A Step towards Truth
Have you ever counted the number of times you have lied to others? Whether it is intentional or unintentional, people often lie. Children often tell lies about their marks, sometimes they lie to their friends about their social status.
A lie is an intentional false statement. A person tells a lie only when he cannot acknowledge the truth. Allah Almighty says in the Holy Quran “O you, who believe, fear Allah and keep your duty to Him and always speak the truth” (33:69).
People lie for many reasons-for money, power or for approval from others; they may lie to escape embarrassment, for an image before others. Children lie basically to escape from punishment or because they have no guts to acknowledge the truth. They lie out of habit too .
In a hadith, Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said, “Truthfulness leads to righteousness and righteousness leads to Paradise. And a man keeps on telling the truth until he becomes a truthful person. Falsehood leads to wickedness and evil doing. And wickedness leads to the Hellfire, and a man may keep on telling lies till he is written before Allah, a liar”.
Necessity makes us invent lies and falsehoods and ultimately we conceal the truth. Sometimes we tell “white lies”, which are harmless and are told for no reason. While teaching morals, parents instruct their children not to tell a lie. But when a situation arises, parents lie before their children and set a poor example. When there is a phone call for instance, which you wish to avoid, you direct your child to tell a “lie” saying that you are not at home. Children learn from these experiences that stating an untruth can bring you out of a situation. Allah Almighty said in the Holy Quran “O you who believe! Be afraid of Allah, and be with those who are true (in word and deed)” (9:119).
The statement of Allah,” And shun lying speech” (22:30) makes it very clear that Allah Almighty dislikes liars.
A person who tells a lie is generally not trusted. Many people condemn lying on moral grounds. When children learn to lie, they lack the moral understanding of when to refrain from doing it. We should realize that moral development of children is equally important-ideas about what is right and wrong. In a hadith Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) has pointed out the punishment of a liar on the Day of Judgement.
Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said” I saw (in a dream) two men came to me, the person the one whose cheek, you saw being torn away from the mouth to the ear was a liar and used to tell lies and the people would report those lies on his authority till they spread all over the world, so he will be punished like that till the Day of resurrection”.
