the prohibition of lying.docx

7/28/2019 The prohibition of lying.docx

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The prohibition of lying:

Allaah The Almighty Says (what means): They only invent falsehood who do not believe in the verses

of Allaah, and it is those who are the liars.- *Quran 16:105+ Commenting on this verse, Ibn Katheer

said,

Allaah The Almighty informs us that His Messenger is not a liar, because lying is only the practice of the

most evil people from amongst the disbelievers and polytheists who do not believe in the verses of

Allaah The Almighty. It is such people who are known among people to be liars, while Muhammad was

the most truthful person amongst his people and the kindest to others and the most wise. He was so

truthful that his people gave him the nickname of ('The Truthful' and 'The Trustworthy'). This is why

Hercules the Roman king - asked Abu Sufyaan about this very quality saying, Was he ever known to be

a liar before claiming prophethood? to which Abu Sufyaan replied in the negative. Thereupon Hercules

said, Then he would not give up lying to people and start lying on God.

Abu Hurayrah narrated that the Prophet, said: The signs of a hypocrite are three; he lies when talking,

he breaks his promises and he deceives when entrusted *+ anyone who possesses all such qualities is a

pure hypocrite *Al-Bukhaari, Muslim].

Imaam An-Nawawi commented on this narration saying,

The sound opinion about the interpretation of this narration is that these are the qualities of

hypocrites, and the one who possesses them resembles hypocrites *+ his saying : anyone who

possesses all such qualities is a pure hypocrite means that the person very closely resembles the

hypocrites. Some scholars said that this applies to the person whose character is as such most the time,

but the one who rarely does so is not included in the description. Imaam At-Tirmithi reported that the

narration refers to practical hypocrisy according to the scholars.

The evil consequence of lying:


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A liar is warned that he is liable to be punished in both this life and the Hereafter with humiliating and

destructive punishments such as:

Instilling hypocrisy in the heart: Allaah The Almighty Says (what means): {So He penalized them

with hypocrisy in their hearts until the Day they will meet Him because they failed Allaah in what they

promised Him and because they [habitually] used to lie.} [Quran 9: 77]

Abdullaah ibn Masood said,

You can consider one as a hypocrite if you see the following three qualities: lying when talking,

breaking his promises and deceiving those who entrust him. Then he recited the verse (which means):

{And among them are those who made a covenant with Allaah, [saying], "If He should give us from His

bounty, we will surely spend in charity, and we will surely be among the righteous." But when he gave

them from His bounty, they were stingy with it and turned away while they refused. So He penalized

them with hypocrisy in their hearts until the Day they will meet Him because they failed Allaah in what

they promised Him and because they [habitually] used to lie.} [Quran 9: 75-77] [Ibn Shaybah]

Leading to evil actions and to Hell:Ibn Mas`ood reported that the Messenger of Allaah, , said:

Truthfulness leads to piety and piety leads to paradise. A man persists in speaking the truth till he is

recorded with Allaah as a truthful man. Lying leads to transgression and transgression leads to the Hell-

fire. A man continues to lie till he is recorded with Allaah as a great liar. *Al-Bukhaari and Muslim].

As-Sanaani said,

The narration indicates that truthfulness becomes a natural quality of the one who is keen to speak

only the truth, and lying becomes a natural quality of the one who is keen to lying when speaking. This is

so, because it is a type of training one does to himself until it becomes one of his characteristics. The

narration indicates the greatness of truthfulness so much so that it leads the person with such a quality

to Paradise. It also highlights how hideous lying is, that it leads the person to Hell, besides thepunishment awaiting him in this worldly life. People usually trust the words of the person known to tell

the truth and like to listen to him, contrary to the person who is known to lie

Rejecting testimony: Ibn Al-Qayyim said, Lying is one of the strongest reasons to reject the

testimony and narration of a person, because the tool itself is corrupted (tongue). This is similar to the


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testimony of a blind person regarding sighting the crescent of Ramadhaan, and the deaf for something

that he heard. A lying tongue is an organ that has become defective and stopped functioning. In fact it is

even worse, because the worst thing a person can possess is a lying tongue

Gloomy face in this life and the Hereafter: Allaah The Almighty Says (what means): {And on the Day

of Resurrection you will see those who lied about Allaah [with] their faces blackened. Is there not in Hell

a residence for the arrogant?} [Quran 39: 60] Ibn Al-Qayyim said, In the Hereafter, Allaah The Almighty

will make the gloominess on the face as a sign of those who used to lie. Lying gives the face of the liar a

gloominess that is noticed by truthful people. On the other hand, truthful people have bright and

glowing faces that make all the people who meet them love them, while the liars gloominess makes

people hate them.

