What I Forget as I Conceal
Hypocrisy acts like a disease in the Self that prompts it to either procrastinate or hasten to an expectation to gain benefits. But, regrettably, that expectation is based on a future involving public attention.
Hypocrisy acts like a disease in the Self that prompts it to either procrastinate or hasten to an expectation to gain benefits. But, regrettably, that expectation is based on a future involving public attention. Its concealing attitude keeps playing with that future, either being hostile by hiding its grief from the past or acting timidly hopeless about the future.
Human Self in great numbers would nurture malice in hearts and try to hide behind their grudge and become aggressive. Qur’anic examples would be — lying about their faith in God and Day of Judgment (2:8–10); saying that religion had deceived the ones who submitted to God (8:49); saying God and His Messenger had promised them delusions (33:12); assuming that God would not expose their malice (47:29); denying the truth and asking “What does God mean by this parable?” (74:31); spreading false rumors to cause disturbances (33:60); etc. Furthermore, there are instances where some who are weak in willpower would also hide behind their hopelessness to avoid the truth. Examples are: topping up disbelief they harbor at heart at each new message they receive (9:125); feeling regretful after the same misfortune strikes them, which they thought would hurt them on God’s way (5:52); visibly fainting at the prospect of death as they are called to join the war (47:20); etc.
A brief dive into the Qur’an reveals the following about concealing something for an upper hand by a human Self. It divulged some interesting perspectives on this mental phenomenon and showed whether it is a part of the Self or developed and nurtured in mind over time. What gets missed out when the Self indulges in this unforgettable and wretched way of deceiving itself?
Approval of God
Sometimes an inner truth gets evinced through the hypocrites intentionally hiding facts in life. Qur’an shows that on several occasions as God let the light fall on who were true believers and who were hypocrites. Qur’an (3: 165–167) suggests God knows what is concealed by the ones who were closer to disbelief than belief when they said regarding the battle: ‘We would have followed you if we knew there would be a fighting.” The reality eventuates the hypocrites bringing the calamity on themselves, and it starts with the way they hide the truth in their minds. Their stance in favor of a temporary gain lets them keep missing the more important reality in the background.
From a different standpoint, Qur’an indicates maintaining secrecy was utilized to promote a sense in the Self so that it can fathom a big picture scenario behind some hardships. When Joseph (A:) was pulled up from the well by some travelers (12: 15–20), they hid him like a piece of merchandise and later sold him for a small price. God was well aware of their act of hiding him — that was later revealed as a part of a higher purpose, of which God was in control all through. A few verses later (12: 76–77), Joseph (A:) was portrayed as keeping his secret without revealing that — the man, whom he wanted to keep with him as a captive, was his brother. God, by then over the years, had already uplifted Joseph (A:) to the rank from where he could avail the benefit of the king’s law of the land that permitted him to keep his brother close to him.
Both the examples above show God’s way of letting the Self keep indulging in concealing the truth and bringing out an inner reality, which goes in line with His bigger plan. However, the Self, as a creation itself, would need help so that it can live with the hypocrisy in mind as a given — but not being a slave of it. Interestingly, Qur’an (14: 38–41) states a part of the earnest appeal of Abraham (A:) as he honestly accepted that a Self would have something it would proclaim openly and something it would keep concealed in mind. And God would know everything anyway. After the sincere presentation of this submission, he asked God to grant him and his offspring to keep up the prayers and asked for forgiveness for him, his parents, and the believers on the Day of Account. God approved this attitude and hence conveyed in the Qur’an, which highlights a few crucial points:
A) The All-Knower knows even if the Self hides facts, B) There is a Day of Judgment approaching, which takes account of how the hypocrisy in mind is managed, C) Keeping prayers up would be vital to remember these, D) Still the Self will make mistakes, and God’s forgiveness would be the reason for why the Self would have to struggle on earth to live with its concealing attitude, but not without trying it out for a good purpose.
Reward for Concealing
Qur’an (2:274) suggests that people spending from possessions in private (secretly) and in public would have their reward with their Lord and no fear for them, nor will they grieve. Disclosing charities is well, but if it is kept secret and given to the poor, it is better — God is said (2:271) to be removing evil deeds, and He is All-Aware (Al-Khabir) of what each Self does. Keeping that attribute of God (All-Aware) in the heart seems to be the means for the Self to stay away from beating its own drums for public attention.
The other aspect of concealing in mind getting appreciated is: not spreading bad words unless someone has been wronged (4:148–149). God’s attributes mentioned in this connection are Al-Hearing and All-Knowing (Sameean Aleem). The Self, sensing that God would hear what it says, stops saying maliciously to stay on a good note on God’s knowledge — that makes the platform for a rewarding deed. Moreover, If someone does good openly or secretly, and if someone pardons something evil, then God is most Pardoning and Powerful (Afuwan Qadir). Pardoning others’ evil, when reasonably possible, becomes eligible for a pardon for own sin from the One, Who is Powerful enough to punish as He wills.
