Podcast
Bismillah Rahman Raheem
This episode is going to discuss this prohibition that many people ignore, or just avoid to talk ~ False witness.
What is a witness?
It means that a person tells the truth about what he has seen and heard, without adding any personal emotions or opinions, and only based on facts.
Witnesses must have certain qualifications to be allowed to testify, they must be able to see, recall and be able to recount or report the facts they are being asked to testify. Not create from imagination, or just listen from others. In short, they must be articulate and determined, not afraid, not compromised, will not alter the testimony due to any pressure, emotion or relationship. Most importantly, witnesses must demonstrate the moral ability to tell the truth.
What is the moral ability to tell the truth?
That is, no matter under any circumstances, will not lie to save face, will not lie to maintain relationship, will not lie for fear of being in danger, will not lie for self-interest, and will not lie to deprive others and so on.
There were hadiths recorded: the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said: “Shall I not inform you of the biggest of the Great Sins?” We said, “Yes, O Allah’s Messenger (saws)” “The biggest of the Great Sins are: To join others in worship with Allah, to be undutiful to one’s parents, and to give a false witness.” He (saws) kept on repeating that warning till we wished he would stop saying it.
This hadith clearly knows that worshiping people and things other than Allah, or worshiping Allah with companions is the number one sin, because Allah has clearly stated in the Qur’an that He can forgive all sins, except for worshiping other than Allah. The second greatest sin is not honoring one’s parents, followed by false statements and false witnesses that have been emphasized many times. In other words, it is very important to tell the truth. It is not only a testimony to standing in front of a court, it’s everything in our daily life, how we narrate what we do and say daily, this is witness too.
(4:135) O you who have believed, be persistently standing firm in justice, witnesses for Allah, even if it be against yourselves or parents and relatives. Whether one is rich or poor, Allah is more worthy of both. So follow not [personal] inclination, lest you not be just. And if you distort [your testimony] or refuse [to give it], then indeed Allah is ever, with what you do, Acquainted.
(5:8) O you who have believed, be persistently standing firm for Allah, witnesses in justice, and do not let the hatred of a people prevent you from being just. Be just; that is nearer to righteousness. And fear Allah; indeed, Allah is Acquainted with what you do.
These two ayat clearly states that whether it is to maintain justice or to testify, one should not be biased because of his relationship with certain people, or the status of those people, or a certain degree of affection and attachment to someone or something, or submit to selfish desires to make statements and decisions, or distort facts, or refuse to testify, etc. Or out of resentment then to give false narration, to fabricate facts, spread rumors, etc.
Be fair, and only fairness is close to reverence, because only when people have a clear consciousness to say every word. And know that every word will be recorded accordingly and placed in the book of deeds of oneself. Then, naturally, even it’s against themselve, one will consciously say every word for the pleasure of Allah. It will no more just to say thing to please others, or to protect oneself.
(2:188) Do not consume one another’s property by unjust means, nor offer it as a bribe to the authorities, so that you may deliberately and wrongfully devour a part of other people’s wealth.
(26:183) do not defraud people of what is rightfully theirs; and do not spread corruption in the land.
These two ayats warn against eroding or holding up other people’s property by trickery.(In Chinese translation, they used trickery as unjust means) What is trickery? Refers to the act of conveying information that is inconsistent with the facts, including fictitious facts, distorting facts, disguising facts, giving false testimony, or spreading rumors to achieve the goal. Simply put, full of lies.
(2:224) And do not make [your oath by] Allah an excuse against being righteous and fearing Allah and making peace among people. And Allah is Hearing and Knowing.
This ayat refers to the fact that some people swore in the name of Allah that they would no longer help some people, and Allah corrected them that they should not oath with His name and made themselves incapable of doing good, reverence, and making reconciliation for others.
In the same way, some people may make mistakes and ask not to tell others, not to testify, or to give false testimony, and to swear to keep secrets. At the end, please judge for yourself whether this secret will lead you into behaviors that need to be commit falsehood, so that others might get harmed, or misled. So, don’t put yourself in a position of being false because of certain promises.
In the current society, as the vast majority of people would say, who in this world never lied? Do honest people still exist? Even though, does this mean one should allow this mode of life to dominate the rest of your life? When a person lies for the first time, there may be a little bit of fear and guilt at first, but when they are not discovered and get short-term benefits, they will try again until they believe their own lies as the truth and no longer feeling guilty. After that, they will make the people around also believe this lie as true. Keep on adding new lies to the old ones to change the narrative until the truth is completely covered up.
When everyone lives in lies, they will begin to deceive each other. In the end, no matter what, they will become a victim themselves, because right and wrong have become blurred, they can no longer distinguish between true and false, and they will no longer trust anyone. No longer believe what the people around their sayings and doings, because they cannot even believe their own selves, let alone others. In the end, there may be many relatives or friends around, but there is an inexplicable loneliness, which is also a portrayal of many modern people.
(29:12-13) Those who deny the truth say to the faithful, “Follow our way, and we will bear the burden of your sins.” But they will bear none of their sins. They are surely lying. They shall bear their own burdens, and other burdens besides. On the Day of Resurrection they shall be questioned about their false assertions.
Many times, one hears the similar situation as described in this ayat, people in various ways, make people feel good, obey their teachings or do things, and if any situation arises, they make people feel that they will be the one to take the responsibility of the consequences. But when the situation really does happen, they will avoid it, and in the end one has to face any consequences on their own.
