Reflection

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

Allah, The Most High, said:

وَإِذۡ أَخَذۡنَا مِنَ ٱلنَّبِيِّـۧنَ مِيثَـٰقَهُمۡ وَمِنكَ وَمِن نُّوحٍ۬ وَإِبۡرَٲهِيمَ وَمُوسَىٰ وَعِيسَى ٱبۡنِ مَرۡيَمَ‌ۖ وَأَخَذۡنَا مِنۡهُم مِّيثَـٰقًا غَلِيظً۬ا
لِّيَسۡـَٔلَ ٱلصَّـٰدِقِينَ عَن صِدۡقِهِمۡ‌ۚ وَأَعَدَّ لِلۡكَـٰفِرِينَ عَذَابًا أَلِيمً۬ا

And (remember) when We took from the Prophets their covenant, and from you (O Muhammad ), and from Nuh (Noah), Ibrahim (Abraham), Musa (Moses), and ‘Iesa (Jesus), son of Maryam (Mary). We took from them a strong covenant. That He may ask the truthful about their truth. [Al-Ahzaab. 7-8]

لِّيَسۡـَٔلَ ٱلصَّـٰدِقِينَ عَن صِدۡقِهِمۡ‌ۚ

That He may ask the truthful about their truth.

Imam Ibn Al-Qayyim, may Allah have mercy upon him, said:

When it is the case that the truthful ones will be brought to account regarding their truthfulness, then what would one think about the liars? [1]

Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her said:

“There was no behaviour more hateful to Allāh’s Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, than lying. A man would tell a lie when speaking in the presence of the Prophet, and he would not be satisfied until he knew that he had repented from it”. [2]

Allāh’s Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:

“You must be truthful. Verily, truthfulness leads to righteousness and righteousness leads to Paradise. A man continues to be truthful and seeks to be truthful until he is recorded in the sight of Allah as a truthful one. And beware of lying. Verily, lying leads to wickedness and wickedness leads to the Hellfire. A man continues to tell lies and seeks to tell lies until he is recorded in the sight of Allah as a liar”. [3]

Abdullah Ibn Umar, may Allah be pleased with him and his father, reported that Allah’s Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:

“When Allah gathers the earlier and later generations on the Day of Resurrection, He will raise a banner for every treacherous person and it will be announced that this is the treachery of this person, the son of this person”. [4]

Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated that Allah’s Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:

“Whoever does not abandon false speech and acting on it, and behaving ignorantly, Allah has no need for him abandoning his food and drink”. [5]

Samura bin Jundub, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated that the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:

“I saw (in a dream), two men came to me.” Then the Prophet narrated the story (saying), “They said, ‘The person, the one whose cheek you saw being torn away (from the mouth to the ear) was a liar and used to tell lies and the people would report those lies on his authority till they spread all over the world. So he will be punished like that till the Day of Resurrection.”[6]

Allah’s Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said: “Woe to him who says things (while lying) to make people laugh thereby. Woe to him! Woe to him!” [7]

Al-Munaawee, may Allah have mercy upon him, said:

He (the Prophet) repeated it to announce the intensity of his (this person’s) ruin because lying by itself is the head of every blameworthy matter and the gatherer of every disgrace. Thus, when the initiation of laughing is added to it, which kills the heart, causing heedlessness and carelessness, it becomes the most repugnant of repugnant things. Thus, the wise people said: “Initiating things that make people laugh out of frivolity is the height of repugnance”. [8]

Allah’s Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said: “It is enough of a lie for a man to narrate everything he hears”. [9]

Imam Abu Hatim (Imam Ibn Hibban) – may Allah have mercy upon him him – said:

This narration contains a rebuke that a person should not speak about everything he hears until he knows whether it is authentic or not, then he speaks about it. He should not speak about that which is not authentic. [10]

Allah’s Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:

“When the son of Adam wakes up in the morning, all the limbs humble themselves before the tongue and say, ‘Fear Allah for our sake, (for) we are with you; if you are upright, we will be upright; and if you are crooked, we will become crooked’”. [11]

Allah’s Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:

“Whoever can guarantee (the chastity of) what is between his two jaw bones and what is between his two legs (i.e. his mouth, his tongue, and his private parts), I guarantee Paradise for him”. [12]

Allah’s Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:

Verily, the worst act of usury is to attack the honour of a Muslim without a just cause. [13]

Meaning: The greater in evil and the more strictly prohibited is to unleash your tongue against the honour of a Muslim by insulting him, acting haughtily towards him, and speaking ill of him through abusive language or slander. This becomes a stricter prohibition because honour is more valuable than wealth.

