2.8 Al-Baqarah — Why Hypocrisy Appears (Nifaq | نفاق)

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السلام عليكم و رحمة الله و بركاته !

All praise is due to Allah, the Most High and the Most Great. May Allah send countless blessings upon our Seal Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, and may Allah be pleased with all of the Companions.

Today we will share a topic: getting to know the meaning of نفاق (nifāq)—hypocrisy.

The Meaning of نفاق (nifāq)

The word نفاق (nifāq) is composed of four Arabic letters. It can be understood as “honey on the lips, a dagger within”—meaning what is hidden in a person’s heart is inconsistent with the words and actions they display outwardly. As scholars have described: if someone possesses this trait, then they are a hypocrite (a munāfiq), marked by inconsistency between speech and action, inner–outer contradiction, outward compliance while inward resistance, and shifting with the wind. A person with the attribute of نفاق (nifāq) is called a hypocrite.

Types of نفاق (nifāq) and the Four Traits

There are several forms of نفاق (nifāq):

1. In matters of faith: hypocrisy in faith causes a person to remain in the Fire forever.
2. In behavior: it is among the gravest sins. When the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ described hypocrites, he said they have four traits—whoever possesses these four traits is a hypocrite in the full sense. From the well-known hadith, these four traits are: betraying trust when entrusted; lying when speaking; breaking covenants when making agreements; and behaving immorally when arguing.

The Qur’an’s Emphasis on Hypocrisy and Its Outcome

In the preserved Qur’an, there is an entire chapter named “The Hypocrites”—showing that the traits of hypocrites, their reality, and how we seek guidance and protection from their harm are all crucial topics. In Surah An-Nisāʾ (The Women), verse 145, Allah tells us:

{إِنَّ الْمُنَافِقِينَ فِي الدَّرْكِ الأَسْفَلِ مِنَ النَّارِ وَلَن تَجِدَ لَهُمْ نَصِيرًا}[النساء:145]

4:145. Surely the hypocrites will be in the lowest depths of the Fire—and you will never find for them any helper—

The phrase “you will never find for them any helper” means that even our Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, the noblest of people, will not be able to offer hypocrites any help—how terrifying the end of the hypocrite is!

Why Chapter 63 Matters, and the Context of “The Hypocrites”

“The Hypocrites” is Chapter 63 of the Qur’an. Those who frequently praise Allah and send blessings upon the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ are not unfamiliar with the number 63, because our Prophet Muhammad ﷺ lived 63 years according to the lunar calendar. The verses of “The Hypocrites” also have their circumstances of revelation: when the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ went to Medina to complete his mission, the behaviors of hypocrites he encountered became part of the background of this chapter’s revelation.

Now I want to connect an analysis to the number 63—to understand how hypocrites appear, grasp the issue at its root, and thereby guard ourselves in both faith and conduct.

The Human Being: Body, Spirit, and the Nafs

First, we know that human beings were given a material, physical body; Allah, the Most High and Most Great, breathed into this body a rūḥ (spirit), so we possess inner life and consciousness. Most clearly, we have the nafs (nafs)—understood as human nature, the self, the ego. In any case, while we have a material body, the inner spiritual reality contains two parts.

With our physical eyes we can see the material world and the material body, but the spiritual soul cannot be fully seen through by the human eye. Indeed, people not only cannot see through others—they often cannot even recognize their own inner spiritual state. Allah says He granted us the rūḥ, and through it we live; and within “living” there are many layers and contents of inner life. We can generally understand that humans have emotions and spiritual needs—but how much can a person truly understand of the rūḥ within the spiritual dimension? The physical eye cannot see what is inside a person’s heart.

Because the body blocks that part of the inner spiritual reality, a person has “two faces.” The first face is what the material world can see: eyes, nose, mouth—a living face you can touch, with warmth. The other appears when a person dreams: you discover that there is a soul—something with form and shape—that carries you running here and there; you may even meet your loved ones, or travel the world within minutes. You then realize that the spiritual inner reality also has a “face,” an image. From this, we can generally understand: when the soul—this inner spiritual reality—appears in the form of a soul, it has a face.

