He weeps when he hears Qur’aan but he does the secret habit and mistreats his parents. Is he a hypocrite?

I read on a website about the characteristicsof the beloved prophet ,
and this made me cry. I also cry sometimes whilepraying in the masjid,
especially if the imam has a passionate voice. Despite this, I fall in
sins like masturbation, and talking loudly to my father. I read on
your website about the reasons of such sins and how to stop doing
them.My question is: Am I considered hypocrite by committing such
sins?.
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
We think that your asking whether you are a hypocrite or not is a sign
of much goodness in you in sha Allaah, because when a Muslim fears
that he may fall into hypocrisy, this indicates that his heart
is(spiritually) alive and that he is keen to protect his faith.
Ibraaheem al-Taymi said:Whenever I examine my words against my deeds,I
fear that I am insincere.Al-Hasan al-Basri said of hypocrisy: No one
fears it but a believer, and no one feels safe from it buta hypocrite.
Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
The more faith and knowledge a person has,the more he will fear that
he may be among this class of people (i.e., hypocrites), hence the
leaders and earliest generations of this ummah were so afraid that
they might be among them. 'Umar usedto say to Hudhayfah: I adjure you
by Allaah, didthe Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) mention me along with the people (i.e., the hypocrites)?
He said: No, but I would not praise anyone after you, meaning; I would
not praise people (by saying that they are not mentioned among the
hypocrites). It does not mean that 'Umar was theonly one who was free
of hypocrisy.
Tareeq al-Hijratayn (p. 604)
The greatest of the awliya' (close friends of Allaah) feared this for
themselves.
1 – Ibn Abi Mulaykah said: I met thirty of the companions of the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), all of whom
feared being hypocrites, and none of them ever said that he had faith
equivalent to that of Jibreel and Mikaa'eel.
Al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
The most prominent among Sahaabah whom Ibn Abi Mulaykah met were:
'Aa'ishah, her sister Asma', Umm Salamah, the four 'Abd-Allaahs, Abu
Hurayrah, 'Uqbah ibn al-Haarith and al-Miswar ibn Makhramah. These are
among those from whom he heard hadeeth. He also met other more
prominent Sahaabah than these, such as 'Ali ibn Abi Taaliband Sa'd ibn
Abi Waqqaas, and he confirmed that they were afraid of hypocrisy in
their actions and nothing to the contrary was narrated from any of the
Sahaabah, so it is as if there was consensus on this matter. That is
because the believers' deeds maybecome contaminated with elements that
undermine ikhlaas (sincerity towards Allaah). The fact that they
feared it does not mean that they fell into it, rather it means that
they were extremely cautious and pious, may Allaah be pleased with
them.
Fath al-Baari by Ibn Hajar (1/110,111).
2 – al-Haafiz Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
al-Ja'd Abu 'Uthmaan said: I said to Abu Raja' al-'Attaaridi: Did you
meet anyone whom I met of the companions of the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) who feared falling into hypocrisy? He
said: Yes. Praise be to Allaah I met some of the prominent ones among
them, and they used to fear it a great deal. And he had met 'Umar.
3 – and he (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
Among those of the Sahaabah who used to seek refuge with Allaah from
falling into hypocrisy were: Hudhayfah, Abu'l-Darda' and Abu Ayyoob
al-Ansaari. Among the Taabi'een there were many who did that. Ibn
Sireen said: There is nothing I fear more thanthis verse
(interpretationof the meaning): "And ofmankind, there are
some(hypocrites) who say: 'We believe in Allaah andthe Last Day,'
while in fact they believe not" [al-Baqarah 2:8]. Ayyoob said: Every
verse in the Qur'aan which mentions hypocrisy I fear lest it apply to
me. Mu'aawiyahibn Qurrah said: 'Umar used to fear it, so how I can
feel safe from it? al-Hasan spoke a great deal concerning this matter,
as did the imamsof Islam after them.
According to a report narrated by Ibn Haani', Imam Ahmad was asked:
What do you say about one who does not fear hypocrisy for himself?
Hesaid: Who can feel safe from hypocrisy?
Fath al-Baari by Ibn Rajab (1/178, 179).
Pay attention to two important matters:
1 – The hypocrisy that was feared by those imams among the Sahaabah
and those who came after them was hypocrisy in deeds, which leads to
hypocrisyin the heart, which leadsone to Hell – we seek refuge with
Allaah – this is the kind of hypocrisy which is mentioned in a number
of ahaadeeth which warn the Muslim against acquiring its
characteristics, such as the following:
It was narrated that 'Abd-Allaah ibn 'Amr said: The Messenger of
Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "There are
four characteristics, whoever has them all is a pure hypocrite, and
whoever has one of them has one of the characteristics of hypocrisy,
until he gives it up: when he speaks helies, when he makes a covenant
he betrays it, when he makes a promise he breaks it, and when he
disputes he resorts to obscene speech."
Narrated by al-Bukhaari (34) and Muslim (58).
It was also narrated (2632) by al-Tirmidhi (may Allaah have mercy on
him) who said after it:
What this means according to the scholarsis hypocrisy of action. It
was the hypocrisy of disbelieving at the time of the Messenger of
Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). Something similar
was narrated from al-Hasan al-Basri when he said: Hypocrisy is of two
types: hypocrisy of action and hypocrisy of disbelief.
End quote.
Al-Haafiz Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
This goes back to what we mentioned above: that hypocrisy may be minor
or major. Minor hypocrisy is hypocrisy of action, which is what these
people feared for themselves. It leads to major hypocrisy which
isfeared for the one who is overcome by minor hypocrisy to such an
extent that it robs him offaith altogether, as Allaah says
(interpretation of the meaning):
"when they turned away(from the path of Allaah), Allaah turned their
hearts away (from the Right Path)"
[al-Saff 61:5]
"And We shall turn their hearts and their eyes away (from guidance),
as they refused to believe therein for the first time"
[al-An'aam 6:110]
Fath al-Baari by Ibn Rajab (1/179).
