Chapter on the explanation of the severity of the prohibition of false testimony: Allah the Exalted said: “And avoid the word of falsehood.”
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The reader: In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions.
He (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "Chapter on explaining the severity of the prohibition of false testimony. Allah the Exalted said:[Al-Hajj 22:30] And He the Exalted said: [Al-Isra 17:36] And He the Exalted said: [Qaf 50:18] And He the Exalted said: [Al-Fajr 89:14] And He the Exalted said: [Al-Furqan 25:72] It was narrated from Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
The Shaykh : Abu Bakrah
The reciter: “ Abu Bakrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Sahih al-Bukhari 5976 Agreed upon by al-Bukhari and Muslim ”
The Shaykh : In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
The author (may Allah have mercy on him), al-Nawawi, said in his book *Riyad al-Salihin*: “ Chapter on the magnification of the prohibition of false testimony”
False testimony is when one testifies to something knowing that the matter is contrary to it, or testifies to something not knowing whether the matter is contrary to it or in agreement with it, or testifies to something knowing that the matter is in agreement with it but in a manner that does not reflect the reality. These are three conditions, and all of them are forbidden. It is not permissible for a person to testify except to what he knows in the manner in which he knows it. If he testifies to something knowing that the matter is contrary to it, for example, testifying for so-and-so that so-and-so is seeking such and such, while he knows that he is lying, then this, may Allah protect us, is false testimony. Similarly, testifying for so-and-so that he is poor and deserving of zakah, while he knows that he is rich. And similarly, what some people do before the court, testifying that so-and-so has a family of such and such number of members, while he knows that he is lying. There are many examples of this. This poor person who bears false testimony thinks that he is benefiting his brother and being dutiful to him, but in reality, he is wronging himself and wronging his brother. As for his wronging himself, it is apparent because he has sinned and committed one of the major sins. As for his wronging his brother, it is because he gave him what he does not deserve and made him eat wealth by falsehood. And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said: These people who bear false testimony, may Allah protect us, think that they are benefiting their brothers, while they are harming themselves and their brothers.
Then the author cited verses, some of which had been mentioned recently and some of which had not, saying: And the word of Allah the Exalted is:[Al-Hajj 22:30] And the first thing that falls under the word of falsehood is false testimony. And Allah the Exalted placed that with the abomination of idols, meaning with shirk (associating partners with Allah), which indicates its greatness, meaning the greatness of false testimony. And Allah the Exalted said: [Al-Furqan 25:72] praising them. And if these people are praised for not bearing false testimony, then it is even more fitting that they be praised if they do not bear false testimony, if they do not speak falsehood. And if not bearing false testimony is a cause for praise, that indicates that bearing false testimony or speaking falsehood is a defect and a harm.
Then he mentioned the hadith of Abu Bakrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said:Sahih Muslim 88b This “Shall I inform you” is a tool of presentation with which the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) opened his speech to draw attention, alerting the addressee to a matter of significance. For this reason, he said: Sahih Muslim 88b They said, “Yes, O Messenger of Allah.” He said: And this is the greatest injustice, the greatest of the major sins, and the most severe of sins in punishment. Because whoever associates partners with Allah, Allah has forbidden Paradise for him, and his abode is the Fire, and there are no helpers for the wrongdoers. The second is being undutiful to one’s parents, meaning cutting off their rights. The parents are the father and the mother, and it is obligatory for a person to be dutiful to them.
Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions.
He (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "Chapter on explaining the severity of the prohibition of false testimony. Allah the Exalted said:
and avoid false statement,
واجتنبوا قول الزورAnd do not pursue that of which you have no knowledge
ولا تقف ما ليس لك به علمMan does not utter any word except that with him is an observer prepared [to record].
ما يلفظ من قول إلا لديه رقيب عتيدIndeed, your Lord is in observation.
إن ربك لبالمرصادAnd [they are] those who do not testify to falsehood
والذين لا يشهدون الزورShall I inform you of the greatest
ألا أنبئكم بأكبرThe Shaykh : Abu Bakrah
The reciter: “ Abu Bakrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
"Shall I not inform you of the biggest of the great sins?" We said, "Yes, O Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)" He said, "To join partners in worship with Allah: to be undutiful to one's parents." The Prophet (ﷺ) sat up after he had been reclining and added, "And I warn you against giving forged statement and a false witness; I warn you against giving a forged statement and a false witness." The Prophet kept on saying that warning till we thought that he would not stop.
ألا أنبئكم بأكبر الكبائر قلنا بلى يا رسول الله قال الإشراك بالله وعقوق الوالدين وكان متكئا فجلس فقال ألا وقول الزور وشهادة الزور فما زال يكررها حتى قلنا ليته سكتThe Shaykh : In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
The author (may Allah have mercy on him), al-Nawawi, said in his book *Riyad al-Salihin*: “ Chapter on the magnification of the prohibition of false testimony”
False testimony is when one testifies to something knowing that the matter is contrary to it, or testifies to something not knowing whether the matter is contrary to it or in agreement with it, or testifies to something knowing that the matter is in agreement with it but in a manner that does not reflect the reality. These are three conditions, and all of them are forbidden. It is not permissible for a person to testify except to what he knows in the manner in which he knows it. If he testifies to something knowing that the matter is contrary to it, for example, testifying for so-and-so that so-and-so is seeking such and such, while he knows that he is lying, then this, may Allah protect us, is false testimony. Similarly, testifying for so-and-so that he is poor and deserving of zakah, while he knows that he is rich. And similarly, what some people do before the court, testifying that so-and-so has a family of such and such number of members, while he knows that he is lying. There are many examples of this. This poor person who bears false testimony thinks that he is benefiting his brother and being dutiful to him, but in reality, he is wronging himself and wronging his brother. As for his wronging himself, it is apparent because he has sinned and committed one of the major sins. As for his wronging his brother, it is because he gave him what he does not deserve and made him eat wealth by falsehood. And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said:
Support your brother, whether he is wronging or being wronged. They said, “O Messenger of Allah, how do we support the one who is wronging?” He said: “You prevent him from wronging, and that is how you support him.”
انصر أخاك ظالما أو مظلوما قالوا يا رسول هذا المظلوم كيف نصر الظالم قال تمنعه من الظلم فذلك نصرهThen the author cited verses, some of which had been mentioned recently and some of which had not, saying: And the word of Allah the Exalted is:
So avoid the uncleanliness of idols and avoid false statement,
فاجتنبوا الرجس من الأوثان واجتنبوا قول الزورAnd [they are] those who do not testify to falsehood
والذين لا يشهدون الزورThen he mentioned the hadith of Abu Bakrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said: