Hypocrisy: A Brief Description

بسم الله والحمد لله والصلاة والسلام على رسول الله ، وبعد

Hypocrisy, like Kufr and Shirk, has different levels and grades, which may take a person out of Islaam and which may not.

 

Hypocrisy is of two types: Major and Minor.

 

1) Major hypocrisy or hypocrisy in belief takes a person out of Islaam, and not only makes him a permanent inhabitant of the Hell-Fire but also the inhabitant of the lowest level in Hell. [See Surah al-Nisaa (4): 145] They are the ones who hide their Kufr inside their hearts while they outwardly pretend to be Muslims, through their speech and actions.

Such hypocrites, we can never know about them for sure, we accept them on their face value as we have not been given the ability to know what is in their hearts. Only Allaah knows about them and what they conceal.

 

2) Minor hypocrisy or hypocrisy of the actions does not take a person out of Islaam. He might believe in his heart but he does the actions of a hypocrite. If Allaah wills, He might punish him or forgive him. If he is punished, like other sinners he will not be in the Hell-Fire forever, and he might be taken out of the Hell-Fire through the intercessions of those who will be allowed to intercede on the Day of Judgment, by Allaah’s Permission.

 

This type of hypocrisy is a precursor for the Major hypocrisy. The one who persists in Minor hypocrisy and it becomes his habit then it is feared for him that he will soon fall into Major hypocrisy. From the signs of Minor hypocrisy is: lying, deceiving, using profanity, etc.

 

There are many Aayaat and Ahaadeeth describing the characteristics of the hypocrites. One Hadeeth which sums this up is:

 

Narrated `Abdullaah Ibn `Amr رضي الله عنهما: The Prophet ﷺ said: ❝Whoever has the following four (characteristics) will be a pure hypocrite and whoever has one of the following four characteristics will have one characteristic of hypocrisy unless and until he gives it up.

1. Whenever he is entrusted, he betrays.

2. Whenever he speaks, he tells a lie.

3. Whenever he makes a covenant, he proves treacherous.

4. Whenever he quarrels, he behaves in a very imprudent, evil, and insulting manner.❞

[Saheeh al-Bukhaaree and Saheeh Muslim]

 

We cannot judge what is in a person’s heart, but we can judge him through his actions:

 

Narrated `Umar bin Al-Khattaab رضي الله عنه: ❝People were (sometimes) judged by the revealing of a Divine Inspiration during the lifetime of Allaah's Messenger ﷺ but now there is no longer any more (new revelation). Now we judge you by the deeds you practice publicly, so we will trust and favor the one who does good deeds in front of us, and we will not call him to account about what he is really doing in secret, for Allaah will judge him for that; but we will not trust or believe the one who presents to us with an evil deed even if he claims that his intentions were good.❞

[Saheeh al-Bukhaaree (2460)]

 

Narrated Anas bin Maalik رضي الله عنه: A funeral procession passed and the people praised the deceased. The Prophet ﷺ said: ❝It has been affirmed to him.❞ Then another funeral procession passed and the people spoke badly of the deceased. The Prophet ﷺ said: ❝It has been affirmed to him.❞ `Umar Ibn al-Khattaab asked (Allaah’s Messenger ﷺ): “What has been affirmed?” He ﷺ replied: ❝You’ve praised this, so Paradise has been affirmed to him, and you spoke badly of this, so Hell has been affirmed to him. You people are Allaah’s witnesses on earth.❞

[Saheeh al-Bukhaaree (1367, 2642), and from the narration of `Umar (1368, 2643)]

 

WE DO NOT JUDGE THE INTENTIONS, WE JUDGE THE ACTIONS!