“Without a just cause“. This shows there are instances in which it is allowed to refer to someone negatively by using language like “such and such is an oppressor or transgressor” or “such and such is an innovator (in religious affairs) and an open sinner” in order to warn others is allowed. [14]

This has been referred to as usury because the transgressor receives his honour and then goes above and beyond it as if he has added an increase that encroaches on the boundaries in regard to the honour of a Muslim, which is more valuable than his wealth. According to At-Teebee, may Allah have mercy upon him:

From the standpoint of emphasis, honour is included in the categories of wealth. Usury is classified into two types: that which is conventional and is described as what is added to debts, and that which is not unconventional, such as verbally disparaging someone’s honour.

Al-Qaadhee, may Allah have mercy upon him, said:

‘Violating a Muslim’s honour means dealing with him more than he deserves of what is to be said about him, or more than is permitted to be said about him, which is why it is compared to usury and regarded as one of its types. Then it is considered to be worse because it contains more harm and is more serious in corruption. [15]

Abdullah Bin Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him and his father, said:

Abu Sufyan bin Harb informed me [i.e. about an incident that took place when he was not a Muslim] that Heraclius had sent a messenger to him while he had been accompanying a caravan from Quraish. They were merchants doing business in Sham (Syria, Palestine, Lebanon, and Jordan), at the time when Allah’s Apostle had a truce with Abu Sufyan and Quraish infidels. So Abu Sufyan and his companions went to Heraclius at Ilya (Jerusalem).

Heraclius called them in the court and he had all the senior Roman dignitaries around him. He called for his translator who, translating Heraclius’s question said to them, “Who amongst you is closely related to that man who claims to be a Prophet?” Abu Sufyan replied, “I am the nearest relative to him (amongst the group).” Heraclius said, ‘Bring him [i.e. Abu Sufyan] close to me and make his companions stand behind him.” Abu Sufyan added, that Heraclius told his translator to tell my companions that he wanted to put some questions to me regarding that man (The Prophet) and that if I told a lie they (my companions) should contradict me.” Abu Sufyan added, “By Allah! Had I Not Been Afraid of my companions labelling me a liar, I would not have spoken the truth about him [i.e. The Prophet]. [Sahih Al-Bukhari. Hadith umber 7]

Regarding Abu Sufyan’s statement: “By Allah! Had I not been afraid of my companions labelling me a liar, I would not have spoken the truth about him (i.e. The Prophet)”;

Al-Hafidh Ibn Hajr, may Allah have mercy upon him, stated in Fat-hul Baari that this shows that they (i.e. the pagan Arabs) used to abhor lying either due to what they followed from the previously revealed laws [i.e. the Shariah of Prophets Ibrahim and Isma’eel – peace be upon them] or it was something abhorred in their customs. [16]

Imam Ibn al-Mubarak, may Allah have mercy upon him, said:

“Hadith is written (acquired) from everyone except four: one who often makes mistakes and does not retract, a liar, a person of vain desires who calls others to his Bidah, and a man who does not preserve (memorise what he hears) and then narrates from memory”. [17]

Yunus Ibn Ubayd, may Allah have mercy upon him, said:

“Indeed, you see a man fasting a lot, abstaining from the forbidden matters and praying the night prayer, then he testifies to falsehood in the morning.” [18]

Imam Malik, may Allah have mercy upon him, said:

“Know that a man who relates everything he hears is not safe, and he can never be an Imam, if he narrates everything he hears”. [19]

Sulayman ibn Sa’d, may Allah have mercy upon him, said:

“If a man were to accompany me and say: “Set one trait as a condtion to be my companion and do not exceed i”, I would say, “Do not lie to me.” [20]

