Introduction-------------------------------------------- 9
Definition of hypocrisy —--------------------- 13
Kinds of hypocrisy---------------------------------------------15
The beginnings of hypocrisy --------------------------------- 16
Signs of hypocrisy and their deeds-------------------------- 16
1. Falsehood --------------------------------------------------17
False oath to promote sales or to protect oneself----------- 20
False testimony------------------------------------------- -— 21
False excuse ----------------------------------------------------21
To abuse (others)---------------------------------------------- 23
Retracting a covenant------------------------------ 25
To betray (a trust)------------------------------- 29
1. Entrusting money or property —------------------------ 29
2. Religion as a trust------------------------------- 30
3. Secret or conversation as a trust:------------------------- 30
4. Responsibilities and offices as trust-----------------------32
To deceive-------------------------------------- 33
Neglect of the salah-------------------------------------------- 35
1. Being lethargic and late-comers:-------------------------- 35
2. Offering salah at one jump--------------------------------- 36
3. To regard salah a burden-----------------------------------38
4. Failing to pray friday three times without excuse------ 7 39
5. Making little mention of Allah---------------------------- 40
Forgetting Allah -------------------------------■---------------43
Ostentatious worship----------------------------------------- 45
Kinds of ostentation------------------------------------------- 46
Ridiculing, taunting and blaming - making jokes of
someone —------------------------------------------------------49
1. Taunting those who do religious work------------------- 49
2. Making fun of the Qur'an and sunnah----------------------- 50
3. Jesting and adverse cpmment on a muslim's honour----51
To forbid piety and enjoin evil------------------------------- 53
To promote immodesty----------------------------------------55
To listen to songs-----------------------------------------------55
To tease women and girls------------------------------------- 55

6 The Signs of the Hypocrites
Teasing girls----------------------------------------------------55
To behave shamelessly-----------------------------------------57
To commit sin fearlessly when alone ----------------------- 59
To eulogise a ruler on his face but find fault with him
behind his back —--------------------------------------------- 61
Niggardliness------------------------------- 63
To not drink the water of zam zam to satiation point------ 65
To scare people by spreading rumours-----------------------67
Cowardice and foreboding-------------------------- 69
To wish that the muslims should suffer---------------------- 71
Glib tongued---------------------------------- 73
Arrogance------------------------------------------------------ 74
To love the infidels and despise the muslims---------------77
To help further disbelief--------------------------------------- 81
To bear malice to the sahabah ^ ---------------------------- 83
To rejoice at the distress of the believers --------------------85
To stay away when muslims are in distress,
otherwise to associate with them-----------------------------87
To lack understanding of religion---------------------------- 89
To have doubts about predestination-------------------------91
To spread mischief on earth-----------------------------------93
To spy on other people----------------------------------------95
To solicit praise for what one has not done----------------- 97
To be careful of appearances but to neglect the hidden---- 99
To belie the promises of Allah and his messenger 0 ----- 101
To rely on laws other than shari'ah--------------------------103
To leave a meeting without permission---------------------105
To be disobedient--------------------------------- 107
To do that which harms religion----------------------------- 109
To not get ready to wage Jihad ----------------------------- 111
To keep away from jihad, to prevent others from it, and
to be scared and to flee---------------------------------------- 113
The hypocrite's character------------------------------------- 115
The character of the hypocrites in jihad -------------------- 119
The conduct of the hypocrites of the prophet times----127
Allah's treatment of the hypocrites-------------------------- 135
How is the prophet 0 expected to treat the hypocrites — 139
Treatment of the hypocrites in current times---------------141

The Signs of the Hypocrites 7
Examples of the hypocrites---------------------------------- 143
The first ------------------------------------------------------- 143
The second-----------------------------------------------------143
The third------------------------------------------------------- 144
The fourth------------------------------------------------------145
The fifth --------------------- 145
The hypocrite's fate after death ------------------------------147
His fate in the grave ------------------------------------------147
His fate in the hereafter--------------------------------------- 147
Be fearful of hypocrisy always----- -------------------------151
The reciters of the Qur'an are more prone to hypocrisy — 155
Hypocrisy will be more common before the last days---- 157
The straying of the muslims in the last days--------------- 159
The rulers before the last day will be hypocrites -----------161
Glossary--------------------------------------------- ■---------163

