الحسين بن

“During the time of God’s Prophet (S) we could not recognize the hypocrites except by their animosity towards Ali (a.s.) and his progeny.”

O Sama`a! There are four problems that a believer will not escape: (1) A neighbour that will harm him, (2) a devil that will deceive him, (3) a hypocrite that will follow him, and (4) a believer that will envy him. I said: May I be your sacrifice! A believer that envies him? He said: O Sama`a! He is the harshest of them. I said: How is that? He said: Because he will say something against him, and he will be believed in that.

“I heard abu al-Hassan (a.s.) saying, ‘Not everyone who speaks of our Walayah (Divine Authority) is a believer. They, however, are made to serve as boasting morals of the believing people.’”

"Soften your speech with [even] the hypocrite, love the faithful believer sincerely, and [even] if a Jew were to sit with you, then be gracious in his company."

I heard Abu Al-Hassan (asws) saying regarding the Statement of Allah (azwj) Blessed and High: “[4:108] They seek to hide from men and seek not to hide from Allah. He is with them when by night they hold discourse displeasing unto Him”, he (asws) said: ‘It means so and so and so and so (Abu Bakr and Umar), and Abu Ubeyda Bin Al-Jarrah’.

There are four who will not enter Paradise: (1) The soothsayer, (2) the hypocrite, (3) the wine addict, and (4) backbiter (al-qattat); and he is the gossiper (al-nammam).

“About the words of Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, . . they and rebellious ones will all be thrown headlong into hell. . . .,’ (26:94) the Imam said, ‘O abu Basir, they are those who preach justice by their tongues, but they themselves do not yield to justice.’”

God will never grant a hypocrite or a corrupt person insight, knowledge and a good-temper.”

“ Abu Basir said to me, ‘Al-Hakam ibn ‘Utayba is of those people about whom Allah has said, “Some people say, “We believe in God and the Day of Judgment,” but they are not true believers.” (2:8) Al-Hakam may easternize or westernize, he, by Allah, will not find the true knowledge in no other source except from Ahl al-Bayt to whom Jibril came (with knowledge).”

A servant who is two-faced and has two tongues is bad. He will praise his believing brother in front of him, but talk badly about him in his absence. He will be jealous of him whenever he gets a blessing and will not assist him when a calamity befalls him.”

The worst of servants is a servant who has two faces and two tongues; (by which) he is tender with his brother in (his) presence and eats him in (his) absence, (and) if he is given, he envies him, and if he is afflicted, he abandons him.

The worst of worshipers is a worshiper with two faces and two tongues. He commends his brother when he is around, and he consumes him [in gossip] when he is absent. When he is given, he envies, and when he suffers, he lets him down.

The Messenger of Allah (s) prayed Fajr. When he finished, he turned his face toward his companions, and asked if a group of people had attended. So, they said: No, O Messenger of Allah. So, he said: Are they away (travelling)? They said: No. So, he said: There is no prayer that is harder on the hypocrites than this prayer and `Isha'.

“Ali ibn al-Husayn (a.s.) has said, ‘A hypocrite forbids others, but himself does not desist from prohibited matters and commands others with what he himself does not perform. When prayer is to begin he (7 ’tarazd) avoids it.’ I (the narrator) then asked, ‘O descendent of the messenger of Allah, “What is ‘I’tirazT’ The Imam said, ‘It is turning away. When he is in the Ruku’ position (kneeling) he uses it as resting place. Toward the evening his only concern is dinner, even though he is not fasting. Toward morning his only concern is more sleep, even though he has not passed the night awake worshipping. If he speaks to you, he lies. If you trust him, he breaches it. Behind your back, he backbites you and if he promises you, he disregards his promise.’”

