Brethren, how many times have you told lies while hiding “behind” your hand phones? Before we explore this, let me remind you that one feature of the Muslims’ life is the constant companionship they establish with the Quran. They are expected to listen to Allah through this important medium. They do this by reading and rereading the glorious book. Every reading of the Quran, no matter the number of times such is carried out, often leads to, and should occasion, new discoveries. Every reading and re-reading of the Quran should equally lead to the purification of the most important element in human physiology – the soul. The latter is that subtle and sacred feature which humans share with their creator: the soul. Each time you read the Qur’an, you get to know where you are spiritually and where you should be; each time you disconnect yourself from the Quran, you become a pawn in the hands of Shaytan. The prophet says the example of the believer who recites the Qur’an is like al-utrujah (a popular seed in Arabia); its fragrance is good even as it tastes nice; the example of a believer who does not read the Qur’an is like a seed which has no fragrance but which tastes nice; the similitude of the hypocrite who recites the Qur’an is like rayhanah seed, its fragrance is good while its taste is bitter; while the example of the hypocrite who does not read the Quran like the seed of alhandalh – it has no fragrance while its taste is bitter.
Reading the Quran some days ago, I became attentive to a very subtle but sublime aspect of human life, which perhaps represents the genus of contemporary ills plaguing all aspects of our society. This has to do with the evil of lying. Lying causes spiritual ailment. Once the human soul is plagued, once the soul is sick, the human agent becomes susceptible to the evil plans of Shaytan. The man who is sick in spirit may be strong physically; the man who is ill spiritually, may be the most popular politician in town; the man who is ill in spirit might be the best speaker in town. Such men and women would, however, prefer the specious to the solid, the plausible to the truth, the ephemeral to the eternal, the profane to the sacred. The man or woman who is sick in spirit would be a compulsive liar; he would always tell and act lies. Such men and women would want people to praise them, in line with the verse which prefaces this sermon, for things they have not done; they would want people to adulate them for jobs they have been paid to do, they would want their fellow men and women to kowtow to their wishes for, in their own estimation, they represent the crème-de-la-crème of society.
Men and women liars abound in our political arena; they are found in the corridors of governmental offices. Every drop of blood in their veins has eyes which look downwards, tongues which tell lies, and hears which are attuned only to sycophancy.
But why do people tell and act lies? People often resort to lies out of fear; fear of the truth, fear of punishment for evil they have done, fear of the loss of some privileges and rewards. Our politicians tell lies a lot because lying has become an important regalia. To be truthful and honest in politics appears to be the exact antithesis of the political game. Nicolo Machiavelli has even said that it is important for the prince to be like a fox. In his estimation, public office makes lying an obligation and honesty an impossibility. Tad Williams says: “we tell lies when we are afraid… afraid of what we don’t know, afraid of what others will think, afraid of what will be found out about us. But every time we tell a lie, the thing that we fear grows stronger.
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Further, people tell lies in order to beguile and lead their fellow men and women to perdition and misery. Those who travel this pathway are actually following in the footsteps of Shaytan who deceived Prophet Adam and his wife (upon them be peace of Allah). They eventually transgressed the bounds and limits set for them by their creator.
Rasema, in his piece in Multaqa Ahl al-Hadith, says: “Lying is against human nature and physiology, and like any other disease, it has its own unique signs and symptoms. The act of lying produces inner conflicts between various control centres of the brain. The moment one begins to lie, his body sends out contradictory signals to cause facial muscle twitching, expansion and contraction of pupils, perspiration, flushing of cheeks, increased blinking of the eye, tremors of the hand, and an increased heart rate. These constitute the basis of lie detector instruments. In addition, certain unconsciously made movements are noticeable in those who lie, like the constant covering of the mouth, touching of the nose, rubbing of the eye, scratching the side of the neck, rubbing the ear, etc. One of the clearest signs is that the liar keeps his palms closed and his eyes in another direction to the person he is lying to, in an attempt to avoid eye to eye contact. A liar is aware of his body’s signals and finds lying easier when nobody can see him, such as when he is on the phone or writing”.
Rasema’s perspective calls attention to perhaps one of the most heinous forms of lying nowadays, namely lying with the handset. The man in Lagos Island would tell his wife he is in Victoria Island. This form of lying essays the inability of the created to live in constant presence of the Creator; that to tell lies implies our denial unto Allah His attribute of hearing without ear, of seeing without eyes, of walking with us without legs – subhanah!
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