Hypocrisy (nifaq)

النفاق

Hypocrisy in the forty-eighth hadith of Ibn Rajab's additions is known by its practical marks: 'four traits — whoever has them all is a hypocrite, and whoever has one of them has a trait of hypocrisy until he gives it up: when he speaks he lies, when he promises he breaks his word, when he disputes he behaves wickedly, and when he pledges he betrays' — their totality is perfected hypocrisy while a single one is a trait of it without constituting unbelief alone; Abu Hurayra's wording adds 'though he fast and pray and claim to be a Muslim'; Ibn Rajab rejects the interpretation of those leaning to irja' who confined the hadith to the hypocrites of the Prophet's era via Muhammad al-Muharram's report from Ata' from Jabir — calling it a lie, al-Muharram being a known liar (Jami' al-Ulum wal-Hikam p. 901).