It is said in islam that one should always speak the truth no matter what the consequences.
Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,
As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa
Barakatuh. (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)
One of our brothers/sisters has asked
this question:
hello,
it is said in islam that one should always speak the truth no matter what the
consequences. but here is my question:
for
example if u got to a party and the host cooks food and you dont like the food
too much, and later after the party when the host asks you if u liked the food or
not, should you tell the truth and say you didnt like the food or should you
lie and say you liked it.
Basically, my question is, lying to prevent someone from feeling bad or feeling
sad or feeling hurt, if one lies so that someone`s feelings wont be hurt, is
that allowed in islam or no
(There may be some grammatical and spelling
errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from
questions, comments and statements received from our readers for circulation in
confidentiality.)
Answer:
Speak the truth always liar
In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask
for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever
He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that
there is no one (no idol, no person, no
grave, no prophet, no imam, no dai,
nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that
Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.
Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 4 Surah
Nisaa verse 135:
135 O ye who believe! Stand out
firmly for justice (and Truth) as witnesses to Allah even as against
yourselves or your parents or your kin and whether it be (against) rich
or poor: for Allah can best protect both.
Follow not the lusts (of your hearts) lest ye swerve and if ye distort
(justice and truth) or decline to do justice; verily Allah is well-acquainted
with all that ye do.
Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chatper 5 Surah
Maidah verse 8:
8 O ye who believe! Stand
out firmly for Allah as witnesses to fair dealing and let not the
hatred of others to you make you swerve to wrong and depart from justice. Be just: that is next to Piety: and
fear Allah for Allah is well-acquainted with all that ye do.
Dear and beloved brother in Islam, the religion of Truth
guides those who have professed belief in Allah and the Last Day to always, and
we reiterate, always fear Allah and stand on the side of the Truth, even if
that truth is against oneself, one’s interests, or against one’s loved ones.
It simply would neither behove nor befit nor would it be
in alignment with the character of a believer, who sincerely believes in Allah
and the Last Day, to utter a lie to gain a paltry benefit for himself or his
loved ones.
Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 8.116 Narrated by Abdullah
The Prophet (saws) said, "Truthfulness
leads to righteousness, and righteousness leads to
Al-Muwatta Hadith 56.11
Malik related from Zayd ibn Aslam from Ata
ibn Yasar that the Messenger of Allah (saws) said: "Whomever Allah
protects from the evil of two things will enter the Garden. They are what is
between his jaws and what is between his legs, what is between his jaws and
what is between his legs, what is between his jaws and what is between his
legs!!!."
Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 8.799 Narrated by Sahl bin Sad
The Prophet (saws) said, "Whoever
guarantees me (the chastity of) what is between his legs (i.e. his private
parts), and what is between his jaws (i.e., his tongue), I guarantee him
Thus my beloved brother, Islam guides and commands its
followers to always stand on the side of the Truth, even if the consequences of
the stating the Truth might be against oneself or the interests of oneself or
one’s loved ones.
Having being commanded to always speak and stand on the
side of the Truth, there are a few specific instances and circumstances where
Allah and His Messenger (saws) have allowed the believers to (so to say) ‘bend’
the truth…for a lie said in these specific circumstances and situations would
not be considered a lie in the Sight of Allah Subhanah:
Ref-1: In
the state of ‘war’:
Sunan of Abu-DawoodHadith 2631 Narrated byKa'b ibn Malik
When the Prophet (saws) intended to go on an
expedition, he (saws) always pretended to be going somewhere else, and he
(saws) would say: “War is deception!”
Ref-2: One who says a ‘lie’ to make peace or put
relations right between people.
Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 3.857 Narrated by Um Kulthum bint Uqba
That she heard Allah's Messenger (saws)
saying, "He who makes peace between the people by inventing good
information or saying good things, is not a liar."
Sunan of Abu-Dawood Hadith 4902 Narrated byUmm Kulthum bint Uqbah al-Umawiyyah
The Prophet (saws) said: “He who forged in
order to put things right between two persons did not lie.” The version by
Ahmad ibn Muhammad and Musaddad states the the Prophet (saws) declared: “The
liar is not the one who puts things right between people, saying what is good
and increasing good.”
Your
Question: for example if u got to a party and the host cooks food and you dont
like the food too much, and later after the party when the host asks you if u
liked the food or not, should you tell the truth and say you didnt like the
food or should you lie and say you liked it.
If in such a particular
situation a believer does not speak the truth and informs the host that the
food was terrible, but rather takes the opportunity to praise Allah and thank
his host for taking the trouble to prepare the food, or host the party, or for
honoring and inviting him to participate in the gathering……in light of the
guidance of the Messenger of Allah (saws), it will not constitute a lie in the
Sight of Shariah Law and of Allah Subhanah, Insha Allah.
Your
Question: Basically, my question is, lying to prevent someone from feeling bad
or feeling sad or feeling hurt, if one lies so that someone`s feelings wont be
hurt, is that allowed in islam or no ?
Beloved brother, the above listed guidance of the
Messenger of Allah (saws) whereby he permitted the believers to forge a ‘lie’
in order to put relations right between people cannot be taken as a license or
a justification to utter a ‘lie’, unless it helps put relationships aright
between two estranged parties or helps in not harming an already good
relationship between two parties.
If one is put in a situation or asked a particular
question whereby if the absolute truth were told it would hurt a good
relationship between two people, and the person ‘dodged’ the question and gave
an answer which did not contain the full truth with the sole intention of not
hurting the feeling or relationship of the party….it is expected that Allah
Subhanah, Who Knows the secrets of the hearts of each in His creation, would
not hold him responsible for his statements of untruth.
But if one were to ‘lie’ with the intention of gaining any
personal benefit for oneself or one’s loved one, or avoid saying the ‘truth’
when speaking the truth was required, it will indeed constitute a lie in the
Sight of Allah Subhanah.
Beloved brother in Islam, one who sincerely believes in
Allah and the Last Day, should always always fear Allah Subhanah, and always
stand on the side of the Truth and strive never ever to utter a ‘lie’ unless it
be in a state of ‘war’ or if it helps to put relations right between two
estranged parties; for that would not constitute a lie in the Sight of Allah
Subhanah. But if one lies to gain any
personal benefit for himself or his loved one’s, or makes it a habit to utter
lies for no reason whatsoever, he should fear being recorded as a ‘liar’ in the
record with Allah Subhanah! Allah is
our witness brother, it would be prudent and wise and closer to piety to err on
the side of caution when one is put in a situation to utter a lie!
If one trusts, obeys, and follows the guidance and
commands of Allah and His Messenger (saws),
one can be assured of never ever being misled; but if one believes, obeys and follows any
other guidance, other than that of Allah and His Messenger (saws), one can be
assured of being led astray.
Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to
Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me alone. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only
Source of Strength.
Your brother and
well wisher in Islam,
Burhan
Wister