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واِذَا لَقُوا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا قالُوا امَنَّا وَاِذَا خَلَوْا اِلَى شَياطِينِهِمْ قَالُوا اِنَّا مَعكُمْ اِنَّمَا نحْنُ مُسْتَهْزِؤُنَ

اَللّٰه يَسْتَهْزِئُ بِهِمْ وَيَمُدُّهُمْ فِي طُغْيانِهِمْ يَعْمَهُون1

…

The aspect of structural order among the sentences of these âyahs is that: Just as îmân, which is a point of support against pains and a point of assistance for hopes, possesses three essential characteristics:

The first of these is the dignity originating from the ‘point of support’; and the mark of dignity is the absence of stooping to abasement.

The second of these is compassion, the mark of which is the absence of abasing or despising others.

The third of these is respect for the haqiqahs and recognition of their worth. For one who owns what is of great value is himself a person of haqiqah, owning a unique jewel; and belittling the haqîqah is absent in such a person, as he is likewise dignified.

Similarly, the opposite of îmân — that is, nifâq — possesses the exact reverse of those three characteristics: the abasement and indignity, the inclination to corrupt and delusory pride born of despising others.

Once you have understood this, know that nifâq engenders indignity; indignity yields stooping to abasement, stooping to abasement gives rise to riyâ, riyâ leads to fawning and fawning produces falsehood.