“You will find among the worst of people in the sight of Allah on the Day of Resurrection the one with two faces — he comes to these with one face, and to those with another face.”

Narrated by al-Bukhārī (no. 6058) and Muslim (no. 2526), from the narration of Abū Hurayrah — may Allah be pleased with him.

Brief Explanation of the Hadith

This noble ḥadīth highlights the danger of a vile trait: the quality of being two-faced, whereby a person shows one side to a group and the opposite to another. The Prophet — may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him — informs us that the two-faced person will be among those farthest in rank with Allah on the Day of Judgment and the most disgraced, for he resembles the hypocrites about whom Allah said: “When they meet those who believe, they say, ‘We believe,’ but when they are alone with their devils, they say, ‘We are with you’” (al-Baqarah: 14). This trait has been counted among the major sins.
The aspect of evil in this trait is that the two-faced person deals in lies and deception: he shows approval when meeting the people of falsehood, and he likewise shows approval when with the people of truth. He changes his colors to suit each group — whether in pursuit of safety, worldly gain, or to spread corruption among people.
This behavior is clear practical hypocrisy, which is why its possessor is counted among the most evil of creation before Allah. In the narration of Anas — may Allah have mercy on him — reported by Abu Dawud: “Whoever is two-tongued in this world, Allah will make for him two tongues of fire on the Day of Resurrection.” This severe warning illustrates the enormity of his crime.
It is necessary, however, to distinguish between blameworthy mudāhana (flattery) and praiseworthy mudārāh (courteous tact). Mudāhana means appeasing the people of falsehood in a way that strengthens them upon their falsehood, and this is forbidden. Mudārāh, on the other hand, is gentle speech intended to reconcile hearts, mentioning the good of each party to bring about harmony, and this is both lawful and commendable.
Thus, the ḥadīth trains Muslim to adhere to truthfulness and warns them against hypocrisy, which corrupts hearts and severs bonds.