-
The_Foundations_of_the_Islamic_Belief, page : 222
are
more numerous today than they were at the time of the Prophet - the praise and peace be upon him -.
At that time they used to conceal their hypocrisy; now they reveal it." Such hypocrisy militates
against
the reality of belief as well as against its perfectness. It is something concealed and subtle: the
farthest
removed from it are those who are constantly afraid of it, while those who deem themselves free of
it
are they who are nearest to it.
A Hasan al Basri was once told: "There is no more hypocrisy nowadays." To which he replied,
"Brother!
Were the hypocrites to perish from the land you would feel lonely on the way." Again either al Hasan
himself or someone else said, "Were tails to grow on the backs of the hypocrites and trail behind
them
our feet would no longer be able to touch the earth." Once Ibn `Umar, on hearing a man speak
disparagingly of al Hajjaj (the Umayyad governor), told him, "Would you speak disparagingly of him
if
he were here present?" The man answered, "No." Thereupon Ibn `Umar said, "We used to
more numerous today than they were at the time of the Prophet - the praise and peace be upon him -.
At that time they used to conceal their hypocrisy; now they reveal it." Such hypocrisy militates
against
the reality of belief as well as against its perfectness. It is something concealed and subtle: the
farthest
removed from it are those who are constantly afraid of it, while those who deem themselves free of
it
are they who are nearest to it.
A Hasan al Basri was once told: "There is no more hypocrisy nowadays." To which he replied,
"Brother!
Were the hypocrites to perish from the land you would feel lonely on the way." Again either al Hasan
himself or someone else said, "Were tails to grow on the backs of the hypocrites and trail behind
them
our feet would no longer be able to touch the earth." Once Ibn `Umar, on hearing a man speak
disparagingly of al Hajjaj (the Umayyad governor), told him, "Would you speak disparagingly of him
if
he were here present?" The man answered, "No." Thereupon Ibn `Umar said, "We used to