The problem of lying

Lying is a dispraised quality to which people who have lack of religion and reason, and their self-trust has gone resort. A liar is practicing lying to get something he desires, push away something he hates, and cover with it a defect or weakness.

If the person who tells lies had a complete faith, self-confidence, and complete reason, he would have a certainty that Allah has destined everything and a person cannot gain anything by lying and shall not push away destiny by lying, but it is a way that incurs the wrath of Allah to a person.

The more lying was effective, punishment would be greater and severer. So, the worst type of lying is attributing lies to Allah where Allah considered it the most grievous act of polytheism. He says: "Say (O Muhammad SAW): (But) the things that my Lord has indeed forbidden are Al-Fawahish (great evil sins, every kind of unlawful sexual intercourse, etc.) whether committed openly or secretly, sins (of all kinds), unrighteous oppression, joining partners (in worship) with Allah for which He has given no authority, and saying things about Allah of which you have no knowledge." [Surat Al A`raf: 33].[1]

One of the lies attributed to Allah is making lawful things prohibited or making prohibited things lawful without a proof. Allah considered such action part of attributing lies against Him. Allah (Glory be to Him) says: "And say not concerning that which your tongues put forth falsely: This is lawful and this is forbidden, so as to invent lies against Allah. Verily, those who invent lies against Allah will never prosper." [Surat An-Nahl: 116].

Allah (Glory be to Him) promised those who attribute lies to Him with loss in this world as well as in the Hereafter, Allah (may He be Exalted) says: "Say: Verily, those who invent lie against Allah will never be successful" [Surat Yunus: 69].[2]

The Prophet (peace threatened be upon him) threatened those who attribute lies against him with his saying: "And whoever tells a lie against me (intentionally), then (surely) let him occupy his seat in Hell-fire."[3]

Moreover, the Prophet (peace be upon him) explained that the people who always tell lies deliberately shall die badly. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "Truthfulness leads to righteousness, and righteousness leads to Paradise. And a man keeps on telling the truth until he becomes a truthful person. Falsehood leads to Al Fujur (i.e. wickedness, evil-doing), and Al Fujur (wickedness) leads to the (Hell) Fire, and a man may keep on telling lies till he is written before Allah, a liar."[4]

Lying is a sign for hypocrisy. Al Hasan reported that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: "Whoever possesses three qualities shall be a hypocrite even if he fasts, offers Salah, and claims to be a Muslim: When he speaks, he tells lies. If he makes a promise, he breaks it, and if he was entrusted [with something], he betrays."[5]

The generous Prophet (peace be upon him) was asked whether a Muslim would be a liar or not, he said: Not. Imam Malik reported in Al Muwatta' on the authority of Safwan ibn Sulaym who said: "Can a believer be a coward? He said: Yes. He was asked: Can a believer be a miser? He said: Yes. He was asked: Can a believer be a liar? He said: No."[6]

The Prophet (peace be upon him) explained that a believer does not have full faith but after leaving out lying in seriousness and joking. Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: "A believer shall not have a complete faith but after leaving lying in joking and argument even if he is truthful."[7]

Ibn Mas`ud (may mentioned Allah be pleased with him) mentioned that a servant will not find the sweetness of faith until he gets rid of lying while joking. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "Whoever possesses three qualities shall find with them the sweetness of faith: Leaving out argument in truth and lying while joking. Furthermore, he should know that what had hit him would not have missed him, and whatever had missed him would not have hit him."[8]

The generous Prophet (peace be upon him) promised those who will leave out lying even during joking with a home in the middle of Paradise. Abu Umamah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: "I guarantee a house in Paradise for one who gives up arguing, even if he is in the right; and I guarantee a home in the middle of Paradise for one who abandons lying even for the sake of fun; and I guarantee a house in the highest part of Paradise for one who has good manners."[9]

Moreover, the Prophet (peace be upon him) spoke about the punishment of lying when he said in his long Hadith: "They said: 'Proceed!' So we proceeded and came to a man Lying flat on his back 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 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. He hardly completed this side when the other side returned to its normal state. Then he returned to it to repeat what he had done before. I said to my two companions: 'Subhan Allah! Who are these two persons?' They said to me: 'Proceed!' Until his saying: "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 so many lies that it spreads all over the world."

This is one of the signs of his prophethood where he informed about this type of lying which its effect increases and spreads. Perhaps the clearest method for this wide lying is lying in mass media, on the internet, and in SMS. Whenever the news are important, it spreads among people and the liar is included in severe threat.

So, these texts exposed liars and explained his bad end in this world as well as in the Hereafter. Some types of laying are greater than polytheism and part of it may lead to Hell and a lair would suffer a bad end. Some types may cast a liar in a terrible torment in the grave where his mouth and nostrils are cut with an iron hook, and part of it may deprive its doer from complete faith and deprive him from dwelling in a home in the middle of Paradise.