Sincerely Confessing Lies Shows Faith in Allah
Just as lying reveals devotion to Satan, honestly confessing lies reveals faith in Allah. People can make mistakes, listen to Satan, and say something wrong at any moment. But when they realize and confess their error right away, Satan's influence over them is destroyed. Moreover, such sincere repentance also shows that they are devoted to and heed Allah.
Believers should always be honest and, if they say something wrong in an unguarded moment, should confess the truth immediately, regardless of the consequences to themselves. In one verse, Allah instructs the believers to do exactly that:
Confessing a lie or another evil act, requesting Allah's forgiveness, repenting sincerely, and finally vowing to abandon such a forbidden practice bring great benefits and blessings. Above everything else, believers must do this only to gain Allah's love and mercy. In addition, following this procedure also destroys any potential arrogance on their part and makes them humble.
In several verses, Allah gives examples of people who realized their errors, repented, and turned toward Him. All of these are fine examples for believers, and following their example is one way of gaining Allah's mercy and approval, and Paradise. Here are some of these verses:
But others have acknowledged their wrong actions and mixed a right action with another, which is wrong. It may well be that Allah will turn toward them. Allah is Ever-Forgiving, Most Merciful. (Surat at-Tawba, 9:102)
Anyone who does evil or wrongs himself and then asks Allah's forgiveness will find Allah Ever-Forgiving, Most Merciful. (Surat an-Nisa’, 4:110)
But if anyone repents after his wrongdoing and puts things right, Allah will turn toward him. Allah is Ever-Forgiving, Most Merciful. (Surat al-Ma'ida, 5:39)
[People who guard against evil are] those who, when they act indecently or wrong themselves, remember Allah and ask forgiveness for their bad actions—and who can forgive bad actions except Allah?—and do not knowingly persist in what they were doing. Their recompense is forgiveness from their Lord, and Gardens with rivers flowing under them, remaining in them timelessly, forever. How excellent is the reward of those who act! (Surah Al `Imran, 3:135-36)
Those who confess their evil and repent are no longer under Satan's influence, for their sincere confession and repentance mean that they are following the path of Allah. In the Qur'an, Allah states that some people serve Him while others serve Satan:
In fact, Satan has only a very weak influence over people. While he tells lies and fills people with false hopes, at no time does he have the power to coerce them. In spite of this, arrogant people who are devoted to their own benefits and this temporary worldly life are influenced by his blandishments right away. The believers, because of their love of Allah and devotion to Him, do not come within Satan's sphere of influence. Even if Satan does influence them briefly, they immediately think of Allah and see the truth. As Allah states in the Qur'an:
Those who heed Allah will never do anything of which He disapproves, no matter how much their own advantage may be harmed. In every act, their sole aim is to earn His approval and mercy, and Paradise. Arrogant people devoted to themselves always pursue their own desires, and so may fall into evil at any time.
In the Qur'an, Allah compares these two different types of people:
As these verses state, arrogant people find it easy to lie on their own behalf. Those who do everything for Allah's approval, however, never lie, no matter how much their own interests may be damaged.
Islamic scholar Mehmed Zahid Kotku explains why this is so and points out what happens to those who lie, as follows:
"A person who tells lies against the society to guard his personal interests must be one of those thoughtless fools, or even someone who is an atheist or ignorant of the faith and has lost his reason. A conscious person does not stoop to lying or take notice of it, for he knows that lying is shameful and will sooner or later be exposed. In contrast, a Muslim is very pure in character and courteous, for he does not want his character to be blemished. For this reason, he avoids lying at all costs, for he knows that lies are the mark of a hypocrite. Allah does not like liars at all. Our Prophet (saas) does not like what Allah does not like. Of course, it is impossible for people and angels to like those whom Allah and the Prophet (saas) do not like.
This being the case, to be a liar is to be a disgraced, immoral, low grade, and valueless person who is despised by everybody. The liar is disgraced in this world and the next. Lying is not the business of noble people, but of vulgar or, more correctly, despicable ones. It is out of the question for a noble person, if he is a Muslim, to lie when getting down to business. Because of this, a Muslim is always noble and honest. He never stoops to lying."15Kotku advises the believers to adhere to honesty with these words:
Footnotes
15. Kotku, Tasavvufi Ahlak 5 (Sufist Morality 5), 165.
16. Mehmed Zahid Kotku, Hadislerle Nasihatlar (Advice through the Sayings of the Prophet) (Istanbul: Seha Publications, 1984), 1:279.
- Introduction
- Lying is forbidden
- Why people lie
- Allah sees, knows, and hears everything
- Lying is cooperation with satan
- The liar's dark spiritual state
- How liars deceive themselves
- How liars speak and behave
- The losses of liars
- The Slyness of Liars
- The Qur'an describes liars
- Sincerely confessing lies shows faith in Allah
- The solution to lying—not wishing to displease Allah
- Nobody will be able to lie in the hereafter
- Sayings of our Prophet (saas) on avoiding lies
- How some Islamic scholars view lying
- Conclusion: The honest person always gains