“Do their hearts suffer from the disease (of hypocrisy)? Or have they fallen prey to doubts? Or do they fear that Allah will wrong them, and His Messenger will wrong them? Nay, the truth is that they themselves are wrong-doers.”
(Al-Qur’ān – 24:49-50)
The Aayat 24:49 characterises those who follow the rulings of the Shari’ah which suit them but turn away from those which run counter to their interests and desires. As a result, such people turn to man-made laws in those matters where the rulings of the Shari’ah appear to be inconvenient and irksome. Such people are not sincere believers in God and His Messenger; they rather believe in their own interests and desires. With such conduct even if they were to follow a part of the Shari’ah, it would carry no weight with God.
There can be many reasons for such conduct. However, such a person is undoubtedly steeped in error. Anyone who holds such views and still claims to be a believer and a member of the Muslim society and who seeks to derive benefits from this association is indeed a cheat, a betrayer of trust, a fake and perfidious person. He also wrongs himself because his constant deception and cheating make him the embodiment of the worst moral traits. He also wrongs his fellow-Muslims who take him at his word, consider him to be a part of the Muslim society, and establish a myriad of social, cultural and political relations with him.