Q18
"If religious people act like this, why believe?"
The question, at its strongest
"If a faith truly changes people, its public face should look better than the world around it. Instead I see preachers who lie, communities that cover up abuse, scholars who serve whoever is in power, and religion used to win votes and justify coups. And the usual answer — 'those people aren't real Muslims' — can explain away anything: if good believers prove the faith and bad believers also prove it (because the Quran 'predicted' hypocrites), then nothing could ever count against it. Isn't religion, in practice, just a tool of power?"
Why people ask it
Because many people's doubt starts not with an argument but with a betrayal: by a teacher, an imam, a family member, or a movement. In Chouhoud's survey of Muslim Americans, the top four triggers of doubt were all moral and social concerns, led by "The way that [some] insist there is only one 'right' way to practice faith" (Yaqeen, 2018). In Türkiye, young people have watched religion used by rival political actors, and a coup attempt that the state attributes to a religious network (see History below).
Short answer
Your anger is legitimate, and the Quran shares it: "Do you order righteousness of the people and forget yourselves while you recite the Scripture? Then will you not reason?" (2:44); "Great is hatred in the sight of Allah that you say what you do not do" (61:3). The Prophet (pbuh) gave the signs of a hypocrite: lying, breaking promises, betraying trust (Bukhārī 33 Ṣaḥīḥ (sound)). Al-Ghazali wrote pages against learned men who use religion "to enjoy the luxuries of this life" and "to achieve power and position among its people". So the tradition does not ask you to excuse religious people; it gives you the standard to judge them by. But a message is not disproved by those who betray it, any more than medicine is disproved by a doctor who smokes. The serious version of the objection is about institutions and power, and that needs a real answer: when religion is fused with state power, both can be corrupted. Said Nursi's phrase "I take refuge in God from Satan and politics" is one Muslim voice for keeping faith out of the struggle for power (Saritoprak, 2008). In practice: judge the message by its source and its best people, choose your teachers carefully, and do not let abusers own your faith. If you were abused, it was a crime as well as a sin, and you should report it.
The full answer
9min read
For the heart and mind
What they did was wrong, and it was not God who did it. Many people who leave a community feel they are leaving God. They are not the same. Pargament and Exline describe "interpersonal" religious struggles as "Conflicts with other people and institutions about sacred issues, anger at organized religion" — and they write that "Religious/spiritual struggles are not unusual", recommending "normalizing religious/spiritual struggles, which might otherwise be seen as morally wrong" (APA, 2020).
If it was abuse. Over a hundred female Islamic scholars, in a 2024 statement, define spiritual abuse as "the misuse of religious knowledge, authority, or position to control, manipulate" or harm, and say: "The fault always lies with the perpetrators and never with the victim." They write that "It is an Islamic obligation for anyone who witnesses a criminal act or knows of a criminal act" (for a crime "that took place (with evidence)") to report it to the legal authorities, and warn that "concealing harm is going to encourage impunity and further perpetuate that harm" (Female Scholars Network). They add that "no scholar or pious person should be held equal to Allah."
What to do. If you are in danger, call your local emergency number (112 in Türkiye and across Europe). Report crimes to the police, not only to community leaders. For confidential support in your country, Find A Helpline (findahelpline.com) lists free support lines. For trauma, a qualified therapist comes first; spiritual rebuilding can come after you are safe.
Spiritual recovery. You can rebuild a relationship with God that does not run through the person who hurt you. Start privately; choose new teachers slowly; trust your own judgement when something feels wrong.
What the Quran says
Against saying without doing. "Do you order righteousness of the people and forget yourselves while you recite the Scripture? Then will you not reason?" (2:44), Medinan, addressed in context to the Children of Israel — the scholars who taught others what they did not practise. "O you who have believed, why do you say what you do not do? Great is hatred in the sight of Allah that you say what you do not do" (61:2–3), Medinan, addressed to believers.
The hypocrites (Sura 63). A whole sura, al-Munāfiqūn, Medinan, describes people inside the community: "When the hypocrites come to you, [O Muhammad], they say, 'We testify that you are the Messenger of Allah'… and Allah testifies that the hypocrites are liars" (63:1). "They have taken their oaths as a cover, so they averted [people] from the way of Allah" (63:2). "And when you see them, their forms please you, and if they speak, you listen to their speech. [They are] as if they were pieces of wood propped up" (63:4). The Quran's own picture: impressive appearance and fine speech can hide emptiness.
