Description of Hypocrisy and Hypocrites

قَالَ: وَ النِّفَاقُ عَلَى أَرْبَعِ دَعَائِمَ عَلَى الْهَوَى وَ الْهُوَيْنَا وَ الْحَفِيظَةِ وَ الطَّمَعِ‌[8] فَالْهَوَى عَلَى أَرْبَعِ شُعَبٍ عَلَى الْبَغْيِ وَ الْعُدْوَانِ وَ الشَّهْوَةِ وَ الطُّغْيَانِ- فَمَنْ‌ بَغَى كَثُرَتْ غَوَائِلُهُ وَ تُخُلِّيَ مِنْهُ وَ قُصِرَ عَلَيْهِ‌[1] وَ مَنِ اعْتَدَى لَمْ يُؤْمَنْ بَوَائِقُهُ وَ لَمْ يَسْلَمْ قَلْبُهُ وَ لَمْ يَمْلِكْ نَفْسَهُ عَنِ الشَّهَوَاتِ وَ مَنْ لَمْ يَعْذِلْ

“‘Hypocrisy has four pillars: Desire, Neglect, Resentment and Greed. “Desire is of four branches: disproportionate behavior, transgression, lust and insubordination. Whoever behaves disproportionately faces great risks, remains lonely and without supporters. Whoever transgresses does not remain immune to harmful conseq

كَتَبْتُ إِلَى أَبِي الْحَسَنِ ع أَسْأَلُهُ عَنْ مَسْأَلَةٍ فَكَتَبَ إِلَيَّ- إِنَّ الْمُنافِقِينَ يُخادِعُونَ اللَّهَ‌ وَ هُوَ خادِعُهُمْ‌ وَ إِذا قامُوا إِلَى الصَّلاةِ قامُوا كُسالى‌ يُراؤُنَ النَّاسَ‌ وَ لا يَذْكُرُونَ اللَّهَ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا مُذَبْذَبِينَ بَيْنَ ذلِكَ‌ لا إِلى‌ هؤُلاءِ وَ لا إِلى‌ هؤُلاءِ وَ مَنْ يُضْلِلِ اللَّهُ‌ فَلَنْ تَجِدَ لَهُ سَبِيلًا لَيْسُوا مِنَ الْكَافِرِينَ وَ لَيْسُوا مِنَ الْمُؤْمِ

‘The hypocrites try to deceive Allah, but He, in fact, deceives them. They stand up in prayer lazily just to show that they pray, but, in truth, they remember Allah very little. (4:142) “They are hesitant people belonging to neither side. You can find no other way for one whom Allah has caused to go astray.’ (4: 143) T

قَالَ: إِنَّ الْمُنَافِقَ يَنْهَى وَ لَا يَنْتَهِي وَ يَأْمُرُ بِمَا لَا يَأْتِي وَ إِذَا قَامَ إِلَى الصَّلَاةِ اعْتَرَضَ قُلْتُ يَا ابْنَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ وَ مَا الِاعْتِرَاضُ قَالَ الِالْتِفَاتُ وَ إِذَا رَكَعَ رَبَضَ‌[1] يُمْسِي وَ هَمُّهُ الْعَشَاءُ وَ هُوَ مُفْطِرٌ وَ يُصْبِحُ وَ هَمُّهُ النَّوْمُ وَ لَمْ يَسْهَرْ إِنْ حَدَّثَكَ كَذَبَكَ وَ إِنِ ائْتَمَنْتَهُ خَانَكَ وَ إِنْ غِبْتَ اغْتَابَكَ وَ إِنْ وَعَدَكَ أَ

“Ali ibn al-Husayn (a.s.) has said, ‘A hypocrite forbids others, but himself does not desist from prohibited matters and commands others with what he himself does not perform. When prayer is to begin he (7 ’tarazd) avoids it.’ I (the narrator) then asked, ‘O descendent of the messenger of Allah, “What is ‘I’tirazT’ The

مِثْلَ ذَلِكَ وَ زَادَ فِيهِ‌ إِذَا رَكَعَ رَبَضَ وَ إِذَا سَجَدَ نَقَرَ وَ إِذَا جَلَسَ شَغَرَ[2].

“In, Ruku’ position he rests and in Sajdah (the prostration) he acts like a crow picking up grains very fast, and sits on his heels.”

قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ص‌ مَثَلُ الْمُنَافِقِ مَثَلُ جِذْعِ النَّخْلِ أَرَادَ صَاحِبُهُ أَنْ يَنْتَفِعَ بِهِ فِي بَعْضِ بِنَائِهِ فَلَمْ يَسْتَقِمْ لَهُ فِي الْمَوْضِعِ الَّذِي أَرَادَ فَحَوَّلَهُ فِي مَوْضِعٍ آخَرَ فَلَمْ يَسْتَقِمْ لَهُ فَكَانَ آخِرُ ذَلِكَ أَنْ أَحْرَقَهُ بِالنَّارِ.

“The Messenger of Allah has said, ‘The case of a hypocrite is like the trunk of a palm tree. His owner wants to use it in a construction but it does not fit where he wants it to fit. He then tries it in another place and it still does not fit. At last he burns it in the fire.’”

قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ص‌ مَا زَادَ خُشُوعُ الْجَسَدِ عَلَى مَا فِي الْقَلْبِ فَهُوَ عِنْدَنَا نِفَاقٌ‌[3].

“The Messenger of Allah has said, ‘If humility expressed physically is more than what is in the heart, in our view it is hypocrisy.’”