The propaganda video is full of misinformation.
It starts of by trying to attack Muslims for believing in their Holy Book, the Quran, and tellinfg us how Westerners don't really believe the fairy tales in the Bible. Not really a great argument.
The video says that Muslims must strive to establish Islamic law. But the video does not explain that striving can mean peaceful dialogue. Prophet Muhammed explained that the best type of striving, is to tell the truth to an oppressive ruler. The country of Yemen converted to Islam through dialogue and debating between Muslim scholars and Jewish rabbis.
The video doesn't mention that in Muslim countries administered by Islamic law, Christian and Jewish communities are allowed to have their own courts and administer their own law.
The video mentions sharia tribunals in the UK, without mentioning the fact that participation in them is wholly voluntary - and there are similar Jewish courts operating in Western countries.
The video suggests that Muslims are supposed to lie. nothing could be further from the truth.
It was the honesty of Muslims that first attracted me to find out more about the religion.
This is a fatwa by Muhammed Salih al-Munajjid, a Saudi scholar of Islam.
The importance of being truthful
What is the importance of being truthful, both in personal and business relationships, in Islam? Is lying ever considered an "acceptable" action?
Praise be to God.
Being truthful means speaking the truth and also saying things that reflect reality.
Being truthful is one of the necessities of a human society, one of the virtues of human behaviour, and brings great benefits, whilst lying is one of the major elements of corruption in human society, and the cause of the destruction of social structure and ties, one of the most evil features of bad conduct, and causes widespread harm. Hence Islam commanded truthfulness and forbade lying.
God says (interpretation of the meaning of the Quran):
“O you who believe! Fear God, and be with those who are true (in word and deeds).” [al-Tawbah 9:119]
Ibn Katheer (one of the great scholars of Islam) said (of the above verse): “It means: be truthful and adhere to truthfulness, and you will be among its people and will be saved from calamity, and this will make a way out for you from your problems.”
God says (interpretation of the meaning of the Quran):
“… if they had been true to God, it would have been better for them.” [Muhammad 47:21]
Abdullah ibn Mas’ood said: “The Messenger of God (Muhammed, peace and blessings of God be upon him) 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 God as a 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 God as a liar.” (Reported by Muslim, 4721)
This hadeeth indicates that truthfulness leads to righteousness, an all-embracing concept that includes all kinds of goodness and different kinds of righteous deeds. Immorality is basically an inclination towards deviation from the truth, and the immoral person (faajir) is one who is inclined to turn away from the path of guidance. Hence immorality and righteousness are diametrically opposed.
Al-Hasan ibn ‘Ali ibn Abi Taalib said: “I memorized the following statement from the Messenger of God (Muhammed, peace and blessings of God be upon him):
‘Leave that which makes you doubt for that which does not make you doubt, for truthfulness is certainty and tranquillity, whilst lying is doubt and confusion.” (Reported by al-Tirmidhi, 2520; al-Nisaa'i, 8/327; and Ahmad, 1/200)
In the lengthy hadeeth of Abu Sufyaan describing his meeting with Heraclius (ruler of the Byzantines), Abu Sufyaan said: “[Heraclius] said, ‘What does he (Muhammed) command you to do?’ I said, ‘He says: worship God alone and do not associate anything in worship with Him, and abandon that which your forefathers did.
He commands us to pray, to be truthful, to be chaste and to uphold the ties of kinship.’” (Reported by al-Bukhari, 1/30 and Muslim, 1773).
Hakeem ibn Hizaam reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of God be upon him) said: “Two parties to a deal have the option of changing their minds until they part; if they are open and honest, their deal will be blessed, and if they conceal and tell lies, the blessing of their deal will be diminished.” (Reported by al-Bukhaari, 4/275 and Muslim, 1532.)
Truthfulness includes being truthful towards God by worshipping Him sincerely; being truthful towards one’s own soul by making it adhere to the laws of God; and being truthful with people in one's words and by keeping one's promises, and in dealings such as buying, selling and marriage, so there should be no deceiving, cheating, falsifying or withholding of information. Thus a person should be the same on the inside and the outside.
As regards lying, it is highly forbidden, and is of varying degrees of abhorrence and sin. The most obnoxious form of lying is falsely attributing things to God and His Messenger, because this involves fabrication about the religion and is an act of outrage against God. Hence one of the characteristics of the Prophet (peace and blessings of God be upon him) is that he truthfully conveyed that which God commanded him to convey. So God said (interpretation of the meaning of the Quran):
“…
who does more wrong than one who invents a lie against God, to lead mankind astray without knowledge. Certainly God guides not the people who are evil oppressive wrongdoers ” [al-An’am 6:144]
“
And who does more wrong than he who invents a lie against God? Such will be brought before their Lord, and the witnesses will say, ‘These are the ones who lied against their Lord!’ No doubt! The curse of God is on the evil oppressive wrongdoers.” [Hood 11:18]
Equally bad is lying about the Prophet (peace and blessings of God be upon him), as he is reported to have said in the mutawaatir hadeeth: “Whoever lies about me deliberately, let him take his place in Hell.” (Agreed upon as an authentic narration by Bukhari and Muslim).
The basic rule with regard to lying is that it is not permitted, but there are certain circumstances in which Islam permits lying to serve a greater purpose or to prevent harm.
One of these situations is when a person mediates between two disputing parties in order to reconcile between them, if reconciliation cannot be achieved in any other way. Um Kalthoom reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of God be upon him) said: “He is not a liar who reconciles between people and conveys something good or says something good.” (Reported by al-Bukhari, 2495).
Another example is a man’s speaking to his wife, or a woman speaking to her husband, with regard to matters that will strengthen the ties of love between them, even if that is accompanied by exaggeration. Asma’ bint Yazeed said: “The Messenger of God (Muhammed, peace and blessings of God be upon him) said: ‘Lying is not permitted except in three cases: a man’s speaking to his wife to make her happy; lying at times of war; and lying in order to reconcile between people.’” (Reported by al-Tirmidhi, 1862; he said: it is a hasan hadeeth. See also Saheeh Muslim, 4717).
One of the most important forms of both being truthful and lying is in the area of promises and covenants.
Being truthful in promises and covenants is one of the characteristics by which the believers are known. Both promises and covenants involve saying something about an issue to confirm that you will do it, especially with regard to one's duties towards God. God says, praising some of His worshippers (interpretation of the meanings):
“Those who are faithfully true to their trusts and to their covenants.” [al-Mu’minoon 23:8]
“… and who fulfil their covenant when they make it…” [al-Baqarah 2:177]
“Among the believers are men who have been true to their covenant with God, of them some have fulfilled their obligations, and some of them are still waiting, but they have never changed [i.e., they never proved treacherous to their covenant which they concluded with God] in the least.” [al-Ahzaab 33:23]
We ask God to make us sincere and truthful in word and deed. And God knows best.