrites in the Battles Fought by the Prophet PBUH."
Despite the great horror, distress, and hardship, the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) was a source of security, trust, hope, and reassurance for the Muslims.
The hypocrites are those who fear fighting because their hearts are devoid of true faith and noble courage.
On the other hand, the true believers approach battles with sincere determination and patience in the face of the enemy.
Our nation has collectively, in a remarkable manner, decided to fight the Jewish enemy in occupied Palestine. However, as soon as the war abruptly stopped, the hypocrites rushed to speak empty words about days of peace and tranquility, urging the nation to lower and sheath its weapons in preparation for reconciliation with the enemy.
This is weakening the nation while it is in a state of war.
The hypocrites have done similar things before.
This excellent article reviews some of the positions of the hypocrites during the battles that took place in the time of the Messenger of Allah (PBUH).
As soon as the sun of the Islamic call rose and its light spread across existence, the enemies gathered around it, plotting and trying to destroy it with all ferocity and determination.
The hypocrites—those who professed Islam with their tongues while their hearts did not believe—were the most dangerous and far-reaching of these enemies in the life of the call. This is because they mixed with the Muslim community, infiltrating the Islamic ranks and carrying out their schemes and plotting, concealing their hatred, envy, and resentment, while being safe from anyone blaming them.
The dangerous movement of hypocrisy began with the entry of Islam into Medina and continued until shortly before the Prophet (PBUH) passed away. Ibn al-Qayyim, may Allah have mercy on him, depicted the danger of the hypocrites and their harmful impact on Islam and its followers, saying: "By Allah, how many strongholds of Islam have they demolished, how many of its foundations have they uprooted and ruined, how many scholars have they erased, how many raised banners of Islam have they lowered, how many doubts have they planted in the roots of Islam to uproot them, and how many of its sources have they blocked with their opinions to bury and cut them off. Islam and its followers are constantly tested and afflicted by them, and they continue to attack it with their doubts in successive waves, claiming that they are reformers, while they are the corrupters, but they do not perceive it."
"They want to extinguish the light of Allah with their mouths, but Allah will perfect His light, although the disbelievers dislike it." (As-Saff :8)
The hypocrites played a dangerous role in the early battles of Islam, ranging from avoiding jihad to discouraging Muslims from going out, spreading discord among them, spreading false rumors, and gloating over the Prophet (PBUH) and his companions.
Their subversive activities began after the Battle of Badr when they learned of the Muslims' victory. The seeds of hatred, envy, and hostility began to stir within them, and they started spreading rumors before the Islamic army returned to Medina. One of them said, "Your companions have scattered, never to be reunited. Muhammad has been killed along with most of his companions, and here is his camel with Zaid bin Haritha, who does not know what he is saying out of fear." Zaid bin Haritha had been sent by the Prophet (PBUH) on his camel to announce the victory to the people of Medina. When Usama bin Zaid heard the words of that hypocrite, he went to his father to ask him. Once the truth became clear to him, he went to the hypocrite and exposed him, saying, "You are the one spreading rumors about the Messenger of Allah. I will bring you to the Messenger of Allah when he arrives, and he will surely have your neck struck." The hypocrite responded, "It was only something I heard people saying."
Thus, they acted in most of the Islamic battles, weakening morale, spreading lies, and sowing discord. "Unquestionably, into trial they have fallen. And indeed, Hell will encompass the disbelievers." (Taubah:49)
In the Battle of Uhud
This battle was one of the first to expose the hypocrites and reveal many of their plots and intentions. The hypocrites devised a treacherous plan during this battle to cause failure among the ranks of the Muslims. This plan can be summarized as follows:
1. Abdullah bin Ubayy bin Salul, the leader of the hypocrites, supported the opinion that the defense of Medina should be conducted from within, with the Muslims staying in their homes to fight the invaders in the streets and from the rooftops and fortresses.
It seems that the hypocrites and the Jews saw an opportunity to eliminate Islam, so they decided to infiltrate the Muslims, acting as a fifth column for the polytheists to create confusion, discord, and treachery within the ranks of the Muslims.
The Hypocrites and the Jews Together
2. When Ibn Ubayy failed due to the Prophet's (PBUH) orders to go out and confront the polytheists outside Medina, he moved to the second phase of his plan. Six hundred Jews gathered with their weapons under the command of Ibn Ubayy, along with three hundred of his followers, intending to join the Muslim ranks. However, the Prophet (PBUH) refused to allow the Jews to participate in the army. If they had joined, the army would have been filled with conflicting currents, losing its leadership unity and morale. It was an unexpected shock for Ibn Ubayy that the Prophet (PBUH) refused the Jews' participation. Despite this, Ibn Ubayy left with his band of hypocrites, marching with the Muslims to the area near Uhud until the time of Fajr prayer. Then, Ibn Ubayy retreated with his group, returning to Medina.
3. As the hypocrites were retreating from Uhud, Ibn Ubayy attempted to create discord within the Muslim ranks, saying, "We do not know why we are killing ourselves; go back, O people." The fitna nearly occurred, as two groups from the Ansar, "Banu Haritha from Aws and Banu Salama from Khazraj," who were the wings of the camp, were about to turn back. However, Allah protected them, and they remained in the army. This is what Allah referred to when He said: "When two parties among you were about to lose courage, but Allah was their ally, and upon Allah the believers should rely." (Al Imran: 122)
4. Some hypocrites remained in the army and continued fighting, but some of them were firing arrows of gossip and false accusations: "while another faction worried about themselves, thinking of Allah other than the truth – the thought of ignorance, saying, 'Is there anything for us [to have done] in this matter? ' Say, 'Indeed, the matter belongs completely to Allah' They conceal within themselves what they will not reveal to you. They say, 'If there was anything we could have done in the matter, some of us would not have been killed right here.'" (Al Imran: 145).
Some polytheists spread rumors that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) had been killed, prompting some hypocrites to say, "If he were a prophet, he would not have been killed, so return to your religion." However, these rumors and falsehoods only strengthened the resolve of the Muslims, who said, "What will you do with life after him?" referring to the Messenger of Allah (PBUH). "Stand up and die for what he died for."
5. When the Muslims returned from the battle, the hypocrites and Jews rejoiced greatly at the Muslims' losses, especially the death of Hamza bin Abdul Muttalib (may Allah be pleased with him). They were even more gleeful at the harm and injuries suffered by the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) himself. They began saying, "If they had been with us, they would not have died or have been killed" (Al-Imran:156). These are the broad outlines of the destructive role and subversive stance that the hypocrites took in the Battle of Uhud.
In the Battle of Banu Nadir
This beattle occurred in the fourth year of Hijrah. The reason for it was the treachery of Banu Nadir, a Jewish tribe, against the Messenger of Allah PBUH and his companions when they plotted to assassinate him PBUH during his visit to their settlement. They appointed 'Amr ibn Jihash ibn Ka'b to carry out the task, but Allah informed His Messenger of their treachery. The Prophet PBUH, as if attending to another matter, stood up and left for Madinah, where he ordered the Muslims to prepare for war due to the evident betrayal of Banu Nadir. Prior to this, Ka'b ibn al-Ashraf, one of the leaders of Banu Nadir, had engaged in severe mockery of the Prophet PBUH and incited the enemies against him. The Prophet PBUH permitted Muhammad ibn Maslamah to assassinate Ka'b ibn al-Ashraf, which he did. The Prophet PBUH then besieged Banu Nadir's settlement, giving them three days, or some say ten days, to leave. They were allowed to take their wealth with them but were to leave their orchards and fields behind.
The Role of the Hypocrites
The hypocrites sent a group of their own to Banu Nadir, encouraging them to remain steadfast and promising them that if they were attacked, they would fight alongside them and if they were expelled, they would leave with them. Thus, we see the hypocrites betraying the Muslims and aligning themselves with their enemies. However, Allah thwarted their plans and exposed them. After 26 days of siege, the Jews lost hope in the promises of the hypocrites and realized the truth of the Qur'anic verse: "If they are expelled, they will not leave with them; and if they are fought, they will not aid them. And [even] if they should aid them, they will surely turn their backs; then [thereafter] they will not be aided" (Al-Hashr: 12).
At that point, they requested from the Prophet PBUH that they be allowed to leave, sparing their lives as had happened with Banu Qaynuqa. The Prophet PBUH agreed, and they carried away as much of their wealth as they could, even dismantling their homes to take with them or destroying them so they would not fall into the hands of the Muslims. The Muslims had previously destroyed some of the walls that had been turned into fortresses during the siege. The Qur'an reveals the nature of the hypocrites: "You [believers] are more fearful in their breasts than Allah. That is because they are a people who do not understand. They will not fight you all except within fortified cities or from behind walls. Their violence among themselves is severe…" (Al-Hashr: 13-14).
Allah also draws a comparison between the hypocrites who enticed their Jewish brethren to resist, only to abandon them, and Satan's relationship with man, where Satan seduces man into disbelief and then disassociates himself from him: "[The hypocrites are] like the example of Satan when he says to man, “Disbelieve.” But when he disbelieves, he says, “Indeed, I am disassociated from you. Indeed, I fear Allah, Lord of the worlds.” So the outcome for both of them is that they will be in the Fire, abiding eternally therein. And that is the recompense of the wrong-doers" (Al-Hashr: 16-17).
