Page 59 - What the Qur'an Says about Liars and Their Methods
P. 59

How Liars Speak and Behave
             up, and they cannot understand. (Surat al-Munafiqun,
             63:1-3)
             Hypocrites use their oaths as a shield against their own
         lying, falsehood, and trickery. Allah also reveals this character-
         istic in another verse:
             They swear by Allah that they are of your number,
             but they are not of your number. Rather, they are peo-
             ple who are scared. (Surat at-Tawba, 9:56)
             In another verse, Allah draws our attention to people who
         continually swear oaths:
             But do not obey any vile swearer of oaths. (Surat al-
             Qalam, 68:10)
             Apart from swearing oaths, liars often use words that
         refer to their being religious. For example, when they are told
         that their lies are not believed or that people doubt what they
         say, they use expressions such as "Allah knows my heart,"
         "Allah is my witness," or "If I am not telling the truth, let Allah
         accuse me." In fact, many insincere people use just such ex-
         pressions to conceal their true nature.
             In the following verse, Allah mentions such people who,
         despite the insincerity in their hearts, call upon Him to witness
         their words:
             Among the people there is someone whose words
             about the life of this world excite your admiration,
             and he calls Allah to witness what is in his heart,
             while he is in fact the most hostile of adversaries.
             (Surat al-Baqara, 2:204)
             The believers' sincerity and honesty is reflected in their
         condition and behavior. Those who always behave sincerely
         do not need to proclaim their sincerity and honesty, because
         those around them have already noticed these characteristics.

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