Lying and Its Ruinous Consequences
by w3ad5 Lying and Its Ruinous Consequences
Beware of lying in the worship of Allah—do not worship Him for show or reputation, with deceit or hypocrisy. Beware of lying in following the Messenger—do not innovate in his law or oppose his guidance. Beware of lying with people—do not inform them contrary to reality or deal with them contrary to truth. A believer does not lie, for lying is among the traits of hypocrites.
The First Sermon
All praise is due to Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah. To proceed: O people, fear Allah and be with the truthful—truthful in your worship of Allah and truthful with the servants of Allah. Be sincere to Allah in worship: obey Him seeking nearness and reward; avoid His prohibitions fearing distance and punishment. Do not seek that people see or hear you so they praise you, for Allah is the most self-sufficient of partners—whoever performs a deed associating others with Him, He leaves him and his shirk.
Be truthful in following the Prophet outwardly and inwardly—neither falling short in his Sunnah nor adding to it. Be truthful with people in your dealings—state reality when you inform them and show truth when you transact with them. This is the truthfulness Allah and His Messenger commanded.
("يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَكُونُوا مَعَ الصَّادِقِينَ")
“O you who have believed, fear Allah and be with the truthful.” (At-Tawbah 9:119, Sahih International)
The Prophet ﷺ said: “Adhere to truthfulness, for truthfulness leads to righteousness, and righteousness leads to Paradise; and a man continues to be truthful and strive for truthfulness until he is recorded with Allah as a Siddīq (most truthful).” (Muslim: 2607)
He clarified that the end of truthfulness is righteousness then Paradise, and the rank of the truthful is ṣiddīqiyyah—the rank immediately after prophethood:
("وَمَنْ يُطِعِ اللَّهَ وَالرَّسُولَ فَأُولَٰئِكَ مَعَ الَّذِينَ أَنْعَمَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِمْ مِنَ النَّبِيِّينَ وَالصِّدِّيقِينَ وَالشُّهَدَاءِ وَالصَّالِحِينَ ۚ وَحَسُنَ أُولَٰئِكَ رَفِيقًا")
“And whoever obeys Allah and the Messenger—those will be with the ones upon whom Allah has bestowed favor of the prophets, the steadfast affirmers of truth, the martyrs, and the righteous. And excellent are those as companions.” (An-Nisā’ 4:69, Sahih International)
The truthful person is esteemed among people in life and after death—trusted in reports and dealings, remembered with praise and mercy thereafter.
A Severe Warning Against Lying
Beware of lying in worship—do not worship for show, reputation, deceit, or hypocrisy. Beware of lying in following the Messenger—do not innovate in his law or oppose his guidance. Beware of lying with people—do not inform contrary to reality or deal contrary to truth. A believer does not lie; lying is a trait of hypocrites:
("وَاللَّهُ يَشْهَدُ إِنَّ الْمُنَافِقِينَ لَكَاذِبُونَ")
“And Allah testifies that the hypocrites are liars.” (Al-Munāfiqūn 63:1, Sahih International)
("فِي قُلُوبِهِمْ مَرَضٌ فَزَادَهُمُ اللَّهُ مَرَضًا ۖ وَلَهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ بِمَا كَانُوا يَكْذِبُونَ")
“In their hearts is disease, so Allah has increased their disease; and for them is a painful punishment because they [habitually] used to lie.” (Al-Baqarah 2:10, Sahih International)
("إِنَّمَا يَفْتَرِي الْكَذِبَ الَّذِينَ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ بِآيَاتِ اللَّهِ ۖ وَأُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الْكَاذِبُونَ")
“Only those invent falsehood who do not believe in the verses of Allah, and it is they who are the liars.” (An-Naḥl 16:105, Sahih International)
A believer does not lie because he believes in Allah’s verses and His Messenger. The Prophet ﷺ said: “Lying leads to wickedness, and wickedness leads to the Fire; a man continues to lie and strive for lying until he is recorded with Allah as a liar.” (Muslim: 2607)
How ugly is the end of lying and how low is the rank of the liar. Lying leads to wicked deviation from the straight path, then to the Fire—woe to its people. The liar is base because he is written with Allah as a liar—an abhorrent description. People recoil from being called “liar” even once; how then if one is written as such with his Creator?
Allah paired false speech with idol-worship:
("فَاجْتَنِبُوا الرِّجْسَ مِنَ الْأَوْثَانِ وَاجْتَنِبُوا قَوْلَ الزُّورِ")
“So avoid the uncleanliness of idols and avoid false statement.” (Al-Ḥajj 22:30, Sahih International)
Even disbelievers in their ignorance avoided lying. Abū Sufyān—before Islam—when questioned by Heraclius said: “By Allah, were it not for modesty lest they record a lie against me, I would have lied about him.” If they in disbelief shunned lying, then how about you, O believers, honored with a religion that commands truthfulness, explains its fruits, forbids lying, and warns against its evil outcomes?
Common Pretexts and Their Refutation
Some duped souls grow accustomed to lying and permit it for themselves—out of trivializing it, or a corrupt notion that lying is only forbidden if it usurps wealth, or for worldly greed, or blind imitation. All of this is self-deceit. Trivializing lying is a badge of vice: a single lie tears down the barrier, and the soul grows desensitized until lying becomes habit and nature.
Lying is prohibited even if it does not take wealth unlawfully. If it does, the crime is worse. The Prophet ﷺ counted the major sins, including the yameen ghamoos—the immersing oath. Asked about it, he said: “It is the oath by which a man cuts off the property of a Muslim while he is lying.” (Bukhārī: 6920) He also said: “Whoever seizes the right of a Muslim by his oath, Allah has made the Fire obligatory for him and forbidden Paradise.” A man asked, “Even if it is something slight?” He said, “Even if it is a twig of arak.” (Muslim: 137)
Some people lie to make others laugh, then persist when they see people laughing. The Prophet ﷺ said: “Woe to the one who speaks and lies to make people laugh—woe to him, then woe to him.” (Reported by the three; its chain is strong)
Some lie to children, thinking they face no rebuke, but in truth they train themselves and their children upon lying. ‘Abdullāh ibn ‘Āmir reported: His mother called him, “Come, I will give you something.” The Prophet ﷺ asked, “What did you intend to give him?” She said, “Dates.” He said, “If you had not given him anything, a lie would have been recorded against you.” (Abū Dāwūd; Al-Bayhaqī)
A Call to Personal and Communal Integrity
Fear Allah regarding yourself, your community, and your religion. Religion appears upon its people. If Muslims appear as people of lies, blind imitation, and unlawful consumption of others’ wealth, where then is the Islamic image? Would that not repel people from Islam and make them prey for the worst of mankind? Enemies mock when they see lying tongues, betrayed trusts, broken covenants, and excess in disputes—and they boast when they see Muslims imitating even vices from which Islam warns.
Alas for those who clothed themselves with disgrace before their enemies, followed the ways of the destroyed, and left the path of those whom Allah favored—of the prophets, the steadfast affirmers of truth, the martyrs, and the righteous.
Supplication
O Allah, keep us away from reprehensible morals, deeds, whims, and illnesses. Guide us to the best of character and actions. Make faith beloved to us and beautify it in our hearts; make us hate disbelief, defiance, and disobedience; and make us among the rightly guided. O Allah, send your peace and blessings upon Your servant and Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and companions.
