Understanding The Prophet's Life
From Issue: 615 [Read full issue]
Hypocrisy
An evil that destroys all that the Believer has achieved, or is trying to achieve, is nifaq. Nifaq entails hypocrisy, showing off, and pretending to have what one does not possess. The Prophet, peace be upon him, condemned this in the strongest terms. He said:
Whoever prays to show off, he is [a sort of] idolater, for he makes a god beside Allah; whoever fasts to show off, he also makes a god beside Allah; and whoever gives charity to show off, he too makes a god beside Allah. [Ahmad]
He also said:
Three characteristics are the signs of a hypocrite, even if he fasts, performs the Prayer and claims that he is a Muslim: when he speaks, he lies; when he makes a promise, he breaks it; and when he is trusted, he betrays his trust. [Bukhari, Muslim]
Hypocrisy serves only to cloud your consciousness of Allah. It is a moral ailment which eats away one's character as a moth eats away cloth. We should therefore assess our motives and actions frequently.
Compiled From:
"In the Early Hours" - Khurram Murad, p. 77