Īmān is not a cloak to be taken off and put back on as dictated by desires. Neither is it a thing segregated to the heart.
[And when they meet those who believe, they say, “We believe”; but when they are alone with their evil ones, they say, “Indeed, we are with you; we were only mocking.”] Baqarah:14
Notice how the hypocrites were those who used their flawed idea of Īmān as a cloak? Not necessarily how they dressed, but how they behaved.
When they were with their evil people they would do as they do. But when they were with the believers they would make claims of innocence, purity and Īmān.
And notice, it is a trait of the hypocrites to *claim* Īmān, so when you make claims of Īmān whilst your actions suggest otherwise, it might be time to do a spiritual assessment.
“Only God can judge my faith.”
“My Īmān is in my heart.”
“Only God knows what my intentions are.”
The believers never claimed to be believers; they simply were.
(Disclaimer: I suppose I should add a disclaimer; it must be noted that we cannot evaluate other individuals’ level of Īmān and neither can we call another a hypocrite. I add this because there will be those who misunderstand or misconstrue what is written and use it as a justification to belittle others, but these reflections are for you and I to internalise and evaluate ourselves and hopefully draw closer to this Blessed Book.)
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