Allah has blessed us with a tongue and the ability to speak. While speaking we should bear in mind that we speak the truth. Allah commands us in the Holy Qur'an:
"O believers! Be mindful of Allah, and say what is right."
[Al-Ahzab:70]
Stating the facts as they are, is truth. Speaking against the reality is a lie, Lying is one of the major sins. Prophet Muhammad (ï·º) was asked, "Can a believer be a liar?" He said, "No".
Prophet (ï·º) said, "Two things can never be found in a believer. They are: treachery and falsehood." Lying was the most hated habit in the eyes of the Prophet (ï·º). If a person spoke a lie to the Prophet, it continued to hurt him till the person repented. He declared lying as one of the characteristics of a Munafiq (hypocrite). Whenever a Munafiq speaks, he speaks a lie only.
Evil effects of lying
Lying destroys trust and confidence. A liar earns disgrace and loses all the blessings. Prophet Muhammad (ï·º) said, "The seller and the buyer have the right to keep or return goods as long as they have not parted and if both the parties spoke the truth and described the defects and qualities (of the goods), then they would be blessed in their transaction, and if they told lies or hid something, then the blessings of their transaction would be lost."
When a man lies, the angels move a mile away from him because of the bad odour of what he has produced.
During the journey of Meraj, Prophet (ï·º) saw a person whose jaws were being torn away. When he asked, "Who is this?" He was told, "He was a liar and he used to tell lies, and the people would report those lies on his authority till the lies spread all over the world." There is a great lesson in this incident for those who are fond of speaking lies, inventing false news and spreading rumours.
Lying causes destruction. It destroys virtues in the same way as fire reduces wood to ash. Lying is the root of all evils. Prophet (ï·º) said, "Falsehood leads to wickedness, which leads to the fire of Jahannam (hell), and a man continues telling lies till he is recorded a liar before Allah."
Benefits of avoiding lies
If a man gives up telling lies then he will be saved from many evils. A man came to Prophet (ï·º) and said, "O Prophet (ï·º)! I have four bad qualities. I am a fornicator, I steal, I drink wine and I tell lies. If you command then I will give up any one of these evils". Prophet (ï·º) said, "Can you promise to stop lying?" He agreed. In the night he thought of stealing, drinking wine and committing fornication but he refrained from all of them when he thought of what he would tell the Prophet (ï·º) in the morning, if asked. In the morning he came running to the Prophet (ï·º) and said, "O Messenger of Allah! By avoiding lies I got rid of all evils."
Forms of lies
We should avoid telling lies Fabricating and spreading lies, falsely accusing someone and bearing false witness against someone are most wicked acts Allah dislikes liars. Doing mistakes is not as bad as covering them up with lies.
It is not permissible to tell lies even while joking. Allah's Prophet (ï·º) said, The faith of a person is incomplete unless he avoids lying during arguments and while joking even though he may be truthful in all other matters." He also said, "Woe to him who tells things, speaking falsely, to make people laugh thereby. Woe to him! Woe to him!"
To praise somebody beyond limits is also a kind of lie, Prophet Muhammad (ï·º) has prohibited it. Abu Huraira R the Companion of Prophet (ï·º) reported that the Prophet (ï·º) asked us to put mud on the faces of those who exaggerate while praising someone.
It is not proper to lie even to children and cheat them. Narrated Abdullah Ibn Amir R : My mother called me one day when the Messenger of Allah (ï·º) was sitting in our house. She said, "Come here and I shall give you something." The Messenger (ï·º) asked her. "What did you intend to give him?" She replied, "I intended to give him some dates." Messenger of Allah said, "If you were not to give him anything, a lie would have been recorded against you."
One should also avoid passing on unfounded information and unconfirmed reports because there is a danger of spreading lies. Tongue should be lipt under control. Prophet Muhammad (ï·º) said, "Whoever can guarantee the taming of what is between his two jaw-bones and what is between his two legs (i.e. his tongue and his private parts), I guarantee paradise for him."
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Allah and his messenger knows best