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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