Page 35 - What the Qur'an Says about Liars and Their Methods
P. 35
Why People Lie
kept is falsehood. On the Day of Judgment, every person will
be responsible for each of his or her words and acts. Although
they may have forgotten such things, Allah does not forget
and, on the Day of Judgment, will confront all people with
everything that they did while in this world. Believers who are
aware of this truth do their best to behave according to the
Qur'an's morality. They do not say whatever comes into their
heads. When making a promise, they calculate whether or not
they can really fulfill it. If there is a possibility that they cannot,
they state this openly, explain their reasoning, and take steps to
ensure that the person to whom they made the promise will
not be placed in a difficult position. When they believe that
they can fulfill their promise, and so say "if Allah wills," they
keep their word even if doing so harms their own interests.
Allah informs us of this particular characteristic of the believ-
ers, as follows:
It is not devoutness to turn your faces to the East or to
the West. Rather, those with true devoutness are
those who believe in Allah and the Last Day, the
Angels, the Book, and the Prophets; and who, despite
their love for it, give away their wealth to their rela-
tives, to orphans and the very poor, to travelers and
beggars, and to set slaves free; and who perform
prayer and give the alms; those who honor their con-
tracts when they make them, and are steadfast in
poverty and illness and in battle. Those are the peo-
ple who are true. They are the people who guard
against evil. (Surat al-Baqara, 2:177)
[Believers are] those who honor their trusts and their
contracts. (Surat al-Mu’minun, 23:8)
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