Lu'lu' wal-Marjan

Hazrat Zaid bin Arqam (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that we were with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) on a journey (the expedition of Tabuk or Banu Al-Mustaliq) in which people faced great hardship. Abdullah bin Ubayy said to his companions, "Do not spend anything on those who are with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) so that they may disperse from him." He also said, "If we return to Madinah, the honorable will surely expel the meaner ones from it." I went to the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and informed him of this conversation. He called Abdullah bin Ubayy bin Salul and questioned him. He swore emphatically that he had not said any such thing. People said that Hazrat Zaid (may Allah be pleased with him) had lied before the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). I was greatly grieved by such talk of the people until Allah the Exalted revealed Surah Al-Munafiqun, confirming my statement, and this verse was revealed: "When the hypocrites come to you..." () That is, when the hypocrites come to you. Then the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) called them so that he might pray for their forgiveness, but they turned their heads away. Hazrat Zaid (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that regarding Allah the Exalted's statement "like propped-up pieces of wood" (), it means they are like great wooden pillars (this was said about them because) outwardly they appeared very handsome and reasonable, but in their hearts they were hypocrites.

Hazrat Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) arrived while Abdullah bin Ubayy was being buried. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had him taken out of the grave, put his blessed saliva in his mouth, and clothed him with his own shirt.

Narrated Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with them): When Abdullah bin Ubayy (the hypocrite) died, his son (Abdullah, the companion) came to the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) and requested, "O Messenger of Allah! Please grant your shirt for my father's shroud, pray over him, and seek forgiveness for him." So the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), out of the utmost kindness, gave his shirt and said, "Inform me, and I will lead the funeral prayer." Abdullah sent word, and when the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) stepped forward to lead the prayer, Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) caught hold of him from behind and said, "Has Allah not forbidden you to pray the funeral prayer for the hypocrites?" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) replied, "I have been given a choice, as Allah has said: 'Whether you ask forgiveness for them or do not ask forgiveness for them, and even if you ask forgiveness for them seventy times, Allah will never forgive them.'" So the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) led the prayer. After that, the following verse was revealed: "Never pray the funeral prayer for any of them (the hypocrites) who dies."

Hazrat Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that near the Ka'bah, two men from the Quraysh and one from the Thaqif, or one from the Quraysh and two from the Thaqif, were sitting. Their bellies were very large but they were devoid of sense. One of them said, "What do you think, does Allah hear our conversations?" The second said, "If we speak loudly, He hears, but if we speak softly, He does not hear." The third said, "If Allah can hear when we speak loudly, then surely He can also hear when we speak softly." Upon this, the following verse was revealed: "And you cannot hide yourselves from your hearing, nor from your sight, nor from your skins to bear witness against you, but you thought that Allah does not know much of what you do." (Surah Ha Mim As-Sajdah: 22)

Hazrat Zaid bin Thabit (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that when the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) set out for the Battle of Uhud, some of those who were with him turned back (these were the hypocrites). Then some people said, "Let us go and kill them," while another group said, "We should not kill them." Upon this, the following verse was revealed: "What is [the matter] with you [that] you are two groups concerning the hypocrites, while Allah has made them fall back [into error] for what they earned? Do you wish to guide those whom Allah has sent astray? And he whom Allah sends astray - never will you find for him a way." (An-Nisa: 88)

Sayyiduna Abu Sa‘id Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that in the time of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), there were some hypocrites who, when the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) set out for jihad, would stay behind in Madinah and would be very happy about staying behind. But when the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) returned, they would present excuses and swear oaths. In fact, they liked to be praised for deeds they had not done, and later tried to make things up with smooth talk. Allah Almighty revealed this verse about them: “Those who rejoice for what they have done, and love to be praised for what they did not do, do not think they are safe from the punishment; for them is a painful punishment.” (Aal-e-Imran: 188)

Alqamah bin Waqas narrated that Marwan bin Hakam (when he was the governor of Madinah) said to his doorkeeper, "Rafi’! Go to Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) and ask him that according to the verse 'And do not think those who...' we all should be punished, because every person is happy with the blessings he has received and wishes to be praised for what he has not done as well." Abu Rafi’ went to Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) and asked him, so Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) said, "What connection do you Muslims have with this narration! The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) had called the Jews and asked them about a matter of religion (which was present in their heavenly book). They concealed the real matter and stated something else incorrectly, yet they still desired that they be praised for what they had told in response to the Prophet’s (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) question, and on the other hand, they were very pleased even after hiding the real truth." Then Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) recited this verse: "When Allah took a covenant from the People of the Book that you must make it clear to the people and not conceal it, but they threw it behind their backs and sold it for a small price, and what a bad trade they made. Those who rejoice in what they have done and love to be praised for what they did not do, do not think they will escape the punishment; for them is a painful punishment." (Aal-e-Imran: 187, 188)

Hazrat Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that there was a man who was previously a Christian, then he entered Islam. He had learned Surah Al-Baqarah and Al-Imran, and he became the scribe of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). But then that man became an apostate and reverted to Christianity, and he began to say that Muhammad (peace be upon him) knows nothing except what I have written for him. Then, by the command of Allah Almighty, he died, and his people buried him. When morning came, they saw that his corpse had come out of the grave and was lying on the ground. The Christian people said that this is the work of Muhammad (peace be upon him) and his companions. Since he had left their religion, they dug up his grave and threw the body out. So they dug another grave, which was much deeper, but when morning came, again the body was outside. This time too, they said the same thing, that this is the work of Muhammad (peace be upon him) and his companions; since he had left their religion, they dug up his grave and threw the body out. Then they dug a grave as deep as they possibly could and put him inside it, but when morning came, again the body was outside. Now they became convinced that this was not the work of any human being (rather, this corpse was seized by the punishment of Allah), so they left it lying on the ground.