If your spouse murders someone or does something wrong, should you testify against again? or should you lie and defend them? to what extent can you defend your spouse?
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:
If your
spouse murders someone or does something wrong, should you testify against
again? or should you lie and defend them? to what extent can you defend your
spouse?
(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:
Witness false lie truth
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 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) or decline to do
justice, verily Allah is well-acquainted with all that ye do.
Allah and His Messenger (saws) have Guided and Commanded
the believers who sincerely fear Allah and the Last Day to always stand firmly
with the Truth and with Justice, regardless of whether their witness is against
themselves, their parents, their wives, their children or their nearest and
dearest ones.
Under no circumstances would it be deemed permissible for
a believer who sincerely believes in Allah and the Last Day to lie, or give
false witness, or defend something which is wrong or unjust…..regardless of
whether the culprit who did wrong was himself, his wife, his parents, or his
loved ones! He is duty bound by Islam as
a believer to always speak the Truth, even if his giving witness incriminates
himself or his loved ones.
Allah's Messenger (saws) said thrice,
"Shall I not inform you of the biggest of the Great Sins?" We said, "Yes, O Allah's Messenger (saws)"
He (saws) said, "To join partners
in worship with Allah; to be undutiful to one's parents." The Prophet (saws) then sat up after he had
been reclining and added, "And I warn you against giving forged statement
and a false witness; I warn you against giving a forged statement and a false
witness." The Prophet (saws) kept on saying that warning till we thought
that he would not stop!
The Prophet (saws) said, "The biggest of
the Great Sins are: ‘To join others in worship with Allah, to be undutiful to
one's parents, and to give a false witness." He (saws) kept on repeating
that warning till we wished he would stop saying it.
The Prophet (saws) was asked about the
Greatest Sins. He (saws) said,
"They are:--
(1 ) To join others in worship with Allah,
(2) To be undutiful to one's parents,
(3) To kill a person (murder)
(4) And to give a false witness."
Such is the abomination and gravity of the sin of giving
false witness in Islam, that the Messenger of Allah (saws) listed it amongst
the Absolute Greatest and Most Henious Sins in the Sight of Allah Subhanah!
Amongst all the declared Greatest Sins in Islam, giving
false witness is ranked fourth after ‘shirk’, being undutiful to one’s parents,
and murder!
If one intentionally lies, forges, or gives false witness
to avert the course of justice in an effort to defend oneself, or one’s
parents, or wife, or children, or one’s loved ones who have done wrong; Allah
is our witness, he will brought forth as a criminal in the Majestic Presence of
the Lord All-Knowing on that Inevitable Day of Judgment for his abomination of
giving false witness and trying to avert the course of justice!
Your
Questin: to what extent can you defend your spouse?
If one has witnessed and is absolutely convinced that the
wrong was done by one’s own spouse (or loved one), the best way to defend them
is to guide them to fear Allah Subhanah and The Last Day, confess to their
wrong, seek sincere repentance from the Lord Most Gracious for their evil deed,
and bear the punishment prescribed for that wrong in the life of this transient
world, rather than be brought to account in the Just and Supreme Presence of
the Majestic Lord on that Inevitable and Tumultuous Day of Judgment!
But under absolutely no circumstances would it be
permissible for a believer who sincerely believes in Allah and the Last Day to
lie, or forge, or give false witness in their effort to defend their loved one,
and thus avert the course of justice!
Such an act would indeed be an absolute monstrous crime in the Sight of
Allah Subhanah.
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