Imam al-Nawawi commented on this hadeeth … See his Sharh Muslim (2/46-48).
2 – These prominent figures were the most righteous of people in
heart, and they were those who most respected the sacred limits and
were least likely to transgress them,but because of their great
awareness of theirLord and their fear of Hiswrath, they would regard a
minor sin – if they fell into it – as a major sin. Some of them feared
showing off, and others feared falling short in their deeds lest their
actions contradict their words, and others thought that being
distracted by permissibleinteractions in their homes with their wives
and families even though they focused properly in gatherings of dhikr
was a kind of hypocrisy.
It was narrated that Hanzalah al-Usaydi said: Abu Bakr met me and
said: How are you, O Hanzalah? I said: Hanzalah has become a
hypocrite. He said: Subhaan Allaah! What are you saying? I said: When
we are with the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) he reminds us of the Fire and the Garden until it isas if we
are seeing them with our own eyes, but when we depart from the
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), we
attend to our wives and children and businesses, and we forget a great
deal. Abu Bakr said: By Allaah, we experience something similar. Abu
Bakr and I went and entered upon the Messenger of Allaah (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him), andI said: Hanzalah has become a
hypocrite, O Messenger of Allaah. The Messenger of Allaah (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Why is that?" I said: O
Messenger of Allaah, when we are with you, you remind us of the Fire
and the Garden until it is as if weare seeing them with our own eyes,
but when we depart from you, we attend to our wives and children and
businesses, and we forget a great deal. The Messenger of Allaah (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "By the One in Whose hand
is mysoul, if you continued as you are when you are with me, and
continued to remember (Paradise and Hell), the angels would shake
hands with you in your homes and on the streets. But, O Hanzalah,
there is a time for this and a time for that" (he said it) three
times.
Narrated by Muslim (2750).
Al-Nawawi (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
With regard to the words "we attend to ourwives and children and businesses",
Al-Harawi and others said: What this means is that we get absorbed
with that and get busy with it.
"businesses" refers how a man earns a living.
"Hanzalah has become a hypocrite" means: he was afraid that he had
become a hypocrite, because he felt the fear of Allaah when he was
sitting with the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him),
andthat was manifested in the way he focused on remembrance of Allaah
and thinking of the Hereafter, but when he departed he became
distracted by his wife and children and earning a living in this
world, and the basic meaning of hypocrisy is showing the opposite of
what one conceals of evil, so he was afraid that he was a hypocrite
because of that. But the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) told him that this was not hypocrisy, and that they were not
expected to be like that all the time. "There is a time for this and a
time for that."
Sharh Muslim (17/66, 67)
Al-Haafiz Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
When it became clear to the Sahaabah (may Allaah be pleased with them)
that hypocrisy meant a difference between one's inner thoughts and
outward appearance, some of them feared that if they lost the focus
and presence of mind they attained when they listened to reminders,
after they returned to worldly matters and were distracted by their
families and children and wealth, that this was hypocrisy, as was
narrated in Saheeh Muslim from Hanzalah al-Asadi … and he quoted the
hadeeth –
Fath al-Baari by Ibn Rajab (1/111).
With regard to your situation, you have to fear more than those pure
awliya' (close friends of Allaah) amongthe Sahaabah, Taabi'eenand
subsequent generations did, because you are disobeying Allaah by doing
the secret habit and by mistreating your parents. Your saying thatyou
sometimes raise your voice somewhat to your father will not excuse you
from the warning of punishment. You are forbidden to sayeven "uff" (a
mild word of objection) to your parents, so how about if you raise
your voice and speak loudly to them? What you must do is beware lest
your sins lead you to a bad end.
Al-Bukhaari (may Allaah have mercy on him) gave a chapter heading to
the report he narrated from Ibraaheem al-Taymi, Ibn Abi Mulaykah and
al-Hasan al-Basri – whichwe have quoted above –saying: Chapter on the
believer's fear that his deeds may be cancelled out without him
realizing.
And he ended this chapter by saying:
And there is fear for the one who persists in hypocrisy and sin
without repenting, because Allaah says (interpretation of the
meaning): "and do not persist in what (wrong) they have done, while
they know" [Aal 'Imraan 3:135].
End quote.
Al-Haafiz Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
What the words of al-Bukhaari (may Allaah have mercy on him) – And
there is fear for the one who persists in hypocrisy and sin without
repenting, because Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): "and
do not persist in what (wrong) they have done, while they know" [Aal
'Imraan 3:135] – mean is that if one persists in sin and the various
types of hypocrisy without repenting there is the fear that the one
who does that may be punished by having his faith taken away
altogether, so that he becomes a complete hypocrite and meets a bad
end – we seek refuge with Allaah from that – as it is said that sinis
the way to kufr.
Fath al-Baari by Ibn Rajab (1/181).
Secondly:
We encourage you to continue softening your heart and weeping when you
hear Qur'aan, and listening to exhortations, and at the same time we
encourage you to repentfrom sinful actions and to refrain from doing
the secret habit, and to refrain from mistreating your parents. We
encourage you to hastento apologize to them and to honour them
andtreat them kindly in word and deed. Beware of continuing to sin
without repenting, and remember that the one who truly fears Allaah is
not the one who weeps and sheds tears, rather he is the one who gives
up something for which he fears he may be punished.
What we have quoted toyou of warnings about that is sufficient, in sha
Allaah, to make you hasten to repent and turn to Allaah.
And Allaah knows best.