Disapproval of God
Qur’an (5:15–17) addresses the people of the Book, saying the Messenger (SAW) is given the light (Qur’an) that would make clear what they used to conceal from the Scripture before and what they used to overlook. The hints on God’s disapproval was on forgetting God’s attribute of power (Al-Qadir) over everything, which would instigate the Self to treat some as God — defying the truth that it itself is a creation of God. When that happens, the Self may start feeling it should act like God and justify punishing others as its right because others may have done wrong to it in the past.
Qur’an (3:154), on another instance — after the defeat at the battle — explained that some had been hiding disliking in themselves and said if they had their say, none would have been killed there. God knows the innermost thoughts. They were worried about themselves, not the Hereafter, so they entertained the idea encircled with suspicion, which was more appropriate to pagan ignorance. As they would not have been able to avert the decreed death even if they stayed at home, this attitude of hiding the lack of faith under the disguise of the fake intention of goodness calls for the disapproval of God. Ignoring that God would decide when death would come — their confidence seemed baseless.
Qur’an (33:37) explained a particular fact when advising the adopted son Zayd (RA), Muhammad (SAW) was cited by God to be concealing his fear of people when fearing God would have been befitting. Previously, Zayd (RA) was asked by the Prophet (SAW) to keep his wife and fear God. However, God revealed later that there might be no fault in believers marrying the wives of their adopted sons after they formally ended their marriages. This instance showed fearing public criticism might let the Self be oblivious of keeping God on the priority list in mind.
Qur’an (6: 25–32) suggests that using intellect would figure out the Hereafter is best for the ones who are God-conscious. Rejecting the revelations from God, people used to hide the truth of resurrection on the Day of Judgment. Hiding this truth was as good as ruining themselves because in front of the truth on that Day, their plea to return to amend would be useless. They used to pretend to listen, and that called for God’s intervention in covering their hearts — so they would not understand the Qur’an. So they acted deaf, and even after seeing the signs, they would not believe in them. It all started with their pretension when they showed they would listen, but hiding real intention initiated God’s disapproval. Therefore, acting as a victim of the circumstances, a pretending Self may find justification in showing off how the wrongdoings are not its fault. In contrast, it truly lost sight of what it should stand for all at the start when it began pretending.
Punishment for Concealing
The most severe humiliation is portrayed to be God’s complete ignorance towards those who concealed what God had revealed in the Book and gained little convenience in exchange for that (2:174). It appears that hypocrisy, being ever-present in every Self, would desperately need God’s mercy to get removed on that Day. But the truth concealing Self becomes out of hope with a pretty grave punishment as it is said: Purifying by God on the Day of Judgment is what will be missed out. The gravity of the sin of concealing the truth by the receivers of the previous Scriptures is repeated in the Qur’an, hinting they were able to recognize the revelation as they would know their sons (2:146). They are expected to incite rejection (2:159) from God and everyone for hiding the truth and guidance even after the revelation was made clear to them in the past.
Furthermore, a humiliating punishment is mentioned to be awaiting those (4:37) who conceal what God had given them by becoming stingy and order others to be misers. In this connection, having faith in God and the Day of Judgment remains crucial as spendings from the disbelievers are described as frosty wind (air containing frost that is not visible — concealed), which destroys the harvest (3:117). On the contrary, charity and that faith answer the hope of the Self on that Day with God doubling the good deeds and giving a tremendous reward of His own (4:39 -40). Thus, it looks like the hypocrisy that was present all along with the Self gets subdued by the inflated good deeds making the apparent hopeless Self emerge as hopeful — through the charitable actions and the faith.
The noticeable aspect of concealing on the day of Judgment is depicted in the secret repentance of the evildoers (10:54) and their realization of how much they had missed repentance during their stay on earth. They would gladly offer as ransom all they had possessed on earth, seeing the punishment looming closer — but they would not be able to escape it. To be precise, the Self who disbelieved and disobeyed the Messenger would wish on the Judgment Day (4:42), the earth should swallow them up as they would be unable to conceal anything from God. The unavoidable scenario of — anything the Self had covered so long cannot be secret anymore — would, unfortunately, make it feel to conceal itself from there.
Conclusion
The Self can shape an understanding as it can see events taking place in broad daylight or hear about circumstances in the shade of the night. But finding patience needs a certain kind of awareness about a truth that calls for a perspective, which lets the Self grow an expectation on a future event. If that future event is not the Day of Judgment, the Self effectively finds an alternative means to keep up the expectation for a benefit and stay patient. As a result, its concealing attitude urges it to see things hidden in its perspective, so it forgets that God’s perspective covers everything.
Therefore, before turning around from something that seems senseless, the Self will have to come to terms with an acceptance of own limitations. The hypocrisy is ever-present in its mind, and it does not need to find a balance in it, but it has to strive not to do excess with it. To do that, the Self appears to need to keep God’s attributes in mind as forgetting those seems to cause it to either act like God and become ruthlessly optimistic or pretend to be hopelessly victimized for gaining others’ sympathy. The struggle is to replace other Selves with God as the audience in mind, which would bring out the winner just as gold becomes pure after burning out its impurities. On a general note, the same message gets repeatedly explained via many facets in the Qur’an to help the Self turn back from evil way before destruction (46:27).
