Shaikh Muhammad ibn ‘Abdul-Wahhaab (Rahimahullaah) said in the Chapter: What has come regarding  Dhul-Wajhayn (the two-faced person)?

And the statement of Allaah, the Exalted:

وَإِذَا لَقُوا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا قَالُوا آمَنَّا وَإِذَا خَلَوْا إِلَىٰ شَيَاطِينِهِمْ قَالُوا إِنَّا مَعَكُمْ
“And when they meet those who believe, they say: ‘We believe,’ but when they are alone with their Shayateen (i.e., devils, polytheists, hypocrites, etc.), they say: ‘Truly, we are with you.'”  [Surat Al-Baqarah (2:14)]

And His statement:

مُذَبْذَبِينَ بَيْنَ ذَٰلِكَ لَا إِلَىٰ هَٰؤُلَاءِ وَلَا إِلَىٰ هَٰؤُلَاءِ
“(They are) swaying between this and that, belonging neither to these nor to those,” [Surat An-Nisaa’ (4:143)]

Explanation:

Dhul-Wajhayn is one who comes to people with one face and comes to others with another face. For example, if he sits with the righteous, he shows righteousness and religiosity, and that he is from those who are religiously committed, from the people of righteousness, and the people of obedience. He shows them what he is not upon – in reality and in the actual situation. And when he sits with the people of corruption, he shows them the corruption that he is upon. So he is Dhul-Wajhayn (the two-faced person) – he shows one face to a group of people and shows another face to others. He shows one matter while concealing another, and this other face or what he conceals, (only) appears when he is with different (sets of) people. This (behavior) is from the major sins, and it is from the characteristics of the people of Nifaq (hypocrisy).

Shaikh Muhammad ibn ‘Abdul-Wahhaab (Rahimahullaah) mentioned two verses in which being two-faced is among the characteristics of the Munafiqeen (hypocrites):

1. The first is the saying of Allaah, All-Mighty and Majestic: “When they meet those who believe, they say: ‘We believe,’ but when they are alone with their Shayateen (i.e., devils, polytheists, hypocrites, etc.), they say: ‘Truly, we are with you.'” [Surat Al-Baqarah (2:14)]

So, they meet the people of faith with one face, and the people of hypocrisy with another face. They meet the people of Eeman (the believers) showing faith while concealing disbelief, and they meet the people of hypocrisy showing disbelief.

Therefore, their Eeman (faith) with the people of faith is nothing but outward Eeman (faith) which they display. They appear with the face of the people of faith when in the company of the people of Eeman (faith), and they appear with the face of the people of disbelief when they are in the company of the people of disbelief. Thus, they are people of two faces: (one) of faith and (the other of) disbelief.

There may be another person who has two faces – not in Eeman and disbelief, but rather in obedience and disobedience – and this is an affliction. He possesses a portion of the traits of the hypocrites in that he displays one thing while concealing another.

The Hadeeth states, “There are three signs of a hypocrite: when he speaks, he tells lies; when he makes a promise, he breaks it; and when he is entrusted, he betrays his trust.” [Reported by Al-Bukhaari (33) and Muslim (59)]

This is a form of practical hypocrisy, which involves displaying what one does not (truly) possess – meaning, he shows truthfulness to the people while concealing falsehood, and he shows loyalty while concealing treachery.

2. As regards Allaah’s saying in Surat An-Nisaa’ (4:143): “(They are) swaying between this and that, belonging neither to these nor to those.” 

Meaning: They gave their inner selves to the disbelievers and their outward appearance to the believers – so neither was their outward appearance for the people of Eeman (faith) along with their inner reality, nor was their inner state in line with their outward appearance for the people of hypocrisy. They gave their inward (selves) to the people of disbelief, and they gave their outward (appearance) to the people of Eeman (faith). “(They are) swaying between this and that, belonging neither to these nor to those.” [Surat An-Nisaa’ (4:143)]

For this reason, it has come in the Hadeeth that our Prophet (Salla-Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said: “The example of the hypocrite is that of a sheep that is hesitant/confused between two flocks, not knowing which to follow.” [Reported by Muslim (2784), An-Nasaa’i (5037), and Ahmad (6510)]

In a certain Hadeeth, a parable is given for the hypocrite. It compares a polytheist, a believer, and a hypocrite to three men who come to a river. The believer crosses (the river) until he is safe and reaches the opposite shore. The hypocrite follows him, but when he reaches the center (of the river), he stops. The disbeliever who was on the shore begins calling him (the hypocrite) to what he is upon of misguidance, and the believer calls him to where there is salvation and safety – and he (the hypocrite) is in the middle of the river, not knowing whether to go back or move forward. He (Salla-Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said: “The example of the hypocrite is that of a sheep that is hesitant/confused between two flocks, not knowing which to follow.”

Shaikh Muhammad ibn ‘Abdul-Wahhaab (Rahimahullaah) said: “Al-Bukhaari and Muslim have reported from Abu Hurairah (Radia-Allaahu ‘anhu) as Marfoo’ Hadeeth: “The evilest people (in the Sight of Allaah) on the Day of Resurrection will be the two-faced one, who comes to some people with one face and to other people with another face.” [Reported by Al-Bukhaari (6058) and Muslim (2526)]

Explanation: “The evilest people (in the Sight of Allaah)” – this indicates that this matter is among the major sins, as its possessor is described as being the evilest of people. He (Salla-Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) then defined him, saying: “who comes to some people with one face, and to other people with another face.”

Meaning: He comes to each group with what pleases them. If he comes to the people of Eeman, he displays actions of Eeman (faith) and actions of obedience and righteousness and the like, (but) when he sits with the people of disobedience and wickedness, he also speaks with them with what pleases them.

This means he does not speak like his talk with the people of disobedience when he is with the people of Eeman (faith), nor does he speak like his talk with the people of Eeman (faith) when he is with the people of disobedience. Rather, he speaks to each group with what pleases them.

So, he does not look, in what he speaks/says, to what pleases Allaah, (Subhaanahu wa Ta’ala), rather he speaks with each group with what pleases them. Thus, he is two-faced; he meets these with one face, and he meets those with another face. And this action of his is from hypocrisy and lying, and from flattery.

Shaikh Muhammad ibn ‘Abdul-Wahhaab (Rahimahullaah) also quoted a Hadeeth reported from Anas (Radia-Allaahu ‘anhu) as a Marfoo’. Hadeeth: “Whoever has two tongues, Allaah will make for him on the Day of Resurrection two tongues of fire.” [Reported by Ibn Abi Ad-Dunya in “Dhamm Al-Gheebah wan-Nameemah” (144), Ibn Abi Aasim in “Az-Zuhd” (217) and At-Tabaraani in “Al-Mu’jam Al-Awsat” (8885)]

Explanation: Anas (Radia-Allaahu ‘anhu) said in a Marfoo’ narration: “Whoever has two tongues, i.e. ‘two-faced’ – meaning, he speaks to these people with one tongue, and he speaks with those people with a tongue different from the one he used to speak to the former.

So “whoever has two tongues” meaning: (he is) two-faced, he speaks to each group with what pleases them, not caring about what pleases Allaah or angers Allaah (Subhaanahu wa Ta’ala), “Allaah will make for him on the Day of Resurrection two tongues of fire,” and this is in accordance with the Sharee’ah punishments – such that the recompense is of the same type as the deed.

Source:

  Sharh Kitab Al-Kabaa’ir by Shaikh ‘Abdur-Razzaq Al-Badr (Hafidhahullaah)