The Hypocrites in Medina: Pretending to Be Good

When Prophet Muhammad moved to Medina, things got busy. Lots of people became Muslims, but not everyone was for real. There was this group called the hypocrites—guys who said, “Yeah, we’re with you!” but behind the scenes, they weren’t. They’d smile at the Prophet and then sneak off to make deals with his enemies or complain about following Allah’s rules. In this chapter, the Quran calls them out. It says they’d pretend to pray, but their hearts weren’t in it—like standing in prayer but thinking about video games instead. They tried to trick everyone, saying they’d obey Allah and the Prophet, but then they’d run to people who didn’t even believe in Allah to settle their arguments. Super sneaky, right? Allah knew what they were up to. He warned that these fakers were in big trouble because they couldn’t decide whose side they were on. They didn’t want to be true Muslims, but they also didn’t want to admit they weren’t. In the end, their two-faced act didn’t fool Allah—it just made their lives harder. This story’s about being honest. Pretending to be something you’re not might seem smart for a minute, but it’s a losing game when Allah sees everything!