Hypocrites' Foolishness

They think Allah is not informed of their actions

The biggest foolishness of the hypocrites is their errant expectation that Allah is unaware of what they do. They devise their plans considering only the perception of believers. If they can succeed to convince believers, and gain their approval, they think, they can accomplish their goals. The fact is however, Allah knows what hypocrites contrive. Their acts and thoughts never remain hidden from Allah. He encompasses every thought that occurs to their minds, everything they feel, even their innermost thoughts. In one verse, Allah reminds us of this truth:

... There you are, loving them when they do not love you, even though you have faith in all the Books. When they meet you, they say, "We have faith." But when they leave they bite their fingers out of rage against you. Say, "Die in your rage." Allah knows what your hearts contain. (Surah Al 'Imran, 119)

The holy Qur'an describes another corrupt logic of the hypocrites as follow: 

Do you not see those who were forbidden to confer together secretly returning to the very thing they were forbidden to do, and conferring together secretly in wrongdoing and enmity and disobedience to the Messenger? And when they come to you they greet you with words Allah has never used in greeting you, and say to themselves "Why does Allah not punish us for what we say?" Hell will be enough for them! They will roast in it. What an evil destination! (Surat al-Mujadala, 8) 

"Why does Allah not punish us for what we say?", definitely explain the foolishness of the hypocrites and their lack of conscientiousness. They suppose the time granted to them is unlimited, and that they can continue as everyday in their hypocrisy. This is not possible; Allah will reveal their true intentions.

They are unaware of Allah's support of the believers

...They assess the strength of the believers based on their outer appearance. Believers are those to whom Allah grants His help. At those times when they think they are in the biggest difficulty, Allah makes them always successful.

Unaware of this truth, hypocrites believe themselves to be better over believers. The appearance may be wealthier than the believers, or be better off in status. Allah informs us about this foolishness of the hypocrites, and whatever the circumstances may be, believers will always succeed over hypocrites and other disbelievers. An event that happened in the time of our Prophet (saas) explains this situation as follows:

They say, "If we return to Madina, the mightier will drive out the inferior." But all might belongs to Allah and to His Messenger and the believers. But the hypocrites do not know this. (Surat al-Munafiqun, 8)

They fear people more than Allah 

Hypocrites act as believers, imitating while they are in their group. When believers encounter some difficulty—that is, when it is time for self-sacrifice and the type of loyalty that would show them to be sincere believers—the hypocrisy of hypocrites surfaces. This is due to their cowardice. In the words of the Qur’an, they “fear people as Allah should be feared.” 

Also in the Qur’an, Allah informs us about the mindset of those hypocrites who lived in our Prophet’s (saas) time in times of difficulty:

Do you not see those who were told: "Hold back from fighting but establish prayers and pay alms?" Then when fighting is prescribed for them, a group of them fear people as Allah should be feared, or even more than that. They say, "Our Lord, why have you prescribed fighting for us? If only You would give us just a little more time!" Say, "The enjoyment of the world is very brief. The Hereafter is better for those who have fear of Allah. You will not be wronged by so much as the smallest speck." (Surat an-Nisa', 77)

There are some people who say, "We have faith in Allah," and then, when they suffer harm in Allah's cause, they take people's persecution for Allah's punishment; but if help comes from your Lord they say, "We were with you." Does Allah not know best what is in every person's heart? (Surat al-Ankabut, 10)

They are in conflict with each other

Another important characteristic of believers is solidarity and unity. Hypocrites are afflicted with a contrary. Though they all share the common characteristic of hypocrisy, they are always in conflict with each other. That is because, unlike believers, they have no common aim. That is to say, they do not seek Allah’s favor. On the contrary, they all pursue their own personal benefit, and therefore, inevitably, their interests clash. In the Qur’an, Allah draws our attention to this trait of the hypocrites:

… You are a greater cause of terror in their breasts than Allah! That is because they are people who do not understand. They will not fight against you all together as a group except in fortified towns or behind high walls. Their hostility towards each other is intense. They are full of bravado in each other's company. You consider them united but their hearts are scattered wide. That is because they are people who do not use their intellect. (Surat al-Hashr, 13-14)

They think themselves clever

Hypocrites think they can deceive believers. This is also why they consider themselves clever. They think they can profit by avoiding self-sacrifice, and not living their lives for Allah’s sake. By choosing as such, however, they opt for a most foolish decision. While they are offered the opportunity to learn the religion, and to earn Allah’s good pleasure and Paradise, they neglect these favors and cast their eyes upon the fleeting and futile adornments of this world. Instead of a grand salvation, they are deserving of the torment of Hell. In any case, they will endure great torment also in this world, as well as suffer pangs of conscience, doubts and unfounded concerns.

When they are told, "Have faith in the way that the people have faith," they say, "What! Are we to have faith in the way that fools have faith?' No indeed! They are the fools, but they do not know it. (Surat al-Baqara, 13)