The Greatest Hypocrites

Bismi Llāhi r-Raḥmāni r-Raḥīm

Prophet ṣallá Llāhu ‘alayhi wa-sallam knew who all the hypocrites were. Yet, out of his ﷺ Adab, he would not explicitly point them out or label them as such. But our Prophet ṣallá Llāhu ‘alayhi wa-sallam indicated that hypocrites would continue to exist even after his ﷺ time.

A hypocrite is someone who appears to be a Muslim on the outside—teaching or practicing Islām—while harboring disbelief, lacking true faith, or even harboring enmity toward Islām.

It is also said in the Āyah Karīmah, if those hypocrites repent, Allāh ﷻ may forgive them; however, if they don’t repent, Allāh ﷻ knows.

What is particularly significant is a ḥadīth of the Prophet ṣallá Llāhu ‘alayhi wa-sallam, in which he ﷺ states: “What I fear most for my Ummah is the eloquent hypocrite.”

This refers to a hypocrite who speaks with knowledge persuasively—someone who presents himself as if he is teaching the religion. He is the one who causes the greatest harm.

Such a person lures people in with his eloquent speech, gradually interjecting ideas that have no basis in Islām, presenting things as if they were part of the Islām, even though they are not found in Islām, Qur’ān or the Sunnah.

People, deceived by his fine words, come to regard him as a “great scholar” and follow him—all the while, he is working to destroy Islām. This is why Prophet ṣallá Llāhu ‘alayhi wa-sallam said, “This is whom I fear most [for my ummah].”

People are easily misled, often believing him when he claims, “The Qur’ān says such-and-such.. These people are not on the right path. This path that people have followed for a thousand or fifteen hundred years is not right,” they say, deceiving others.

What they preach is now more widespread than ever. In the past, such a hypocrite might have spoken only in a remote village or a local mosque, where his words would hardly reach anyone else; perhaps only a few people would follow him.

Today, however, they’re everywhere. They make a livestream. Thousands of people follow them. And when they hold a gathering, twenty or thirty thousand people attend.

Why is this? People mistakenly believe that such a person is a true scholar, that he speaks well, and that what he says is the truth. Yet, they present falsehood as if it were the truth, teaching things that are entirely contrary and opposed to Islām.

And what is the greatest thing that stands in opposition to Islām? The greatest enemy of these hypocrites is our Prophet ṣallá Llāhu ‘alayhi wa-sallam—he is their enemy.

Just as our Prophet ṣallá Llāhu ‘alayhi wa-sallam is the greatest enemy of shayṭān, these individuals harbor the same enmity. Whenever our Prophet ṣallá Llāhu ‘alayhi wa-sallam is mentioned, they become agitated and angry; it displeases them. This is their hallmark.

If you speak of our Prophet ṣallá Llāhu ‘alayhi wa-sallam or praise him ﷺ, they deceive others by claiming, “You have associated partners with Allāh ﷻ.” They want our Prophet ṣallá Llāhu ‘alayhi wa-sallam to be completely erased from the discourse—and that is the ultimate sign of a hypocrite.

Anyone who fails to show reverence to our Prophet ṣallá Llāhu ‘alayhi wa-sallam or fails to honor him ﷺ is a true hypocrite. Even if a person memorizes the entire Qur’ān and all ḥadīths, and possesses knowledge of every field of study, they are still a hypocrite if they fail to show reverence toward our Prophet ﷺ.

A person who knows only three Surahs but harbors love for the Prophet ﷺ is far superior to such a “learned” hypocrite. Those who do not show reverence to our Prophet ṣallá Llāhu ‘alayhi wa-sallam are not even worth his fingernail. Since Allāh ‘Azza wa-Jalla created the entire universe for the sake of our Prophet ṣallá Llāhu ‘alayhi wa-sallam. The highest station belongs to him ﷺ alone.

If, despite this, you claim, “I am a scholar; I have studied and interpreted things this way,” or if you cite the opinions of other scholars to justify a lack of reverence for the Prophet ﷺ, then you are the greatest hypocrite. Because you possess knowledge, and you lead others astray—which means you are with shayṭān. May Allāh ﷻ protect us; may He ﷻ shield us from such evils.

These are the very people whom our Prophet ﷺ said he ﷺ feared the most. Indeed, they are the ones who cause the greatest harm. Why does our Prophet ﷺ fear for his ﷺ ummah? He ﷺ calls them “My Ummah”—he cares for them and desires their salvation.

Yet, when such shayṭāns appear, he ﷺ says, “I fear them.” This is because a human being can easily be swayed by a few words, led off the straight path, and drawn to follow such individuals. This is precisely what our Prophet ṣallá Llāhu ‘alayhi wa-sallam feared.

May Allāh ﷻ protect us all from the evil they bring. May Allāh ﷻ grant them guidance. Allāh ‘Azza wa-Jalla says that if they repent, He ﷻ will accept their repentance. May Allāh ﷻ guide them, in shā’a Llāh. Wa min

Allāh ﷻ at-Tawfiq.

Al-Fatiha.

•⁠ ⁠Mawlana Sheikh Muhammad Adil ar-Rabbaniق

13 November 2026/ 03 Jumada al-Akhir 1448

Lefke, Cyprus

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