Ahnaf Bin Qays, may Allah have mercy upon him, said:

Two things can never coexist: lying and possessing a sense of honour”. [21]

Al-Maawardee, may Allah have mercy upon him, said:

Lying is the source of all evil and the foundation of every reproach due to its ramifications, and evil outcomes, since indeed, it leads to tale-carrying, enmity, and enmity leads to animosity, and there is neither safety nor peace of mind. Due to this, it is said: “The one who is rarely truth will have few friends”. [22]

Muttarrif ibn Abdillah, may Allah have mercy upon him, said:

“It would not please me if I utter a lie, even if I were to receive the entire world and what it contains.”  [23]

Mamar reported from Asim from Abu Al-Aliyah, may Allah have mercy upon them, who said:

“You (people) perform more (optional) prayers and fasting than those before you, however lying indeed flows upon your tongues”. [24]

Yazeed ibn Maysarah, may Allah have mercy on him, said:

“Lying feeds every evil, just as water feeds the roots of trees”. [25]

Abdur-Raḥmān ibn Yazīd ibn Jābir said:

Once we were with Rajāʾ ibn Ḥaywah, then we began reminding one another about showing gratitude for (Allah’s) blessings, so he said: ‘There is no one who can truly fulfill gratitude (to Allah) due to blessings’. And behind us there was a man with a cloak over his head, who said: ‘Not even the Amīr al-Muʾminīn)?’ We said: ‘We said: ‘The Amīr al-Muʾminīn has not been mentioned (specifically) here, rather, we are speaking in general — about any person!’ He (Abdur Rahman) said: ‘Our attention was diverted from him, then Rajā turned to notice his presence but could not see him, so he said, ‘The one who was wearing the cloak came to you. If you are called to swear by Allah, swear by Allah (truthfully)’.

He (Abdur Rahman) said: ‘It was not long before a guard of his (i.e. the Amīr al-Muʾminīn) approached him’. He (the Amīr al-Muʾminīn) said: ‘O Rajā! The Amīr al-Muʾminīn is mentioned, and you did not defend him (or support him)?’ He (Rajā) said: ‘O Amīr al-Muʾminīn! What is the matter about?’ He said: ‘You mentioned showing gratitude for (Allah’s) blessings and said: ‘There is no one who can truly fulfill gratitude (to Allah) due to blessings’ and it was said to you, ‘Not even the Amīr al-Muʾminīn?’ And you said: ‘Amīr al-Muʾminīn is just a man like others!’ Rajāʾ replied: ‘That did not happen'(i.e. you were not specified as the one intended regarding this discussion). He said, ‘By Allah'(i.e. you did not mean this?) Rajāʾ said: ‘By Allah’. So, he (Amīr al-Muʾminīn) commanded that the man who transmitted the (rumour) be whipped seventy lashes. I exited and the man was covered in his own blood. Then he said: ‘You are Rajā ibn Ḥaywah and this happens because of you?!’ He (Rajā) said: ‘Seventy lashes on your back are better than (spilling) a believer’s blood’. Ibn Jābir said: ‘Thereafter, whenever Rajā sat in a gathering, he would say while looking around, ‘Beware of the man who wore the cloak’”. [26]

The reality of lying is to give news of something in opposition to the true state of affairs. This transmission of news is not limited to speech, rather it can be through action, such as making an indication with one’s hand or nodding one’s head and it can be through silence. It is said that the liar is  a thief, because the thief deceives you with regards to your wealth and the liar deceives you with regards to your intellect. [27]

Imam Ibn Hibban, may Allah have mercy upon him, said:

Indeed, Allah, the Exalted and Most High, favoured the tongue over all other limbs, raised its status and demonstrated its virtue given that- among all the limbs- He (gave it the prestige) to utter (articulate) His Oneness. Therefore, a sensible person should not engage a tool, which Allah created to utter (proclaim) His Oneness, in lies. Instead, it is obligated to him to constantly nurture it by adhering to truthfulness and to what benefits him in both abodes (this life and the next). This is because the tongue necessitates what it is accustomed to; if truthfulness, it will (utter) truthfulness, and if lying, it will (utter) lies. [28]

