April Fool’s Day
Praise
be to Allaah, we praise Him and seek His help and forgiveness. We seek refuge
in Allaah from the evil of our own selves and from our evil deeds. Whomsoever
Allaah guides, none can lead astray, and whomsoever He sends astray, none can
guide.
Lying
is an evil characteristic, which all religions and systems of ethics warn
against and which man's innate nature (fitrah) agrees that it is wrong. Those
who possess chivalry and sound reason also say this.
Truthfulness
is one of the pillars on which the moral survival of the world depends. It is
the foundation of praiseworthy characteristics, the cornerstone of Prophethood,
the result of taqwaa. Were it not for truthfulness, the rulings of all
divinely-revealed laws would collapse. Acquiring the characteristic of lying is
akin to shedding one's humanity, because speaking is an exclusively human
trait. (Bareeqah Mahmoodiyyah, Muhammad al-Khaadimi, 3/183)
Our
purely monotheistic sharee‘ah warns against lying in the Qur`aan and Sunnah,
and there is consensus that it is haraam. The liar will have bad consequences
in this world and in the next.
According
to sharee‘ah, lying is not permitted except in specific cases which do not lead
to loss of rights, bloodshed or slander of people’s honour, etc., but which
concern saving lives, reconciling between people, or creating love between
husband and wife.
There
is a never a day or a moment when sharee‘ah permits a person to tell lies or to
say whatever he wants based on lies. One of the things that have become
widespread among the common people is the so called “April
Fool’s Day”, where they claim that the first day of the fourth solar
month is a day when lying is permitted without being subject to any shar‘i guidelines.
Many
bad things may result from this, and we will mention some of these.
The Prohibition of Lying
1. Allaah
says:
“It is only those who believe not in the Ayaat (proofs, evidences,
verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.) of Allaah, who fabricate falsehood,
and it is they who are liars.”
[Surah al-Nahl (16):105]
Ibn
Katheer said:
“Then Allaah tells us that His Messenger (r)
is not a fabricator or a liar, because only the most evil of people who do not
believe in the signs of Allaah, the kaafirs and heretics who are known amongst
the people for telling lies, tell lies about Allaah and His Messenger (r).
The Messenger Muhammad (r) was the most truthful
of people, the most righteous, the most perfect in knowledge, action, faith and
certain belief. He was known amongst his people for his truthfulness; none of
them doubted that, to such an extent that he was known amongst them as
‘al-Ameen (the trustworthy) Muhammad.’ Hence when Heraclius, the ruler of Rome, asked Abu Sufyaan
about the characteristics of the Messenger of Allaah (r),
one of the things he asked was, ‘Did you ever accuse him of lying before he
said what he said?’ He said, ‘No.’ Heraclius said: ‘If he refrained from
telling lies about people he would not go and tell lies about Allaah.’ (Tafseer
Ibn Katheer, 2/588)
2. It
was narrated from Abu Hurayrah that the Prophet (r) said:
“The signs of the hypocrite are three: when he speaks, he lies;
when he makes a promise, he breaks it; and when he is entrusted with something,
he betrays that trust.” (Narrated
by al-Bukhaari, 33; Muslim, 59)
An-Nawawi
said:
“What the commentators and most of the scholars said – which is
correct – is that this means that these characteristics are the characteristics
of hypocrisy, and the one who has these characteristics resembles the
hypocrites in this sense.
The words of the Prophet (r),
‘he is a pure hypocrite’ mean that he strongly resembles the hypocrites because
of these characteristics. Some of the scholars said: this is concerning one in whom these characteristics predominate; one in
whom these characteristics rarely appear is not included in this. This is the
favoured view concerning the meaning of this hadeeth. Imaam Abu ‘Eesa
al-Tirmidhi (t) narrated this meaning
from the scholars and said: ‘The meaning of this according to the scholars is
hypocrisy in one's actions.’” (Sharh Muslim, 2/46-47)
The Most Evil of Lies
1. Lies
told about Allaah and His Messenger (r).
This is
the most serious kind of lie, and the one who does this is subject to a severe
warning. Some of the scholars said that the one who does this is to be
denounced as a kaafir.
Allaah
says:
“Say: ‘Verily, those who invent a lie against Allaah will never be
successful’”
[Surah Yunus (10):69]
“Do not tell lies about me. Whoever tells lies about me, let
him enter the Fire.” (Narrated
by al-Bukhaari, 106)
It was
narrated from Abu Hurayrah (t) that
the Prophet (r) said:
“Whoever tells lies about me, let him take his place in Hell.” (narrated by al-Bukhaari, 110;
Muslim, 3)
Ibn
al-Qayyim said:
“… ‘whoever tells lies about me, let him take his place in
Hell’, i.e., let him take his place in Hell where he will abide and settle;
it is not like a temporary place or camp where he stays for a while and
then moves on.” (Tareeq al-Hijratayn, p. 169)
Lying
also includes lies told about or to other people, such as:
2. Lying
in buying and selling.
It was
narrated from Abu Dharr (t) that
the Prophet (r) said:
“There are three to whom Allaah will not speak on the Day of
Resurrection and He will not look at them or praise them, and they will have a
painful torment.” The Messenger of Allaah (r)
repeated this three times. Abu Dharr said: “May they be doomed and lost, who
are they, O Messenger of Allaah?” He said, “The one who lets his garment
hang below his ankles, the one who reminds others of his favours, and the one
who disposes of his goods by swearing a false oath.” (Narrated by Muslim, 106)
It was
narrated that Hakeem ibn Hizaam (t) said
that the Messenger of Allaah (r) said:
“The two parties involved in a transaction have the option [of
cancelling it] until they part. If they are honest and truthful, their transaction
will be blessed for them and if they conceal something and tell lies, the blessing
of their transaction will be wiped out.” (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 1973; Muslim, 532)
Shaykh
al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah said:
“Allaah has enjoined truthfulness and honesty, and He has forbidden
lies and concealment with regard to matters which should be known and revealed
to people, as the Prophet (r) said in a hadeeth
whose authenticity is agreed upon:
‘The two parties involved in a transaction have the option [of cancelling
it] until they part. If they are honest and truthful, their transaction will be
blessed for them and if they conceal something and tell lies, the blessing of
their transaction will be wiped out.’ And Allaah says (interpretation of the
meaning):
‘O you who believe! Stand out firmly for Allaah as just witnesses;
and let not the enmity and hatred of others make you avoid justice. Be just:
that is nearer to piety’
[Surah al-Maa`idah (5):8].”
(Minhaaj
al-Sunnah, 1/16)
3. The prohibition
on lying about visions and dreams.
This
refers to when some of them claim to have seen such and such in a dream, but
they are not telling the truth, then in the morning he starts to tell the
people something that he did not see.
It was
narrated from Ibn ‘Abbaas that the Prophet (r) said:
“Whoever tells of a dream that he did not see will be commanded
[on the Day of Resurrection] to tie two grains of barley together, but he will
never be able to do it. Whoever eavesdrops on people’s conversation when they
dislike that – or they try to get away from him
- will have molten copper poured in his ears in the Day of Resurrection.
And whoever makes an image will be punished and will be told to breathe life
into it, and he will not be able to do so.” (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 6635)
Al-Manaawi
said:
“ ‘to tie two grains of barley together, but he will never be
able to do it’ – because tying one to the other is not possible ordinarily.
He will be punished until he does that, and he will never be able to do it. It
is as if he is saying that he will be enjoined to do something that he can
never do, and is being punished for it. This is a metaphor for continuous punishment…
The reason why barley (sha’eer) is mentioned specifically is because dreams are
connected to feelings (shu‘oor); the words sha‘eer (barley) and shu‘oor
(feelings) come from the same root in Arabic.
The punishment for that is so severe – even though lies when
awake may cause more damage, because they may involve testimony that may lead
to execution or a hadd punishment – because lying about a dream is a lie about
Allaah, may He be exalted, for dreams are a part of Prophethood, so they come
from Him, and lying about the Creator is worse than lying about created
beings. (Fayd al-Qadeer, 6/99)
4. The
prohibition of speaking about everything that one hears.
It was
narrated by Hafs ibn ‘Aasim, that the the
Messenger of Allaah (r) said:
‘It is sufficient lying for a man to speak of everything that he
hears.’ (Narrated by Muslim,
5)
With
regard to the meanings of the hadeeth and reports on this topic, they
discourage speaking about everything that one hears. For usually a person will
hear both true things and lies, so if he were to speak of everything that he
hears, he would be lying, by telling of something that did not happen. We have
stated above the view of the people of truth: that lying means telling of something
in a manner other than the way it happened. It is not conditional upon it being
done deliberately, but its being done deliberately is a condition of it being a
sin. And Allaah knows best.” (Sharh Muslim, 1/75)
5.
Lying in jest.
Some
people think that it is permissible to tell lies if it is in jest. This is the
excuse that they use for telling lies on April 1st or on
other days. This is wrong. There is no basis for this in the pure sharee‘ah.
Lying is haraam whether the one who does it is joking or is serious.
Lying
in jest is haraam just like other kinds of lies.
It was
narrated by Ibn ‘Umar that the Prophet (r) said:
“I joke, but I speak nothing but the
truth.” (narrated by
al-Tabaraani in al-Mu’jam al-Kabeer, 12/391)
This
hadeeth was classed as hasan by al-Haythami in Majma’ al-Zawaa`id, 8/89,
and classed as saheeh by Shaykh al-Albaani (may Allaah have mercy on him) in Saheeh
al-Jaami’, 2494)
It was
narrated that Abu Hurayrah said:
“They said, ‘O Messenger of Allaah, you joke with us.’ He said, ‘But
I only speak the truth.’ ” (narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 1990)
Abu
‘Eesa said: this is a saheeh hasan hadeeth.
A
similar hadeeth was narrated by al-Tabaraani in al-Awsat (8/305) and
classed as hasan by al-Haythami in Majma’ al-Zawaa’id, 9/17 .
‘Abd
al-Rahmaan ibn Abi Laylaa said: “The companions of the Messenger of Allaah (r) told
us that they were traveling with the Messenger of Allaah (r). A
man among them fell asleep and some of them went and took his arrows. When the
man woke up, he got alarmed (because his arrows were missing) and the people
laughed. The Prophet (r) said,
“What are you laughing at?” They said, “Nothing, except
that we took the arrows and he got alarmed.” The Messenger of Allaah (r) said:
“It is not permissible for a Muslim to frighten another
Muslim.” (Narrated by Abu Dawood, 5004; Ahmad, 22555 – this version
narrated by Ahmad)
This
hadeeth was classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Jaami’,
7658)
It was
narrated from ‘Abd-Allaah ibn al-Saa’ib ibn Yazeed from his father from his
grandfather that he heard the Messenger of Allaah (r) say:
“None of you should take the belongings of his brother, whether in
jest or otherwise. Whoever has taken the stick of his brother, let him return
it.” (Narrated by Abu
Dawood, 5003; al-Tirmidhi, 2160 in brief)
The
hadeeth was classed as hasan by Shaykh al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Jaami’,
7578
6.
Lying when playing with children
We must
beware of lying when playing with children, because that will be written down
(in the record of deeds of) the one who that. The Messenger of Allaah (r)
warned against doing that. It was narrated that ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Aamir (t) said:
“My mother called me one day
when the Messenger of Allaah (r) was
sitting in our house. She said, ‘Come here, and I will give you
(something).’ The Messenger of Allaah (r) said,
‘What do you want to give him?’ She
said, ‘I will give him a date.’ The Messenger of Allaah (r) said:
‘If you had not given him something, you would have been lying.’”
And it
was narrated by Abu Hurayrah (t) that
the Messenger of Allaah (r) said:
“Whoever says to a child, ‘Come here and take this,’ then does not
give him something, this is counted as a lie.” (Narrated by Abu Dawood, 4991)
This
hadeeth was classed as hasan by Shaykh al-‘Albaani in Saheeh al-Jaami’,
1319.
7.
Lying to make people laugh.
It was
narrated by Mu‘aawiyah ibn Haydah that he heard the Prophet (r) say:
‘Woe to the one who talks to make the people laugh and tells lies,
woe to him, woe to him.” (narrated
by al-Tirmidhi, 235. He said: this is a hasan hadeeth. Also narrated by Abu Dawood,
4990).
The Punishment for Lying
The liar
is warned of destructive punishment in this world, and humiliating punishment
in the Hereafter. These include:
1.
Hypocrisy in the heart.
Allaah
says:
“So He punished them by putting hypocrisy into their hearts till
the Day whereon they shall meet Him, because they broke that (covenant with
Allaah) which they had promised to Him and because they used to tell lies.
[al-Tawbah 9:77]
‘Abd-Allaah
ibn Mas’ood said:
“You may know the hypocrite by three things: when he speaks, he
lies; when he makes a promise, he breaks it; and when he is entrusted with
something he betrays that trust.”. He said: “Recite this aayah (interpretation
of the meaning):
‘And of them are some who made a covenant with Allaah (saying): ‘If
He bestowed on us of His Bounty, we will verily, give Sadaqah (Zakaah and
voluntary charity in Allaah’s Cause) and will be certainly among those who are
righteous.’ * Then when He gave them of His Bounty, they
became niggardly [refused to pay the Sadaqah (Zakaah or voluntary charity)],
and turned away, averse. * So He punished them by putting hypocrisy into their hearts
till the Day whereon they shall meet Him, because they broke that (covenant
with Allaah) which they had promised to Him and because they used to tell
lies.”
[Surah at-Tawbah (9):75-77]
(Musanaaf
Ibn Abi Shaybah, 6/125)
2.
Guidance to evildoing and to the Fire.
It was
narrated by ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Mas’ood that the Messenger of Allaah (r) said:
“Truthfulness is righteousness, and righteousness leads to Paradise. A
person will continue to tell the truth until he is written with Allaah as one
who tells the truth. Lying is evildoing, and evildoing leads to Hell. A person
will keep on telling lies until he is written as a liar.” (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 5743;
Muslim, 2607)
As-San‘aani
said:
This hadeeth indicates that whoever continues to speak the
truth, it will become a feature of his, and whoever deliberately tells lies and
persists in it, it will become a feature of his. This is the same as any other good or evil
characteristic, if a person persists in it: it becomes a feature of his.
This hadeeth indicates how serious the matter of telling the
truth is, and that it may lead a person to Paradise,
and it indicates how ugly lying is and how it may lead a person to Hell. This
is in addition to the consequences in this world, for the one who tells the
truth will have his words accepted by people, and his testimony will be
accepted by judges and he will be liked for what he says, whereas for the liar
the opposite will be the case. (Subul al-Salaam, 2/687)
3. His
testimony will be rejected.
Ibn
al-Qayyim said:
[The reason why the testimony of the liar is rejected]
The strongest reason why testimonies, fatawaa and reports may be
rejected is lying, because it corrupts the very essence of the testimony, fatwa
or report. It is like the testimony of a blind man concerning sighting the new
moon, or the testimony of a deaf man concerning having heard the admission of
someone. The lying tongue is like some faculty that is no longer working. Indeed
it is even worse than that, for the most evil thing a man may possess is a lying
tongue. (A’laam al-Muwaqqi‘een, 1/95 )
4.
Blackening of the face in this world and in the Hereafter .
Allaah
says:
“And on the Day of Resurrection you will see those who lied against
Allaah (i.e. attributed to Him sons, partners) their faces will be black”
[al-Zumar 39:60]
Ibn
al-Qayyim said:
Hence on the Day of Resurrection Allaah will make blackened faces
the sign of the one who told lies about Him and His Messenger. Lying has a
great effect in blackening the face and covering it with a mask of shame which
every truthful person will be able to see. The feature of the liar is clearly
visible in the face, and everyone who has the eyes to see can see it. But Allaah
will bless the truthful person with dignity and respect, so whoever sees him
will respect him and love him, and He will give the liar humiliation and shame,
so whoever sees him will loathe him and despise him. And Allaah is the Source
of strength. (A’laam al-Muwaqqi‘een, 1/95 )
5. The
liar will have the flesh of his cheeks torn to the back of his head.
It was
narrated that Samurah ibn Jundub (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
“The Messenger of Allaah (r) often
used to say to his companions, ‘Has anyone among you seen a dream?’ Then
whoever Allaah willed would tell of his dream. One day he said to us, ‘Two (angels)
came to me last night and woke me up, then they said to me, ‘Let’s go!’… so we
set out and came to a man who was lying flat on his back and another man
standing over his head with an iron hook, and behold, he would put the hook in
one side of the man's mouth and tear off that side of his face to the back (of
the neck) and similarly tear his nose from front to back and his eye from front
to back. Then he turned to the other side of the man's face and did just as he
had done with the other side. Hardly had he completed this side when the first
side was restored to its normal state. Then he went back and did that all over
again. I said to my two companions, ‘Subhaan Allah! Who are these two persons?’
They said to me, ‘Move on, move on!’ (Then he said, describing how the two
angels explained the things that he had seen): ‘As for the man you came across,
the sides of whose mouth, nostrils and eyes were being torn off from front to
back, he is the symbol of the man who goes out of his house in the morning and
tells so many lies that it spreads all over the world.’ ” (Narrated
by al-Bukhaari, 5745)
The Comments of the Salaf on Lying
1.
‘Abd-Allaah ibn Mas‘ood said:
“A man may speak the truth and persist in doing so until
there is in his heart not even room for evil the size of a needle. Or a man may
tell lies and persist in doing so until there is in his heart not even room for
truth the size of a needle.”
2. And
it was narrated that he said:
“It is not correct to tell lies whether in jest or in seriousness,”
Then ‘Abd-Allaah recited the aayah:
“O you who believe! Be afraid of Allaah, and be with those who are
true (in words and deeds)”
[al-Tawbah 9:119]
3. Abu
Bakr al-Siddeeq said:
“Beware of lying, for
it has nothing to do with faith.”
4. It
was narrated that Sa’d ibn Abi Waqqaas said:
“The believer may acquire all sorts of characteristics except
treachery and lying.”
5. It
was narrated that ‘Umar (t) said:
“True faith is not achieved until one gives up lying in
jest.” (Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah, 5/235, 236)
Permissible Kinds of Lies
Lying
is permissible in three cases:
1) War;
2) Reconciling
between two disputing parties; and
3) A
husband lying to his wife or vice versa for the sake of love and harmony.
It was
narrated from Umm Kalthoom bint ‘Uqbah that she heard the Messenger of Allaah (r) say:
“He is not a liar who reconciles between people and narrates
something good or says something good.” (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 2546; Muslim, 2605)
It was
narrated by Asmaa´ bint Yazeed that the
Messenger of Allaah (r) said:
“It is not permissible to tell lies except in three (cases): when
a man speaks to his wife in a way to please her; lying in war; and lying in
order to reconcile between people.” (Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 1939)
This
hadeeth was classed as hasan by Shaykh al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Jaami’,
7723
April fool
With
regard to “April Fool” (in Arabic, Kidhbat Neesaan or the lies of
April), the origin of this lying is not known for sure. There are differing opinions
concerning that:
Some of
them said that it developed from the celebrations of spring at the equinox on
March 21.
Some of
them said that this innovation appeared in France in 1564 CE, after the introduction
of a new calendar, when a person who had refused to accept the new calendar
became the victim of some people who had subjected him to embarrassment and
made fun of him, so he became a laughing-stock for others.
Some of
them said that this innovation goes back to ancient times and the pagan
celebrations connected to a specific date at the beginning of spring, so this
is the remnant of pagan rituals. It was said that hunting in some countries was
unsuccessful during the first days of the hunt in some countries. This was the
origin of these lies which are made up on the first day of April.
Le poisson
d’avril
The
Europeans call “April Fool” le poisson d’avril (lit. “April fish”). The
reason for this is that the sun moves from the zodiacal house of Pisces to the
next house, or because the word poisson, which means fish, is a
distortion of the word passion, which means suffering, so it is a symbol
of the suffering endured by Jesus (u),
according to the claims of the Christians, and they claim that this happened in
the first week of April.
Some of
the kuffaar call this day All Fools’ Day, as it is known to the English. That
is because of the lies that they tell so that those who hear them might believe
them and thus become a victim for those who
are making fun of him.
The
first mention of April Fool in the English language was in a magazine known as
Dreck Magazine. On the second day of April in 1698 CE, this magazine mentioned
that a number of people were invited to come and watch the washing of black
people in the Tower
of London on the morning
of the first day of April.
One of
the most famous incidents that happened in Europe on April 1st was
when the English newspaper, the Evening Star, announced in March 1746 CE
that the following day – April 1st – that there would be an parade
of donkeys in Islington, in England. The people rushed to see these animals and
there was a huge crowd. They continued waiting and when they got tired of
waiting, they asked about when the parade would be. They not find anything,
then they knew that they had come to make an exhibition of themselves, as if
they were the donkeys!
‘Aasim
ibn ‘Abd-Allaah al-Qurawayti
One of
them wrote about the origin of these lies, saying:
Many of us celebrate what is known as April fool or, if it is
translated literally, the “trick of April”. But how much do we know of the
bitter secret behind this day?
When the Muslims ruled Spain, approximately one thousand
years ago, they were a force that could not be destroyed. The western
Christians wished that they could wipe Islam from the face of the earth, and
they succeeded to some extent.
They tried to limit the spread of Islam in Spain and to put an end to it, but
they did not succeed. They tried numerous times and never succeeded.
After that, the kuffaar sent their spies to Spain to study and find out the
secret of the Muslims’ strength which could not be defeated. They discovered
that adhering to taqwa (piety or consciousness of Allaah) was the reason.
When the Christians discovered the secret of the Muslims’
strength, they started to think of strategies to break this strength. On this
basis they began to send wine and cigars to Spain for free.
This tactic on the part of the west produced results, and the
faith of the Muslims began to weaken, especially among the young generation in Spain.
The result of that was that the western Catholic Christians subdued the whole
of Spain
and put an end to the Muslim rule of that land which had lasted for more than
eight hundred years. The last stronghold of the Muslims, in Grenada, fell on April 1st,
hence they considered this to be the “trick of April.”
From that year until the present, they celebrate this day and consider
the Muslims to be fools. They do not regard only the army at Granada to be fools who were easily deceived,
rather they apply that to the entire Muslim Ummah. It is ignorant of us to join
in these celebrations, and when we imitate them blindly in implementing this
evil idea, this is a kind of blind imitation which confirms the foolishness of
some of us in following them. Once we know the reason for this celebration, how
can we celebrate our defeat?
After knowing this reality,let us make a promise to ourselves
never to celebrate this day. We have to learn from the Spanish and adhere to
the reality of Islam and never allow our faith to be weakened again.
I say:
it does not matter what the origins of April fool are. What matters more is
knowing the ruling on lying on this day, which we are sure did not exist during
the first and best generations of Islam. It did not come from the Muslims, but
rather from their enemies.
The
things that happen on April Fools’ Day are many. Some people have been told
that their child or spouse or someone who is dear to them has died, and unable
to bear this shock, they have died. Some have been told that they are being
laid off, or that there has been a fire or an accident in which their family
has been killed, so they suffer paralysis or heart attacks, or similar
diseases.
Some
people have been told about their wives, that they have been seen with other
men, and this has led them to kill or divorce their wives.
These
are the endless stories and incidents that we hear of, all of which are lies
which are forbidden in Islam and unacceptable to common sense or honest
chivalry.
We have
seen how Islam forbids lying even in jest, and it forbids frightening a Muslim
whether in seriousness or in jest, in words or in actions.
This is
the law of Allaah in which is wisdom and care for people’s circumstances.
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