The greatest of the Awliya (close friends of Allah) feared hypocrisy (of actions) for themselves.
عن أم سلمة قالت دخل عليها عبد الرحمن بن عوف قال فقال يا أمه قد خفت أن يهلكني كثرة مالي أنا أكثر قريش مالا قالت يا بني فأنفق فإني سمعت رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يقول إن من أصحابي من لا يراني بعد أن أفارقه فخرج فلقي عمر فأخبره فجاء عمر فدخل عليها فقال لها بالله منهم أنا فقالت لا ولن أُبلِيَ أحداً بعدك
Umm Salamah said that one day Abdurrahman ibn ‘Auf visited her and asked: Oh Mother I’m afraid that I will perish for my fortune, I’m the richest man among the Quraish.
Umm Salamah said: Spend (from it) my son, for I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ saying: “there will be among my Sahaba those who won’t see me after I leave them” (this is referring to hypocrites).
When he left he met ‘Umar and informed him (about what happened earlier). ‘Umar then came and entered (asked for entrance in the house of Umm Salamah) and asked her: “By Allah am I among those?”. She replied: “No and I won’t inform anybody after you!”
Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
The more faith and knowledge a person has, the more he will fear that he may be among this class of people (i.e., hypocrites); hence the leaders and earliest generations of this Ummah were afraid that they might be among them. Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) used to say to Hudhayfah (may Allah be pleased with him): I adjure you by Allah, did the Messenger of Allah ﷺ mention me along with the people (i.e., the hypocrites)? He said: No, but I would not praise anyone after you, meaning; I would not praise people (by saying that they are not mentioned among the hypocrites). It does not mean that ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) was the only one who was free of hypocrisy.
Tareeq Al-Hijratayn (p. 604)
قَالَ ابْنُ أَبِي مُلَيْكَةَ : أَدْرَكْتُ ثَلَاثِينَ مِنْ أَصْحَابِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ كُلُّهُمْ يَخَافُ النِّفَاقَ عَلَى نَفْسِهِ مَا مِنْهُمْ أَحَدٌ يَقُولُ إِنَّهُ عَلَى إِيمَانِ جِبْرِيلَ وَمِيكَائِيلَ .
Ibn Abi Mulaykah said: I met thirty of the Companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), all of whom feared being hypocrites, and none of them ever said that he had faith equivalent to that of Jibreel and Mikaa’eel (peace be upon them).
قال الحافظ ابن حجر – رحمه الله – :
والصحابة الذين أدركهم ابن أبي مليكة من أجلِّهم : عائشة ، وأختها أسماء ، وأم سلمة ، والعبادلة الأربعة ، وأبو هريرة ، وعقبة بن الحارث ، والمسور بن مخرمة , فهؤلاء ممن سمع منهم , وقد أدرك بالسن جماعة أجل من هؤلاء : كعلي بن أبي طالب ، وسعد بن أبي وقاص , وقد جزم بأنهم كانوا يخافون النفاق في الأعمال , ولم ينقل عن غيرهم خلاف ذلك فكأنه إجماع ؛ وذلك لأن المؤمن قد يعرض عليه في عمله ما يشوبه مما يخالف الإخلاص ، ولا يلزم من خوفهم من ذلك وقوعه منهم , بل ذلك على سبيل المبالغة منهم في الورع والتقوى رضي الله عنهم .
” فتح الباري ” لابن حجر ( 1 / 110 ، 111 )
Al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
The most prominent among the Sahabah (Companions) whom Ibn Abi Mulaykah met were: ‘Aishah, her sister Asma, Umm Salamah, the four ‘Abd-Allahs, Abu Hurayrah, ‘Uqbah ibn al-Harith and al-Miswar ibn Makhramah. These are among those from whom he heard Hadeeth. He also met more prominent Sahabah than these, such as ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib and Sa’d ibn Abi Waqqas, and he confirmed that they were afraid of hypocrisy in their actions and nothing to the contrary was narrated from any of the Sahabah, so it is as if there was consensus on this matter. That is because the believers’ deeds may become contaminated with elements that undermine Ikhlas (sincerity towards Allah). The fact that they feared it does not mean that they fell into it, rather it means that they were extremely cautious and pious, may Allah be pleased with them.
Fath al-Bari by Ibn Hajar (1/110,111).
عن ابن القيم عَنِ الْحَسَنِ قال رحمه الله مَا خَافَهُ (النفاق) إِلَّا مُؤْمِنٌ وَلَا أَمِنَهُ إِلَّا مُنَافِقٌ
1/42 الجواب الكافي لمن سأل عن الدواء الشافي
Ibn al-Qayyim reported: Hasan al-Basri, may Allah have mercy on him, said, “No one fears hypocrisy but a believer. No one feels safe from hypocrisy but a hypocrite.”
Source: al-Jawāb al-Kāfī 1/42
قال ابن سيرين : ما علي شيء أخوف من هذه الآية ،
Ibn Sireen said: There is nothing I fear more than this verse (interpretation of the meaning):
( وَمِنَ النَّاسِ مَن يَقُولُ آمَنَّا بِاللّهِ وَبِالْيَوْمِ الآخِرِ وَمَا هُم بِمُؤْمِنِينَ )
“And of mankind, there are some (hypocrites) who say: ‘We believe in Allaah and the Last Day,’ while in fact they believe not.” [Surah Al-Baqarah 2:8]
وقال أيوب : كل آية في القرآن فيها ذكر النفاق أخافها على نفسي ، وقال معاوية بن قرة : كان عمر يخشاه وآمنه أنا ؟ ، وكلام الحسن في هذا المعنى كثير جدّاً وكذلك كلام أئمة الإسلام بعدهم
Ayyoob said: Every verse in the Quran which mentions hypocrisy I fear lest it apply to me. Mu’awiyah ibn Qurrah said: ‘Umar used to fear it, so how can I feel safe from it? Al-Hasan spoke a great deal concerning this matter, as did the imams of Islam after them.
وقال الإمام أحمد – في رواية ابن هانيء وسئل : ما تقول فيمن لا يخاف النفاق على نفسه ؟ ، – فقال : ومن يأمن على نفسه النفاق ؟ .
” فتح الباري ” لابن رجب ( 1 / 178 ، 179
According to a report narrated by Ibn Hani, al-Imam Ahmad was asked: What do you say about the one who does not fear hypocrisy for himself? He said: Who can feel safe from hypocrisy?
Fath Al-Bari by Ibn Rajab (1/178, 179).
The hypocrisy that was feared by those imams among the Sahabah and those who came after them was hypocrisy in deeds, which leads to hypocrisy in the heart, which leads one to Hell – we seek refuge with Allah – this is the kind of hypocrisy which is mentioned in a number of Hadeeth (narrations) which warn the Muslim against acquiring its characteristics, such as the following:
عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عَمْرٍو قَالَ : قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ : ( أَرْبَعٌ مَنْ كُنَّ فِيهِ كَانَ مُنَافِقًا خَالِصًا وَمَنْ كَانَتْ فِيهِ خَلَّةٌ مِنْهُنَّ كَانَتْ فِيهِ خََصْلَةٌ مِنْ النِّفَاقِ حَتَّى يَدَعَهَا : إِذَا حَدَّثَ كَذَبَ وَإِذَا عَاهَدَ غَدَرَ وَإِذَا وَعَدَ أَخْلَفَ وَإِذَا خَاصَمَ فَجَرَ .
رواه البخاري ( 34 ) ومسلم ( 58 )
It was narrated that ‘Abd-Allah ibn ‘Amr (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “There are four characteristics, whoever has them all is a pure hypocrite, and whoever has one of them has one of the characteristics of hypocrisy, until he gives it up: when he speaks he lies, when he makes a covenant he betrays it, when he makes a promise he breaks it, and when he disputes he resorts to obscene speech.”
Narrated by al-Bukhari (34) and Muslim (58).
عَنْ حَنْظَلَةَ الْأُسَيِّدِيِّ قَالَ : لَقِيَنِي أَبُو بَكْرٍ فَقَالَ : كَيْفَ أَنْتَ يَا حَنْظَلَةُ ؟ قَالَ : قُلْتُ : نَافَقَ حَنْظَلَةُ ، قَالَ : سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ مَا تَقُولُ ؟ قَالَ : قُلْتُ : نَكُونُ عِنْدَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يُذَكِّرُنَا بِالنَّارِ وَالْجَنَّةِ حَتَّى كَأَنَّا رَأْيُ عَيْنٍ ، فَإِذَا خَرَجْنَا مِنْ عِنْدِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ عَافَسْنَا الْأَزْوَاجَ وَالْأَوْلَادَ وَالضَّيْعَاتِ فَنَسِينَا كَثِيرًا ، قَالَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ : فَوَاللَّهِ إِنَّا لَنَلْقَى مِثْلَ هَذَا ، فَانْطَلَقْتُ أَنَا وَأَبُو بَكْرٍ حَتَّى دَخَلْنَا عَلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ ، قُلْتُ : نَافَقَ حَنْظَلَةُ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ! فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ : وَمَا ذَاكَ ؟ قُلْتُ : يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ نَكُونُ عِنْدَكَ تُذَكِّرُنَا بِالنَّارِ وَالْجَنَّةِ حَتَّى كَأَنَّا رَأْيُ عَيْنٍ فَإِذَا خَرَجْنَا مِنْ عِنْدِكَ عَافَسْنَا الْأَزْوَاجَ وَالْأَوْلَادَ وَالضَّيْعَاتِ نَسِينَا كَثِيرًا فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ : وَالَّذِي نَفْسِي بِيَدِهِ إِنْ لَوْ تَدُومُونَ عَلَى مَا تَكُونُونَ عِنْدِي وَفِي الذِّكْرِ لَصَافَحَتْكُمْ الْمَلَائِكَةُ عَلَى فُرُشِكُمْ وَفِي طُرُقِكُمْ وَلَكِنْ يَا حَنْظَلَةُ سَاعَةً وَسَاعَةً ثَلَاثَ مَرَّاتٍ .
