❖ THE HYPOCRISY WE MUST FEAR (النِّفَاق) ❖

 

✦ WHEN FAITH IS ONLY ON THE OUTSIDE: THE DANGER OF HYPOCRISY ✦

Their Qualities and Traits

Allah ﷻ describes the attitude of the hypocrites:

وَإِذَا قِيلَ لَهُمْ تَعَالَوْا يَسْتَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ لَوَّوْا رُءُوسَهُمْ وَرَأَيْتَهُمْ يَصُدُّونَ وَهُم مُّسْتَكْبِرُونَ ۝ سَوَاءٌ عَلَيْهِمْ أَسْتَغْفَرْتَ لَهُمْ أَمْ لَمْ تَسْتَغْفِرْ لَهُمْ لَن يَغْفِرَ اللَّهُ لَهُمْ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يَهْدِي الْقَوْمَ الْفَاسِقِينَ

“And when it is said to them, ‘Come, the Messenger of Allah will ask forgiveness for you,’ they turn their heads away, and you see them turning away in arrogance. It is the same for them whether you ask forgiveness for them or do not ask forgiveness for them. Allah will never forgive them. Indeed, Allah does not guide the defiantly disobedient people.”

[Al-Munāfiqūn 63:5–6]

The hypocrites turned away from the call to repentance because of arrogance and disregard.

Although these verses were connected by some of the Salaf to ʿAbdullāh ibn Ubayy, we should not read them merely as a story about someone else.

We must examine ourselves.

Ibn Abī Mulaykah رحمه الله said:

أَدْرَكْتُ ثَلَاثِينَ مِنْ أَصْحَابِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ كُلُّهُمْ يَخَافُ النِّفَاقَ عَلَى نَفْسِهِ

“I met thirty Companions of the Prophet ﷺ, and every one of them feared hypocrisy for himself.”

Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, Kitāb al-Īmān,  ḥadīth no. 48 — reported as a statement of Ibn Abī Mulaykah.

This was the fear of the righteous. They did not feel safe from hypocrisy—they constantly examined their hearts.

The Signs of Hypocrisy

The Prophet ﷺ said:

آيَةُ الْمُنَافِقِ ثَلَاثٌ: إِذَا حَدَّثَ كَذَبَ، وَإِذَا وَعَدَ أَخْلَفَ، وَإِذَا اؤْتُمِنَ خَانَ

“The signs of a hypocrite are three: when he speaks, he lies; when he makes a promise, he breaks it; and when he is entrusted with something, he betrays the trust.”

[Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 33; Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 59]

These are not words to use against others. They are qualities we should fear within ourselves.

How often does a reminder of Allah ﷻ reach us?

How often are we called toward repentance, obedience, prayer, and taqwā—yet we turn away and follow our desires?

How often does Allah ﷻ open a door to goodness, but we delay, become careless, or simply ignore it?

The hypocrites were described as turning their heads in arrogance.

So ask yourself:

Do I become arrogant when I am reminded?

Do I take worship lightly?

Have I lost my khushūʿ, sincerity, or eagerness to obey Allah ﷻ?

These are questions we should ask ourselves before it is too late.

Allah ﷻ says that for them, it becomes the same whether forgiveness is sought for them or not.

So let us not become people who are indifferent toward the worship of Allah.

Let us return to Him while the door of repentance is still open.

May Allah ﷻ protect us from hypocrisy, purify our hearts, grant us sincerity, and make us among those who listen to reminders and act upon them.

آمِينَ