Tearing of the face in the Hereafter: Samurah ibn Jundub said,

The Messenger of Allaah very often used to ask his Companions: "Has any one of you seen a strange

dream?" So dreams would be narrated to him by those whom Allaah The Almighty willed to relate. One

day he said: "Last night I had a vision in which two men (angels) came to me and woke me up and said

to me, `Proceed!' I set out with them and we came across a man lying down, and behold, another man

was standing over his head, holding a big rock. Behold, he was throwing the rock at the man's head,

smashing it. When he struck him, the stone rolled away and he went after it to get it, and no sooner had

he returned to this man, his head was healed and restored to its former condition. The thrower (of the

rock) then did the same as he had done before.

I said to my two companions, `Subhaanallaah (Glory be to Allaah)! Who are these?' They said: `Proceed,

proceed.' So we proceeded and came to a man lying in a prone position and another man standing over

his head with an iron hook, and behold, he would put the hook in one side of the man's mouth and tear

off that side of his face to the back (of the neck), and similarly tear his nose from front to back, and his

eyes from front to back. Then he turned to the other side of the man's face and did just as he has done

with the first side. He had hardly completed that (second) side when the first returned to its normal

state.

Then when he informed the Companions about the explanation of what he had seen, he said:I said to

them, `I have seen many wonders tonight. What does all that mean which I have seen?' They replied,

`We will inform you: *+ As for the man you came upon, whose sides of mouth, nostrils and eyes were

torn off from front to back, he is the symbol of the man who goes out of his house in the morning and

tells lies that are spread all over the world *Al-Bukhaari].


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Prohibition of lying and its consequences

Hadrat Abdullah bin Massod narrates that Rasulullah said Save yourself from lying

because lying leads you to major sinning and sinning leads you to hell fire. A person lies

and seeks opportunities to lie and therefor Allah destines him as a liar. (Sunnan Abu

Dawood)

Bahz bin Hakim said that my grandfather narrates that Rasulullah said There is

punishment for the one who speaks and lies so that he can make other people

laugh. There is punishment for such person. There is punishment for such person.

(Sunnan Abu Dawood)
http://www.qariqasim.com/images/wallpapers/lying-wallpaper.jpg


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Hadrat Hafs bin Asim narrates that Rasulullah said it is sufficient for a person to be

regarded as a liar if he narrates everything that he hears. (Sahih Muslim)

This hadeeth shareef prohibits all forms of making, creating, spreading and sharing off

false information. Creating false information is not only about lying but it is also about

spreading the false information about others.

A person cannot make excuses that he did not lie. Even if he exchanges information

without verification then this is also a form of lying.

What this hadeeth shareef tells us is that we have to be very careful what we tell others.

We have to be vigilant about what we hear and what we see. Not everything that we hearand see represents the truth and therefore we must not forward and share everything

that our ears hear and what our eyes see. We must verify what we hear and what we are

told. Only if it is true and can be verified then we can tell others. We do not want to fall

into the category of liars. Specially in the age of Facebook and text messaging where we

can share news and posts with each others easily, we need to ensure that what we are

sharing represents the truth.

Sharing information without verification creates a lot of problems for the person about

whom the information is shared. It causes undue stress for that person. Also it

leaves stains on the character of the person sharing the information. The person loses

his credibility and integrity. Therefore it is of paramount importance that we do not

exchange information without verification.

Hadrat Abu Huraira narrates that Rasulullah said At the end of time there willbe such

a Dajjal and liars who will narrate to you such ahadeeth that you nor your grandfathers

would have heard of. You must keep away from them and make them keep away from

you so that they are not able to misguide you and put you in fitna (Sahih Muslim).

Hadrat Abu Huraira narrates that Rasulullah said A person cannot have full Iman until

he quits lying. He must not lie even when telling jokes and must not show off even if he

deserves it. (Masnad Ahmad)


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Hadrat Samrah bin Jundub narrates that one morning Rasulullah said that last night I

saw Jibrail and Mikail in my dream. They took me by my hand and took me to holy land.

There I saw a man sitting and another standing next to him, holding an iron hook. He

smashed the iron hook into the sitting mans mouth and took it towards his neck,

tearing his body apart. He continued this procedure for long. Jibrail said that the man

was being punished because he used to lie and his lies used to spread all over the world.

