Why Do You Say What You Do Not Do — The Most Hateful
tadabbur
Level: basic
akhlaq
td-049
كَبُرَ مَقۡتًا عِندَ ٱللَّهِ أَن تَقُولُواْ مَا لَا تَفۡعَلُونَ
— الصف 3
Verse: "O you who believe, why do you say what you do not do? It is most hateful to Allah that you say what you do not do." (61:2-3)
"Most hateful" (kabura maqtan): Maqt: the most intense hatred. The weight of "kabura" here parallels "kaburat kalimatan" in Al-Kahf — expressing the enormity of the offense.
The positive opposite: "Indeed Allah loves those who fight in His cause in a row as if they were a solid structure" — love for those whose words and deeds align.
Lesson: Double standards in personality are not a gift — they are a sign of hypocrisy and among the most despised things to Allah.
Source: Ibn Kathir (8/115); Al-Sadi; Al-Qurtubi (18/82)
Question: Why did Allah describe saying without doing as the "most hateful" among sins?
Answer: Because it combines lying, ostentation, and betrayal of trust simultaneously — and corrupts society with claims that have no corresponding action.