Signs of a Munafiq
- O you who believe! Why do you say that which you do not do?
- Most hateful it is with Allah that you say that which you do not do. [Quran (Surah As-Saff: 2-3)]
One meaning of these verses is that
there should be complete agreement between a true Muslim’s word and deed: he
should carry into effect whatever he says, and when he has no intention of
doing it, or has no power for it, he should not say it. To say one thing and do
another is one of the most hideous characteristics of man, in the sight of
Allah. The Holy Prophet (upon whom be Allah’s peace) has explained that a
person’s being characterized by this quality is a sign that he is not a
believer but a hypocrite. According to a .Hadith he said;
"The hypocrite has three signs
even if he offered the Prayer and observed the Fast, and professed to be a
Muslim: That then he spoke he lied; when he made a promise, he broke it; and
when he was entrusted with something, he proved dishonest. " (Bukhari,
Muslim) .
In another Hadith he said:
"Four characteristics are such
that the one who has all the four, is a hypocrite through and through, and the
one who has one of these, has one characteristic of hypocrisy in him until he
gives it up: that when he is entrusted with something, he proves dishonest;
when he speaks, he lies; when he makes a promise, he breaks it; and when he
quarrels he crosses all limits of morality and decency." (Bukhari,
Muslim).
The jurists of Islam
have almost unanimously held the view that if a person makes a pledge to AIlah
(e.g.. vows to do some thing), or enters an agreement with others, or promised
somebody to do something, it is obligatory for him to fulfill it, unless the
thing he has promised is by itself sinful. If it is sinful, he should not
observe or carry out the agreement or promise, but should expiate its violation
as is also mentioned in Surah AI-Ma’idah.