In the Name of Allāh.
This morning, let me remind you about an awful virus called hypocrisy. It strikes the heart and calls on Allāh’s Wrath.
Indeed, hypocrisy is to announce goodness and, afterward, hide evil and betrayal. The biggest hypocrisy (Nifaq i’tiqādi) is when a person pretends to believe in Allāh, His Angels, Books and Messengers, the Hereafter, and Qadar.
However, this person hides disbelief in his heart. These hypocrites are those with the worst descriptions; possessing great qualities of disbelief. Frankly, it’s such an evil thing to be a hypocrite.
Allāh says (in Sūrah An-Nisa [4] verse 145): “Verily, the hypocrites will be in the lowest depths (grade) of the Fire; no helper will you find for them.”
Allāh’s Messenger (ﷺ) talked about the hypocrisy of action (Nifaq ‘amali), also dangerous but lesser to the above – i.e. hypocrisy of creed or belief (Nifaq i’tiqādi). In Ṣaḥīḥ Al-Bukhārī and Muslim, the Prophet (ﷺ) said: “Whoever has the following four (characteristics) will be a pure hypocrite and whoever has one of them will have one characteristic of hypocrisy unless, and until, he gives it up. They are: whenever he speaks, he tells a lie; whenever he gives a promise, he breaks it; whenever he quarrels, he behaves in a very imprudent and mean manner; and whenever he makes a covenant, he proves treacherous.”
Subḥanallāh! Please, just look around, how many people do you know who are free of the aforementioned qualities (of hypocrisy)? You need not travel far. Look at yourself, too. Are you free? Do you perpetually lie, break promises, ill-treat, and deceive people? Reflect!
I beseech Allāh to save us from hypocrisy. (Aameen)
