Story of Hanzalah’s Fear of Being a Hypocrite
Hanzalah (radiyallah anhu) says: “We were once with Rasulullah (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) when he delivered a sermon. Our hearts become tender, our eyes were flowing with tears, and we realized where we stood. I left Rasulullah and returned home. I sat with my wife and children, laughing and joking with my wife, and I felt that the effect of the Nabi’s sermon had completely vanished form my heart. Suddenly, it occurred to me that I was not what I had been, and I said to myself, ‘O Hanzalah! You are a hypocrite.” I was stricken with grief and I left my house repeating these words in sorrow, ‘Hanzalah has turned hypocrite.’ I saw Abu Bakr (radiyallahu anhu) coming towards me and I said to him; ‘Hanzalah has turned hypocrite.’ He said, ‘Subhan-nallah, what are you saying? Hanzalah can never be a hypocrite.’ I explained to him, ‘When we are with Rasulullah (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) and listen to his account of Jannah and Jahannam, we feel as if booth are present before our very eyes but when we return home, and are absorbed in our domestic and family affairs, we forget all about the Akhirah.”
Abu Bakr (radiyallahu anhu) said, My case is exactly the same. We both went to the Nabi (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) and I said, ‘I have turned hypocrite, O Rasulullah! He asked about the matter, and I repeated what I had said to Abu Bakr (radiyallahu anhu). Thereupon Rasulullah (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) said, ‘By Him Who controls my life, if you could keep up for all times the fervour aroused in you when you are with me, angels would greet you in your walks and in your beds. But, O Hanzalah! This is rare! This is rare!
Note: We have t attend to our personal and family affairs, and, therefore, we cannot be thinking of the Akhirah for all the twenty four hours of the day. According to what has been said by Rasulullah (sallallahu alaihi wasallam), complete absorption in the Akhirah is rare, and it should not be expected by all. It is only for the angels to remain in the same state for ever. In the case of men, the state of their mind changes with circumstances and environments. But we can see from this story how anxious the sahabah were about the condition of their Iman. Hanzalah suspects himself to be a hypocrite in himself when he feels that the condition of his mind at home is not the same as it is when he is with Rasulullah (sallallahu alaihi wasallam).
Abu Bakr (radiyallahu anhu) said, My case is exactly the same. We both went to the Nabi (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) and I said, ‘I have turned hypocrite, O Rasulullah! He asked about the matter, and I repeated what I had said to Abu Bakr (radiyallahu anhu). Thereupon Rasulullah (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) said, ‘By Him Who controls my life, if you could keep up for all times the fervour aroused in you when you are with me, angels would greet you in your walks and in your beds. But, O Hanzalah! This is rare! This is rare!
Note: We have t attend to our personal and family affairs, and, therefore, we cannot be thinking of the Akhirah for all the twenty four hours of the day. According to what has been said by Rasulullah (sallallahu alaihi wasallam), complete absorption in the Akhirah is rare, and it should not be expected by all. It is only for the angels to remain in the same state for ever. In the case of men, the state of their mind changes with circumstances and environments. But we can see from this story how anxious the sahabah were about the condition of their Iman. Hanzalah suspects himself to be a hypocrite in himself when he feels that the condition of his mind at home is not the same as it is when he is with Rasulullah (sallallahu alaihi wasallam).