TYPES OF WRONGDOING

Abu Umamah, a Companion of the Prophet, reported that the Prophet of Islam said: “A believer can have all traits, except for betrayal and lying.” (Musnad Ahmad, Hadith No. 22170)

There are generally two causes behind human error: desire and vileness. An error driven by desire is one that a person commits while overwhelmed by a psychological impulse. An error rooted in vileness, on the other hand, stems from a base or corrupt character trait.

The reason behind what is mentioned in the Hadith lies in this very distinction. When a person commits another moral lapse—such as reacting with harshness in anger—it often comes from the weakness of the self (nafs). At certain moments, the ego temporarily overpowers a person, and during that brief influence, they commit a wrongful act. But once that influence wanes, the individual feels a deep sense of regret. They begin to reproach themselves, saying, “Why did I do that? I shouldn’t have acted that way.”

But betrayal and lying are different cases. These are types of wrongdoing that come from vileness—stemming from a corrupt and low character. Such actions are carried out by someone whose soul has become tainted. Their motivation is not a moment of weakness but a deeply ingrained tendency towards wrongdoing. These acts are committed by a person whose inner nature has become twisted. That is why, even after committing sins like betrayal and lying, such a person remains at ease. They feel no discomfort, no restlessness—and no sense of repentance or remorse develops within them.

Wrongdoing that stems from weakness still holds the hope of forgiveness from God. But sins like lying and betrayal, rooted in a corrupted soul, carry no such excuse. They represent not a lapse in judgment, but a persistent pattern of moral failure.