Page 27 - What the Qur'an Says about Liars and Their Methods

Why People Lie
present themselves as hardworking, philanthropic, and tal-
ented people who care about everything and are ready to take
on any responsibility. In the Qur'an, Allah has this to say about
such people:
Those who exult in what they have done and love to
be praised for what they have not done should not
suppose that they have escaped the punishment.
They will have a painful punishment. (Surah Al
`Imran, 3:188)
They speak in an exaggerated manner about other peo-
ple's interest in, or affection for, them. For instance, they claim
that their partners have bought them presents, that their
coworkers or bosses have taken a special interest in them, and
that they have received a salary increase because no one else
can do what they do. Young people often say that they are
well-known at school and that they are the most popular peo-
ple in the school or in their class. Some people lie by claiming
that on their birthday or a special occasion that their friends or
relatives bought them very expensive presents. All of these lies
have the same goal: to show off and to convince others that
they are highly valued by those close to them. In other words,
they want those people who have not received such valuable
presents to envy them and covet their possessions. In fact,
these are all worldly values that have absolutely no benefit in
the Hereafter. Even though people receive the most valuable
gifts in this world, their persistence in such unacceptable be-
havior will cause them to be deprived of all of their posses-
sions in the afterlife.
A hadith concerning our Prophet (saas) informs us that a
woman exhibited behavior similar to that described above. In
order to make someone else unhappy and jealous, she claimed

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