Imaam Ibn Hajar Al-‘Asqalaani – rahimahullaah – said:
It is reported from Abdullahi Ibn Amr radiyallaahu anhu- who said – The Messenger of Allah salallaahu alayhi wasallam said:
“Whoever has the following four characteristics will be a pure hypocrite and whoever has one of the following four characteristics will have one characteristics of hypocrisy until he gives it up:
• when he speaks, he tells lie.
• when he makes a covenant, he proves treacherous.
• when he is entrusted, he betrays the trust.
• when he quarrels or disputes, he transgresses and behaves in a very evil and insulting manner.”
Transmitted and recorded by Imaam Bukhaari in his “Sahih”#34 and Imaam Muslim in his “ Sahih”#58.
COMMENTARY
The hadith shows the importance of the following:
♦ It shows that lying is one of the signs of a hypocrite. Lying is one of the worst and gravest sins. Lying is universally disliked by everyone since it leads to immorality. And because it is a chain reaction that doesn’t end by that mere lie. It either leads to more other lies or it leads to breach of trust.
That is why the Rasul salallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam said in the report from ‘Abdullah bn Mas’ud as transmitted by Imaam Bukhaari and Muslim that lieing leads to immorality and immorality leads to Naar, and the more a person lies, the more the tendency that he will be registered with Allaah as a liar or dishonest person.
What do liars gain from telling lies? They lie and gain nothing. It is simply a reflection of the fear they have for the creation instead of Allaah and for a worldly gains. Distance yourself from liars and distance from lying in itself.
♦ It indicates that breaking the promise is a sign of hypocrisy. Thus whoever promised another person of good thing and did not fulfill it, then such an act is a sign of hypocrisy. Allah has ordered us to fulfill our promises in the Quran. Breaking Promises falls into two categories:
• Making a promise with no intention of keeping it. Al-Awaa’il said that one who says “I will do such-and-such
InshaaAllaah” without intending to do it has committed both lying and breaking a promise.
• Making a promise intending to keep it and then later deciding to break it. Brothers! Beware of breaking promises, for you will surely return to Allah and Allah will certainly ask you.
♦ The third sign of hypocrisy is betrayals of trust when entrusted and not returning this trust to which it belongs to or using it without the permission of the owner. Trusts are of many types. It may be in the form of money and in the form of rights.
There are some Muslims who are conscious about money trusts, but are not conscious about the rights and duties that Allah trust everyone of us with. Thus, yourself is a trust given to you by Allah. Your wealth, which you gather is a trust, entrusted to you by Allah, the time that you made use of is also a trust, again your health, your youth, your mind, your hearing, and your vision, are all trusts to you from Allah.
Also your wife and children are a trust entrusted to you by Allah. Also your community is a trust entrusted to you by Allah. And the most important trust is the deen of Allah that He entrusted you with.
So let us beware Oh brothers from the betraying of all of these trusts or the loss of them, surely Allah will question us on that on the day of Judgment.
♦ Lastly, the fourth sign of hypocrisy is when he disputes or quarrels he transgresses the limit.
Normally, when this type of person quarrels with another person, he get angry and cross the limits. He then acts in a very evil and insulting manner.
For this, we should judge ourselves and see whether we have this characteristics so that we can safeguard ourselves from it.
Allaahu A’alam!
Baarakallaahu feekum!