Dear Hadi,
Dear Reader,
You ask an excellent and very important question. On its face, it is a very simple question, but when we stop to think about it, it is actually very complex, and deals with a situation that we all face all the time.
As you know, we do not give fatwas on our website. However, we will give you our opinion, and God knows best.
In our opinion, there are some situations where you do not need to confess to a lie, but there are other situations where you definitely should, and we will try to ground those in verses of the Quran and hadiths of the Prophet (peace be upon him).
The first category is “little white lies.” We are not saying these are OK by any means, but most of us (if not all of us) fall into this at some time. For example, you are invited to someone’s house, but you do not want to go and at the same time you do not want to hurt their feelings, so you say that you already have a previous engagement and cannot make it. Another example is that your mother cooks you a special dinner, and asks you how you liked it. Even though you thought it tasted rather bad, of course you say, “I loved it! Thank you very much.”
We don’t need to give more examples. We are all humans, and we live these experiences. We believe these are the sorts of lies that you do not need to confess to.
Now let’s take it up a notch. Let us say you want to spend the day with your child, who is off from school, so you call in sick to work. Once again, we are not encouraging this, and we believe that this is a higher degree of issue, since now work is not getting done, and your colleagues have to pick up the slack. However, even in these situations, although we would encourage you not to do that sort of thing, we do not believe you have to confess to such a lie, as it brings you significant harm, and risks your future credibility at your work, or possibly even your entire job.
That being said, we do believe that there is an entire category of things where if you lie about them, you do have to confess the lie, because truthfulness in these matters is mandated in the Quran. Many of these are legal matters, but others have to do with people’s honor and reputation. We will lay out some examples, but first we note that the general conduct of the believers is set by the Quran: “And those who do not bear false witness, and when they pass by ill speech, they pass by with dignity.” Surah al-Furqān (25:72)
Now, let us lay out some specific examples.
1. You have to be truthful any time that you are a witness to a legal case, whether in court, or when people are trying to settle a dispute out of court.
Here, if you tell a lie, you directly harm someone’s interests, and rob them of their rights. The Quran makes it clear that we have an obligation to bear truthful witness, even against ourselves or our relatives:
Surah an-Nisā’ (4:135)
“O you who believe! Stand firmly for justice, as witnesses to Allah, even if it be against yourselves, your parents, or your relatives, whether one is rich or poor; Allah is nearer to both. So do not follow your desires lest you deviate from justice. If you distort or refuse [to give testimony], then indeed Allah is ever aware of what you do.”
This verse establishes that justice and truthful testimony are divine commands, overriding personal interest or emotion.
Major scholars have commented specifically on this verse. Ibn Kathīr, in his Tafsir, explains that Allah SWT commands absolute justice — whether the witness testifies against his own interests or his family’s. He notes that the phrase “witnesses to Allah” means you testify as though Allah Himself is the One before whom you stand, emphasizing impartiality.
Al-Qurṭubī says this verse was revealed to ensure that justice in Islam is universal and not tribal. It invalidates favoritism and establishes that testimony is a divine duty, not a social favor.
2. You have to give truthful testimony in cases of inheritance and financial matters.
Surah al-Baqarah (2:282)
“O you who believe! When you contract a debt for a fixed term, write it down… And call two witnesses from among your men. And if there are not two men, then one man and two women of those whom you approve as witnesses, so that if one of them forgets the other may remind her… And do not refuse when you are called upon to give testimony.”
Surah al-Baqarah (2:283)
“…And do not conceal testimony, for whoever conceals it—his heart is indeed sinful, and Allah is knowing of what you do.”
These verses regulate testimony in inheritance, debt, and contractual contexts, ensuring accuracy and preventing later disputes.
Ibn Kathīr notes that this verse sets procedural justice — writing contracts, recording debts, and appointing witnesses — to prevent future disputes. Concealing testimony is equated with spiritual corruption of the heart.
Al-Qurṭubī calls concealing testimony a kabīrah (major sin), especially when it leads to loss of another’s rights.
3. If you falsely accuse a person of sexual sins, outside the context of a criminal case without four witnesses, this is considered a grave sin. We know that in our society, this has become nothing more than office gossip, but if you indulge in that just to be part of the group, that is something you would need to correct.
Surah al-Nūr (24:4)
“And those who accuse chaste women and do not produce four witnesses—flog them with eighty lashes and never accept their testimony thereafter. And those are the defiantly disobedient.”
Surah an-Nūr (24:23)
“Indeed, those who falsely accuse chaste, unaware, believing women are cursed in this world and the Hereafter; and they will have a great punishment.”
These verses condemn false witness, slander, and dishonesty, linking them with major sin.
Ibn Kathīr emphasizes that these verses protect honor and chastity, demanding clear proof (four witnesses). It establishes presumption of innocence until proof is given — a major legal principle in Islamic law.
Al-Qurṭubī says that the verses show that a person’s honor (ʿird) is as sacred as his life and property. Therefore, slander without evidence is among the gravest offenses.
4. If you will have lied and blamed someone else for something wrong you did, you should confess to that lie and correct the situation.
Surah an-Nisā’ (4:112)
“But whoever earns a fault or a sin and then blames it on an innocent [person] has taken upon himself a slander and a manifest sin.”
This verse directly forbids framing or falsely accusing others for one’s own misdeeds.
Ibn Kathīr explains this verse as condemning fabricating blame to deflect guilt — an act of compounded sin: committing a wrong, lying about it, and harming the innocent.
Al-Qurṭubī adds that this verse underpins the principle of personal accountability (lā taziru wāziratun wizra ukh’rā), meaning no soul bears the burden of another.
These same themes are found in Prophetic hadith as well. The Prophet (pbuh) said:
“Shall I not tell you of the greatest of major sins?” They said, “Yes, O Messenger of Allah.”
He said, “Associating partners with Allah and false testimony.” He kept repeating it until we wished he would stop. (Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 87)
The Prophet also said “Avoid false witness, for it is equal to shirk.”
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim)
So, hopefully isA, we have given you some very specific and practical guidelines, once again stressing that these are our opinions, and not juristic fatwas, and we thank you for bringing up this very pertinent question.
In peace.