Through the scriptures and what our Prophet Muhammad ﷺ told us: when the angels take a person’s soul, the soul is drawn out and leaves the body—then a person truly “returns.” Some people call this death; we Muslims call it “returning to the Truth,” returning to the true realm. A person without faith cannot return in a complete way, because Allah granted us spirit and we must return.

When the Inner Face Matches the Outer Face

At this point, we know the soul has a face. So how can the inner face and the outer face be aligned—rather than displaced? When the two faces are aligned, there will be no trait of hypocrisy. The inner face—the spiritual soul—must be tranquil, sacred, and pure; the nafs (the human self) must be a tranquil soul. As Allah describes in “Surah Al-Fajr” (The Dawn):

يَا أَيَّتُهَا النَّفْسُ الْمُطْمَئِنَّةُ

(yā ayyatuhan-nafsul-muṭmaʾinnah) 

— “O tranquil soul!”

At this time, the rūḥ Allah granted becomes evident: the person’s inner “face” in a tranquil-soul state matches the outward face that appears. Because the inner face—possessing a tranquil soul—issues testimony. Such a person will testify that our Prophet Muhammad ﷺ is the Messenger of Allah, and will bear truthful witness.

Because their spirit is in a tranquil-soul state, they not only preserve the innate nature Allah gave the descendants of Adam (peace be upon him)—a nature that testifies to Allah’s truth—but also know that He alone is worthy of worship, without any partner. They bear this witness—this testimony: there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah. And they also testify that Allah sent a Messenger to teach us how to worship Him and seek goodness in both worlds—so they preserve the innate nature فطر (fiṭrah), and the soul acquires this quality and is then truly worthy of being called rūḥ.

For example: ʿĪsā (Jesus) (peace be upon him) is described as rūḥ. When he is described as rūḥ—a spirit from Allah—he gives glad tidings that the Lord of the worlds will send a Messenger named Aḥmad. Because when a person can be called “spirit,” with an inner soul in a tranquil spiritual state, they will testify that Allah will send the Seal of Prophets and Messengers—named Aḥmad, named Muhammad ﷺ—and they will bear the complete twofold testimony. What is the complete twofold testimony? When testifying to the Messenger, it is to testify that Muhammad ﷺ is the Messenger of Allah.

The Qur’an Describes the Hypocrites’ False Testimony

In the first verse of “The Hypocrites,” Allah tells us:

{إِذَا جَاءكَ الْمُنَافِقُونَ قَالُوا نَشْهَدُ إِنَّكَ لَرَسُولُ اللَّهِ وَاللَّهُ يَعْلَمُ إِنَّكَ لَرَسُولُهُ وَاللَّهُ يَشْهَدُ إِنَّ الْمُنَافِقِينَ لَكَاذِبُون}[المنافقون:1] 

63:1. When the hypocrites come to you ˹O Prophet˺, they say, “We bear witness that you are certainly the Messenger of Allah”—and surely Allah knows that you are His Messenger—but Allah bears witness that the hypocrites are truly liars.

Why Hypocrisy Forms: Displaced “Faces,” Corrupt Nafs, and Weak Faith

The hypocrite’s human nature is one that commands evil. Facing the material world, they have a selfish “me”; facing the spiritual world, they have an arrogant “me”; facing themselves, they allow themselves to do whatever they want, as if no one exists but themselves. This spiritual condition is not good—it is an evil, sinful soul. What testimony can such a person give?

Their two “faces” are displaced: the face within the soul is ugly. We cannot see it with our physical eyes, but the soul’s face can be seen—angels see it clearly. Even if the outward face is smiling, the inner face may be showing evil and coldness. If even angels cannot be deceived, can the Creator of the worlds be deceived? Allah is All-Knowing, All-Seeing, All-Hearing, and fully aware.

This hypocrite does not have even the first pillar of belief: they do not truly believe in Allah’s existence. Of course, they do not believe in the Hereafter. If they believed in the Hereafter, they would believe the soul will be drawn out, that there is the station of the grave where testimony will be given—deception will not work. Angels record deeds with complete clarity. In the resurrection, a person will also testify to whether what they said was true or false, and what they did—so if they believed in the Hereafter, they would not be a hypocrite; the outward face would not cover an ugly inward face.

If they believed in the angels, believed in the soul, they would know the spirit and body must not be displaced—they must match inwardly and outwardly. If they believed in the scriptures, and believed what the scriptures teach about how to live by them, and recited them to restrain the nafs, then when the tongue remembers the Lord and recites the scripture, the light of the scripture would illuminate the heart. When reciting the scripture and remembering the Lord, the tongue would be guided to speak truth, because Allah’s scripture is the most truthful—it is the Truth.

So the hypocrite’s trait of lying and inner–outer mismatch shows they have not reached true belief in the scripture. A person who truly believes in the scripture will learn it, recite it, study it, and through the teachings and guidance within it, obtain light in the heart—so that inward and outward become one, and this beautiful image becomes manifest.

If a person believed in the Messenger, they would not seek reward from creation, because all Messengers share a single statement: in calling to the Truth, they seek reward only from their Lord, and do not ask any human being or any created thing for reward. Why do hypocritical behaviors appear? Because a person wants others to praise them, insists others must know their good deeds for the sake of fame, and even pretends to believe.

Why There Were No Hypocrites in Mecca, but There Were in Medina

Why were there no hypocrites in Mecca, yet they existed in Medina? Because when the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ came to Medina to complete his mission, the religion began to grow strong—meaning Muhammad ﷺ and his followers made Islam manifest on the earth as a societal system. Many hypocrites felt they could “profit” from this: they wanted the worldly life. Even if they did not believe, they claimed they believed—either to obtain war gains, or to gain people’s approval. Worse still, some would sabotage so that Islam could not be established.

The greatest hypocrite was ʿAbdullāh ibn Ubayy. He lost his “crown”: two tribes in Medina (who had not yet submitted) had selected him as king, and a crown had already been prepared. When the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ came proclaiming the Truth, the kingship was gone, and the crown was gone. So he tried to sabotage. With his narrow vision—unable to see the Truth—he thought that if he sabotaged Muhammad ﷺ and his followers, their call and the system they were building would fail, and he could wear his crown again. He was a major hypocrite: what he wanted was a worldly crown, without regard for Truth. In such a state, how could he truly believe in the Messenger?

Therefore, anyone who truly believes in the Messenger—whose rūḥ manifests Truth as a beautiful, pure spirit—will seek reward only from their Lord. They achieve true worship of Allah alone, and they will also carry the traits that come with affirming Allah’s Oneness.

On Divine Decree, “Domains,” and Why Some Hypocrites Argue Immorally

Regarding belief in divine decree: reading the traits of hypocrites, we know our Lord is the Lord of decree. Allah Himself is not constrained by decree; all creation receives its apportioned decree. Those granted guidance can pursue goodness in both worlds; by Allah’s mercy, jinn and human beings can also seek it. Yet these created beings are bounded within the scope of decree.

For example, in the world of souls, angels have different duties. In the material world this is even more apparent: in government, and in engineering, scholarship, commerce, agriculture, and the military—each has its own domain. The social sciences and natural sciences also contain many domains. Precisely because there are different domains, people are limited by their own domain: they may know their own, but may not have reached another person’s domain.

In “Surah Al-Kahf” (The Cave), Allah is pleased with two beautiful servants—chosen servants: Mūsā (Moses) (peace be upon him) sought Al-Khiḍr between the two seas, and each had different domains of guidance—this can be read from the account.

Some hypocrites do not accept another person’s domain, and when they argue with others they become immoral—meaning they reject others and accept only themselves. Because their ego is self-righteous and self-centered, they do not accept others; they argue, and not only argue, but do so without refined speech—using foul language and rude words, lacking basic civility. This is among the traits of hypocrites.

Our Prophet Muhammad ﷺ told us why: it has a root—such a person believes only their own domain is the best. Their vision is narrow, because they believe that the little they see with their physical eyes is everything, not knowing that the “eye” of the soul can transcend time and space. So the hypocrite’s perspective is short, their speech arrogant, and they exalt themselves while denying the dignity of others—insulting people with rude words, yet thinking it is normal.

