Punishment of Double-Faced Hypocrites
📖Sunan Abī Dāwūd 4873
‘Ammar reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “Whoever carries two faces in the world, he will have two tongues of fire on the Day of Resurrection.
Meaning of “Two Faces”
Two faces” refers to hypocrisy and double-dealing – behaving one way with a group while acting the opposite with another. Such a person seeks to please both sides, hiding their real intentions. Islam condemns this because it destroys trust, spreads deceit, and corrupts society.
Meaning of “Two Tongues of Fire”
- On the Day of Judgment, deeds will take visible forms (reward or punishment).
- Since the two-faced person used his tongue in two opposite ways, those deeds themselves could appear as two burning tongues.
- This means the punishment is not new – it is their own actions returning against them.
What “Two Faces” Means
- Showing loyalty to one group while betraying them to another.
- Praising someone in front of them but insulting them behind their back.
- Pretending to be righteous in public while committing evil in private.
- Supporting both sides of an argument to gain personal benefit.
- Acting friendly outwardly but harboring hatred inwardly.
:
📖Quran 36:65
That Day We will seal their mouths, and their hands will speak to Us, and their feet will testify about what they used to earn.
Meaning
Literal Meaning (Most Probable)
On the Day of Judgment, Allah will silence the mouth, so it cannot lie or defend itself.
Instead, the hands and feet will literally speak — Allah will give them speech as a miracle.
This is the most accepted view, because the Qur’an describes it as direct testimony.
Deeds as Testimony (Also Possible)
Another explanation is that the deeds themselves will testify.
The hands and feet represent all actions that were recorded by the angels (Kiraman Katibeen).
Meaning: the record will be so clear, it’s as if their own limbs are speaking.
Connection to the Hadith of Two Tongues
Just like the hands and feet will testify literally or through deeds, the tongue of the hypocrite may also be:
Literal: two real tongues of fire.
Deeds-based: their double-faced words taking form as two tongues of fire.
Quranic Support for Literal Speech of Limbs
📖Quran 41:20–21
Until, when they reach it, their hearing, their eyes, and their skins will testify against them about what they used to do. And they will say to their skins, “Why have you testified against us?” They will say, “Allah has made us speak — the One who makes everything speak.”
→ This proves that body parts will literally speak, not just symbolically.
✅ So the most probable meaning is:
On Qiyamah, mouths will be sealed.
Hands, feet, skin, eyes — all will literally speak.
And for the two-faced, their own tongue (or deeds of speech) will be turned into two tongues of fire as their punishment.
Quranic Context:
📖Quran 2:14
When they meet those who believe, they say, “We believe.” But when they are alone with their evil ones, they say, “Indeed, we are with you; we were only mocking.”
Hypocrites put on two faces – pretending to be with the believers, but siding with the disbelievers.
📖Quran 4:143
Wavering between them, belonging neither to these nor to those. And whoever Allah leaves astray — you will never find a way for him.
Those with two faces cannot commit to truth or falsehood; they float in-between for worldly gain.
📖Quran 33:23-24
Among the believers are men who have been true to their covenant with Allah. Some of them have fulfilled their vow, and some are still waiting. But they never changed in the least — so that Allah may reward the truthful for their truth, and punish the hypocrites if He wills, or accept their repentance.
Unlike the “two-faced,” true believers are consistent and sincere.