Does Lying About Prayer Make One A Disbeliever?
Answered by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Question
I was having a discussion with my mother. We were supposed to go out somewhere but I knew that if we went out she would not pray Maghrib. We had an argument about it and we did not go. When we went home I was afraid she would not pray due to her anger toward me, so I asked if she had prayed and from what I understand she lied and said that she prayed but did not pray and the prayer time ended without her praying.
Is it kufr or just sin to lie about having prayed and not praying it in time?
Answer
In the Name of Allah, the Merciful and Compassionate.
I hope you’re doing well, insha’Allah. Don’t argue nor get angry with your parents, as this is prohibited and disrespectful. If someone tells you they have prayed, believe them. Even if someone lies about having prayed, this doesn’t make them a disbeliever.
Arguing With Parents
Our primary duty to our parents is to be respectful to them. This would include not arguing with them, even when commanding good.
Allah Most High says,
“Your Lord has decreed that you worship none but Him, and that you honor your parents. If one or both of them reach old age in your care, never say to them ˹even˺ ‘ugh,’ nor rebuke them. Rather, address them respectfully. And be humble with them out of mercy, and pray, “My Lord! Be merciful to them as they raised me when I was young.” [Quran, 17:23-24]
Having a Good Opinion of Others
If your mother says she prayed, then believe her.
Allah Most High says, “O believers! Avoid much suspicion. Indeed, some suspicions are sinful.” [Quran, 49:12]
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “Beware of ill-opinion, for ill-opinion is the most false of speech.” [Bukhari and Muslim]
Lying Doesn’t Make One a Disbeliever
Lying is a serious sin, but lying doesn’t make one a disbeliever. Rather, only rejecting the truth of belief in Allah and the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) makes one a disbeliever. Please find related answers in the SeekersGuidance Answers-www.seekersguidance.org
And Allah is the giver of success and facilitation.
[Shaykh] Faraz Rabbani
Shaykh Faraz Rabbani spent ten years studying with some of the leading scholars of recent times, first in Damascus, and then in Amman, Jordan. His teachers include the foremost theologian of recent times in Damascus, the late Shaykh Adib al-Kallas (may Allah have mercy on him), as well as his student Shaykh Hassan al-Hindi, one of the leading Hanafi fuqaha of the present age. He returned to Canada in 2007, where he founded SeekersGuidance in order to meet the urgent need to spread Islamic knowledge–both online and on the ground–in a reliable, relevant, inspiring, and accessible manner. He is the author of: Absolute Essentials of Islam: Faith, Prayer, and the Path of Salvation According to the Hanafi School (White Thread Press, 2004.) Since 2011, Shaykh Faraz has been named one of the 500 most influential Muslims by the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Center.
