What is hypocrisy, what are its beginnings, and how can one distance oneself from it?

Hypocrisy, in Islamic law, is the outward show of faith while inwardly concealing disbelief. It is derived from the word "nafiqaa" for the jerboa's burrow, or from "nafaq" (tunnel). It has two types: major hypocrisy, which expels one from the fold of Islam and relates to the heart, and minor, practical hypocrisy, which relates to the limbs, such as lying, treachery, betrayal, and obscenity in disputes. Its beginning is with lying, betrayal, and heedlessness of Allah. Protection from it is through mindfulness of Allah, sincerity towards Him, fear of Him, supplication, and remembering the reward of the sincere and the punishment of the hypocrites.