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The Locks on the Door

I always lock my doors before going outside. I believe all of us do
the same to protect our valuable properties fromthe thieves. I have
seen people with more than 3locks on the door and some also have a
specialized integrated alarm system against forceful entry! Some
alsohave 24 hours live monitoring systems builtin the house. Then one
day I was thinking, it is quite sad that we use so many locks in order
to safeguard some belongings, but, we have little or no locks at all
in ourselves to safeguard our iman from Shaitan and evils ofthis
world. This iman, which is more precious than any material thing,
needs more protection than our belongings.

Darkness vs. Light

Once I had to go to a cityfor a few days. My plane landed there during
the late night hours. A brother gave me a ride to the place where I
was going to stay. This was the first time I visited this town and was
curious to see what it looked like. However, it was dark at night and
I wasn't able to see many things.
The next day, I went out with the brother and he happened to take the
same road as the previous night. But sinceit was day time, I was able
to see the river, hills, and many other landscapes that was not
properly visible the previous night.
It came to my mind that this is similar to what wego through in our
lives. Allah Ta'ala as told us through the Quran and Prophet Muhammad
(saw) about the many unseen things that are awaiting us in the
hereafter. While we are in this world, it's just likewe are in
darkness. We are not able to see all these things. But as soonas we
die and close our eyes, everything will open up to us like the day
time and we will seewhatever was hidden.


