Exposition of the Hadith

This profound narration from the Book of Abandonment in Al-Adab Al-Mufrad (Hadith 409) addresses the grave sin of hypocrisy in social conduct. The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, identifies the "two-faced person" as one who displays different personas to different groups, seeking worldly benefit through deception.

Meaning of Two-Facedness

The "two-faced person" (dhu al-wajhayn) refers to one who shows friendship and agreement to a group while secretly harboring opposition or showing contrary allegiance to another group. This includes flattering people to their faces while backbiting them, or pretending allegiance to conflicting parties for personal gain.

This behavior differs from legitimate diplomatic speech or wise counsel that considers circumstances. The condemnation applies specifically to deceptive conduct intended to gain worldly advantage while betraying trust.

Spiritual Consequences

The severity of this warning - "worst of people in the sight of Allah on the Day of Rising" - indicates the gravity of this sin. Two-facedness corrupts social trust, spreads suspicion among believers, and resembles the hypocrisy (nifaq) that Allah condemns in the Quran.

Such behavior demonstrates weakness in faith, as the believer should maintain consistent principles regardless of audience, fearing only Allah rather than seeking people's approval through deception.

Practical Guidance

The Muslim must cultivate sincerity (ikhlas) and consistency in all relationships. When differences arise between Muslims, one should seek reconciliation with wisdom rather than duplicity.

If one cannot speak truth in a situation, silence is preferable to deceptive speech. The believer's character should be uniform - the same in private and public, with all people and in all circumstances, guided by Islamic principles.