Now he will receive punishment till resurrection. (Sahih Bukhari)

This is another important reminder for all of us that we must not become involved in

lying or cause other peoples lies to spread across the world. Specially during this

internet age when information can be spread across the world within seconds and

shared with millions of people, we have a moral duty to ensure false and incorrect

information is not spread by us. We dont want to be part of the group that will receiveAllahs punishment for spreading lies among the people.

When is it permissible to lie?

Lying is a major sin and it is Haram to do so. However, Allah Almighty and His blessed

Prophet has informed us of situations where lying could be allowed.

Hadrat Asma bint Yazid narrates that Rasulullah said It is not permissible to lie apart

from three situations: A husband lies to his wife so their marriage continues; telling lies

to the enemies during war; telling lies to create peace among the people. (Tirmidi)

Allama Shami writes:

Every good objective that can be achieved bytelling truth or lying, it is haram to lie to

achieve that objective. If a good objective can only be achieved by lying, it will beallowable to lie to achieve the objective if the objective was desirable.

If the objective was compulsory and it could only be achieved by lying then it would be

compulsory to lie to achieve that.


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For instance, someone saw that an innocent person was about to be murdered and he

could save him by lying, then it would be compulsory for him to lie in order to save the

innocent life. Similarly, in order to bring peace to the people, it is permitted to lie.

Likewise, if a person commits adultery or drinks alcohol and is brought to a judge, it is

permissible for the person to say that I did not do it. This is so because albeit it is

immodest to commit such sinful action, it is also immodesty to openly announce such

sinful activities.

Similarly, it is also permissible to refuse to disclose another Muslims secrets.

It should be considered whether the evil created by lying is more harmful than the

mischief created by telling the truth. If the evil created by lying is worse then themischief created by telling the truth, then a person should not lie otherwise he could do

so.

If a person is loosing his own right, it is best not to lie in this situation to protect ones

right. But if another Muslim is loosing his right, and by lying this right can be saved,

then it is important for a Muslim to lie in order to save and protect the rights of other

Muslims.

In summary, a Muslim can lie to protect his life, wealth and honour; and it is

compulsory to lie to protect another Muslims life, wealth and honour.

We cannot misuse the teachings of Islam. No one can make a habit of lying and give

excuse that Islam encourages us to lie to save our honour and the honour of others.

Permissibility of lying in poetry and in exaggeration

Exaggeration is not considered as lying. For instance, if a person says: I have come to

you thousand of times. Such talk will not be considered as lying as the person is only

meaning to say that I have come to you many times.


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The use of exaggeration can be approved through the following saying of Rasulullah:

But Abu Jahl does not take his stick off his shoulders. Here the hadeeth of Rasulullah

means to apply that Abu Jahl beats his wife a lot.

Similarly, the use of false informationis also allowed in poetry.

Tareed and Taoriyah

Majority of the Muslim jurisprudents have allowed the use of Tareed and Taoriyah in

the case of lying and giving false information. In fact, the jurisprudents comment that if

one uses Tareed or Taoriyah, he would never have to lie and commit sinful actions.

What is Tareed?

Tareed means to make a veiled reference. Not to talk about something in a direct and

clear manner but to talk about it in a vague manner.

Hadrat Imran bin Haseen narrates that Rasulullah said: Tareed (indirect talk)provides a way out from lying. Hadrat Umar said: the use of veiled reference delivers a

person from lying.

For instance, if someone wishes to propose to a woman during her iddah (the period a

woman must observe after the death of her husband or after divorce), he should not

make a direct proposal (as it is unlawful for a woman in her iddah to remarry). Instead,

he can make an indirect reference to marriage by saying I need to marry or you are

very handsome.

In summary, in our conversation when we specifically mention one person but we mean

to mention another person, then this is Tareed indirect referencing.

For instance, if a high ranking officer is always late for work and there is no one who can

reprimand him due to his high status and respect, then someone can mention to him


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that the workers are always late in here. In such conversation, the person is

mentioning the workers but he is really referring to the officer.

What is Taoriyah?

Now lets look at Taoriyah. Taoriyah means to conceal and to hint. Allama Zubaidi

writes that Taoriyah is to make something else apparent by concealing the real facts. For

instance, when Rasulullah planned to start a journey, specially to fight with other tribes,

he would not disclose his plans openly to everyone to ensure the enemies would not find

out of his plans and plan a counter attack or to prepare themselves with greater force.

He concealed his real plans with the use of Taoriyah.

Allama Tuftazani says that Taoriyah also means ambiguity. For instance, if a word has

two meanings, nearer and further or direct and indirect, and a person uses the word in

such a way that he is implying the indirect meaning, but the listener takes the direct

meaning.

There are many examples of the use of Taoriyah in Holy Quran and ahadeeth.

Prophet Ibrahim said, "I am indeed sick" (as-Saaffat 37.89)

In this verse we have to analyse what Prophet Ibrahim meant when he said that he was

sick. People from the community of Prophet Ibrahim had asked him to participate in

their religious festival. The people of Prophet Ibrahim were polytheist and Prophet

Ibrahim, being the prophet of Allah and a caller to monotheism, could not participate in

their religious activities and therefore he said that he was sick. Was this a lie? Was he

really sick or did he mean something else?

In this verse the word saqeem" has been used. What does saqeem" mean? The closer

meaning of saqeem is bodily sickness but another meaning of saqeem is spiritual

sickness. Prophet Ibrahim was not physically sick but he was spiritually sick of the

polytheistic practices of his community. His people took the more closer meaning of the


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word saqeem. They believed he was physically sick whereas Prophet Ibrahim had meant

that he was spiritually sick. Thus, this was not a lie but the use of Taoriyah.

Now carrying on with the story of Prophet Ibrahim, the people of Prophet Ibrahims

community left him behind to attend to their religious festival. Prophet Ibrahim took

this opportunity to smash all the idols placed in the temple and placed the axe on the

shoulder of the biggest idol. In the evening, people returned and saw the shocking scene

at their temple. All their idols had been torn into pieces and an axe was hanging on the

shoulder of the biggest idol. Naturally, they were shocked and furious. Instantly they

uttered that it must have been the work of Prophet Ibrahim who was a strong opponent

of idols and idol worshippers.

Prophet Ibrahim was called to the temple and asked:

They said, "Are you the one who did this to our gods, O Ibrahim? (Surah Anbiya 21.62)

Prophet Ibrahim replied:

He said: "Nay, this was done by their biggest one! ask them, if they can speak! (Surah

Aniya 21.63)

In this verse the closer meaning of the words kabeero-hom haza is this biggest idol

and the indirect meaning is the leader of the community. Prophet Ibrahim being aprophet of Allah was a leader of the community. In his answer he is indirectly referring

to himself that the leader of the community has smashed the idols. Thus Prophet

Ibrahim did not tell a lie. With the use of Taoriyah he was abel to direct the committing

of the action towards the biggest idol present in the temple. The people also believed

that he was referring to the idols and they themselves admitted that these idols could

not speak and it could not be verified if they really had broken the other idols. This was


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the way of Prophet Ibrahim to make the people think that if these idols that they

worshiped cannot speak or move then how could they be classed as gods and worshiped.

Hadrat Abu Huraira narrates that once Prophet Ibrahim and his wife, Saira, visited a

country ruled by a cruel and unjust king. The king was informed that a very handsome

lady was travelling through his country. The king ordered Prophet Ibrahim and his wife

to appear before him and once they were in his court asked Prophet Ibrahim: Who is

this lady with you? Prophet Ibrahim replied: This is my sister.

The lady with him was not his sister but his wife. Has Prophet Ibrahim lied here?

Again, we have to analyse the meaning of the word Okht" used in Prophet Ibrahims

reply.

The word okht" has two meanings. The direct meaning is blood sister and the indirect

meaning is religious sister. The king understood that Prophet Ibrahim was referring to

Hadrat Saira as blood sister but in fact Prophet Ibrahim referred to his wife as a sister of

the same faith.

These are the uses of Taoriyah where you use a word in your speech having two

meanings. The listener understands one meaning but you are implying the apposite

meaning. Lying does not take place as you do not give false information in your speech.

Allama Shami writes that it is permissible to use Taoriyah and Tareed for the right

intention, such as in light-hearted humour, just as Rasulullah has said: Old ladies will

not enter paradise meaning that everyone is paradise will be young.

In summary, the verses of the Holy Quran, the sayings of Rasulullah, the actions of the

Sahaba and the writings of the scholars permit that in situations that require us to lie,

we could use Taoriyah and Tareed to avoid lying.

In particular situations it is permissible to lie, such as to save ones life, wealth and

honour. Similarly, it is compulsory to lie to save another Muslims life, wealth and

honour. If this can be achieved through Taoriyah, it is preferred to do so with Taoriyah.


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A Muslim has a choice to lie to protect his own life, wealth and honour. But he does not

have a choice to do the same for others. Rather it is compulsory for a Muslim to protect

others matters even if it requires lying.


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Allah Almighty tells about the source of lying inside the brain of humans,

fourteen hundred years ago. Allah tells us how He will deal with the liars, the

lying sinful liars, in surah Al Alaq. (chpater 96).

