Lying is Stress

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum

Dear Friends

I pray that you are well.

Truthfulness is an essential part of our faith. The sweet reward is awaiting those who are being truthful.

Allah Almighty says,

يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ ٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّـهَ وَكُونُوا۟ مَعَ ٱلصَّـٰدِقِينَ ﴿١١٩

O you who believe! Be afraid of Allah, and be with those who are true (in word and deeds)

[Qur'an At-Tawba 9:119]

قَالَ ٱللَّـهُ هَـٰذَا يَوْمُ يَنفَعُ ٱلصَّـٰدِقِينَ صِدْقُهُمْ ۚ لَهُمْ جَنَّـٰتٌ تَجْرِى مِن تَحْتِهَا ٱلْأَنْهَـٰرُ خَـٰلِدِينَ فِيهَآ أَبَدًا ۚ رَّضِىَ ٱللَّـهُ عَنْهُمْ وَرَضُوا۟ عَنْهُ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ ٱلْفَوْزُ ٱلْعَظِيمُ ﴿١١٩

Allah will say, "This is the Day when the truthful will benefit from their truthfulness." For them are gardens [in Paradise] beneath which rivers flow, wherein they will abide forever, Allah being pleased with them, and they with Him. That is the great attainment. (119)

[Qur'an Al-Maida 5:119]

Allah wants us to be truthful because it is good for us. And lying is literally bad for you. Consider the polygraph machine, known as the lie detector. It doesn’t actually detect lies, specifically, but rather it detects the signs of stress you show while telling a lie. We all know that stress affects the body. So if you lie, you are creating stress in your body, and if you lie a lot, some people live in their own lies, you are in for some serious health problems.

Each day you are faced with the same 2 choices many times--to lie or not to lie. You can eliminate lying by thinking about the Hereafter. A lie will never protect you on the Day of Judgment. If you have deceived people it can lead to a terrible punishment in the grave or even the hellfire. Lying is a habit everyone should stay away from.

Mobile phones have made lying easy; for example, I’m on my way (while you are still at home)—you couldn’t have said that with a landline. How many people lie on Facebook, simply because "no-one sees"? Be real with technology and don’t let the online screen seduce you with lies.

Beware of lying, even if it’s just once, even if you think it's about a petty matter, even in jest, even to a child. Speaking the truth is a habit you need to train yourself in; you need to keep correcting yourself.

The Prophet salallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said,

Lying is improper whether in earnest or in jest, even if any one of you promises his child something and does not fulfill his promise.

[Al-Bukhari, Abu Dawud]

It is not worth it to lie. Lying is tied to hypocrisy as described by the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace,

If anyone has four characteristics, he is a pure hypocrite, and if anyone has one of them, he has an aspect of hypocrisy until he gives it up: whenever he is trusted, he betrays his trust; whenever he speaks, he lies; when he makes an agreement, he breaks it; and when he quarrels, he deviates from the truth by speaking falsely.

The hypocrites will be in the lowest level of Hell, as Allah Almighty says,

إِنَّ ٱلْمُنَـٰفِقِينَ فِى ٱلدَّرْكِ ٱلْأَسْفَلِ مِنَ ٱلنَّارِ وَلَن تَجِدَ لَهُمْ نَصِيرًا ﴿١٤٥﴾ إِلَّا ٱلَّذِينَ تَابُوا۟ وَأَصْلَحُوا۟ وَٱعْتَصَمُوا۟ بِٱللَّـهِ وَأَخْلَصُوا۟ دِينَهُمْ لِلَّـهِ فَأُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ مَعَ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ ۖ وَسَوْفَ يُؤْتِ ٱللَّـهُ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ أَجْرًا عَظِيمًا ﴿١٤٦

Indeed, the hypocrites will be in the lowest depths of the Fire - and never will you find for them a helper - (145) Except for those who repent, correct themselves, hold fast to Allah, and are sincere in their religion for Allah, for those will be with the believers. And Allah is going to give the believers a great reward.

[Qur'an An-Nisa’ 4:145-146]

The Prophet salallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said,

You must be truthful, for truthfulness leads to righteousness and righteousness leads to Paradise. A man will keep speaking the truth and striving to speak the truth until he will be recorded with Allah as a siddeeq (speaker of the truth). Beware of telling lies, for lying leads to immorality and immorality leads to Hellfire. A man will keep telling lies and striving to tell lies until he is recorded with Allah as a liar.

[Muslim]

May Allah protect us from hypocrisy and make us among the truthful. Ameen.

Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.

And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam