Page 19 - What the Qur'an Says about Liars and Their Methods

Why People Lie
superiority, they should not copy the unbelievers' methods, for
as the Qur'an informs us, real superiority is achieved only by
following Allah and the Qur'an:
All might belongs to Allah, to His Messenger, and the
believers. But the hypocrites do not know this. (Surat
al-Munafiqun, 63:8)
If anyone wants power, all power belongs to Allah.
All good words rise to Him, and He raises up all vir-
tuous deeds. But people who plot evil deeds will suf-
fer a harsh punishment. The plotting of such people
is profitless. (Surah Fatir, 35:10)

Out of habit:
Asignificant number of people are habitual liars, having
acquired this habit from others while they were still children or
teenagers. For example, many young people lie about where
they have been. Alternatively, when people are asked why
they somehow did not live up to the other person's expecta-
tions, they might lie, sometimes without even thinking, in
order to escape the blame. If they were to think a little, they
would see that being honest with others would not put them at
any disadvantage vis-à-vis others.
People also frequently lie when asked for their opinions.
Instead of expressing their real ideas, they prefer to say what
the other person wants to hear or to give an answer that will
suit their personal interests. They do so either out of fear or the
desire to win that person's approval.
Giving an answer that suits their own interests is wide-
spread among people who are far from religion. They convince
themselves that it is only natural to look after their own inter-
ests by adopting a defensive mentality. In such a society, this

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