رواه مسلم ( 2750 ) .
It was narrated that Hanzalah al-Usaydi said: Abu Bakr met me and said: How are you, O Hanzalah? I said: Hanzalah has become a hypocrite. He said: Subhan Allah! What are you saying? I said: When we are with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ he reminds us of the Fire and the Garden until it is as if we are seeing them with our own eyes, but when we depart from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, we attend to our wives and children and businesses, and we forget a great deal. Abu Bakr said: By Allah, we experience something similar. Abu Bakr and I went and entered upon the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, and I said: Hanzalah has become a hypocrite, O Messenger of Allah ﷺ. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “Why is that?” I said: O Messenger of Allah ﷺ, when we are with you, you remind us of the Fire and the Garden until it is as if we are seeing them with our own eyes, but when we depart from you, we attend to our wives and children and businesses, and we forget a great deal. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “By the One in Whose hand is my soul, if you continued as you are when you are with me, and continued to remember (Paradise and Hell), the angels would shake hands with you in your homes and on the streets. But, O Hanzalah, there is a time for this and a time for that,” (he said it) three times. Narrated by Muslim (2750).
قال النووي – رحمه الله – :
قوله : ( عافسنا الأزواج والأولاد والضيعات )
قال الهروي وغيره : معناه حاولنا ذلك ومارسناه واشتغلنا به , أي : عالجنا معايشنا وحظوظنا , والضيعات : وهي : معاش الرجل من مال ، أو حرفة ، أو صناعة .
قوله : ( نافق حنظلة ) معناه : أنه خاف أنه منافق , حيث كان يحصل له الخوف في مجلس النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم , ويظهر عليه ذلك مع المراقبة والفكر , والإقبال على الآخرة , فإذا خرج اشتغل بالزوجة والأولاد ومعاش الدنيا , وأصل النفاق إظهار ما يكتم خلافه من الشر , فخاف أن يكون ذلك نفاقا , فأعلمهم النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم أنه ليس بنفاق , وأنهم لا يكلفون الدوام على ذلك , ( ساعة وساعة ) أي : ساعة كذا وساعة كذا .
” شرح مسلم ” ( 17 / 66 ، 67 ) .
Al-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
With regard to the words, “we attend to our wives and children and businesses”,
Al-Harawi and others said: What this means is that we become absorbed with them and get busy with them.
“Hanzalah has become a hypocrite” means: he was afraid that he had become a hypocrite, because he felt the fear of Allah when he was sitting with the Prophet ﷺ, and that was manifested in the way he focused on remembrance of Allah and thinking of the Hereafter, but when he departed he became distracted by his wife and children and earning a living in this world, and the basic meaning of hypocrisy is showing the opposite of what one conceals of evil, so he was afraid that he was a hypocrite because of that. But the Prophet ﷺ told him that this was not hypocrisy, and that they were not expected to be like that all the time. “There is a time for this and a time for that.”
Sharh Muslim (17/66, 67)
عن الذهبي عَنِ الْحَسَنِ رحمه الله وَالْمُؤْمِنُ أَحْسَنُ النَّاسِ عَمَلًا وَأَشَدُّ النَّاسِ وَجَلًا فَلَوْ أَنْفَقَ جَبَلًا مِنْ مَالٍ مَا أَمِنَ دُونَ أَنْ يُعَايِنَ لَا يَزْدَادُ صَلَاحًا وَبِرًّا إِلَّا ازْدَادَ فَرَقًا وَالْمُنَافِقُ يَقُولُ سَوَادُ النَّاسِ كَثِيرٌ وَسَيُغْفَرُ لِي وَلَا بَأْسَ عَلَيَّ فَيُسِيءُ الْعَمَلَ وَيَتَمَنَّى عَلَى اللَّهِ
4/586 سير أعلام النبلاء
Al-Dhahabi reported: Hasan al-Basri, may Allah have mercy on him, said, “The believer is the best of people in good deeds, but has the strongest apprehension. If he were to spend a mountain of his wealth in charity, he would not be sure of the reward until he sees it. He does not increase in piety and righteousness unless he increases in fear. The hypocrite says: There are many people, so I will be forgiven and I will not be harmed. Thus, he commits evil deeds yet still has hope in Allah.”
Siyar A’lām al-Nubalā’ 4/586
Ahlul-Hadith 