Lying is the root of all sins!

The Root of All Sin
Dr. Walid Fitaihi
19 December 2014

Considered a disreputable trait by all people, frowned upon across cultures, and forbidden in all religions; is lying. It is at the root of all sins, invites evil, and is the doorway to hypocrisy. Lying is one of the shortest roads that can lead to Hellfire, is punishable by the Lord, and it is a great disgrace to be a liar.

The definition of lying is to speak falsely or utter untruth knowingly, with the intent to deceive.

Lying can take on three different forms: falsehood in one’s speech, falsehood in one’s actions, and falsehood in one’s intentions.

The gravest lie one can make is to say something that is not true in regards to the Creator, or to falsely claim rulings of permissibility or forbiddance in our religion, based on one’s personal opinion. Next in severity is to deliberately make a false statement about Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “Whoever tells a lie against me intentionally, then surely let him occupy his seat in Hellfire.” To lie about anything is forbidden, and perjury is a heinous sin.

Lying is no trivial matter, even if told just to make people laugh. The Prophet (peace be upon him) warned, “Woe to the one who speaks lies in order to make people laugh; woe to him, woe to him, woe to him” A Muslim should be cautious of each word before it leaves his/her mouth.

As for being dishonest in actions, one example is how the brothers of Prophet Yusuf (Joseph) stained a shirt with the blood of an animal and told their father that Yusuf had been eaten by a wolf. They lied in both words and actions.

Falsehood in one’s intentions is to do a good deed, but not for the sake of Allah. To do an act of worship, while concealing the desire to please others and to receive praise from people, is a form of lying and hypocrisy.  Whether it is giving in charity or learning the Holy Quran, it should be done to seek Allah’s pleasure and rewards in the Hereafter; not so that people can say that so-and-so is generous or is knowledgeable. Lying is unacceptable.

Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said, “Whoever has these four characteristics will be a hypocrite: if he speaks he tells a lie, if he give a promise he breaks it, if he makes a covenant he proves treacherous, and if he quarrels he behaves in a very imprudent, evil, and insulting manner. And whoever has one of these characteristics has one characteristic of a hypocrite unless he gives it up.”

A true believer does not lie, because his faith prevents him from doing so. Lying eventually leads to immorality.

Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said, “Truthfulness leads to righteousness, and righteousness leads to Paradise. And a man keeps on telling the truth until he becomes a truthful person. Falsehood leads to evil-doing, and evil-doing leads to the Hellfire. And a man may keep on telling lies until he is written before Allah, a liar.”

When you tell a lie, you are hiding the true reality, and every step of the way, you have to come up with a new lie to cover up for your previous lie, and your lie keeps getting bigger and bigger.

What happens to the brain when you tell a lie? What part of the brain is responsible for lying?

In 1999, Professor of psychiatry, Daniel Langleben, conducted research using an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) to study images of the brain when someone tells a lie. The MRI detected increased blood flow and higher activity in an area called the inferior frontal gyrus, which is in the frontal lobe of the brain, when subjects were lying. This area of the brain worked harder when telling a lie.

Langleben’s research continued on to create a lie detector, using this imagery technology, with a 90% accuracy rate.

The frontal lobe of the brain is responsible for higher thought processes, such as: reasoning, planning, speech, emotions, problem-solving, judgment, and morality. On the other hand, it is also this area of the brain which enables one to formulate a lie.

And it is particularly this area of the brain that was indicated in the Holy Qur’an 1,400 years ago in the verses that are describing a lying, deceitful, and unethical person.

The following verse in the Holy Qur’an states, {A lying, sinning forehead.} (Chapter 96, verse 16).

The forehead mentioned in this verse no doubt refers to the frontal lobe of the brain.

For over a century, scientists and researchers worked hard at inventing instruments that can detect when a person is lying. The earliest lie detector, the polygraph, was invented in 1921, and it worked by measuring physiological responses associated with lying, such as: increases in blood pressure, pulse, respiration rate, and skin conductivity. Ultimately, these instruments failed because they were only accurate 60% of the time.

Advances in science have improved the ability to detect a lie. Among the three most successful ways to expose when someone is lying include using MRI to show increased activity in the inferior frontal lobe of the brain, which indicates lying.

Second, researchers have found that when we lie, it is automatically expressed by the facial muscles. This is only for a fraction of a second, it is unnoticed by the naked eye but it is detectable with training or watching a slowed down video. These ‘micro expressions’ can provide clues as to whether a person is lying.

Third, the new voice stress analysis technology can identify emotional stress that occurs when lying, by measuring changes in pitch, tone, and loudness of the voice, in addition to more subtle indicators.

It is as if telling the truth resonates a song and sound waves of its own, and telling a lie gives a different song and sound waves. Regardless if a lie was caught or not, lying is at the root of all sin.