"Allah will grab him by the (naseyah) [frontal lobe of the brain], the

lying sinful (naseyah).

How could anyone have imagined 1,400 years ago, the frontal lobe of the brain

was the source of lying, agression and transgression? Yet, this is decribed inQuran as the exact location inside of the human mind for these horrible

characteristics.

We can say, without doubt that, lying is one of the most evil characteristics, of

which all religions and systems of ethics warn against and which man's innate

common sense (Fitrah) agrees that it is wrong. Any who possess normal chivalry

and sound reason would be obliged to same the same.

Truthfulness is one of the pillars on which the moral survival of the worlddepends. It is the foundation of praiseworthy characteristics, the foundation of

prophethood, the result of taqwah. Were it not for truthfulness, the rulings of all

divinely-revealed laws would collapse. Acquiring the characteristic of lying isakin to shedding one's humanity, because speaking is an exclusively human trait.

(Bareeqah Mahmoodiyyah, Muhammad al-Khaadimi, 3/183)

Our purely monotheistic Shari'ah warns against lying in the Quran and Sunnah,

and there is consensus that it is haram. The liar will have bad consequences inthis world and in the next.

According to Shari'ah, lying is not permitted except in specific cases which donot lead to loss of rights, bloodshed or slander of peoples honor, etc., but whichconcern saving lives, reconciling between people, or creating love between

husband and wife.

There is a never a day or a moment when Shari'ah permits a person to tell lies or

to say whatever he wants based on lies. One of the things that have becomewidespread among the common people is the so called April Fools Day,where they claim that the first day of the fourth solar month is a day when lying

is permitted without being subject to any shari'ah guidelines.

Many bad things may result from this, some of which we will mention below.

The prohibition of lying.

1. Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):


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It is only those who believe not in the Ayah (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons,

signs, revelati ons, etc.) of All ah, who f abricate falsehood, and it is they who are

liars."

[al-Nahl 16:105]

Ibn Kathir said:

Then Allah tells us that His Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be uponhim) is not a fabricator or a liar, because only the most evil of people who do

not believe in the signs of Allah, the kafirs and heretics who are known

amongst the people for telling lies, tell lies about Allah and HisMessenger(peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). The Messenger

Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was the most truthful

of people, the most righteous, the most perfect in knowledge, action, faith

and certain belief. He was known amongst his people for his truthfulness;

none of them doubted that, to such an extent that he was known amongstthem as al-Ameen (the trustworthy)Muhammad.

So, when Heraclius, the ruler of Rome, asked Abu Sufyan about the

characteristics of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah beupon him), one of the things he asked was, Did you ever accuse him of lying

before he said what he said? He said,No.Heraclius said: If he refrainedfrom telling lies about people he would not go and tell lies about Allah

(Tafseer Ibn Kathir, 2/588)

2. It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah that the Prophet (peace and blessings ofAllah be upon him) said: The signs of the hypocrite are three: when he

speaks, he lies; when he makes a promise, he breaks it; and when he is

entrusted with something, he betrays that trust.

(Narrated by al-Bukhari, 33; Muslim, 59)

al-Nawawi said:

What the commentators and most of the scholars said which is correctis thatthis means that these characteristics are the characteristics of hypocrisy, and the

one who has these characteristics resembles the hypocrites in this sense."

The words of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), He is apure hypocrite mean that he strongly resembles the hypocrites because of thesecharacteristics.

Some of the scholars said: this is concerning one in whom these characteristics

predominate; one in whom these characteristics rarely appear is not included in


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this. This is the favored view concerning the meaning of this hadeeth. Imam Abu

Eesa al-Tirmidhi (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated this meaning fromthe scholars and said: The meaning of this according to the scholars is hypocrisyin one's actions.

(Sharh Muslim, 2/46-47)

The most evil kinds of lies are:

1. Lies told about Allah and His Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be

upon him).

This is the most serious kind of lie, and the one who does this is subject to a

severe warning. Some of the scholars said that the one who does this is to bedenounced as a kafir.

Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):

Say: Verily, those who invent a lie against Allah will never be successful

[Yunus 10:69]

It was narrated that Ali (may Allah be pleased with him): The Prophet (peaceand blessings of Allah be upon him) said: Do not tell lies about me. Whoevertells lies about me, let him enterthe Fire.

(Narrated by al-Bukhari, 106).

It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the

Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: Whoever tells liesabout me, let him take his place in Hell.

(narrated by al-Bukhari, 110; Muslim, 3).

Ibn al-Qayyim said:

Whoever tells lies about me, let him take his place in Hell, i.e., let him takehis place in Hell where he will abide and settle; it is not like a manzil or camp

where he stays for a while and then moves on.

