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Fatwa CenterThe three lies told by Ibraaheem, may Allaah exalt his mention
Question
Salaam Alaykum, How is white lie considered in Shari'ah? What are the situations when one can use white lies without sinning? Lastly, could you please justify the reasons behind the three spurious (i.e. lies) statements carried out by Prophet Abraham (Pbuh)? Jazaak ALLAHu Khiar.
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His Slave and Messenger.
There is nothing in Sharee‘ah called white lie. Lying is entirely unlawful, and one of the major sins. But Sharee'ah has given concession to tell a lie only in three situations, just to serve a preponderant benefit. We have previously clarified this in more detail in Fataawa 84728 and 88412. According to some scholars, what is intended by lying in those situations is only to use equivocations (Tawriyah, i.e. saying something which has more than one meaning and intending a meaning different from what the listener is likely to understand) rather than explicit lies.
As for the three lies told by Ibraaheem (Abraham) 
it is narrated on the authority of Abu Hurayrah 
that the Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said: “Ibraaheem did not tell a lie except on three occasions: twice for the Sake of Allaah when he said: “I am sick," and he said: “(I have not done this but) it is the big idol that has done it." The (third was) that while Ibraaheem and Saarah (his wife) were going (on a journey) they passed by (the territory of) a tyrant, and she was the most charming lady. He said to her: “If this tyrant knows you are my wife, he would surely take you from me by force. So, if he asked you, tell him that you are my sister; and you really are my sister in (the religion of) Islam.” [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]
The scholars stated that attributing lies to Ibraaheem in this context, does not mean explicit lying. According to Al-Haafith Ibn Hajar 
Ibn ‘Aqeel said: “Reasoning makes it impossible to attribute explicit lying to Ibraaheem . It is decided by the mind that a Messenger must be trustworthy and reliable in order that people would give trust to what he convey from Allaah The Almighty. Of course, such reliability can not exist when it is possible to attribute lies to him; then, what would the case be if lies do come from him? Here, ascribing lying to him is for what he said took the form of lying from the perspective of the listener. Having established this, Ibraaheem would not call it as lying except in the case of severe terror (on the Day of Judgment), due to his high rank, otherwise, explicit lying in such situations (mentioned above) is permissible, and it may be obligatory out of bearing the lesser of two harms to eliminate the greater of them."
As for giving those the name of lies, then it does not mean that they are blameworthy. Lying, regardless of being hideous and defective, may be considered good in some situations, and this is one of them.
Allaah Knows best.
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