Difference between hypocrisy and weak faith

17-3-2016 | IslamWeb

Question:

Is there a difference between having weak faith and being a hypocrite?

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Answer:

All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.

There are two types of hypocrisy: minor hypocrisy, which is the hypocrisy of deeds (acts), and major hypocrisy, which is the hypocrisy of belief. The person with minor hypocrisy can be described as having weak faith because the principle of faith exists in him but he committed sins that decrease his faith.

As regards the hypocrisy of belief, the person lacks the principle of faith; he outwardly shows faith but does not believe inwardly. Allah says (what means): {And of the people are some who say, "We believe in Allah and the Last Day," but they are not believers.} [Quran 2:8]

A person in this state is worse than one who just has weak faith.

However, if a person has a weak faith, it does not necessarily mean that he is a hypocrite. Hence, it may be correct to say that every hypocrite has a weak faith, but not every person who has a weak faith is a hypocrite.

Allah knows best.