(Tareeq al-Hijratayn, p. 169)

Lying also includes lies told about or to other people, such as

2. Lying in buying and selling.


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It was narrated from Abu Dharr (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet

(peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: There are three to whom Allahwill not speak on the Day of Resurrection and He will not look at them or praisethem, and they will have a painful torment. The Messenger of Allah (peace andblessings of Allah be upon him) repeated this three times. Abu Dharr said: May

they be doomed and lost, who are they, O Messenger of Allah? He said, Theone who lets his garment hang below his ankles, the one who reminds others ofhis favors, and the one who disposes of his goods by swearing a false oath.

(Narrated by Muslim, 106)

It was narrated that Hakim ibn Hizaam (may Allah be pleased with him) said:

The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: Thetwo parties involved in a transaction have the option [of canceling it] until they

part. If they are honest and truthful, their transaction will be blessed for them andif they conceal something and tell lies, the blessing of their transaction will be

wiped out.


Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymeeyah said:

Allah has enjoined truthfulness and honesty, and He has forbidden lies andconcealment with regard to matters which should be known and revealed to

people, as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said in a

hadeeth whose authenticity is agreed upon: The two parties involved in atransaction have the option [of canceling it] until they part. If they are honest and

truthful, their transaction will be blessed for them and if they conceal somethingand tell lies, the blessing of their transaction will be wiped out. And Allah says(interpretation of the meaning):

O you who believe! Stand out firmly for Allah as just witnesses; and let not theenmity and hatred of others make you avoid justice. Be just: that is nearer topiety

[al-Ma'idah 5:8].

(Minhaj al-Sunnah, 1/16)

3. The prohibition on lying about visions and dreams

This refers to when some of them claim to have seen such and such in a dream,

but they are not telling the truth, then in the morning he starts to tell the people

something that he did not see.

It was narrated from Ibn Abbaas that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah


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be upon him) said: Whoever tells of a dream that he did not see will becommanded [on the Day of Resurrection] to tie two grains of barley together, buthe will never be able to do it. Whoever eavesdrops on peoples conversationwhen they dislike thator they try to get away from him - will have moltencopper poured in his ears in the Day of Resurrection. And whoever makes an

image will be punished and will be told to breathe life into it, and he will not beable to do so.

(Narrated by al-Bukhari, 6635)

Al-Manawi said:

totie two grains of barley together, but he will never be able to do it because tying one to the other is not possible ordinarily. He will be punished

until he does that, and he will never be able to do it. It is as if he is saying that hewill be enjoined to do something that he can never do, and is being punished for

it. This is a metaphor for continuous punishment The reason why barley(shaeer) is mentioned specifically is because dreams are connected to feelings(shuoor); the words shaeer (barley)and shuoor (feelings) come from the sameroot in Arabic.

The punishment for that is so severeeven though lies when awake may causemore damage, because they may involve testimony that may lead to execution or

a hadd punishmentbecause lying about a dream is a lie about Allah, may He beexalted, for dreams are a part of Prophethood, so they come from Him, and lying

about the Creator is worse than lying about created beings.

(Fayd al-Qadeer, 6/99)

4. The prohibition of speaking about everything that one hears

It was narrated that Hafsa ibn Aasim said: The Messenger of Allah (peace andblessings of Allah be upon him) said: It is sufficient lying for a man to speak ofeverything that he hears.

(Narrated by Muslim, 5)

With regard to the meanings of the hadeeth and reports on this topic, they

discourage speaking about everything that one hears. For usually a person willhear both true things and lies, so if he were to speak of everything that he hears,

he would be lying, by telling of something that did not happen. We have stated

above the view of the people of truth: that lying means telling of something in amanner other than the way it happened. It is not conditional upon it being done

deliberately, but its being done deliberately is a condition of it being a sin. AndAllah knows best.


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(Sharh Muslim, 1/75)

5. Lying in jest

Some people think that it is permissible to tell lies if it is in jest. This is the

excuse that they use for telling lies on April 1st or on other days. This is wrong.There is no basis for this in the pure Shari'ah. Lying is haram. whether the one

who does it is joking or is serious.

Lying in jest is haram. just like other kinds of lies.

It was narrated that Ibn Umar said: The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allahbe upon him) said, I joke, but I speak nothing but the truth.

(narrated by al-Tabarani in al-Mujam al-Kabeer, 12/391)

This hadeeth was classed as hasan by al-Haythami in Majma al-Zawaaid, 8/89,and classed as saheeh by Shaykh al-Albaani (may Allah have mercy on him) inSaheeh al-Jami, 2494)

It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah said: They said, O Messenger of Allah, youjoke with us. He said, But I only speak the truth.

(narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 1990)

Abu Eesa said: this is a saheeh hasan hadeeth.

A similar hadeeth was narrated by al-Tabarani in al-Awsat (8/305) and classed ashasan by al-Haythami in Majma al-Zawaaid, 9/17

Abd al-Rahman ibn Abi Laylaa said: the companions of the Messenger of Allah(peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) told us that they were traveling with

the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). A manamong them fell asleep and some of them went and took his arrows. When the

man woke up, he got alarmed (because his arrows were missing) and the peoplelaughed. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, What areyou laughing at? They said, Nothing, except that we took the arrows and he gotalarmed. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)

said: It is notpermissible for a Muslim to frighten another Muslim.

(Narrated by Abu Dawood, 5004; Ahmad, 22555this version narrated byAhmad).

This hadeeth was classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Jami, 7658)

It was narrated from Abd-Allaah ibn al-Sa'ib ibn Yazeed from his father from


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his grandfather that he heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of

Allah be

This hadeeth was classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Jami, 7658)

It was narrated from Abd-Allaah ibn al-Sa'ib ibn Yazeed from his father fromhis grandfather that he heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings ofAllah be upon him) say: None of you should take the belongings of his brother,whether in jest or otherwise. Whoever has taken the stick of his brother, let him

return it.

(Narrated by Abu Dawood, 5003; al-Tirmidhi, 2160 in brief)

The hadeeth was classed as hasan by Shaykh al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Jami,7578

6. Lying when playing with children

We must beware of lying when playing with children, because that will bewritten down (in the record of deeds of) the one who that. The Messenger of

Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) warned against doing that. Itwas narrated that Abd-Allaah ibn Aamir (may Allah be pleased with him) said:My mother called me one day when the Messenger of Allah (peace andblessings of Allah be upon him) was sitting in our house. She said, Come here,and I will give you (something). The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessingsof Allah be upon him) said, What do you want to give him? She said, I willgive him a date. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon

him) said: If you had not given him something, you would have been lying.

And it was narrated that Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) said:

The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:Whoever says to a child, Come here and take this, then does not give himsomething, this is counted as a lie.

(Narrated by Abu Dawood, 4991)

This hadeeth was classed as hasan by Shaykh al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Jami,1319.

7. Lying to make people laugh

It was narrated that Muaawiyah ibn Haydah said: I heard the Prophet (peaceand blessings of Allah be upon him) say: Woe to the one who talks to make thepeople laugh and tells lies, woe to him, woe to him.

(narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 235. He said: this is a hasan hadeeth. Also narrated by


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Abu Dawood, 4990).

The punishment for lying:

The liar is warned of destructive punishment in this world, and humiliating

punishment in the Hereafter. These include:

1. Hypocrisy in the heart.


So He punished them by putting hypocrisy into their hearts till the Day whereonthey shall meet Him, because they broke that (covenant with Allah) which they

had promised to Him and because they used to tell lies

[al-Tawbah 9:77]

Abd-Allaah ibn Masood said: You may know the hypocrite by three things:when he speaks, he lies; when he makes a promise, he breaks it; and when he isentrusted with something he betrays that trust.. He said: Recite this ayah(interpretation of the meaning):

And of them are some who made a covenant with Allah (saying): If Hebestowed on us of His Bounty, we will verily, give Sadaqah (Zakaah and

voluntary charity in Allah's Cause) and will be certainly among those who arerighteous.

Then when He gave them of His Bounty, they became niggardly [refused to paythe Sadaqah (Zakaah or voluntary charity)], and turned away, averse.

So He punished them by putting hypocrisy into their hearts till the Day whereonthey shall meet Him, because they broke that (covenant with Allah) which they

had promised to Him and because they used to tell lies

[al-Tawbah 9:75-77].

(Musanaaf Ibn Abi Shaybah, 6/125)

2. Guidance to evildoing and to the Fire

It was narrated that Abd-Allaah ibn Masood said:

The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:Truthfulness is righteousness, and righteousness leads to Paradise. A person willcontinue to tell the truth until he is written with Allah as one who tells the truth.Lying is evildoing, and evildoing leads to Hell. A person will keep on telling lies


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until he is written as a liar.


al-Sanaani said:

This hadeeth indicates that whoever continues to speak the truth, it will become afeature of his, and whoever deliberately tells lies and persists in it, it will become

a feature of his. This is the same as any other good or evil characteristic, if a

person persists in it, it becomes a feature of his.

