Page 18 - What the Qur'an Says about Liars and Their Methods

WHAT THE QUR'AN SAYS ABOUT LIARS AND THEIR METHODS
superior and competent at all times are among the greatest po-
tential dangers facing people. These characteristics always di-
rect people toward sin by causing them to be disobedient,
rebellious, ill-tempered, aggressive, cynical, and arrogant.
Allah tells us about this:
When he is told to heed Allah, he is seized by pride,
which drives him to wrongdoing. Hell will be
enough for him! What an evil resting-place! (Surat al-
Baqara, 2:206)
One of the sins to which pride drives people is lying, for
most of the time people do not wish to admit certain truths. For
example, a person does not want to admit to making a mistake
at work, because she does not want others to consider her to be
ignorant, clumsy, or somehow lower than her coworkers. Or
when she does not want to admit that she forgot to buy some-
thing, she says instead: "I went, but there were none left."
Even though lying is a curse that makes people fall even
lower, some people refuse to understand this truth and so lie
right away simply to protect themselves at the given moment.
Most of their lies are recognized, and so they fall even lower in
other people's esteem. In addition, these people need to re-
member the "reward" that they will receive in the afterlife: an
even lower position.
In one verse, Allah warns us against this habit:
Do not follow your own desires and deviate from the
truth. If you twist or turn away, Allah is aware of
what you do. (Surat an-Nisa’, 4:135)
Sincere believers never place their own advantage above
Allah's good pleasure and their love of Him. Their love and de-
votion to Allah prevent them from doing anything that dis-
pleases Him. Moreover, if people really want honor and

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