Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.  (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

11. Allah (swt) tells us in the Holy Qur'an "And of the people of Madina are those who are bent on hypocrisy. You know them not, but we know them". (The Qur'an 9:101). The verse proves the existence of hypocrites during the lifetime of the Prophet (saaws). After the Prophet (saaws)'s death where did they go? Historians record the fact that two groups emerged following the Prophet (saaws)'s demise, Banu Hashim and their supporters, the State and their supporters. Which side did the hypocrites join?

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Answer:

Hypocrites after the Prophet’s demise

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is no one (no idol, no person, no grave, no prophet, no imam, no dai, nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

It is indeed true that during the life of the Prophet (saws) in Medina, there were a lot of hypocrites, who embraced Islam verbally. They embraced Islam to hide their animosity, and were hopeful that sooner or later Islam would be crushed by the kuffars of Arabia; and they did everything in their power to help the enemies of the Prophet (saws), and thus hurt the muslims.

But Allah Subhanah willed otherwise, and Islam was gaining strength upon strength in Arabia. Immediately after the death of the Prophet (saws), most of these hypocrites became apostates, and turned away from the deen of Islam. Hadrat Abu Bakr waged a war against them which is known in History as the ‘Harb-ur-Ridda’, whereby most of the hypocrites were crushed!

To claim that after the death of the Prophet (saws), the muslim Ummah was divided into two factions, is an absolute lie! All the muslims were united as One Ummah, and there were no factions in Islam at that time. The system of factions, sects, sub-sects, and creeds is something that started in Islam many years after the death of the Prophet (saws).

Hadrat Abbas ibn Abdul-Muttalib (the uncle of the Prophet and the scion of Banu Hashim), Hadrat Abdulla ibn Abbas, and Hadrat Ali ibn Abi Taalib, themselves gave allegiance to the State; and were deeply involved in running the affairs of the State. Thus to claim that the Banu Hashim and their supporters were against the State, is an absolute fabrication and inconsistent with the Truth. There were absolutely no factions in Islam at that time, and all the muslims were united as One Ummah. Only after the murder of Hadrat Uthman, and the announcement of Muawiya as the Khalifa in Shaam, did the differences arise amongst the Muslims; and all the historians are unanimous in recording that Hadrat Ali (r.a.) and his supporters were on the side of the Truth.

The deen of Islam was completed, the Quran revealed, and the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (saws) was established at the time of the death of the Prophet (saws). Whatever happened after the death of the Prophet (saws) is the History of the Muslims, and this is in the knowledge of Allah Alone. Allah will not hold us accountable for the deeds of these people, nor ask us about them on the Day of Judgment. We will be asked about our deeds and what did we do for the cause of Islam.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 2 Surah Baqarah verse 134: They were a people who passed away. They shall receive the reward of what they earned, and you shall have the reward of what you will earn. And you will not be questioned as to what they did.

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your brother in Islam,

Burhan