Imam An-Nawawi, may Allah have mercy upon him, said:

The texts of the Qur’an and Sunnah are abundant regarding the general prohibition of lying. It is one of the repugnant sins and immoral flaws. The consensus of the Ummah (the Scholars) is firmly established regarding its prohibition alongside the abundant texts (on the subject matter). [29]

Imam Ibn Al-Qayyim, may Allah have mercy upon him said:

Beware of kadhib, as it corrupts one’s ability to teach people and illustrate information based on how it should actually be. The liar presents what is present as something non-existent and what is non-existent as something present; misrepresents the truth as being something false and falsehood as being something true; misrepresents the good and the evil, so he corrupts his conception and knowledge, which subsequently results in his punishment. Then he portrays what is not true to the one who has been duped by him – the one who is drawn to him – and therefore corrupts his conception and knowledge.

The soul of the liar turns away from existing reality, preferring the non-existent, and falsehood. And when his conception and knowledge is corrupted, which is the basis of every wilfully chosen deed, his deeds become corrupt and marked by lies, so those deeds would emanate from him just as lies emanate from the tongue- neither benefits from his tongue nor his deeds (i.e. in relation to the specific affair). Because of this, lying serves as the foundation of immorality, as the Prophet [peace and blessings of Allah be upon him] said, “Indeed, lies lead to immorality (or wickedness), and indeed, immorality (or wickedness) leads to the fire.” [Al-Bukhari 2606/2607]

Lies first emerge from the heart and then on the tongue, corrupting it; then they transfer to the limbs and corrupt their deeds, just as they corrupt statements of the tongue. As a result, lying prevails over his utterances, deeds, and state of affairs; corruption gets deeply ingrained in him, and its disease leads to destruction if Allah does not grant him recovery with the medication of truthfulness, which uproots the source (or basis) of the lies. This is why the basis of all deeds of the heart is truthfulness, and the basis of their opposites is lies, such as boasting, self-amazement, pride, being glad (with ungratefulness to Allah’s Favours), conceitedness, boastfulness, insolence, weakness, laziness, cowardice, disgrace, and others.

Every righteous deed, whether done privately or publicly, is founded on truthfulness. And the source of every corrupt deed, whether private or public, is lies. Allah punishes the liar by preventing him (i.e. due to his own chosen evil) from those things that will bring him well-being and benefit, while He rewards the truthful one by granting him the ability to attain the beneficial things of the worldly life and Afterlife. There is nothing comparable to truthfulness in terms of how it brings about the affairs of well-being in this life and the next, and there is nothing comparable to lying in terms of how it corrupts and harms one’s worldly and Afterlife affairs.

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَكُونُوا مَعَ الصَّادِقِينَ

O you who believe! Be afraid of Allah, and be with those who are true (in words and deeds) [9:119]

هَٰذَا يَوْمُ يَنْفَعُ الصَّادِقِينَ صِدْقُهُمْ ۚ

This is a Day on which the truthful will profit from their truth. [5:119]

فَإِذَا عَزَمَ الْأَمْرُ فَلَوْ صَدَقُوا اللَّهَ لَكَانَ خَيْرًا لَهُمْ

And when the matter (preparation for Jihad) is resolved on, then if they had been true to Allah, it would have been better for them. [47:21] [30]

Imam Ibn Al-Qayyim, may Allah have mercy upon him, said:

When a proof that supports the truth is manifested and the one who wants to repel it finds no way of doing so, he refrains from mentioning it, thus becomes a silent devil, and sometimes he distorts it. Distortion is of two types -distorting words and meanings.

Distorting words occur when one utters a word in a context in which it does not establish the truth – either adding to the word, omitting something from it, or substituting it with something else to the extent that the listener is made to believe something, while something else is intended, just as the Yahud [i.e. those Yahud who disbelieved in the Prophet and hated him in Madinah] used to distort words when giving Salam to the Prophet [i.e. saying As-Saamu Alayka (death be upon you), instead of saying Assalaamu alaykum)]. This is one type of distortion.

