Surah Baqarah Ayahs 8-16

And of the people are some who say, "We believe in Allah and the Last Day," but they are not believers.

 They [think to] deceive Allah and those who believe, but they deceive not except themselves and perceive [it] not.

In their hearts is disease, so Allah has increased their disease; and for them is a painful punishment because they [habitually] used to lie.

And when it is said to them, "Do not cause corruption on the earth," they say, "We are but reformers."

Unquestionably, it is they who are the corrupters, but they perceive [it] not.

And when it is said to them, "Believe as the people have believed," they say, "Should we believe as the foolish have believed?" Unquestionably, it is they who are the foolish, but they know [it] not.

And 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 mockers."

[But] Allah mocks them and prolongs them in their transgression [while] they wander blindly.

Those are the ones who have purchased error [in exchange] for guidance, so their transaction has brought no profit, nor were they guided.

In these verses Allah swt mentions the characteristics of hypocrites. We should check ourselves as to where do we stand. We should ask ourselves:

a) Do my beliefs and actions agree with my speech?

b) Do I lie even casually?

c) Do I have any doubts in my heart about Islam?

d) Do my desires prevent me from sacrificing my time, energy and wealth in the way of Allah?

e) Does my behaviour/attitude change with the company of people?

If the answer for any of the above questions is "Yes" then we need to seek tawbah and ask Allah swt to remove hypocrisy from our hearts. In order to cleanse our hearts from any disease of  heart, we should actively seek knowledge of deen. Only knowledge of Quran can remove doubts from our hearts and make our desires subservient to the pleasure of Allah swt.

Moreover, it is very important to know that lying is a major sin and there is a painful punishment for the liars in the Hereafter. We should keep in mind that even casual joking and exaggeration are also considered as lies. According to a hadith of Prophet saw, a believer can be miser, a believer can be a coward but he/she can never be a liar. Breaking promises and betraying trusts are also characteristics of hypocrites according to another hadith. 

May Allah forgive us and cleanse our hearts from all the diseases of heart, Ameen!