What Are the Consequences of Perjury?
ما هي عواقب شهادة الزور؟
What are the consequences of perjury?
The answer lists four consequences of false testimony, each with its evidence: it is paired with associating partners with Allah (22:30-31), it nullifies good deeds such as fasting (al-Bukhari), its spread is a sign of the Hour (Ahmad), and the false witness's testimony is no longer accepted.
Islam treats the tongue with immense seriousness. A single false testimony not only destroys the rights of others but also dismantles the spiritual foundation and credibility of the liar.
The Spiritual and Social Punishments
1. Equivalence to Idolatry (Shirk)
False testimony is on a par with associating partners with Allah. The greatest falsehood is testifying that something other than Allah is divine, and for this reason false testimony is mentioned together with Tawhid. The Quran commands: (So shun the impurity of idolatry, and shun words of falsehood. Be upright in devotion to Allah, associating none with Him in worship.) Surah Al Hajj 22: 30 to 31. Furthermore, Allah states: (No one fabricates lies except those who disbelieve in Allah's revelations, and it is they who are the true liars.) Surah An Nahl 16: 105.
2. Nullifying Good Deeds
False testimony nullifies good deeds. The Prophet pbuh said: "Whoever does not give up false speech and acting upon it, Allah has no need of his giving up his food and drink." Narrated by Al Bukhari (1903).
3. A Sign of the End Times
The prevalence of false testimony is one of the signs of the Hour. The evidence is the saying of the Prophet pbuh: "Before the Hour there will be ... false testimony and the concealment of true testimony." Narrated by Imam Ahmad (3870), graded sahih by al-Albani.
4. The Rejection of Future Testimony
Among its worldly consequences, the testimony of the one who commits it is no longer accepted, and his integrity falls in the eyes of people.
ما هي عواقب شهادة الزور؟
يذكر الجواب أربع عواقب لشهادة الزور مع أدلتها: اقترانها بالشرك بالله (الحج 22:30-31)، وإحباطها للأعمال كالصيام (البخاري)، وكثرتها من علامات الساعة (أحمد)، ورد شهادة صاحبها.
يتعامل الإسلام مع اللسان بجدية بالغة. إن شهادة زور واحدة لا تدمر حقوق الآخرين فحسب، بل تهدم أيضا الأساس الروحي ومصداقية الكاذب.
العقوبات الروحية والاجتماعية
1. معادلة الشرك بالله
شهادة الزور تعدل الشرك بالله. وأعظم الزور الشهادة لغير الله بالألوهية ولهذا قرنت بالتوحيد. قال الله تعالى: (فَاجْتَنِبُوا الرِّجْسَ مِنَ الْأَوْثَانِ وَاجْتَنِبُوا قَوْلَ الزُّورِ حُنَفَاءَ لِلَّهِ غَيْرَ مُشْرِكِينَ بِهِ) الحج 22: 30 إلى 31. وقال تعالى: (إِنَّمَا يَفْتَرِي الْكَذِبَ الَّذِينَ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ بِآيَاتِ اللَّهِ ۖ وَأُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الْكَاذِبُونَ) النحل 16: 105.
2. إحباط الأعمال الصالحة
شهادة الزور تحبط الأعمال: قال الرسول صلى الله عليه وسلم: "من لم يدع قول الزور والعمل به، فليس لله حاجة في أن يدع طعامه وشرابه". أخرجه البخاري (1903).
3. من علامات الساعة
كثرة شهادة الزور من علامات الساعة، ودليل ذلك قول الرسول صلى الله عليه وسلم: "إن بين يدي الساعة ... شهادة الزور، وكتمان شهادة الحق". أخرجه الإمام أحمد (3870)، وصححه الألباني.
4. رد الشهادة وعدم قبولها
من عواقبها الدنيوية أنه لا تقبل له شهادة، وتسقط عدالته بين الناس.
1. Why False Speech Is Paired With Idolatry | لماذا قرن الزور بالشرك
Ibn Kathir notes that in this verse Allah pairs associating partners with Him with false speech, as He does in Al-A'raf 7:33, where He lists among what He has forbidden associating with Him what He has sent down no authority for and saying about Him what you do not know; false testimony falls under this. Al-Qurtubi explains that zur means falsehood and lying, named so because it deviates from the truth, and that false testimony being made equal to associating partners with Allah means that the two were joined together in the same prohibition.