“Wooden Figures”: Outward Form Without Inner Light

Because hypocrites possess the attribute of “nifāq,” they do not have the six articles of true belief. Allah compares them to “wooden figures”—meaning only the outward traits of wood: empty inside, with no beautiful spirit, and even without real spiritual substance—emptiness within. For them, the body is what matters. What appears is the body, and anything that satisfies the body they try to seize, grab, dig for, and chase—without thinking about the soul, and whether they should spend time and effort, with knowledge and virtue, to cultivate the nafs and cultivate spirituality.

Only when the spiritual nafs is cultivated does a person’s soul manifest beautiful human traits. Even if someone’s physical face is not beautiful, when they are resurrected, Allah grants them a beautiful form. As for those whose spirituality has been “killed,” whose nafs was not cultivated into a tranquil-soul state—even if their worldly face and body appear attractive, even if makeup hides every blemish—the Hereafter is clear: the soul’s face is not beautiful; it is ugly. In the Fire it will be witnessed, and the person will testify against themselves.

The hypocrite’s nafs—the human self within the spiritual dimension—is the darkest. Why? Because there is only “self”; they cannot contain any human goodness, and still less can they contain the goodness of eternal Truth. Even friendships around them—though called “friends”—are merely tools to serve themselves. They can hide a real face behind a physical face, say hypocritical words, and do hypocritical deeds.

Because within our human nature, the inner spiritual state that most affects whether our spirituality can be tranquil is the self—the nafs. In hypocrites, the nafs is the darkest, so they fall to the lowest level of the Fire.

A Qur’anic Reminder: Give Before Death Comes

So Allah guides us: in the second-to-last verse of “The Hypocrites,” He tells us:

{وَأَنفِقُوا مِن مَّا رَزَقْنَاكُم مِّن قَبْلِ أَن يَأْتِيَ أَحَدَكُمُ الْمَوْتُ فَيَقُولَ رَبِّ لَوْلاَ أَخَّرْتَنِي إِلَى أَجَلٍ قَرِيبٍ فَأَصَّدَّقَ وَأَكُن مِّنَ الصَّالِحِين}[المنافقون:10] 

63:10. “And donate from what We have provided for you before death comes to one of you, and you cry, “My Lord! If only You delayed me for a short while, I would give in charity and be one of the righteous.”

If our nafs is too selfish, too arrogant, too self-centered, and unwilling to do good, then we fall into hypocrisy—because the self becomes too dark, and the soul has not even a trace of purity. That is the hypocrite and the ugly spiritual state of the hypocrite. When we read this verse, we ask Allah to help us do good.

Because the human nafs can only be cultivated through doing good. Doing good has three aspects: pure worship and devotion to Allah; doing good in our social relations and in how we treat the environment we live in, including how we treat animals; and cultivating one’s character, manners, and virtues. Through these good deeds, we transform our nafs from selfishness, arrogance, and self-righteousness into goodness—reaching a state of excellence. Since we seek reward only from our Lord, when doing good we reach the station of excellence: to worship as though you see Him—even if you do not see Him, He sees you—so one becomes a righteous person. This righteous person, as a pure spirit, bears witness truthfully, sincerely, and with firm certainty: there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah; and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah. Because they firmly believe in the Messenger and walk his path, becoming a servant of Allah in a state of excellence—can such a person still have hypocrisy? That is absolutely impossible. They are inwardly and outwardly one: the soul is pure, sacred, and beautiful. What they do outwardly benefits themselves, benefits others, and benefits human society.

Closing

Finally, we ask our Lord to guide us to become righteous, and to keep us far from the harms of hypocrisy in all its forms. That is all for today’s sharing. If I misspoke or explained anything unclearly, I ask Allah—the Most High and Most Great—to forgive me, and I ask the readers to excuse me. Thank you all for sharing.

السلام عليكم و رحمة الله و بركاته !

Qur’an translation source: The Clear Qur’an — Dr. Mustafa Khattab.