Is there a Hadith that ‘Speaking lies blackens the heart’?

· 7 Safar 1440 AH1 min readEnglish

Question

Does it appear in a Hadith that speaking lies blackens the heart?

Answer

Imam Malik (rahimahullah) has recorded this as the statement of Sayyiduna ‘Abdullah ibn Mas’ud (radiyallahu ‘anhu). The nature of this Hadith is not such that could’ve been derived from his own logic and therefore it will be understood that he heard this from Nabi (sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam).

The full narration is as follows:

A person continues to lie and black spots appear on his heart until his entire heart turns black. He is then recorded as a liar by Allah.

(Muwatta Imam Malik, Hadith: 2831, Awjazul Masalik, Hadith: 1799. Also see: Fathul Bari, Hadith: 6094, vol. 10 pg. 508)

The following words appear in Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim:

Truthfulness leads to piety and piety leads to Jannah. A man continues to be truthful until he is recorded as truthful by Allah. Lying leads to evil and evil leads to Jahannam. A man continues to lie until he is recorded as a liar by Allah

(Sahih Bukhari, Hadith: 6094 and Sahih Muslim, Hadith: 2607)

And Allah Ta’ala Knows best.

Answered by
Moulana Suhail Motala
Checked by
Moulana Haroon Abasoomar
Approved by
Moulana Muhammad Abasoomar
Questions about this ruling, answered only from the archive with sources.

Where scholars differ, it’s safer to take the more cautious view.

Fatawa SA is an independent, read-only index of fatawa already published by Jamiatul Ulama KZN. It is not a fatwa service. For your own situation, please ask a Mufti. Report an issue

For corrections or mistakes, please email us at fatawasa786@gmail.com.

People also ask

Is telling a white lie ever permissible?

“One should avoid speaking lies. Speaking lies is not permissible in Islam. However, in the case where one does not want to make people worried, e.g.”

Mufti Online · 126 fatawa from 5 Darul Iftas on this

What the Darul Iftas say