The second type of distortion is related to meanings – distorting the wording, giving it an interpretation that is not intended by the one who uttered it and pretending not to know its unintended meaning; or dropping other meanings intended by it.  [31]

Al-Allamah Rabee Bin Hadi Al-Mad’khali, may Allah have mercy upon him, said:

لا يجوز الكذب لا على كفار ولا على أهل بدع، ولا على أحد، لا يجوز، تفتري على أحد تقول فلان فيه وفيه والجماعة الفلانية فيها وفيها، نعوذ بالله، لا يجوز، نحن نبين ما عندهم من الضلال ننقله من كتبهم أو من الوسائل الأخرى بالحرف، ثم نناقشها علميا، هذا الذي نفعله، ونسأل الله أن كل السلفيين يفعل هذا، ولا نرى أبدا، ونعوذ بالله، لا نرى لمسلم أن يفتري على مسلم أو كافر أبدا

It is neither permissible to lie, neither about disbelievers nor about the people of Bidah, nor anyone.

It is not permissible to fabricate (things) about anyone, saying “so-and-so has this and that,” or “such-and-such group has this and that.” We seek refuge in Allah, it is not permissible.

We clarify (or elucidate) that which is with them of misguidance, quoting it from their books or other sources word for word, then we discuss it based on knowledge. This is what we do, and we ask Allah that all the Salafis do this.

We seek refuge in Allah; we never see (as permissible for a) Muslim to fabricate lies about (another) Muslim or a disbeliever, never. [32]

Al-Allamah Rabee bin Hadi Al-Mad’khali, may Allah have mercy upon him, said:

Through him [Muhammad – peace and blessings of Allah be upon him], Allah removed us from the darkness of Shirk, indecency, Bidah, evil deeds and bad manners – lying, deceit, quackery, trickery, etc. And He (purified us) with pure (Islamic) monotheism and strong, sincere Iman. He nurtured us upon truthfulness, took the oath of allegiance from us that we speak the truth wherever we may be, and warned us against lies and evil deeds.

And from the recompense for a liar is that which has been reported from the noble Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him- the person of high moral character – who said: “I saw (in a dream) – two men came to me.” Then the Prophet said, “They said, ‘The person whose cheek you saw being torn away (from the mouth to the ear) was a liar and used to tell lies, and the people would report those lies on his authority till they spread (that lie) all over the world. So, he will be punished like that till the Day of Resurrection.’” [Al-Bukhari 6096]

How numerous are those who tell lies today against the carriers of Salafiyyah and its callers! They hinder men from the path of Allah through these lies to aid falsehood, spurious (beliefs, stances, ideas, views, etc.), bidah, (things) that are destructive to the sound creed, methodology and virtuous manners. [33]

Al-Allamah Rabee Bin Hadi Al-Mad’khali, may Allah have mercy upon him, said:

عقد ابن عدي-رحمه الله- في كتابه “الكامل” حوالي تسعة وعشرين باباً للكذَّابين وبابًا واحداً لأهل البدع

Ibn Adi – may Allah have mercy upon him – allocated nearly twenty-nine chapters to liars and one chapter to Ahlul Bidah in his book “Al-Kamil”. [34]

Allah, The Most High, said:

وَلَا تَرْكَنُوا إِلَى الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا فَتَمَسَّكُمُ النَّارُ وَمَا لَكُم مِّن دُونِ اللَّهِ مِنْ أَوْلِيَاءَ ثُمَّ لَا تُنصَرُونَ

And incline not toward those who do wrong, lest the Fire should touch you, and you have no protectors other than Allah, nor you would then be helped. (Hud: 113)

Al-Allamah Rabee Bin Hadi al-Mad’khali, may Allah have mercy upon him, said:

Do not incline towards the oppressors – those who unjustly harm the people by shedding their blood, seizing their wealth, and violating their honour. They may also oppress the people in matters of religion through bidah, misguidance, and spreading harmful propaganda that contradicts Islam. Avoid associating with any of these individuals; do not support or assist them in their falsehood. The verse covers all categories of oppressors. Every follower of falsehood, every innovator in religious matters, and anyone who dishonours a Muslim is considered an oppressor. Therefore, refrain from aligning yourself with any of them to avoid being affected by the fire of hell. When you incline towards a sinner, an innovator in religious affairs, an oppressor, a criminal, someone who dishonours others, or those who violate the sanctity of the divine legislation, it is as if you are pleased with them, as if you are aiding and abetting them. [35]

