Category: Manners with others

Which is more important: dealing with feelings and thoughts that Allaah dislikes, such as destructive envy, hatred, arrogance, showing off, thinking highly of one's deeds, hard-heartedness, etc., which form the evil that resides in the heart, or focusing on doing outward naafil deeds such as prayer, fasting and other acts of worship and fulfilling vows even though those other things are present in the heart? Please advise us, may Allah reward you with good.

What is the importance of being truthful, both in personal and business relationships, in Islam? Is lying ever considered and (acceptable) action?

1. I would like to know the dividing line between hypocrisy and courtesy, because in many cases I feel that there is some two-facedness in people's behaviour and dealings, based on their interests and whims and desires, and it is said that it is just courtesy. Is this true? 

2. Is it possible for true friendship to be mixed with a little hypocrisy? I have a friend who does not love me as I thought she did. She held a special place in my heart that was shared by no one else, but recently I found out that my status with her is zero, and her behaviour with me for many years was superficial. I thought, and everyone was certain about that, that our friendship was strong, and until now I do not know how to end this friendship after finding out what is really going on. 

3. Can the way this friend behaved be regarded as hypocrisy? 

4. What is the punishment for hypocrisy in friendship?

Is it permissible to ask the Muslims -when meeting with them- about the state of their faith or their hearts? One of them said to me that this is a matter of the unseen and that it is not appropriate to ask about it.

If one Muslim brother loves another Muslim brother, does he have to say to this brother "I love you for the sake of Allah?

A Sikh friend of mine was given some literature to read. While reading it, he raised this objection: “You say that Allah speaks to the prophets and through these special people He sent a universal way of life for all mankind. The question is, why is such an important way of life prescribed in this one particular language [Arabic], which is used only in one particular geographic location? Why could not that Almighty Allah create one universal language for all of mankind so that all people could benefit from that equally? Arabic Qur'an is certainly beneficial for the Arabs only.”