A lion coming in front is not a problem, but a hypocrite passing from behind is frightening.
Life's jungle is not just the name of trees, thorns, and beasts, but it is a dense and mysterious jungle of human faces, tones, intentions, and plans. Here, a new face is found at every step, a story is hidden behind every face, there is a secret inside every smile, someone comes as an embodiment of sincerity and someone comes wearing the guise of goodwill, but time proves that every appearance is not like the inside. In this jungle, the real danger is not from thorns but from those hands that hide the prick even while offering flowers.
An open enemy is one in whose eyes hatred is clearly written, whose frowns tell what his intentions are, his tone is harsh, his conversation is cutting, he openly disagrees, announces opposition, shows preparation before attacking, his presence certainly makes the heart beat faster but the mind is not unaware, man recovers, strengthens his defenses, plants his feet firmly, if a lion is in front, its roar is heard, the movement of its paws is visible, if there is an attack, it will be from the front, loss is possible but not deception.
Such an enemy does not weaken a person but makes him alert, in comparison, he gathers his abilities, makes strategies, develops endurance, all the major wars in history were against open enemies, but these wars also awakened nations, organized ranks, strengthened character, an open attack, although painful, also prepares a person, at least there is satisfaction in knowing from which direction the attack will come.
But the real darkness begins from where the enemy changes his face, where the attack is without announcement, where poison is wrapped in fragrance, a hypocrite neither roars nor challenges, he smiles, praises, nods at your words, claims to share in your sorrow, congratulates you on your success, and then attacks as soon as he gets the chance, as soon as he turns his back, he does not bring you down from the front but weakens you from within, he does not break the wall from the outside but cracks the foundations.
The biggest weapon of a hypocrite is his duplicity, one face in front of you and the other in your absence, one tongue for praise and the other for defamation, one hand for shaking hands and the other for a dagger, this is the character that makes a person tremble, because an open enemy can be fought but it becomes difficult to escape a hidden enemy, his attack is less on the body and more on trust, and the murder of trust is the biggest murder.
History is a witness to the fact that open enemies caused less damage and hypocrites caused more, even in the era of Medina, the biggest threat was less from the armies outside and more from the conspirators inside, the Holy Quran warned in a clear manner about the hypocrites, described their signs, exposed their attitudes, and stated that *these are the people who claim faith with their tongues but hide denial in their hearts, Abdullah bin Ubayy bin Salul was a prominent example of this character, who was apparently with them but kept trying to weaken them from within.*
The most dangerous thing about a hypocrite is that he comes close to you, he does not remain a stranger but becomes your own, he learns your secrets, understands your weaknesses, becomes aware of your dreams, and then uses them against you, his attack is silent but deep, his conspiracy is slow but devastating, he does not make noise but leaves results.
In such an environment, the greatest need for a person is insight, neither should one blindly trust everyone nor should one consider everyone an enemy, there should be softness in the heart but the mind should be awake, there should be love but with caution, there should be a relationship but with awareness, because the jungle of life is crossed not only with strength but with understanding, here the awakening of the eye is more useful than the arm.
Remember, the wound of a sword heals but the sound of breaking trust is heard for a long time, a balm can be applied to the wound of the body but the treatment of the wound of the heart is difficult, an open enemy will wound you but a hypocrite will teach you to be afraid of your own shadow, and that is his biggest attack.
I say:
Leave duality and become one color
Be completely wax or completely stone.
*✍️Mutallem Al-Jamiatul Ashrafia✍️*