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Status of Women in Islam

"Why is it that so many women who have been born and brought in Europe
and America are willing to reject their 'liberty' and 'independence'
to embrace a religion that supposedly oppresses them and is widely
assumed to be prejudicial to them?" This is a question that I found on
one of the siteswhile surfing around, and I found it an interesting
question andwhich I'd like to draw this article around.
Can Islam be prejudiced to women, and yet appeal to women? Can Islam
lower the status of a woman and still have more women embracingit as
their way of life than men? According to an article written by Lucy
Berrington in the Times Magazine (London) dated 9th Nov. 1993: "It is
even more ironic that most British converts should be women, given the
widespread view in the west that Islam treats women poorly. In the
United States, women converts outnumber men by four to one, and in
Britain make up the bulk of the estimated 10,000 to 20, 000 converts,
forming part of a Muslimcommunity of 1 to 1.5 million "
How can the case of those women be explained?! Well, I could say that
there are only one of two choices that one can decide upon. Either all
those women who choose Islam don't know what they are doing or that
they discovered Islam is not prejudice to them as others have yet to
discover. New convert toIslam since September 11, US Navy petty
officer,Heather Ramaha. "Islam gives us Elevation; not Degradation"
In the Noble Quran Allah (Arabic word for God) says:
"Mankind! We have created you from a male and a female, and made you
into nations and tribes, that you may know one another. Verily, the
most honorable of you in the Sight of Allah is the believer who has
Taqwa (i.e. piety and righteousness)and loves Allah most. Verily,
Allah isAll-Knowing, All-Aware." The Holy Qur'an(49:13)
"I shall not lose sight of the labor of any of you who labors in My
way, be it man or woman; each of you is equal to the other. The Holy
Qur'an(3:195)"
On the light of those verses, Islam declares that it has not come to
disadvantage women, but in fact has been revealed to elevate women
ever since 1400 years ago, when womenin many parts of the world and
especially in the western societies were considered objects that are
owned and withlittle to no rights in the society they live in.
Before any other religion or system in the world Islam gave a woman
the right to inherit, the right to vote and voice her opinion, the
right to trade invest and improve herself financially, the right to
own - buy and sell, the right to seek knowledge and have a good
education, the right to work and has even gonefurther to oblige the
males in every stage of her life, whether it was afather, brother or
husband ... It's their dutybefore God to take care of her, to spend on
her, to provide her with the food , clothing and shelter that she
needs, toprovide her with a good education, to protect herfrom
anything that can harm her and to never hesitate to put their livesin
stake for her if the need calls them to do so."As a modern westerner
with a career, of course Ihad to look into Islam's attitude to women -
I couldn't be oppressed allof a sudden. But I discovered that it is
pro-women and pro-men; in Islam, women had the right to vote in the
year 600. Men dress modestly, women dress modestly; neither should
flirt with the eyes, but rather they should lower their gaze. I think
it's unhealthy to flaunt your sexuality - it attracts the wrong energy
back." (MTV Presenter Kristiane Backer after being a Muslim) "Since I
called myself a feminist, my early reading centered around women in
Islam. I thought Islam oppressed women. In myWomen's Studies coursesI
had read about Muslim women who were not allowed to leave their homes
and were forced to cover their heads. Of course I saw hijab as an
oppressive tool imposed by men rather than as anexpression of
self-respect and dignity. What I discovered in my readings surprised
me. Islam not only does not oppress women, but actually liberates
them, having given them rights in the 6th century that we have only
gained in this century in this country: the right to own property and
wealth and to maintain that in her name after marriage; the right to
vote; and the right to divorce." (Karima Slack, an American feminist
from secular humanism to Islam)
Some Muslim societies today lack those values. Some people may
rightlyask then, why do we see some Muslim societies lacking those
values? There is a beautiful and very true example I heard from a
lecture by an American Muslim called Khaled Yaseen, who said that
every person can be a father; but if a father does not turn out to be
a good father then it's not fatherhood that we would blame. Similarly,
Islam is a rule and order.A Muslim who does not act according to that
rule and order then by all means its not Islam that should carry the
blame.
Karla, a young Blonde haired Blue eyed young American from Washington
DC who is a recent convert to Islam said in an interview made with
her: The mainquestion people seem toask, is "How could you, an
educated American woman convert to Islam--a religion that oppresses
women?" They are quick to try andequate the rights of women in
Afghanistan with the rights of Muslimwomen everywhere. Basically, what
I tell them, is that the Qur'an gives women more rights than the Bible
does--in print. That was one of the things that first drew me to
Islam. Unfortunately today, Islam is no longer the leader in women's
rights. I had a choice--deny what I believe (i.e. that There is only
one God, and that Muhammed is a Prophet of God)...or accept what I
believe, but work to change the problems that exist within the Muslim
community. I chose the latter.
In the world today, one could say that the Taliban government in
Afghanistan have been considered as the top example of Women
Oppression in Islam. But what's ironic is that evenwhen a woman falls
captive in the hands of those supposedly most hateful men in the
world, Islam does not fail to win her heart.
Yvonne Ridley is an award-winning journalist of more than 25 years
standing and author of two books, In The Hands of the Talibanand
Ticket to Paradise. She has spent the last 10 years working for
several prestigious Fleet Street newspapers including The Sunday
Times, The Observer, The Independent on Sunday and The Sunday Express.
She has also expanded into television and radioproducing several
documentaries from Iraqand Afghanistan. Yvonnehit the headlines in
September 2001 when while working for the Daily Express she
crossedillegally into Afghanistanand was subsequently held captive by
the Taliban for 11 days. Following her release, she read the Qur'an as
she had agreed to during her captivity, andconverted to Islam in
thesummer of 2003.
Last but not least I wouldlike to conclude by the blessed sayings of
Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him:
"It is the generous (in character) who is good to women, and it is the
wicked who insults them."
"The most perfect believers are the best in conduct and best of you
are those who are best to their wives."
"Treat your women well and be kind to them for they are your partners
and committed helpers."

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