Hadith 2526

This hadith is listed as number 6632 in Maktaba Shamila

حَدَّثَنِي حَرْمَلَةُ بْنُ يَحْيَي ، أَخْبَرَنِي ابْنُ وَهْبٍ ، أَخْبَرَنِي يُونُسُ ، عَنْ ابْنِ شِهَابٍ ، حَدَّثَنِي سَعِيدُ بْنُ الْمُسَيِّبِ ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ ، أَنّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ . ح وحَدَّثَنِي زُهَيْرُ بْنُ حَرْبٍ ، حَدَّثَنَا جَرِيرٌ ، عَنْ عُمَارَةَ ، عَنْ أَبِي زُرْعَةَ ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ ، قَالَ : قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ : " تَجِدُونَ مِنْ شَرِّ النَّاسِ ذَا الْوَجْهَيْنِ الَّذِي يَأْتِي هَؤُلَاءِ بِوَجْهٍ وَهَؤُلَاءِ بِوَجْهٍ " .
Harmla ibn Yahya narrated to me, he informed me: Ibn Wahb, he informed me: Yunus, from Ibn Shihab, Sa'id ibn al-Musayyib narrated to me, from Abu Huraira, that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him...

And Zuhayr ibn Harb narrated to me, Jarir narrated to us, from 'Umara, from Abu Zur'a, from Abu Huraira, who said: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: "You will find among the worst of people one with two faces, who comes to these with one face and to those with another face."
Hadith Reference صحيح مسلم / كتاب البر والصلة والآداب / 2526
Hadith Grading محدثین: أحاديث صحيح مسلم كلها صحيحة
Hadith Takhrij «أحاديث صحيح مسلم كلها صحيحة»
Explanation & Benefits
Maulana Dawood Raz
Hadith Commentary:

He always speaks in a roundabout manner everywhere.
A two-faced person is one who maintains relations with every party.
Wherever he sits in someone's company, he speaks as they do.
That is, a person of a "dish of many religions" (with Muslims, he says 'Allah'; with Brahmins, he says 'Ram').
Al-Qurtubi said: The reason why a two-faced person is the worst of people is because his condition is like that of a hypocrite (Fath).
That is, a person who speaks according to the face in front of him is the worst person, because his state is like that of a hypocrite.
Source: Sahih Bukhari: Commentary by Maulana Dawood Raz, Page: 6058
Shaykh Abdul Sattar al-Hammad
Hadith Commentary:
(1)
A two-faced person is one who is accustomed to agreeing with every party, as it is said:
“With Muslims, Allah; with Hindus, Ram.”
In a hadith, it is mentioned that the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said:
“Whoever has two faces in this world, on the Day of Resurrection he will have two tongues of fire.”
(Sunan Abi Dawud, Al-Adab, Hadith: 4873)
(2)
Such people try to appear very intelligent in their own understanding.
These opportunists are referred to in Qur’anic terminology as hypocrites (munafiqun).
They are strongly condemned in the Noble Qur’an.
According to the hadith, Allah the Exalted has said about them in the Qur’an:
“They are swaying between this and that, belonging neither to these nor to those.”
(al-Nisa 4:143)
In any case, these people are extremely cowardly and suffer from moral degradation.
However, if a person goes to both parties with the intention of reconciliation, then he is not blameworthy; rather, he is among the righteous.
And Allah knows best.
Source: Hidayat al-Qari: Commentary on Sahih Bukhari, Urdu, Page: 6058
Maulana Dawood Raz
Hadith Commentary:

Speaking differently in front of people (i.e., being two-faced) is not the practice of good people. Such individuals become unreliable in the eyes of everyone and lose any standing they may have had.
Source: Sahih Bukhari: Commentary by Maulana Dawood Raz, Page: 7179
Shaykh Abdul Sattar al-Hammad
Hadith Commentary:
In this hadith, a hypocritical attitude is described: they say to the Muslims, "We are believers," and speak words of faith with them, but when they go to the disbelievers, they side with them and say, "We are only mocking the Muslims."
Such people are described as the worst in the hadith.
Acting in this way is not the practice or manner of good people.
Such individuals fall from everyone's eyes and have no status or respect left in society.
In any case, Islam has strongly condemned duplicity; a Muslim must avoid it under all circumstances.
Source: Hidayat al-Qari: Commentary on Sahih Bukhari, Urdu, Page: 7179
Shaykh Dr. Abdur Rahman Freywai
Explanation:
1:
By a two-faced person is meant such an individual who, when he goes to one group, assures them that he is their well-wisher and companion and an opponent of the other group. However, when he goes to the other group, he gives them the same impression.
Source: Sunan al-Tirmidhi – Majlis ‘Ilmi Dar al-Da‘wah, New Delhi Edition, Page: 2025
Shaykh Muhammad Ibrahim bin Basheer
Benefit:
The virtue of the Quraysh is established in this hadith.
Source: Musnad al-Humaydi: Commentary by Muhammad Ibrahim bin Bashir, Page: 1073
Shaykh Muhammad Ibrahim bin Basheer
Benefit:
It is established from this hadith that understanding of the religion distinguishes a person; leadership in religion refers to comprehension of the Qur'an and Hadith, not to Hanafi fiqh, Shafi'i fiqh, Hanbali fiqh, or Maliki fiqh.
It is also established here that the greatest reason for the superiority attained by the noble Companions (radi Allahu anhum ajma'in) was their deep understanding (fiqh) of the Qur'an and Hadith.
Source: Musnad al-Humaydi: Commentary by Muhammad Ibrahim bin Bashir, Page: 1075
Shaykh Muhammad Ibrahim bin Basheer
Benefit:
In this hadith, the evil of the people of Hell is being described: in the world, people sometimes call the good as bad and the bad as good, but these (i.e., the people of Hell) are truly evil. In reality, those are evil whom Allah has made inheritors of the torment-filled Hell instead of the blissful Paradise.
Source: Musnad al-Humaydi: Commentary by Muhammad Ibrahim bin Bashir, Page: 1164