Answered by Shaykh Irshaad Sedick
Question Summary
I am scared to lie about our Prophet (may Allah bless him and give him peace)!
1) Is it true he was known as Al-Sadiq and Al-Amin? Would you please give a reference?
2) Is it OK to say that he never lied? I am asking because I don’t know about war situations and lying to one’s wife (about her beauty and stuff).
Question Answer
In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate.
May Allah increase you in your love of the Prophet (may Allah bless him and give him peace).
Names of the Prophet (may Allah bless him and give him peace)
Those beautiful qualities, The Truthful (Al-Sadiq) and The Trustworthy (Al-Amin), indeed are established descriptions of the Prophet (may Allah bless him and give him peace). For an English reference of these and other details of the life of the Prophet (may Allah bless him and give him peace), please refer to the translations of the following books:
1. Al-Shama’il Al-Muhammadiyya – Imam Al-Tirmidhi with the commentary by Shaykh Zakariyya Khandelwi.
2. Al-Rahiq Al-Makhtum (The Sealed Nectar) – Safiyy Al-Rahman Al-Mubarakpuri
Did the Prophet (may Allah bless him and give him peace) Lie?
Permissible Lies
Umm Kulthum bint ‘Uqbah (may Allah be pleased with her) said: I never heard the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and give him peace) grant a concession allowing any lying except in three cases: a man who says something intending thereby to bring about reconciliation; a man who says something at the time of war; and a man talking to his wife or a woman talking to her husband. [Ahmad]
The fact that the Prophet (may Allah bless him and give him peace) permitted the “speaking untruths” in the above circumstances does not negate the fact that he was The Most Truthful of The Truthful (Sadiq Al-Masduq) (may Allah bless him and give him peace). The form of “untruth” in question is not like the usual lies in Sacred Law and, therefore, does not negate his truthfulness, and Allah knows best.
I pray this is of benefit and that Allah guides us all.
[Shaykh] Irshaad Sedick
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Shaykh Irshaad Sedick was raised in South Africa in a traditional Muslim family. He graduated from Dar al-Ulum al-Arabiyyah al-Islamiyyah in Strand, Western Cape, under the guidance of the late world-renowned scholar, Shaykh Taha Karaan.
Shaykh Irshaad received Ijaza from many luminaries of the Islamic world, including Shaykh Taha Karaan, Mawlana Yusuf Karaan, and Mawlana Abdul Hafeez Makki, among others.
He is the author of the text “The Musnad of Ahmad ibn Hanbal: A Hujjah or not?” He has served as the Director of the Discover Islam Centre and Al Jeem Foundation. For the last five years till present, he has served as the Khatib of Masjid Ar-Rashideen, Mowbray, Cape Town.
Shaykh Irshaad has thirteen years of teaching experience at some of the leading Islamic institutes in Cape Town). He is currently building an Islamic online learning and media platform called ‘Isnad Academy’ and pursuing his Master’s degree in the study of Islam at the University of Johannesburg. He has a keen interest in healthy living and fitness.