Surely, praise belongs to Allah. We praise Him and seek
His help. And we seek refuge in Him from the evil of
ourselves and our misdeeds. He whom Allah guides,
none can mislead but He whom He lets go astray, none
can guide. And I bear testimony that there is no God but
Allah who is One, who has no partner. And I bear
witness that Muhammad is His slave and His
Messenger
{O you who believe! Fear Allah as He should be feared,

10 The Signs of the Hypocrites
and die not save you be Muslims. (3.102)}
{O mankind! Fear your Lord who created you from a
single person, and from him He cheated his mate, and
from the twain He spread abroad many men and
women. So fear Allah by whom you demand (your
rights) of one another, and fear (breaking) kinship of
wombs. Surely Allah is ever watchful over you. (4:1)}
{Q you who believe! Fear Allah and speak words
straight to the point. He will set right your deeds for
you and will forgive your sins. And whosoever obeys
Allah and His Messenger, he indeed has gained a
mighty triumph. (33:70-71)}
To proceed! The best of words is the Book of Allah and the
best of paths is the path of Muhammad 0 . And the worst of
affairs are innovations in religion, and every innovation is a
bid'ah,® and every bid'ah is straying from the path, and every
straying leads to hell.
When Allah sent His Prophet 0 and he announced his
mission, some people rejected him and some believed. Of the
latter kind, some merely put one garb of faith without really
believing so that they caused mischief. They are called the
Munafiq or hypocrites. A hypocrite is two-faced and such
people are the worst of mankind. The Prophet 0 said about
them, "Surely, the worst of men are the two-faced. Who come
to these with a face and to those with another face."® The
hypocrite will lean towards that which seems profitable and is
the most dangerous of men. The history of the Muslims bears
witness that they have always suffered at the hands of the
hypocrites, and it is the same story today. If a ruler is a
hypocrite then Muslims suffer a set back and decline. The
Prophet 0 warned the Muslims of the hypocrite very often.
He said (as narrated by Umar Khattab 4k "What I fear most
for my Ummah is every eloquent-tongued hypocrite."®
This is why the Sahabah and their successors in every
generation were ever wary of hypocrisy lest it grow in their
O introducing new thing in religion.
0 Bukhari # 6058, 7179, Muslim # 100-2526, Tirmidhis # 2025, Abu
. Dawud # 4782, Ahmad 21307 (narrated by Abu Hurayrah 4®)
0 Jami Saghir # 239, Ahmad # 137, Foryabi # 23.

The Signs of the Hypocrites ft
hearts. And every Muslim must always be cautious and
fearful of hypocrisy and he must keep away from everything
that is liable to grow hypocrisy. Once it encroaches into the
heart, it keeps spreading and growing and might even cause a
dent in belief and faith leading him to the deepest pit of hell.
Alternatively, it might involve him in major sins and he
might not repent has a result of which he would go to hell, or,
the reward for his deeds might be reduced because of his
hypocrisy.
Today, the malady of hypocrisy has made in-roads among
the Muslims. This book is meant to induce them to shun
hypocritical deeds and to help them recognise the hypocrite.
The sincere believer may then protect himself from hypocrisy.
The need of the hour is to adhere to Islam and wage jihad
against the infidels, but the hypocrites have created
innumerable doubts about jihad to such an extent that the
Mujahids (warriors) who participate in Jihad are wavering
and unsure. Besides, the hypocrites side with the disbelievers
so that victory seems a distant, vague dream. Together with
the enemies of Islam, the leaders of Islam countries do their
bit to harm Islam.
With this background, I have presented a detailed picture
of hypocrisy and the signs of the hypocrites that people might
recognise them. I hope my effort will benefit me and other
Muslims. I have not targetted any individual, organisation or
party, but my presentation is of a general nature. They will be
recognised who possess these signs. I repeat what the Prophet
0 used to say when he had to comment on a people, "What
will happen to a people who place conditions (that are not
found in Allah's Book)?"®
Hypocrisy grows on neglecting the fard (obligatory) deeds
and perpetrating the unlawful and forbidden.®
This book is based on the work of Aa'id Abdullah
AI-Qarni, Thala thun Alamah Iil-Munafiqin.

 The sign of a believer is that he understands the Religion and is constantly increasing his
knowledge of certain matters and benefits and he is covetous of all that is good, as well as the gatherings wherein it is disseminated. The hypocrite, however, completely turns away. When the people talk in a gathering about matters to do with the Prayer or worship, it is to him as if they are speaking in a different language. A useful work in current times when Hypocrisy has made deep roads in the Muslim Society.