In the Battle of Trench (Al-Ahzab)
The Jews played a major role in instigating the Battle of the Trench by rallying the Arab tribes against the Prophet PBUH and the Muslims. They sought revenge on the Muslims who had expelled them from Madinah. They approached the Quraysh, inciting them to fight by saying, "We will be with you against them until we annihilate them." They also approached Ghatafan, making promises, and thus, Quraysh and Ghatafan marched toward Madinah with the intention of destroying Islam.
When the Prophet PBUH heard of their approach, he dug a trench around Madinah. After completing the trench, the Quraysh, Ghatafan, and the Jews came to Banu Qurayza, a Jewish tribe that had previously made a peace treaty with the Prophet PBUH. The Jews persuaded Banu Qurayza to break their treaty with the Prophet, and they did. The situation became dire, fear gripped the Muslims, and: "When eyes shifted [in fear], and hearts reached the throats and you assumed about Allah [various] assumptions. There the believers were tested and shaken with a severe shaking" (Al-Ahzab: 10-11).
Their nights at the trench were like day, and they could not pray Dhuhr, Asr, Maghrib, or Isha. The hypocrites found this severe trial and distress an opportunity to reveal their true nature, confident that no one would blame them.
Their actions during this battle can be summarized as follows:
1. Mockery and Stirring up Discord: They mocked the promises of Allah and sought to cause discord. They said, Muhammad promises us that we will eat from the treasures of Khosrow and Caesar, yet today one of us does not feel safe to even relieve himself! As Allah says: "And [remember] when the hypocrites and those in whose hearts is disease said, 'Allah and His Messenger did not promise us except delusion'" (Al-Ahzab: 12).
2. Cowardice in Battle: The Qur'an depicts their fear in a comical manner: "But when fear comes, you see them looking at you, their eyes rolling like one overcome by death" (Al-Ahzab: 19). So great was their fear that they did not believe the enemy had left: "They think the companies have not [yet] withdrawn. And if the companies should come [again], they would wish they were in the deserts among the bedouins, inquiring [from afar] about your news" (Al-Ahzab: 20).
3. Seeking Excuses to Avoid Fighting: They sought permission to return to Madinah under the pretext that their homes were vulnerable to the enemy, although this was not true: "And a faction of them asked permission of the Prophet, saying, 'Indeed, our homes are unprotected,' while they were not exposed. They did not intend except to flee" (Al-Ahzab: 13).
4. Inciting the Believers to Desert: Not only did they shirk from fighting, but they also encouraged others to abandon their positions and return to the city: "Already Allah knows the hinderers among you and those [hypocrites] who say to their brothers, “Come to us,” and do not go to battle, except for a few" (Al-Ahzab: 18).
5. Boasting After the Battle: Once the danger had passed, they emerged from their hiding places, raised their voices, and claimed, without shame, that they had been courageous in battle: "But when fear departs, they lash you with sharp tongues" (Al-Ahzab: 19).
Despite the terror, distress, and hardship, the Prophet PBUH remained a source of security, confidence, and reassurance for the Muslims. As a result, the believers said, "This is what Allah and His Messenger had promised us, and Allah and His Messenger spoke the truth." And it only increased them in faith and submission:
"Among the believers are men true to what they promised Allah. Among them is he who has fulfilled his vow [to the death], and among them is he who awaits [his chance]. And they did not alter [the terms of their commitment] by any alteration" (Al-Ahzab: 23).
The battle ended with Allah turning back the disbelievers in their rage without achieving any good, sparing the believers from battle:
"And Allah repelled those who disbelieved, in their rage, not having obtained any good. And sufficient was Allah for the believers in battle, and ever is Allah Powerful and Exalted in Might" (Al-Ahzab: 25).
Allah also dealt with the Jewish allies who had betrayed the Muslims:
"And He brought down those who supported them among the People of the Scripture from their fortresses and cast terror into their hearts [so that] a party [you killed], and you took captive a party. And He caused you to inherit their land and their homes and their properties and a land which you have not trodden. And ever is Allah, over all things, competent" (Al-Ahzab: 26-27).
In the Battle of Banu Mustaliq
The leader of Banu Mustaliq, a Jewish tribe, gathered forces to fight against the Messenger of Allah PBUH. The Prophet PBUH sent Buraydah ibn al-Husayb to investigate the matter, and upon discovering their intentions, Buraydah informed the Prophet PBUH. The Muslims then set out to confront Banu Mustaliq, with the hypocrites joining in large numbers, more than ever before, led by their leader, Ibn Salul. During this expedition, the hypocrites played two significant roles, causing great confusion and nearly sparking a continuous fitnah, had it not been for Allah's protection of the Muslims and exposure of the hypocrites' schemes.
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