This hadeeth indicates how serious the matter of telling the truth is, and that it

may lead a person to Paradise, and it indicates how ugly lying is and how it may

lead a person to Hell. This is in addition to the consequences in this world, forthe one who tells the truth will have his words accepted by people, and his

testimony will be accepted by judges and he will be liked for what he says,

whereas for the liar the opposite will be the case.

Subul al-Salaam, 2/687

3. His testimony will be rejected

Ibn al-Qayyim said:

[The reason why the testimony of the liar is rejected]

The strongest reason why testimonies, Fatwas and reports may be rejected is

lying, because it corrupts the very essence of the testimony, Fatwa or report. It islike the testimony of a blind man concerning sighting the new moon, or the

testimony of a deaf man concerning having heard the admission of someone. The

lying tongue is like some faculty that is no longer working, indeed it is evenworse than that, for the most evil thing a man may possess is a lying tongue.

Alaam al-Muwaqqieen, 1/95

4. Blackening of the face in this world and in the Hereafter


And on the Day of Resurrection you will see those who lied against Allah (i.e.attributed to Him sons, partners) their faces will be black" [al-Zumar 39:60]

Ibn al-Qayyim said:

Hence on the Day of Resurrection Allah will make blackened faces the sign ofthe one who told lies about Him and His Messenger. Lying has a great effect in


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blackening the face and covering it with a mask of shame which every truthful

person will be able to see. The feature of the liar is clearly visible in the face, and

everyone who has the eyes to see can see it. But Allah will bless the truthfulperson with dignity and respect, so whoever sees him will respect him and love

him, and He will give the liar humiliation and shame, so whoever sees him will

loathe him and despise him. And Allah is the Source of strength.

Alaam al-Muwaqqieen, 1/95

5. The liar will have the flesh of his cheeks torn to the back of his head

It was narrated that Samurah ibn Jundub (may Allah have mercy on him) said:

The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) often usedto say to his companions, Has anyone among you seen a dream? Then whoeverAllah willed would tell of his dream. One day he said to us, Two (angels) cameto me last night and woke me up, then they said to me, Lets go! so we set

out and came to a man who was lying flat on his back and another man standingover his head with an

iron hook, and behold, he would put the hook in one side of the man's mouth and

tear off that side of his face to the back (of the neck) and similarly tear his nosefrom front to back and his eye from front to back. Then he turned to the other

side of the man's face and did just as he had done with the other side. Hardly had

he completed this side when the first side was restored to its normal state. Thenhe went back and did that all over again. I said to my two companions, 'Subhaan

Allah! Who are these two persons?' They said to me, Move on, move on!' (Thenhe said, describing how the two angels explained the things that he had seen):

As for the man you came across, the sides of whose mouth, nostrils and eyeswere being torn off from front to back, he is the symbol of the man who goes outof his house in the morning and tells so many lies that it spreads all over theworld.

(Narrated by al-Bukhari, 5745)

The comments of the Salaf on lying:

1. Abd-Allaah ibn Masood said: A man may speak the truth and persist indoing so until there is in his heart not even room for evil the size of a needle. Or

a man may tell lies and persist in doing so until there is in his heart not evenroom for truth the size of a needle.

2. And it was narrated that he said: It is not correct to tell lies whether in jest orin seriousness, then Abd-Allaah recited the ayah (interpretation of themeaning):

O you who believe! Fear Allah, and be with those who are true (in words and


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deeds)

[al-Tawbah 9:119]

3. Abu Bakr al-Siddeeq said: Beware of lying, for it has nothing to do with

faith.

4. It was narrated that Sad ibn Abi Waqqas said: The believer may acquire allsorts of characteristics except treachery and lying.

5. It was narrated that Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: True faith isnot achieved until one gives up lying in jest.

(Musanaaf Ibn Abi Shaybah, 5/235, 236)

Permissible kinds of lies

Lying is permissible in three cases: war; reconciling between two disputing

parties; and a husband lying to his wife or vice versa for the sake of love andharmony.

It was narrated from Umm Kalthum Bint Uqbah that she heard the Messenger ofAllah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) say: He is not a liar whoreconciles between people and narrates something good or says somethinggood.


It was narrated that Asma Bint Yazeed said: The Messenger of Allah (peaceand blessings of Allah be upon him) said: It is not permissible to tell lies exceptin three (cases): when a man speaks to his wife in a way to please her; lying inwar; and lying in order to reconcile between people.

(Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 1939)

This hadeeth was classed as hasan by Shaykh al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Jami,7723


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