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What is the ruling on one who says, "Most of society are hypocrites?"

1 min readAlso available in العربية

If the speaker, by hypocrisy, means major hypocrisy (nifaq akbar), and claims that most people say "There is no god but Allah" with their tongues while concealing disbelief, then he is in grave danger; because he falls into the act of declaring Muslims to be disbelievers. The fundamental principle is that whoever says "There is no god but Allah" is a Muslim, and one should not judge him otherwise except with clear evidence, as occurred in the story of Usama ibn Zayd with the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him.

However, if he means practical hypocrisy, such as breaking promises and lying, and intends that this is widespread among people, then this is true. But it is not permissible for him to say that in a manner of belittling people, disparaging them, and exalting himself; due to the saying of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him: "When a man says, 'The people are ruined,' he is the most ruined among them." This condemnation applies to whoever says it by way of disparagement, belittling people, and preferring himself over them, not to whoever says it out of sadness over a deficiency in religious practice.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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