As little children, we are often taught the importance of being truthful and sincere. We are told that it is morally correct to be so. Also, we are educated about the harms of being liars in this world. But how often have we, as little Muslim children, been educated about what Quran says about liars?
What Quran says about liars?
- O you who believe! Be afraid of Allaah, and be with those who are true (in word and deeds).
Ibn Katheer (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: It means: be truthful and adhere to truthfulness, and you will be among its people and will be saved from calamity, and this will make a way out for you from your problems.
- If they had been true to Allaah, it would have been better for them. [Muhammad 47:21]
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: You must be truthful, for truthfulness leads to righteousness and righteousness leads to Paradise. A man will keep speaking the truth and striving to speak the truth until he will be recorded with Allaah as a siddeeq (speaker of the truth). Beware of telling lies, for lying leads to immorality and immorality leads to Hellfire. A man will keep telling lies and striving to tell lies until he is recorded with Allaah as a liar.
- And who does more wrong than he who invents a lie against Allaah? Such will be brought before their Lord, and the witnesses will say, These are the ones who lied against their Lord! No doubt! The curse of Allaah is on the zaalimoon (polytheists, wrong-doers, oppressors, etc.). [Hood 11:18]
- Those who are faithfully true to their amaanaat (all the duties which Allaah has ordained, honesty, moral responsibility and trusts, etc.) and to their covenants. [al-Muminoon 23:8]
- And who fulfil their covenant when they make it [al-Baqarah 2:177]
- Among the believers are men who have been true to their covenant with Allaah [i.e., they have gone out for jihad (holy fighting), and showed not their backs to the disbelievers], of them some have fulfilled their obligations (i.e., have been martyred), and some of them are still waiting, but they have never changed [i.e., they never proved treacherous to their covenant which they concluded with Allaah] in the least. [al-Ahzaab 33:23]
Is it allowed to lie in some situations?
This is a tricky question. But the reality is that lying is indeed allowed in certain situations. The thumb rule remains that lying is prohibited in Islam but certain exceptions are allowed and there are plenty of Sahih Hadith which indicate this:
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: He is not a liar who reconciles between people and conveys something good or says something good.(Reported by al-Bukhaari, 2495).
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: Lying is not permitted except in three cases: a mans speaking to his wife to make her happy; lying at times of war; and lying in order to reconcile between people.(Reported by al-Tirmidhi, 1862
And Allah knows best!