‘I heard Abā ʿAbdillāh (a) say, “There is no believing servant who commits a sin but that Allah delays for him [the recording of that sin] for seven hours of the day. If he repents [in that time], nothing is recorded against him but if he fails to do so, one evil deed is recorded against him.” So ʿAbbād al-Baṣrī came to him and said, “We have been informed that you said there is no servant who commits a sin but that Allah delays [its recording] for him for seven hours of the day?” So he (a) replied, “That is not how I said it. Rather, I said: there is no believing servant who commits a sin but that Allah delays [its recording] for him for seven hours of his day – that is how I said it.”’”[1]

“Once I wrote to abu al-Hassan (a.s.) asking him a question and he wrote back to me, ‘The hypocrites try to deceive Allah, but He, in fact, deceives them. They stand up in prayer lazily just to show that they pray, but, in truth, they remember Allah very little. (4:142) “They are hesitant people belonging to neither side. You can find no other way for one whom Allah has caused to go astray.’ (4: 143) They are not of the unbelievers, or of the believers or of the Muslims. They claim to be of belief. They change to disbelief and denial. May Allah condemn them all.’”

‘I heard Abā ʿAbdillāh (a) say, “A servant who offered prayers [in this world] will be brought forward on the Day of Judgment, so he will say, ‘O Lord, I used to pray seeking Your pleasure.’ But he will be told, ‘Rather, you used to pray so that it would be said: how good his prayer is!’ – ‘Take him to the Fire!’ Another servant who fought in battle will be brought forward and he will say, ‘O Lord, I used to fight [the enemies] seeking Your pleasure.’ But he will be told, ‘Rather, you fought so that it would be said: how brave he is!’ – ‘Take him to the Fire!’ Yet another servant, who had learnt the Qurʾān, will be brought forward. He will say ‘O Lord, I learnt the Qurʾān seeking Your good pleasure.’ He will be told, ‘Rather, you learnt the Qurʾān so that it would be said: how good is his voice!’ – ‘Take him to the Fire!’ A servant who has spent his wealth in charity will also be brought forward, and he will say, ‘O Lord, I gave away my wealth seeking Your pleasure.’ He will be told, ‘Rather you gave charity so that it would be said: how generous he is!’ – ‘Take him to the Fire!’”

Hearts are (of) three (types): a capsized heart that does not comprehend anything of goodness, and that is the heart of a disbeliever; a heart in which there is a black mark, and so, good and evil are wrestling in it, and that which is the strongest will dominate it; and an open heart in which there is a lamp that radiates and whose light is not extinguished until the Day of Resurrection, and that is the heart of a believer.

I asked Imam al-Ridha (as) about what the Prophet (s) meant when he said, 'My companions are like the stars. Whichever one you follow will guide you.’ And I asked about what the Prophet (s) meant when he said, ‘Leave my companions to me.’ He replied, ‘This is authentic [but] 'companion' refers to those who didn't change themselves later nor what was said about the religion.’ I asked, ‘How do we know that some changed [their religion] or changed [the religion]?’ He said: That is because the Prophet (s) himself said, ‘Some of my companions will be forbidden from approaching my pool on the day of judgement, just as people push others' camels away from drinking water. I will say: O Lord! They are from my companions! My companions! I will be told, ‘Don’t you know what they did after you?’ They will be grabbed and directed to the left. They will be told, ‘This is due to the lies which you ascribed.’ [He added]: Are these not the ones who changed themselves or changed [the religion]?'.

a man of the hypocrites died. Al-Husayn ibn Ali (a.s.), attended his funeral; at this time one of his followers met him and asked, ‘O so and so, where do you want to go?’ He (the follower) said, ‘I am running away from the dead body of this hypocrite and from having to perform Salah (prayer) for him.’ Al-Husayn ibn Ali (a.s.), said, ‘Just stay on my right side and say what I say.’ When the guardian of the deceased said Takbir, al-Husayn ibn Ali (a.s.), said, ‘O Lord, condemn so and so a thousand times together and without difference. O Lord, make this one of Your servant to suffer in Your land and make him suffer the heat of fire, make him suffer the most severe of Your punishment; he loved Your enemies, he was hostile to Your friends and he hated the family of Your Holy prophet.’”