exalted is He:

“Allah sets forth a parable: a good word is like a good tree, whose root is firmly established and whose branches reach into the sky. It yields its fruit at all times by its Lord’s permission.”

This is the declaration of Allah’s oneness. The stronger, more deeply rooted, and better watered a tree’s root becomes, the stronger its branches become. Likewise, when its branches are nourished by rain and wind, this affects its root. The same applies to “faith” in the heart and “Islam” as outwardly manifested. Since outward words and deeds both necessarily follow from and necessarily imply inward words and deeds, the former serve as evidence of the latter, as in His saying, exalted is He:

“You will not find people who believe in Allah and the Last Day showing affection for those who oppose Allah and His Messenger, even if they are their fathers, their sons, their brothers, or their kinsfolk. Those are the ones in whose hearts He has inscribed faith and whom He has strengthened with a spirit from Him.”

He thus states that those who believe in Allah and the Last Day will not be found showing affection for the enemies of Allah and His Messenger. Rather, faith itself is incompatible with affection for them. If such affection arises, it indicates a deficiency in faith. Likewise, He says:

“You see many of them taking the disbelievers as allies. Evil indeed is what their souls have sent ahead for them: Allah is angry with them, and they will abide in the punishment forever.”

“Had they believed in Allah, the Prophet, and what was revealed to him, they would not have taken them as allies.”

Likewise, He says:

“The believers are only those who believe in Allah and His Messenger, then never doubt, and strive with their wealth and their lives in Allah’s cause. It is they who are truthful.”

He, exalted is He, thus states that these are the ones who are truthful when they say, “We believe.” This indicates that, among those who say, “We believe,” some are truthful and others are lying. The one who lies has hypocrisy in proportion to his lying.

Allah, exalted is He, says concerning the hypocrites: