Author: Sayyed Muslih al-din
Falsehood (Part Two)
Is Falsehood Innate or Acquired?
No human being is a liar by nature. Falsehood is learned from one’s environment (family, school, and, in general, the society in which they live). Research shows that children first learn this behavior from their parents and those who live with them, followed by friends and other members of the community they interact with. A lie is a seed planted in this fertile ground by those around the person, which, with proper nurturing and cultivation, grows until it sometimes becomes a robust tree, requiring significant effort to uproot. Therefore, Falsehood is not natural.
Time to Start Falsehood Findings from psychologists emphasize that the statements of children under the age of five or six are more fantasy driven. They often express their feelings and imaginations about the phenomena around them; children at this age live in a world of fantasy, shaping their thoughts and dreams in this way and even considering inanimate objects alive. For example, a child riding a piece of wood might pretend it is a horse. These children describe incidents they encounter as much bigger than they are. It’s also important to note that a child under the age of five does not have a high understanding of good and bad actions, so distinguishing between them can be challenging.
Falsehood in Children Falsehood in children starts around the age of five or six when they mentally reach a stage where they can gradually distinguish between truth and lies. From this age, the trait of Falsehood begins to form in some children, sometimes becoming so severe that it is considered a disease and later a part of their adult personality. Falsehood gradually penetrates the child’s being from an early age and, if unchecked, manifests as a trait in adulthood.
Causes of Falsehood
Jealousy:
The brothers of Hazrat Yusuf (peace be upon him) said to their father due to jealousy towards Yusuf: “Tomorrow send him with us to wander and play [in the grass] and we will guard him well.”
Devil:
The Devil is one of the prominent examples of liars in the Qur’anic culture. Allah says: “Shall I inform you on whom the devils descend? They descend upon every sinful liar.”
Sins:
Another factor causing Falsehood is committing sins. As stated in the Holy Quran: “These are the verses of Allah that we recite to you in truth. If they don’t believe in these verses, in what words do they believe after Allah’s discourse and His verses? Woe to every sinful liar.”
Feminine Cunning:
Among the reasons for Falsehood is women’s cunning, mentioned in Surah Yusuf regarding Zulikha: “And they both ran to the door, and he tore his (Yusuf’s) shirt from behind. At that moment, they found the woman’s husband at the door. The woman said: What will be the punishment for someone who wants to betray your family except prison or torment? Yusuf said: She was the one who insisted on inviting me to her. At this point, a witness from the woman’s family testified that if his shirt is torn from the front, the woman is telling the truth, and he is one of the liars.”
Maintaining Social Status:
Sometimes a person with a particular social status fails to fulfill the tasks and responsibilities they have assumed. Due to weakness or mismanagement, success is not achieved. Therefore, when questioned by a higher authority, they resort to lies to maintain their position and social title and cover their faults and slips, thus preserving their status by saying things that are not true.
Attracting Benefits and Avoiding Harms:
Sometimes a person sees that a loss has occurred to them and a benefit to another. To shift this loss away from themselves or to attract a benefit realized by someone else, they resort to lies. Since human nature seeks benefit and avoids harm, this is a strong motivation to tell lies.
Consequences of Falsehood
Falsehood, like other mental and emotional disorders, begins with a small and simple issue. If not treated in time, it can turn into a psychological illness. Falsehood is a primary cause of other corruptions, to the extent that it could be said to be the key to entering other forms of corruption. Some of the consequences and effects of lying include:
Invalidity of Liar:
Community life is based on a relative mutual trust. Falsehood damages this trust, disrupts relationships, and creates pessimism between people. Also, exposing a person’s lies tarnishes their reputation, diminishing their value and credibility.
Loss of Faith:
Those who trust and accept the words of a liar will be led astray. This destroys people’s faith and beliefs in intellectual and religious matters. Moreover, a liar relies on Falsehood to achieve their goals, indicating a weak faith in Allah’s influence on affairs.
Disgrace:
Another social disadvantage of Falsehood is disgrace. When many lies are discovered from the liar, and their scandal is repeated, they become disgraced. The scandal of a liar is the exposure of their lies, and disgrace means becoming indecent. Wise people always seek dignity and respect, often sacrificing their wealth, power, or knowledge to achieve it. However, a liar destroys this dignity with their own hands.
People’s Pessimism:
A liar faces people’s suspicions and pessimism, and sometimes their actions make them hated for their lies.
Poverty:
Truth increases wealth by creating credibility, while Falsehood keeps capital stagnant by destroying credibility. No one deals with false promises, and trusting a liar is against reason.
Shamelessness:
If discovering a lie does not shake the liar’s spirit and they continue to lie, successive discoveries will take away their shame, turning them into a professional liar. They no longer shy away from revealing their flaws and say to themselves: “Everyone knows me; what is the use of hiding anymore?” As a result, they do not shy away from committing or revealing their sins.
Treatment of Falsehood The best way to prevent Falsehood is to recognize it as one of the most reprehensible traits. By lying, a person will face divine wrath and the fire of hell in the hereafter. In this world, sooner or later, their Falsehood will be exposed, and the truth will be revealed. As a result, they will be disgraced, rejected, and isolated among people, and no one will value their words anymore; they will be dead among the living.
By understanding the roots of Falsehood and cutting them off, people can protect themselves from being infected with lies and suffering from this dangerous evil.
“So that you don’t know that what is said is true You should not open your mouth to say.”
“Speak the truth and stay in prison. Let the one who lies to you be free from bondage.”
Continues…
[1]. Imam Muhammad Ghazali, Revival of the Religious Sciences, Vol. 2, p. 191.
[2]. Imam Safdar, The Evils of the Tongue, Vol. 3, p. 68.
[3]. Surah Yusuf, Verse 12.
[4]. Surah Ash-Shu’ara, Verses 221-222.
[5]. Surah Al-Jathiya, Verses 6-7.
[6]. Surah Yusuf, Verses 25-26.
[7]. Sheikh Muhammad Amin, The Evils of the Tongue, p. 82.
[8]. Same.
[9]. Same.
[10]. The Alchemy of Happiness, p. 50.
[11]. Sheikh Jalilullah, The Language Keeper, p. 33.
[12]. The Alchemy of Happiness, p. 60.
[13]. Muhammad Amin, The Evils of the Tongue, p. 60.
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