So, this ayat actually teaches people not to believe these lies, so as to avoid participating in another lie, and those who mislead others are going to bear their own burden as well as others. Therefore, lying, making false statements, or giving false testimony is the same as misleading people.
In order to avoid getting yourself involved in making new lies or relaying other people’s lies, one should do as following:
(25:72) And [they are] those who do not testify to falsehood, and when they pass near ill speech, they pass by with dignity.
This Ayat “testify to falsehood” refers to the Arabic text, which means not bearing false witness, including lies, immorality, unbelief in God, foul language, and false speech. Any false statement is evil, because there will always be people who are hurt by the false statement. Some people will refute, sometimes not directly saying what they have seen and heard is to protect those people, then is it better not to respond rather than to lie? At the same time, if you see unethical behavior or evil words, and you can’t do anything, you should leave as the ayat mentioned. because,
(17:36) And do not pursue that of which you have no knowledge. Indeed, the hearing, the sight and the heart – about all those [one] will be questioned.
This verse clearly teaches, do not follow words and deeds that you do not know, that is, do not blindly agree and follow, instead seek the truth, because in the end the hearing, the sight and the heart will be interrogated.
And as soon as everyone is born, Allah gives angels to follow, and believers are surrounded by angels. Therefore, when a person tells the truth at all times, Allah will make these angels constantly surround and protect these believing people. But when one chooses to lie, to make false statements, to be with those who speak evil or do evil, which means one chooses to pull the devil next to them and push the guardian angel away from them. That’s why the Prophet (pbuh) keep on reminding about this.
Just think about it, the root of almost all evil is inseparable from lies, for example, extramarital affairs, several boats with one foot, stealing, cheating money and body; exaggerating the power of people or things, so that people become superstitious, and so on. Most of the time, many people glorify lying and brand it as just a white lie, a harmless lie. If it’s so innocuous, why is it necessary to lie? If lies just due to good intentions, is it meaning to let someone know the truth is because of bad intentions? When a person does something, but cannot and dare not tell others, he needs to cover up with a lie, then, this person surely knows that it is wrong, but this person simply doesn’t want to admit it, so he will use another lie to excuse, for example, do not want others to misunderstand, do not want to upset others, no one will believe what is said, etc.
Of course, some people will think that there are still many unbelievers, but still honest people. Anyway, Allah has also given them their due rewards in this world. Allah never wrongs anyone, but there is only no blessing in the hereafter. And a believer will not become a non-Muslim because of lying, bearing false witness, stealing, cheating, etc crimes. The difference depends on whether that person continues to do salah. No one is perfect because only Allah is perfect, whether you are a Muslim or not, Allah loves those who have erred to repent to Allah, ask forgiveness, stop making mistakes, admit that Allah is one, and do good deeds as an offset fault. There is no such thing as too late, or no way to reverse, because Allah is the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful, the most Forgiving, the Generous, and the Omnipotent.
To escape a life of lies, first confess your problems deep within yourself or to Allah; remind yourself of how lying has disrupted your life; try to find out what compels you to lie; tell others when you lie, although it may hurt your self-esteem, But it’s better than lying, and even better, come straight to the person you lied to and seek their forgiveness; don’t make any promises if you can’t; if you find yourself lying because you want to hide your failure to live up to the expectations of others, then have a conversation with those people so that you all can agree on those expectations; practice telling the truth, and when you start feeling the urge to lie, stop and think.
Think about how the other person would feel about you if they knew you were lying. Think about how you would feel if people kept lying to you. Then, as hard and painful as it may seem, stick to telling the truth. The more we tell others the truth, the easier it is to continue doing so. Lying is a bad habit, telling the truth is a good habit. Try to break a bad habit is to replace it with a good habit. If there is a victim, apologize if you can. If you can’t, do more good deeds, hoping to offset the fault as much as possible.
Finally, tell yourself to commit to an honest life at all costs, telling the truth can make you feel very uncomfortable, but when you start down the path of honesty and integrity, then imagine becoming who you want to be. If you don’t know the answer to a question, don’t lie or make up something, just say you don’t know. The real freedom is when you no longer have to remember the lies and details you once told, and you no longer have to play a life that is not your own.
In summary, this witness is also mainly the witness of the oneness of Allah. To believe in the oneness of Allah is not an empty talk, but actions. There are too many things in this world that cannot be spoken directly, whether it is for personal, family members, friends, or community interests, or complacency, being honesty has become very difficult.
In fact, when there is no honesty, justice and fairness cannot exist. Therefore, only by making a true statement and stating the fact based on what one witness, then can truly become a witness of Allah. A witness of Allah the one who is not afraid of power, because they know that all power is only for Allah; A witness of Allah is the one who do not compromise for themselves, their family, friends, or ethnic groups, because they know that no one can escape death, and Allah is the final destination; A witness of Allah is the one who do not obey their own desires and do whatever they want, because they know everything will be judged.
To make false statements, to bear false witness, is equal to telling lies, which is an undeniable sin, because almost all crimes must be infused with lies, and Allah sure knows and is going to judge all hidden intentions.
Indeed, lying is like any addiction. It is not easy to stop lying, so one needs to keep practicing and remind yourself that every time you break through the psychological barrier and tell the truth, it is like pushing away the devil. Whenever one push the devil away, Allah will surely give the reward of this world and the next. When one can’t tell the truth and don’t want to lie, keep silent and keep your distance with people, and Allah will make a new way for you.
Not everyone can become a witness of Allah because of constant struggle within hearts, but if they are willing to struggle for Allah, everyone can become a witness of Allah.
May Allah grant firm faith and make us become a witness of Allah.