Search In Fatwa

A company lying to its customers

Question

Assalamu Alaikum, In Respect of, Dear Osthath, iam prasantly working in a customer service place,its really good and enjoyeble duty for me, and i really happy to work, but, now a days sometimes have to sey lies to customer other wise customers will screeming us, but, we explain our management many times that its really not good way that iam lie to customers, but, the reply we got its not a lie and just manage the customers, also its just for temporaly only and we will settle this problam very soon they promise us.. pls, explain me what wil i do now,, also i really having financial circumance at this time and i connot leave my job too..pls, explain me how will i avoid the lies, jazakallahu hairah,,

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 ( may  Allaah exalt his mention ) is His slave and Messenger.

Lying is forbidden and it is one of the great major sins especially in buying and selling as it eradicates the blessing of the sale and it may even lead to consuming people’s money without right. Ibn ‘Umar  may  Allaah  be  pleased  with  him narrated that the Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allaah exalt his mention ) said: "The buyer and seller have the choice to invalidate their contract as long as they do not depart from each other. If they are truthful and show the deficiency –if any –in the product, then they are blessed in this sale, but if they lied and hid the deficiency then the blessing in their sale is eradicated." [Al-Bukhari and Muslim] Therefore, it is not permissible to lie to the customers and if the company needs to avoid the anger of the customers, then Tawriyah (saying something which has more than one meaning and intending a meaning different from what the listener is likely to understand) may be used instead of pure lies provided that using Tawriyah does not lead to harming others or taking some of their rights.

Hence, you should continue advising the people who are running this company in a soft and gentle manner and show them this present Fatwa if you do not fear harm as Allaah may benefit them with it.

However, it is not permissible for you to continue working in this company if your work requires lying without a necessity, or that lying leads to consuming customers’ money without right. In this case you should look for another job and if you do not find any and you are obliged to continue working in this company, then it becomes permissible for you to continue working in it while avoiding as much as possible to lie until Allaah facilitates for you another job. If you find another job, then you must stop working in this company.

Allaah Knows best.

Related Fatwa