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Fatwa CenterMeaning of Hadeeth: Whoever Cheats Us Is Not One of Us
Question
There is a Hadith which talks about how a person who cheats is not amongst us by prophet Muhammad s.a.w. Does this mean a person who cheats leave the fold of Islam and becomes kafir
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, and that Muhammad 
is His slave and Messenger.
The Hadeeth in which the Prophet said “He who deceives is not one of us” is an authentic Hadeeth narrated byMuslim, Abu Daawood, At-Tirmidhi, Ibn Maajah and others.
Another narration by Imam Muslim reads: “Whoever takes up arms against us is not one of us, and whoever cheats us is not one of us.”
It does not mean that he will become an unbeliever, rather it means that he is not upon our guidance and morals, because we do not deceive, so whoever cheats and deceives, he has departed from our guidance and morals.
An-Nawawi 
said in Sharh Saheeh Muslim about this Hadeeth:
“It means according to the scholars that he is not one who has followed our guidance and acted upon our knowledge, our deeds, and our good methodology; it is the same when a man says to his son when he is not satisfied by his act, ‘you are not from me’. The same thing can be said about all the Ahadeeth that are mentioned about this meaning, such as his saying: “Whoever cheats is not one of us”, and the like.” [End of quote]
This Hadeeth indicates the prohibition of cheating, and the scholars have mentioned that cheating may lead the cheater in the future to leave Islam – we seek refuge in Allah from this.
Ibn Hajar Al-Haytami from the Shaafi’i School of jurisprudence said in his book Al-Zawaajir fi Iqtiraaf al-Kabaa-ir – and he listed cheating along with the major sins – as he said:
“Let the cheater contemplate his saying: “Whoever cheats is not one of us”, to know that cheating is a very serious matter, and its consequences are very serious, as it may lead to going out of the fold of Islam – we seek refuge in Allah from that. Mostly, the Prophet would not say ‘He is not one of us’; except in a very evil matter that leads its owner to a very serious matter and in which disbelief is feared." [End of quote]
Allah knows best.
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