believe they say, “We believe,” but when they slip away to their devils they say, “We are with you; we were only making fun.” This attitude, may Allah protect us, is present in many people and is a branch of hypocrisy. You will find someone who comes to you full of flattery, praising you—indeed, he may even exaggerate in his praise—yet the moment your back is turned he bites, maligns, insults, and attributes to you what is not yours. Such a person, may Allah preserve us, fits exactly the Prophet’s words: “You will find that the worst of people is the two-faced one: he comes to these with one face and to those with another.” Committing this is one of the grave sins, for the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) labeled its perpetrator “the worst of people.” A Muslim is therefore required to be candid, saying only what lies in his heart: if it is good he will be praised for it, and if it is otherwise he should be directed toward what is good. Presenting one face to some and another to others—whether in matters of worship, where he outwardly appears devout, believing, and God-fearing while the truth is the opposite, or in his dealings with an individual, where he poses as a sincere adviser, lavishes praise, and then once the person is absent tears him apart—is impermissible.

The author (may Allah have mercy on him) then cites the noble verse: “They try to hide from people, but they cannot hide from Allah, for He is with them when they spend the night plotting words He does not approve; and Allah fully encompasses all they do.” This verse was revealed about people who harbor in their hearts what they do not disclose, speaking to others in a manner that contradicts their inner reality; then, when they are alone