Page 68 - What the Qur'an Says about Liars and Their Methods

WHAT THE QUR'AN SAYS ABOUT LIARS AND THEIR METHODS
devoted to wickedness and treachery. Slyness colors even their
everyday behavior. For example, they have secretive methods
of making others angry. Under a mask of benevolence and in-
nocence, they take pains to avoid giving themselves away.
However, others detect their immorality right away, because
their superficial cleverness contains no real wisdom. And so
they lose other people's affection and respect and are gradually
shunned.
For instance, seeking to reduce their own workloads, they
sometimes take some of their paperwork and leave it on their
coworkers' desks. They make it seem as if this job was specially
given to them or they were doing some kind of favor by trans-
ferring an important job to them, when, in fact, their only in-
tention is to get rid of the work that they do not want to do. If
their coworkers object, these insincere people try to forestall
any protest by saying: "But I thought that you would like to do
it."
However, liars do not undertake such "kindness" without
prior planning and calculation. For instance, they refuse their
coworkers' request for help by claiming: "I can't help you. I
have my own work to do." But when they begin to see that
their coworkers are becoming tired and are facing great diffi-
culties, while they themselves have nothing to do, they only
"listen to their conscience" when the job is nearly finished so
that the boss or other people will not ask why they did not help
out. Or, they might be looking for a way to prevent a possible
complaint from their coworkers by going to the boss and say-
ing: "My colleague has too much work to do by himself. I don't
want things to get delayed, so please let me help him out."
Thus, if the people actually doing the work complain, the liars
can claim that they offered to help out, thereby "protecting"

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