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Lies are ubiquitous. Lies are where humans are. Irrespective of age, caste, ethnicity and nationality, lies are spoken. Sometimes ,they are told for short-term and small gains while sometimes to obtain some serious benefits. Escaping punishment from school teachers to avoiding life losses, lies become the main tool. Lies have surrounded us so much in our society that telling a lie is not considered a sin anymore but sometimes it is ignored terming it as “inevitable”.
Thinking about the good a lie can cause,is it justified to tell lies. Should we lie to bypass a major setback or to obtain a food profit that will be beneficial for everyone. Truth can be disastrous and painful sometimes so is it ok tell lies at that moment and save loved ones frim pain? Same is the topic of second edition of hive learners exclusive weekly prompts. Let me discuss the religious aspecrs of it before giving my own pov.
Being a Muslim,Quran servers as source of light for us in life matters. The Quran strongly condemns the every version of lie and emphasise its followers to always hoist the flag of truthfulness.
Here are some verses from the Quran
“In their hearts is a disease, so Allah has increased their disease; and for them is a painful punishment because they [habitually] used to lie.”
Surah albakkarah at at 10.
Similarly, The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “I enjoin you to be truthful, for truthfulness leads to righteousness and righteousness leads to Paradise. A man may continue to tell the truth and endeavor to be truthful until he is recorded with Allah as a speaker of truth. And beware of lying, for lying leads to wickedness, and wickedness leads to Hell. A man may continue to tell lies and endeavor to tell lies until he is recorded with Allah as a liar.”
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From my perspective, there can be times when telling a lie is acceptable, depending on the situation and the intention behind it. I don’t believe that all lies are the same. Sometimes, a lie is told not to deceive or hurt someone, but to protect them from emotional pain or difficult consequences. I have personally told lies in situations where I felt the truth would have done more harm than good. For example, when someone is already stressed or heartbroken, I’ve chosen not to add to their burden by telling them something harsh or unnecessary. In those moments, my goal wasn’t to hide the truth forever but to be considerate of their emotional state.
That said, I also believe that lying shouldn’t become a habit or a way to avoid responsibility. If someone constantly uses consequences as an excuse to lie, then it becomes less about protecting others and more about saving themselves. That’s when it turns into a selfish act rather than a justified one.There has to be a genuine reason behind the lie, and it should come from a place of care or empathy, not fear or manipulation.
So yes, I do believe that lying can sometimes be justified, but only if it’s done with the right intentions and in rare, meaningful circumstances. Truth is important, but so is kindness and timing. It’s about finding the balance between being honest and being human. Not all truths need to be told immediately or harshly, and not all lies are evil. What matters is why you lied and who you were trying to protect in the process.
This is my blog for #hl-exclusive and #hl-w166e2.