Q/A: Is Lying allowed in Islam?
Introduction
Everyone knows lying is forbidden in Islam. However, some Muslims believe that due to a hadith, lying is permissible in three instances. This article will answer that.
Quranic Ayat against Lying
1. We are not to lie, even if this might win us an advantage.
And do not be like she who untwisted her spun thread after it was strong [by] taking your oaths as [means of] deceit between you because one community is more plentiful [in number or wealth] than another community. Allah only tries you thereby. And He will surely make clear to you on the Day of Resurrection that over which you used to differ. [Quran, 16:92]
2. We’re not only to avoid lying ourselves, we’re also to avoid supporting liars in their sin.
And do not argue on behalf of those who deceive themselves. Indeed, Allah loves not one who is a habitually sinful deceiver. [Quran, 4:107]
3. When we lie, we lie first and foremost to ourselves— which puts us on a slippery slope to hellfire.
They [think to] deceive Allah and those who believe, but they deceive not except themselves and perceive [it] not. [Quran, 2:9]
4. Lying is a disease of the heart that only gets worse if left uncorrected.
In their hearts is disease, so Allah has increased their disease; and for them is a painful punishment because they [habitually] used to lie. [Quran, 2:10]
So He penalized them with hypocrisy in their hearts until the Day they will meet Him – because they failed Allah in what they promised Him and because they [habitually] used to lie. [Quran, 9:77]
5. Lying— especially lying about Allah— is a symptom of injustice and results in extreme humiliation.
And who is more unjust than one who invents a lie about Allah or says, ‘It has been inspired to me,’ while nothing has been inspired to him, and one who says, ‘I will reveal [something] like what Allah revealed.’ And if you could but see when the wrongdoers are in the overwhelming pangs of death while the angels extend their hands, [saying], ‘Discharge your souls! Today you will be awarded the punishment of [extreme] humiliation for what you used to say against Allah other than the truth and [that] you were, toward His verses, being arrogant.’ [Quran, 6:93]
6. How do we tell liars from truthtellers? Allah doesn’t guide liars.
And a believing man from the family of Pharaoh who concealed his faith said, ‘Do you kill a man [merely] because he says, “My Lord is Allah” while he has brought you clear proofs from your Lord? And if he should be lying, then upon him is [the consequence of] his lie; but if he should be truthful, there will strike you some of what he promises you. Indeed, Allah does not guide one who is a transgressor and a liar.’ [Quran, 40:28]
7. We don’t need to worry about guarding ourselves against deception; Allah is ever ready to protect us.
But if they intend to deceive you – then sufficient for you is Allah. It is He who supported you with His help and with the believers. [Quran, 8:62]
8. No one can ever get away with lying; in the end it will be clear who was truthful and who was not.
But We have certainly tried those before them, and Allah will surely make evident those who are truthful, and He will surely make evident the liars. [Quran, 29:3]
9. The truthful have a wondrous reward!
Allah will say, ‘This is the Day when the truthful will benefit from their truthfulness.’ For them are gardens [in Paradise] beneath which rivers flow, wherein they will abide forever, Allah being pleased with them, and they with Him. That is the great attainment. [Quran, 5:119]
Note: these nine points were taken from here
Can we Lie in Three cases?
The Verdict and Response of the Hakam and Adl
The Companions of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) continued to be martyred simply because of their truthfulness and they did never hide the divine testimony even if the earth turned red with their blood
(Noor Al-Quran No. 2, Ruhani Khazain, Volume 9, Page 403)
ignorance, and the real thing is that lying is not allowed in any hadith, but in the hadith there are these words that “do not leave the truth even if you are killed and burned”. Then the Qur’an says that you should not leave justice and truth, even if your lives are lost because of it, and the Hadith says that even if you are burned and killed, speak only the truth
(Noor Al-Quran No. 2, Ruhani Khazain, Volume 9, Page 404)
As in some hadiths, in order to reconcile two Muslims, or to protect one’s wife from any trial and family resentment and quarrel, or to protect one’s interests from the enemy in war, and to sway the enemy to another side, the implementation of “toriya” (misleading statement which is technically not a lie) is found to be justified, but there are many other hadiths that show that toriya is contrary to the highest level of piety, and in any case, open truth is better, even if because of it one is killed and burned.
(Noor Al-Quran No. 2, Ruhani Khazain, Volume 9, Page 405)
And your claim that the Quran commands to hide one’s religion is just slander and slander which has no basis. The Quran curses them, those who deliberately hide the testimony of religion and those who lie about it
(Noor Al-Quran No. 2, Ruhani Khazain, Volume 9, Page 411)
The non-believers will be punished, but such a person who is forced to do so, i.e. is prevented from expressing the proclamations of faith due to some unbearable punishment, and his heart is satisfied with faith, he is excusable in the sight of Allah. The meaning of this verse is that If an oppressor injures a Muslim with severe and painful wounds and in this severe punishment he utters words that are words of disbelief in the eyes of the nonbeliever, but he does not intend to utter words of disbelief, rather his heart should be filled with faith and the only intention is that he hides his religion because of this unbearable severity, but not intentionally, but at the time when he loses his sensibility and becomes like a deranged person because of the punishment, then He will forgive his sin if he observes the conditions mentioned in the following verse, because He is Forgiving and Merciful and these are the conditions…..Such people who hide their Islam in a state of extreme suffering will be forgiven on the condition that after suffering, they migrate again, i.e. leave such a habit or a country where the religion is enforced. Then try very hard in the way of God and be patient in suffering. After all these things, God will forgive their sins because He is Forgiving and Merciful.
(Noor Al-Quran No. 2, Ruhani Khazain, Volume 9, Page 411-412)
