Q: Is the following regarded as the person being dishonest?
Eg, person A asks person B about a certain event that had taken place during the weekend.. Now, person A knows that it had happened, and many other people know that that event took place and they also know that person B witnessed the event that took place, yet, when person B was asked if he was aware of knowing, his answer was ' I don't know, yes I was at that particular place at that time but I don't know if that event took place' ......the best part is that later on, person B admitted that he witnessed the event, yet, he argues that by him saying 'I don't know' doesn't mean that he was lying in the least bit... Mufti, was he lying when he was initially asked??
And also he comes up with a weird excuse that he knew person A was aware of the event etc, that's why he said he didn't know?? Yes, as childish as it seems, that's what he said.....
A: It is impermissible for one to speak lies. However, if one, upon being questioned regarding a certain undesirable event, denies having knowledge of it, in order to save himself from the embarrassment, then since he is not cheating or depriving any person of their rights there is no harm in him saying that he has no knowledge of it. This type of discussion is a futile discussion. One should refrain from all vain and futile things, which do not benefit his Deen or dunya. Nabi (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) said: “The beauty and perfection of one’s Islam is that one abstains from all things that do not concern him”.
الكذب مباح لإحياء حقه ودفع الظلم عن نفسه والمراد التعريض لأن عين الكذب حرام
و قال في رد المحتار : قوله ( الكذب مباح لإحياء حقه ) ... واعلم أن الكذب قد يباح وقد يجب والضابط فيه كما في تبيين المحارم وغيره عن الإحياء أن كل مقصود محمود يمكن التوصل إليه بالصدق والكذب جميعا فالكذب فيه حرام وإن أمكن التوصل إليه بالكذب وحده فمباح إن أبيح تحصيل ذلك المقصود وواجب إن وجب تحصيله كما لو رأى معصوما اختفى من ظالم يريد قتله أو إيذاءه فالكذب هنا واجب وكذا لو سأله عن وديعة يريد أخذها يجب إنكارها ومهما كان لا يتم مقصود حرب أو إصلاح ذات البين أو استمالة قلب المجني عليه إلا بالكذب فيباح ولو سأله سلطان عن فاحشة وقعت منه سرا كزنا أو شرب فله أن يقول ما فعلته لأن إظهارها فاحشة أخرى وله أيضا أن ينكر سر أخيه (رد المحتار 6/427)
عن أبي هريرة قال : قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه و سلم من حسن إسلام المرء تركه مالا يعنيه رواه الترمذي
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Mufti Ebrahim Salejee (Isipingo Beach)
Q: Firstly, Jazak-Allah for the answer to my question regarding a person who we were unsure as to whether he was lying or not..
However, mufti mentioned that if a person feels embarrassment with regards to being at a certain place and upon being asked about it, he denies it, it will be permissible...
There is a confusion here as we were always thought to speak the truth even if it may be bitter, and although the person did not violate anybody’s rights by being dishonest, he surely degraded himself by lying. Its either you are honest or dishonest. In other words, nowadays people will just lie with the feeble excuse of having being embarrassed at the time of being asked?
A: It is a command of Allah Ta’ala that one conceals his sins and does not expose it to people. So if a person repents to Allah Ta’ala for the sin he committed within his heart and hides his sins from the people, there is no problem with this as it is conforming to the command of Allah Ta’ala and we will not be answerable for the sins of others.
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