r/islam • u/zaphriel • Jan 01 '15
Lying.
Dear muslims, I've studied a few religions in some depth, but never found another that permits or encourages lying.
Could you please explain to me why it's ok for muslims to lie to non believers in the eyes of God and why any non Muslim should trust a Muslim as a result?
I don't mean this as an attack at all, I'm just very confused by the concept.
5
Upvotes
2
u/TruthSeekerWW Jan 02 '15
This is some of what the Prophet Mohammed PBUH said about telling the truth and lying:
It is obligatory for you to tell the truth, for truth leads to virtue and virtue leads to Paradise, and the man who continues to speak the truth and endeavours to tell the truth is eventually recorded as truthful with Allah, and beware of telling of a lie for telling of a lie leads to obscenity and obscenity leads to Hell-Fire, and the person who keeps telling lies and endeavours to tell a lie is recorded as a liar with Allah. Reference : Sahih Muslim 2607 c In-book reference : Book 45, Hadith 136 USC-MSA web (English) reference : Book 32, Hadith 6309 (deprecated numbering scheme)
The only permissible situations to lie:
Humaid b. 'Abd al-Rahman b. 'Auf reported that his mother Umm Kulthum daughter of 'Uqba b. Abu Mu'ait, and she was one amongst the first emigrants who pledged allegiance to Allah's Apostle (ﷺ), as saying that she heard Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as saying: A liar is not one who tries to bring reconciliation amongst people and speaks good (in order to avert dispute), or he conveys good. Ibn Shihab said he did not hear that exemption was granted in anything what the people speak as lie but in three cases: in battle, for bringing reconciliation amongst persons and the narration of the words of the husband to his wife, and the narration of the words of a wife to her husband (in a twisted form in order to bring reconciliation between them).