Lying
الكذبDeliberately speaking or conveying falsehood
Qur'an
القرآن الكريمإِنَّمَا يَفْتَرِي الْكَذِبَ الَّذِينَ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ بِآيَاتِ اللَّهِ وَأُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الْكَاذِبُونَ
They only invent falsehood who do not believe in the verses of Allah, and it is those who are the liars.
Translation: Saheeh International
ذَٰلِكَ وَمَن يُعَظِّمْ حُرُمَـٰتِ ٱللَّهِ فَهُوَ خَيْرٌۭ لَّهُۥ عِندَ رَبِّهِۦ ۗ وَأُحِلَّتْ لَكُمُ ٱلْأَنْعَـٰمُ إِلَّا مَا يُتْلَىٰ عَلَيْكُمْ ۖ فَٱجْتَنِبُوا۟ ٱلرِّجْسَ مِنَ ٱلْأَوْثَـٰنِ وَٱجْتَنِبُوا۟ قَوْلَ ٱلزُّورِ
That [has been commanded], and whoever honors the sacred ordinances of Allah - it is best for him in the sight of his Lord. And permitted to you are the grazing livestock, except what is recited to you. So avoid the uncleanliness of idols and avoid false statement,
Translation: Saheeh International
Hadith
الحديث النبويعَنْ عَائِشَةَ قَالَتْ مَا كَانَ خُلُقٌ أَبْغَضَ إِلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم مِنَ الْكَذِبِ وَلَقَدْ كَانَ الرَّجُلُ يُحَدِّثُ عِنْدَ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم بِالْكِذْبَةِ فَمَا يَزَالُ فِي نَفْسِهِ حَتَّى يَعْلَمَ أَنَّهُ قَدْ أَحْدَثَ مِنْهَا تَوْبَةً
Aishah narrated:
"There was no behavior more hated to the Messenger of Allah than lying. A man would lie in narrating something in the presence of the Prophet, and he would not be content until he knew that he had repented."
عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم " عَلَيْكُمْ بِالصِّدْقِ فَإِنَّ الصِّدْقَ يَهْدِي إِلَى الْبِرِّ وَإِنَّ الْبِرَّ يَهْدِي إِلَى الْجَنَّةِ وَمَا يَزَالُ الرَّجُلُ يَصْدُقُ وَيَتَحَرَّى الصِّدْقَ حَتَّى يُكْتَبَ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ صِدِّيقًا وَإِيَّاكُمْ وَالْكَذِبَ فَإِنَّ الْكَذِبَ يَهْدِي إِلَى الْفُجُورِ وَإِنَّ الْفُجُورَ يَهْدِي إِلَى النَّارِ وَمَا يَزَالُ الرَّجُلُ يَكْذِبُ وَيَتَحَرَّى الْكَذِبَ حَتَّى يُكْتَبَ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ كَذَّابًا " .
‘Abdullah reported Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as saying:
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.
عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ " آيَةُ الْمُنَافِقِ ثَلاَثٌ إِذَا حَدَّثَ كَذَبَ، وَإِذَا وَعَدَ أَخْلَفَ، وَإِذَا اؤْتُمِنَ خَانَ "
Narrated Abu Huraira:
The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "The signs of a hypocrite are three:
1. Whenever he speaks, he tells a lie. 2. Whenever he promises, he breaks his promise. 3. If he is trusted, he proves dishonest."
عَنْ مُعَاوِيَةَ ابْنِ حَيْدَةَ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَيْلٌ لِلَّذِي يُحَدِّثُ فَيَكْذِبُ لِيُضْحِكَ بِهِ الْقَوْمَ وَيْلٌ لَهُ وَيْلٌ لَهُ
Mu'awiyah ibn Haydah reported:
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, "Woe to one who tells lies to make people laugh. Woe to him! Woe to him!"
عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عَامِرٍ أَنَّهُ قَالَ دَعَتْنِي أُمِّي يَوْمًا وَرَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَاعِدٌ فِي بَيْتِنَا فَقَالَتْ هَا تَعَالَ أُعْطِيكَ . فَقَالَ لَهَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم " وَمَا أَرَدْتِ أَنْ تُعْطِيهِ " . قَالَتْ أُعْطِيهِ تَمْرًا . فَقَالَ لَهَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم " أَمَا إِنَّكِ لَوْ لَمْ تُعْطِيهِ شَيْئًا كُتِبَتْ عَلَيْكِ كِذْبَةٌ "
Narrated Abdullah ibn Amir:
My mother called me one day when the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was sitting in our house. She said, "Come here and I shall give you something." The Messenger of Allah asked her what she intended to give him. She replied that she intended to give him some dates. The Messenger of Allah said, "If you were not to give him anything, a lie would be recorded against you."
وَأَمَّا الرَّجُلُ الَّذِي أَتَيْتَ عَلَيْهِ يُشَرْشَرُ شِدْقُهُ إِلَى قَفَاهُ، وَمَنْخِرُهُ إِلَى قَفَاهُ، وَعَيْنُهُ إِلَى قَفَاهُ، فَإِنَّهُ الرَّجُلُ يَغْدُو مِنْ بَيْتِهِ فَيَكْذِبُ الْكَذْبَةَ تَبْلُغُ الآفَاقَ
As for the man whose sides of the mouth, nostrils, and eyes were torn from front to back, he is the man who goes out of his house in the morning and tells a lie that spreads throughout the world.
Statements of the Salaf
أقوال السلفBeware of lying, for lying is completely antithetical to faith.
Source: Ibn Abī Shaybah, al-Muṣannaf 25381
A servant will not attain genuine faith until he abandons lying even in jest, and abandons argumentation even when he is in the right.
Source: Ibn Abī Shaybah, al-Muṣannaf 25391
A believer may naturally possess every trait, except treachery and lying.
Source: Ibn Abī Shaybah, al-Muṣannaf 25384
Speech is far too vast and rich for an intelligent person ever to have any need to lie [when ambiguous, truthful expressions suffice].
Source: Ibn Abī al-Dunyā, al-Ṣamt wa Ādāb al-Lisān 502
By Allah, even if a herald were to call out from the sky saying that Allah has made lying lawful, I would still never lie, out of utter disgust for how foul it is.
Source: Abū Nuʿaym al-Iṣfahānī, Ḥilyat al-Awliyāʾ 2/207
Knowledge is not taken from four kinds of people: a foolish person who openly advertises his foolishness; a person of desires who invites others to his innovation; a person who lies when talking to people, even if I do not suspect him of forging hadiths; and a devout worshiper who does not thoroughly understand what he narrates.
Source: al-Khaṭīb al-Baghdādī, al-Kifāyah fī ʿIlm al-Riwāyah 143
Statements of Scholars
أقوال العلماءBeware of lying, for it corrupts your perception of reality; you see existence in a false light, convey falsehood to others, and eventually poison your own heart and deeds.
Source: Ibn al-Qayyim, al-Fawāʾid 1/159
The true reality of truthfulness is that you speak the truth in a situation where you feel that nothing could save you except a lie.
Source: al-Qushayrī, al-Risālah al-Qushayriyyah 2/368