the evidence of the Quran and Sunnah shows, and as the Commander of the Faithful, ‘Alī ibn Abī Tālib, may Allah be pleased with him, explained in the report transmitted from him concerning faith, its pillars, and its branches.

Some hypocrisy is major, placing the person guilty of it in the lowest depths of the Fire, like the hypocrisy of ‘Abd Allah ibn Ubayy and others. This includes openly rejecting the Messenger, denying some of what he brought, hating him, not believing that following him is obligatory, rejoicing at the decline of his religion, grieving at its ascendancy, and similar attitudes that necessarily make a person an enemy of Allah and His Messenger.

This kind of hypocrisy existed in the time of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and has persisted ever since. Indeed, it has been more prevalent since his time than during his lifetime, because the grounds for faith were stronger in his time. If hypocrisy existed alongside them despite their strength, it is all the more likely to exist when they are weaker.

Just as he, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, knew some hypocrites but did not know others—as Allah’s words make clear:

“Among the Bedouins around you are hypocrites, and among the people of Medina are those entrenched in hypocrisy. You do not know them; We know them.”

So too, his successors and heirs may know some hypocrites but not others. Among those who affiliate themselves with Islam, across the various groups, are many hypocrites, both among the elite and among ordinary people. They are called “zindīqs” (concealed unbelievers). Scholars have differed over whether their repentance should be accepted outwardly, because this is not