Page 23 - What the Qur'an Says about Liars and Their Methods

Why People Lie
not in a position to help, and thus cannot sacrifice their own
comfort, Allah sees and knows everything. People forget to-
morrow much of what they have done today, but Allah forgets
nothing and will ask everyone about their deeds and thoughts
in the Hereafter.
Everything in the heavens and everything in the
earth belongs to Allah. Whether you divulge what is
in yourselves or keep it hidden, Allah will still call
you to account for it. He forgives whoever He wills
and He punishes whoever He wills. Allah has power
over all things. (Surat al-Baqara, 2:284)

To avoid saying: "I don't know":
Some people, due to their high self-esteem and belief in
their own superiority, try to prove to those around them that
they have no faults. They want to show off their knowledge on
every subject. For this reason, they will usually provide an an-
swer even if they know nothing about the subject being dis-
cussed.
Admitting their lack of knowledge is difficult, and they
just cannot bring themselves to say: "I don't know. I have no in-
formation about that." Most of the time they put themselves in
an even more demeaning position, because other people recog-
nize these lies for what they are and know that this lying comes
from self-conceit.
In one verse, Allah mentions such behavior in clear terms:
You are people arguing about something of which
you have no knowledge. Why do you argue about
something of which you have no knowledge? Allah
knows; you do not know. (Surah Al `Imran, 3:66)
Such behavior is the result of the "morality" of those peo-

21