“The signs of a hypocrite are three,”

and his words:

“There are four traits which, if found in a person, make him a complete hypocrite,”

and the statement of Ibn ‘Umar concerning someone who says one thing in the presence of rulers, then leaves and says the opposite:

“In the time of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, we used to consider this hypocrisy.”

When you intend either of these two kinds, its restriction to that kind may arise from a verbal indication, such as the definite article referring to something already known, or a genitive construction. This does not prevent the term from remaining univocal. For example, someone may say, “The judge has arrived,” meaning the judge of his town, because the definite article refers to someone already known. Likewise, the Exalted says:

“But Pharaoh disobeyed the messenger.”

Here, it is the definite article that restricts “the messenger” to Moses, not the word “messenger” itself. Alternatively, the restriction may arise because the term is predominantly used for that particular kind; it then becomes equivocal between the general expression and the specific meaning.

The same applies to His words:

“When the hypocrites come to you.”

The restriction of this term to the disbeliever may result either from the definite article, which indicates a known referent—the hypocrite in question being the disbeliever—or from the predominant use of this designation in religious usage for hypocrisy involving disbelief.

As for the words of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace:

“There are three traits which, if found in a person, make him a hypocrite,”

he means a hypocrite in the general sense: someone whose outward profession of religion differs from what he inwardly conceals. Thus, when applying the term “hypocrisy” to both the disbeliever and the sinner, if you apply it to the disbeliever with regard to what distinguishes him from the sinner, its application to the two is equivocal. It may likewise refer specifically to the disbeliever while remaining univocal, if what indicates this restriction is not the word “hypocrite” itself, but rather the definite article.