Mufti, Al-Allamah Salih Al-Fawzan, may Allah preserve him, said:

Calling to the path of Allah is not in need of lying. It is not permissible to utilise lying in calling to the path of Allah. Calling to the path of Allah is founded on truth—the Book, the sunnah, fine admonition, and arguing in a way that is better and not through lying. [36]

[1] Bada’i at-Tafsir Al-Jami Limaa Fassarahu Al-Imam Ibn Al-Qayyim 2/327

[2] at-Tirmidhī 1973

[3] al-Bukha‌ri‌ 6094 & Muslim 2607

[4] Muslim.1735

[5] Al-Bukhari 6057

[6] Al-Bukhari 6069

[7] Abu Dawud 4990

[8] Fayd Al-Qadeer 6/368

[9] Sahih Muslim 5

[10] Muqaddimah Kitaab Al-Majrooheen Minal Muhadditheen’ page 6064

[11] Sahih at-Tirmidhee 2407

[12] Al-Bukhari 6474

[13] Abu Daawud 4876

[14] An Excerpt from ‘Awnul Mabood Sharh Sunan Abee Daawud’ 13/152

[15] An Excerpt from ‘Mirqaatul Mafaateeh Sharh Mishkaat Al-Masaabeeh’ 8/3157

[16] An Excerpt. For further details, see Fath Al-Bari

[17]Al-Kifayah, p. 143. By Imam Al-Khatib Al-Baghdadi, may Allah have mercy upon him.

[18] Hilyah Al-Awliyaa 3/20

[19] Muslim 10

[20] Uyun Al-Akhbar 2/31

[21] Uyun Al-Akhbar 2/32

[22] Adab Ad-Dunya Wad-Deen 261

[23] Tarikh Dimashq 58/312

[24] Siyar A’lam An-Nubulaa 4/208]

[25] As-Ṣamt” p. 250 by Ibn Abee al-Dunya, may Allah have mercy upon him.

[26] Siyar Aʿlām al-Nubalāʾ. 4/561

[27] Adab Ad-Dunya Wad-Deen. page 262

[28] Rawdah Al-Uqala page 78. Section: ذكر الحث على لزول الصدق ومجانبة الكذب: Publisher: Dar Ibn Jawziy 1st Edition 1433AH

[29] Al-Ad’kar 377

[30] Al-Fawa’id 202-203

[31] An Excerpt from ‘Badaa’i At-Tafseer Al-Jaami Limaa Fassarahu Al-Imam Ibn Al-Qayyim. 1/300-303

[32] Abridged and Paraphrased]: https://rabee.net/alfatawi/%d9%87%d9%84-%d9%8a%d8%ac%d9%88%d8%b2-%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%83%d8%b0%d8%a8-%d8%b9%d9%84%d9%89-%d8%a3%d9%87%d9%84-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%a8%d8%af%d8%b9-%d9%88%d8%ba%d9%8a%d8%b1%d9%87%d9%85-%d9%85%d9%86-%d8%a3%d9%87/

[33] An Excerpt from ‘Al-Awaasim Mimmaa Fee Kutub Sayyid Qutb Minal-Qawaasim: page 45]

[34] https://rabee.net/alfatawi/%d9%85%d8%a7-%d9%87%d9%88-%d8%aa%d8%b9%d8%b1%d9%8a%d9%81-%d8%a3%d9%87%d9%84-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%b3%d9%86%d8%a9-%d9%88%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%ac%d9%85%d8%a7%d8%b9%d8%a9-%d9%84%d9%84%d8%a5%d9%8a%d9%85%d8%a7%d9%86/

[35]An Excerpt from Al-Wasaayaa Al-Manhajiyyah page 20

[36] An Excerpt from Al-Ijaabat Al-Muhimmah Fee Mashaakil al-Mulimmah. page:271-272