What the Prophet (pbuh) taught
The signs of a hypocrite. Abu Hurayra (ra) reports three: "Whenever he speaks, he tells a lie", whenever he promises he breaks it, and whenever he is trusted he betrays (Bukhārī 33 Ṣaḥīḥ (sound)). These are tests anyone can apply to a teacher.
How scholars have understood it
Al-Ghazali against "the learned men of this world". In the Book of Knowledge of his Iḥyāʾ, Section VI, al-Ghazali (d. 1111) distinguishes "teachers of falsehood" from "the learned men of the hereafter" (Faris's translation). The former seek knowledge "to enjoy the luxuries of this life" and "to achieve power and position among its people"; they frequent rulers — he quotes Saʿid ibn al-Musayyab: "If you see a learned man frequent the houses of the rulers, beware of him because he is a thief." The scholars of the hereafter, by contrast, "should not seek this world through their knowledge", practise what they teach, live simply, keep away from rulers' courts, and say "I do not know" when unsure. Al-Ghazali also cites several hadith here; at least two are weak and nothing on this page rests on them: "the end of time there will be ignorant worshippers and corrupt learned men" (al-Hakim, al-Mustadrak 8081; its chain is graded very weak, and al-Dhahabi calls the narrator Yusuf b. ʿAtiyya hālik, worthless) and "Whoever would increase in knowledge but would not increase in righteousness would increase Allah's wrath upon him" (al-ʿIraqi, al-Mughnī, no. 140: narrated by al-Daylami "with a weak chain"). A third, "No man will be learned unless he puts knowledge into practice", he also gives as the Prophet's saying; its grade was not found. (Grades as reported by the independent source check of this report, from tohed.com and hadithanswers.com.)
Nursi: "I take refuge in God from Satan and politics." Said Nursi coined this phrase, and Zeki Saritoprak's study examines why, comparing his reading of some Quranic verses with Sayyid Qutb's (Saritoprak, 2008). The abstract read does not give the work in which the phrase appears or Nursi's full reasons. The phrase itself is a Muslim scholar's warning against using faith as a political tool.
The reasoning
1. The personal form: "religious people are bad". Reply: this judges a message by its messengers (an ad hominem). Hypocrisy shows a gap between what people say and what they do; it does not show that what they say is false. The Quran itself condemns that gap more harshly than most critics (61:3). Limit: if a faith claims to transform people, some evidence of transformation is a fair thing to ask for (see "What research shows").
2. The institutional form: "religion is a tool of power". This is the strongest version. When religion is joined to state power, those in power have every reason to bend it to their needs, and religious officials have every reason to please them. Al-Ghazali saw exactly this danger in the scholars who "frequent the houses of the rulers". Reply: the tradition contains its own critique of this — al-Ghazali's Section VI, Nursi's refusal of politics — and the Quran's standard (justice, honesty, 4:135; 5:8) is above any ruler. Limit: a critique inside the tradition does not undo the harm done by institutions; communities have to change practice, not only quote their critics.
3. The "unfalsifiable" worry. If good believers confirm the faith and bad believers also confirm it, nothing could count against it. Reply: the claim is narrower. The Quran predicts that hypocrites will exist; it also claims that sincere faith and practice change people. The second claim can fail: if, over a whole community, sincere practice made no difference to honesty, generosity or care, that would count against it. Limit: measuring sincerity is hard, so in practice the test is never clean.
"No true Scotsman." It is too easy to say that every bad actor "was never a real Muslim". The honest position: some bad actors are sincere believers who sin; some are hypocrites; communities must own their failures in both cases.
What science says
Giving. [Moderate; US data] In the Philanthropy Panel Study (more than 9,000 individuals and families), 62% of religiously affiliated households gave to charity of any kind, against 46% of households with no religious affiliation; affiliated households "give as much or more to other types of charities"; monthly attenders were "11 times more likely to give to religious congregations" (Lake Institute, 2017). The main finding is about the label: affiliated households give more, and not only to congregations. The "11 times" figure compares monthly attenders with those who attend less than once a month, and covers giving to congregations only. The source read does not separate the effect of practice from that of the label.
