The Illusion of a Good Character

Islam teaches us to conceal our past sins because Allah is the Most Merciful, and when we repent sincerely, He forgives.

But when those sins are not in the past—when they are patterns we continue to uphold, behaviors we refuse to correct, and lies we maintain—then they are no longer hidden sins; they are an active deception. And deception is a sin in itself.

The Illusion of a Good Character is one that needs highlighting in our communities from tik tok sheiks to speakers corner wanna be’s and in particular dating apps specifically for Muslims.

A person can wear the mask of good character (akhlaq), quoting hadith, speaking of sincerity, and pretending to have righteous intentions. But if, beneath that, they are manipulative, deceitful, and self-serving, then they are not hiding sins—they are living in hypocrisy. Allah says in the Qur’an:

“They seek to deceive Allah and those who believe, but they deceive none except themselves, yet they do not realize it.” (Surah Al-Baqarah 2:9)

The true sin is not in a past mistake that was left behind—it is in the continuous choice to uphold dishonesty. And when people discover this, they have every right to walk away. Trust is built on truth, and once that truth is shattered, it is rarely repaired.

The Consequence of Living a Lie is something that is often dismissed I’ve noticed, with the application of “only Allah can judge and forgive me” this statement seems to be used as a sweeping statement to excuse bad behaviour and to not have self accountability.

Whilst Allah is all forgiving, he has also given every person the right to make informed choices about who they allow into their lives. Yet breaking ties is also looked down upon often without our communities also so where is the line ?

Often I see many forgetting or choosing to overlook the point that If someone presents a false version of themselves, manipulating others into trusting them, they are committing ghish (deception), which the Prophet ﷺ warned against:

“Whoever deceives us is not one of us.” (Sahih Muslim 101)

The problem is not that their past sins have been exposed. The problem is that they were never truly left behind. And when a person repeatedly chooses dishonesty, they should not be surprised when others choose to leave.

In the end, there is no righteousness in maintaining a false image. True honor lies in sincerity, in repenting not just to Allah but in striving to be a better person. Pretending to be righteous does not make one righteous—only true effort and sincerity do. and this is where the Noor will shine through your face to the world