قُلْ إِنَّمَا حَرَّمَ رَبِّيَ الْفَوَاحِشَ مَا ظَهَرَ مِنْهَا وَمَا بَطَنَ وَالْإِثْمَ وَالْبَغْيَ بِغَيْرِ الْحَقِّ وَأَن تُشْرِكُوا بِاللَّهِ مَا لَمْ يُنَزِّلْ بِهِ سُلْطَانًا وَأَن تَقُولُوا عَلَى اللَّهِ مَا لَا تَعْلَمُونَ (سورة الأعراف: 33)
قال ابن كثير: "وقرن الشرك بالله بقول الزور"، كقوله تعالى (الأعراف 7:33)، "ومنه شهادة الزور". وقال القرطبي: "والزور: الباطل والكذب، وسمي زورا لأنه أميل عن الحق"، وبين أن معادلة شهادة الزور للشرك بالله معناها "أنها قد جمعت مع عبادة الوثن في النهي عنها".
2. A Fast Without Its Reward | صيام بلا ثمرة
Commenting on this hadith (Sahih al-Bukhari 1903), Ibn Hajar quotes Ibn Battal: it does not mean the person is told to leave his fast; it is a warning against false speech. Ibn al-Munayyir said it is a way of expressing that the fast is not accepted, and Ibn al-Arabi said it means that whoever does this is not rewarded for his fasting (Fath al-Bari). Allah made fasting a means to God-consciousness (Al-Baqarah 2:183), and false speech empties it of that purpose.
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الصِّيَامُ كَمَا كُتِبَ عَلَى الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ (سورة البقرة: 183)
نقل ابن حجر في شرح هذا الحديث (صحيح البخاري 1903) قول ابن بطال: "ليس معناه أن يؤمر بأن يدع صيامه، وإنما معناه التحذير من قول الزور"، وقول ابن المنير: "بل هو كناية عن عدم القبول"، وقول ابن العربي: "مقتضى هذا الحديث أن من فعل ما ذكر لا يثاب على صيامه" (فتح الباري). وقد جعل الله الصيام سبيلا إلى التقوى (البقرة 2:183)، وقول الزور يفرغه من غايته.
3. The False Witness Before the Judge | شاهد الزور عند القاضي
Al-Qurtubi writes that when a judge discovers a false witness, he should discipline him and make him known publicly, so that no one is deceived by his testimony. If the witness later repents, the ruling differs: if he had been well known and distinguished for his integrity, his testimony is not accepted, since there is no way to know that his repentance is real; if he was below that, and then strove in worship and grew in piety, his testimony is accepted (Tafsir al-Qurtubi, Al-Hajj 22:30).
وَأَشْهِدُوا ذَوَيْ عَدْلٍ مِّنكُمْ وَأَقِيمُوا الشَّهَادَةَ لِلَّهِ (سورة الطلاق: 2)
قال القرطبي: "ينبغي للحاكم إذا عثر على الشاهد بالزور أن يعزره وينادي عليه ليعرف لئلا يغتر بشهادته أحد. ويختلف الحكم في شهادته إذا تاب؛ فإن كان من أهل العدالة المشهور بها المبرز فيها لم تقبل؛ لأنه لا سبيل إلى علم حاله في التوبة... وإن كان دون ذلك فشمر في العبادة وزادت حاله في التقى قبلت شهادته" (تفسير القرطبي، الحج 22:30).
Frequently Asked Questions | الأسئلة الشائعة
Does false speech invalidate the fast?
The Prophet said that Allah has no need of the fast of one who does not give up false speech and acting upon it (Sahih al-Bukhari 1903). Ibn Battal explained that this is a warning, not an order to leave the fast, and Ibn al-Arabi said such a person is not rewarded for his fasting (Fath al-Bari).
Will the testimony of a false witness ever be accepted again?
The answer states that his testimony is no longer accepted. On repentance, al-Qurtubi writes that one who had been famous for integrity is still not accepted, since his repentance cannot be confirmed, while one below that who strives in worship and grows in piety is accepted.
Which hadith lists false testimony among the signs of the Hour?
Ibn Mas'ud reported that the Prophet said that before the Hour there will be greeting only those one knows, the spread of trade until a wife helps her husband in trade, the severing of family ties, false testimony, the concealment of true testimony, and the spread of writing (Musnad Ahmad 3870).
What should a judge do with a false witness?
Al-Qurtubi writes that the judge should discipline him and make him known publicly, so that no one is deceived by his testimony again (Tafsir al-Qurtubi, Al-Hajj 22:30).