What Constitutes Lying in Islam? Is Exaggeration in Conversation Considered Lying?
Answered by Mawlana Ilyas Patel
Question
When I speak, I have doubts about whether I am telling the truth. And this is causing me a great deal of anxiety. For example, if I say I took half an hour to complete a task, it took 35 minutes or so. Or if someone asks me what time it is and I say 2 p.m., it is 2:05 p.m. Furthermore, is it considered lying if I say that everyone was talking about it, but I mean that many people were saying it?
I say I’ll be home in ten minutes, but it takes me closer to fifteen. Is this considered lying, and if so, is it sinful? , if I say something, but it’s clear to the listener that I don’t mean exactly what I said, for instance, using idioms like “When pigs fly.”
Is it also sinful to lie unintentionally?
Answer
In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate
I pray you are well.
I empathize with you what you mean. The above is not considered lying. These are just exaggerated and estimated statements based on our cultural norms, which most people utter and speak in a way in our day-to-day life.
Lying means informing someone about something that is otherwise than it is. In your case, you are just being over-cautious and don’t have to worry. Rest assured. Could you work on speaking differently than you mentioned above?
The proof that exaggeration is sometimes permissible and not considered lying is the hadith related in Bukhari and Muslim that the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “(…) as for Jahm, his stick never leaves his shoulder, while Muawiya (Allah bless him and give him peace) does not own a thing,” is being understood that the latter owned the garment he was wearing, and the former set his stick aside when he slept and at other times. [Nawawi, al-Adhkar al-Muntakhaba min kalam Sayyid al-Abrar]
Please refer to the following resources for more information:
The Path of Muhammad: Birgivi’s Manual of Taqwa Explained
On Lying – Birgivi’s The Path of Muhammad Explained – Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
I pray this helps with your question
Wassalam,
[Mawlana] Ilyas Patel
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Mawlana Ilyas Patel is a traditionally-trained scholar who has studied within UK, India, Pakistan, Syria, Jordan, and Turkey. He started his early education in the UK. He went on to complete hifz of Quran in India, then enrolled into an Islamic seminary in UK where he studied the secular and ‘Aalimiyya sciences. He then traveled to Karachi, Pakistan. He has been an Imam in Rep of Ireland for a number of years. He has taught hifz of the Quran, Tajwid, Fiqh and many other Islamic sciences to both children and adults onsite and online extensively in UK and Ireland. He was teaching at a local Islamic seminary for 12 years in the UK where he was a librarian and a teacher of Islamic sciences. He currently resides in UK with his wife. His personal interest is love of books and gardening.
