SURAH AL MUNAFIQOON: VERSES 1-4

THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE HYPOCRITES

Exercise 1: Questions and Answers (Page 93)
1. Were the Munafiqeen brave or cowardly? Defend your
answer.
They were cowards. As they did not have the courage to declare that
they are disbelievers nor did they have the courage to truly submit
as Muslims. Their deception meant that they lacked self-confidence.
Hypocrites were hiding behind their lie so that they could not be
held accountable for working against Islam.
2. What are the differences between a hypocrite and an
ordinary Muslim sinner?
Hypocrites never show their true face. They keep a nice outward
appearance but from inside they are the worst enemies. They never
admit their sins. Whereas an ordinary Muslim sinner does not hide
his belief and many times accepts his sins he has committed. Even if
he keeps it a secret, still he feels guilty in his heart.
3. What did the hypocrites do that made Allah refuse to
forgive them?
Hypocrites knew of the truth, still they insisted to ignore the
guidance. They swore to lie that they were Muslims whereas they
never accepted Islam from their heart. Normal disbelievers openly
act according to their beliefs. Hypocrites hid their truth and,
therefore, were deprived of Allah’s Mercy upon them.
4. The Munafiqeen were internal enemies of Islam. Do you
agree? Support your answer with some historical
incidents.
Definitely yes, as they always tried to disunite the Muslims by
creating problems and misunderstandings between them. For
example, Abdullah ibn Ubay was the leader of the hypocrites. He
tried to disunite the Ansars from the Muhajireen. He told the
Ansars that the Muhajireen were living on their land and surviving
on their wealth. Not only that when confronted by the Prophet
(Peace be upon him), he lied and swore that he had not said that.
He was arrogant and did not want to accept his mistake.

THE STORY OF THE THREE WHO MISSED

TABOOK
EXERCISE 2: Question and Answers (Page 53)
1. How many days did the campaign to Tabook last?
For how many days did the Prophet (Peace be upon
him) and the Muslims ostracize (boycott) Ka’b and the
other two companions who lagged behind?
What lessons you can learn from that?
The Muslims returned to Madinah during the month of Ramadan
after fifty days.
After listening to Ka’b ibn Malik and the other two men, the Prophet
(Peace be upon him) told the people to boycott them and this
continued for fifty days.
Ka’b ibn Malik, Murarah bin Rabee and Hilal bin Umayyah did not
have an excuse as to why they were not able to take part in the
campaign of Tabook. When the Prophet (Peace be upon him)
returned to Madinah, they went to him and told him the truth.
They could have lied like the hypocrites, but they chose to be
truthful. They were righteous men. They were known to have taken
part in previous battle/s. But this time it was a mistake committed
on their part.
After they were boycotted, they felt depressed as no one spoke to
them whether it was in the masjid or in the market place. The three
men felt guilty. After fifty days they were forgiven by Allah. We
learn that no matter what, we should never lie. Always remember
Truth prevails and falsehood perishes.
2. Compare the hardship Abu Tharr Al-Ghifari went
through when he followed the Muslims alone in the desert
with hardship that Ka’b went through after Muslims
returned to Madinah.
Abu Tharr was eager to join the Prophet (Peace be upon him) and
the rest of the Muslims in Tabook. He was left behind because his
camel was slow.So he put his belongings on his back and started
walking alone in the desert. Other than it being summer time, it
became more difficult for him as he had to walk rather than ride on
his camel. He did not have any one to accompany him too. He faced
this hardship for the Sake of Allah. The Prophet was very happy to
see him.
Ka’b ibn Malik was at first worried as he did not know what to tell
the Prophet (Peace be upon him). Then after being boycotted he felt
alone and sad. No one would speak to him including his relatives.
Ka’b had definitely realized his mistake.
Abu Tharr was received happily by the Muslims. His right intention
and immediate action resulted in his favour. As for Ka’b, he did not
prepare for the campaign and thought that because of a large army,
his absence would not be noticed. He suffered because of his wrong
decision. Both of them went through difficultly but at last they got
the reward for it, Abu Tharr for his right intention and Ka’b for his
honesty.