Religious struggles. Pargament and Exline report that, in a national sample, "higher levels of religious/spiritual struggle were tied to many indicators of psychopathology", and note that "Much of the research on this topic has been correlational in nature", which leaves causes open (APA, 2020).
Religion and the state. Norris and Inglehart's Sacred and Secular (2004) explains religious decline mainly by "existential security": "the experience of people living in weak and vulnerable societies heightens the importance of religious values" (Ikenberry's review).
Is hypocrisy worse among Muslims? No study comparing hypocrisy across religious communities was read, so this page makes no claim either way.
History
What is Diyanet? The Presidency of Religious Affairs is "a state institution established in 1924" in Türkiye, created "to administer the affairs related to faith and worship of the religion of Islam". It writes a weekly sermon read in about 85,000 mosques, trains and employs Türkiye's imams as civil servants, and follows the Hanafi school. Starting from 2006, its staff "doubled to nearly 150,000" and its budget "quadrupled to over $2 billion by 2015"; critics have accused it of "serving for the ruling AKP party" (Wikipedia, citing Cornell 2015). Separately, and earlier, Wikipedia records that "During the Government of Süleyman Demirel, the Diyanet's approach towards the Alevi became denialist in nature", and that under its president Mehmet Görmez the Alevi question "was acknowledged for the first time".
The 2016 coup attempt. On the night of 15 July 2016, "over 300 people were killed" and "more than 2,100 were injured". President Erdoğan said the plotters were "linked to the Gülen movement", which the government later designated "FETÖ". Fethullah Gülen said: "I categorically deny such accusations." Germany's intelligence chief said Germany was unconvinced, and a British parliamentary committee found "no hard evidence that Fethullah Gülen masterminded the failed coup", though some Gülenists were involved. In the aftermath, "150,000 government officials and workers" were suspended (Wikipedia). This page takes no side in Turkish party politics. Whether, and how much, these events damaged young people's trust in religion is a question for survey data, and none was read.
The strongest objection, and the reply
"If religion doesn't make people better, why believe?" Reply: the evidence that religious affiliation goes with some prosocial behaviour, such as giving, is real but modest (and mostly American); and Islam itself expects many who carry its name to fall short. Limit: modest effects will not satisfy someone who expected religion to make people saints.
"Your own scholars served tyrants." Reply: some did, and al-Ghazali condemned them in his Iḥyāʾ. Limit: the existence of honest critics does not cancel the record.
"'Misuse confirms the Quran' is unfalsifiable." Reply: only the narrow claim (that hypocrites exist) is confirmed; the broader claim (that sincere practice changes people) can fail. Limit: testing it cleanly is hard.
The range of views
- The Quran and Sunna — hypocrisy is condemned and expected; judge people by honesty, keeping promises and trust (Bukhari 33).
- Al-Ghazali — distinguish the learned men of this world from the learned men of the hereafter.
- Nursi — keep faith away from politics.
- Secular critics — religion functions as a tool of power.
- Female Scholars Network — abuse must be reported; cover-ups are a further wrong.
Questions readers ask next
How do I tell the message apart from the people, when the people are the ones teaching me?
Use the tests the tradition gives: does the teacher lie, break promises, betray trust (Bukhari 33)? Do they practise what they teach, live simply, avoid courting power, and say "I do not know" (al-Ghazali)? Check what they say against the Quran and against more than one teacher.
Who are the "best examples" I should look at?
The Prophet (pbuh) first; then people you can see up close who are honest, humble, generous and fair — often not the most famous. Al-Ghazali's description of the "learned men of the hereafter" is a portrait to look for.
If religious practice really changes people, where is the evidence?
Some, modest: in the US, religious households are more likely to give to charity (62% against 46%), and frequent attenders far more likely to give to congregations (Lake Institute, 2017). No study on honesty or hypocrisy across communities was read.
What is Diyanet, and which "religious network" is behind the 2016 coup attempt?
Diyanet is Türkiye's state religious authority, founded in 1924. The government blames the Gülen movement ("FETÖ") for the coup attempt; Gülen denied it; some foreign bodies said they had not seen conclusive evidence that he masterminded it, though a British parliamentary committee found that some Gülenists were involved (Wikipedia).
Is hypocrisy a bigger problem in Muslim communities than in others?
No comparative study was read; the Quran treats hypocrisy as a danger in every community of faith (2:44 was addressed to the People of the Book; 61:2–3 to believers).
Where in the Iḥyāʾ does al-Ghazali attack the "learned men of this world"?
In the Book of Knowledge (Kitāb al-ʿIlm), Section VI, on the evils of knowledge and the signs of the learned men of the hereafter (tr. Faris).
Key verses
۞ أَتَأْمُرُونَ ٱلنَّاسَ بِٱلْبِرِّ وَتَنسَوْنَ أَنفُسَكُمْ وَأَنتُمْ تَتْلُونَ ٱلْكِتَٰبَ ۚ أَفَلَا تَعْقِلُونَ٤٤
Transliteration: atamurūna l-nāsa bil-biri watansawna anfusakum wa-antum tatlūna l-kitāba afalā taʿqilūna
Do you order righteousness of the people and forget yourselves while you recite the Scripture? Then will you not reason?
Translation: Saheeh International
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O you who have believed, why do you say what you do not do? Great is hatred in the sight of Allah that you say what you do not do. 61:2–3
Arabic text and transliteration
يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ لِمَ تَقُولُونَ مَا لَا تَفْعَلُونَ كَبُرَ مَقْتًا عِندَ ٱللَّهِ أَن تَقُولُوا۟ مَا لَا تَفْعَلُونَ
yāayyuhā alladhīna āmanū lima taqūlūna mā lā tafʿalūna · kabura maqtan ʿinda l-lahi an taqūlū mā lā tafʿalūna
Sources
- Saheeh International, via the Tanzil text — 2:44, 61:2–3, 4:59; via legacy.quran.com — 63:1–4.
- Sahih al-Bukhari 33 (sunnah.com), https://sunnah.com/bukhari:33 — the signs of a hypocrite. (Muslim 55, "religion is sincere counsel", could not be opened.)
- Al-Ghazali, Iḥyāʾ ʿUlūm al-Dīn, Book of Knowledge (Kitāb al-ʿIlm), Section VI, tr. Nabih Amin Faris, https://www.ghazali.org/works/bk1-sec-6.htm.
- Zeki Saritoprak, "Islam and Politics in the Light of Said Nursi", Islam and Christian–Muslim Relations 19(1):113–126 (January 2008), abstract, https://risaleinur.com/studies/79-research-papers/4303-islam-and-politics-in-the-light-of-said-nursi.html.
- Kenneth I. Pargament & Julie J. Exline, "Religious and spiritual struggles", APA Science Brief (1 November 2020), https://www.apa.org/topics/belief-systems-religion/spiritual-struggles.
- Lake Institute on Faith & Giving (Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy), Giving USA Special Report on Giving to Religion (24 October 2017), news release, https://philanthropy.indianapolis.iu.edu/news-events/news/_news/2017/religiously-affiliated-people-more-likely-to-donate-whether-to-place-of-worship-or-other-charitable-organizations.html.
- G. John Ikenberry, review of Norris & Inglehart, Sacred and Secular (2004), Foreign Affairs (November/December 2004), https://www.foreignaffairs.com/node/1081698.
- "Presidency of Religious Affairs", Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Presidency_of_Religious_Affairs.
- "2016 Turkish coup attempt", Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2016_Turkey_coup.
- Female Scholars Network, "Addressing Spiritual Abuse in Our Community: A Community Call In and Leadership Directives", by "over 100 female Islamic scholars, teachers, and daa'iyyas" (November 2024), https://muslimmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/Female-Scholars-Against-Spiritual-Abuse.pdf.
- Youssef Chouhoud, "What Causes Muslims to Doubt Islam? A Quantitative Analysis", Yaqeen Institute (2018; updated 2024), as read for run 9.
- Chouhoud (Yaqeen 2018)
- Diyanet Aylık Dergi, Kasım 2018 (Tr.)
- al-Ghazālī, Iḥyāʾ (Ar.)
- Nursi, Mektubat (Tr.)
- Exline et al. (2014)
- H.H. Behr, "Keine Angst vor Kritik" (Ger., 2014)