If lying is a sin, why did Nuaym (r.a.) lie?
- We know that the Prophet forbade lying at all times, including in war, but Nuaym (r.a.) told lies to the Quraysh and the Banu Qurayza tribe during the Battle of the Khandaq.
- Will you explain it?
Submitted by on Tue, 06/12/2022 - 11:16
Dear Brother / Sister,
We could not find the Nuaym b. Masud incident in hadith sources.
According to some researchers, the fact that this event takes place only in history and biography books and not in hadith sources raises doubts about its soundness. In the places where this event is described, only the phrase “war is khud’a”, that is, war is cheating, is mentioned in hadith sources. The chain of narrators of this incident is not certain in terms of hadith sources. (see Dr. al-Umari, as-Siratun-Nabawiyya, as-Sahiha, 2/430)
There are many history and biography books that describe this incident in detail. Perhaps the most important one is the Tabari’s Tarikh (History). (see Tarikhu Tabari, 2/550-579)
- Lying is permissible in three places according to hadith sources:
- Spouses lying to each other (to ensure family peace).
- Lying in order to defeat the enemy during the war.
- Lying in order to arbitrate between two people, communities or groups.
According to some scholars, it is not appropriate to lie directly in all of those three cases, but it is permissible to lie implicitly or indirectly. According to Imam Nawawi, it is permissible to lie directly in one of those three cases when it is necessary, but it is more preferable to lie implicitly or indirectly. (see Ibn Hajar, Fathul-Bari, 6/159)
Nuaym b. Masud’s trick may be implicit or indirect; it looks a bit like that. Or it is permissible because it is in one of those three cases.
As believers, our duty is not to question whether what Allah and His Messenger say is true because it leads a person to unbelief. What we need to do is to say, “The purpose of Allah and His Messenger is true no matter what it is” and surrender to them as long as we do not learn the wisdom behind the things that seem to be contradictory.
Note: The summary of the issue regarding Nuaym b. Masud is as follows:
Nuaym, who came near Madinah with the Ghatafan tribe to participate in the Battle of Khandaq, secretly met with the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) and said that he wanted to become a Muslim and that his tribe did not know about it yet. The Prophet (pbuh) asked him to keep it a secret and to spy on the enemy forces to set them against one another. He told Nuaym that the war consisted of cheating and that he could resort to false information when necessary. (see Ibn Hisham, Sirah, 3/240; Ibn Sad, Tabaqat, 4/278)
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