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Lying To Children
Whoever says to a child: “Come and take this.”, and doesn’t give him anything, it is considered as (one) lie.” [Ahmad]
I might have a problem with moral absolutism ( only because I have read fatwas to that effect) but I really need to know if lying to children in any capacity is sinful? Like sometimes its just making a child laugh, sometimes I tell the child there’s a monster in the store room cause there is a serious danger they will hurt themselves (and toddlers do not understand common reason) , sometimes children will throw tantrums cause u are leaving and won’t let it go until u say u are coming back ( and u give in and lie that u will cause they are going to seriously get hurt and might even harm themselves and u need to calm them at all costs). Other times u tell them beautiful lies such as u are beautiful fairy princess but it’s just to make them happy and play make believe. The broader question here is: is lying absolutely in all capacities wrong or is it in wrong only in the capacity of the potential harm it carries. Cause this is driving me crazy, I have trouble having normal coversations sometimes because I’m trying to structure every sentence the most factually correct that it can be. If there’s a video regarding moral absolutism of Ghamidi or any other scholar, I would really like it.
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Lying To Children
updated 3 hours, 57 minutes ago
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The hadith you mentioned emphasizes the importance of truthfulness, especially when dealing with children. However, Islamic scholars have discussed various exceptions and considerations.
Some scholars, like Imam al-Ghazali, differentiate between “lying” (kadhib) and “metaphorical speech” (majaz). They argue that statements intended to comfort, educate, or protect children, without causing harm, may not be considered lies in the classical sense.
Ghazali, suggests that the prohibition on lying is not absolute and that there may be situations where lying is permissible, such as:
1. To protect someone from harm (e.g., telling a child there’s a monster in the store room to prevent them from entering a hazardous area).
2. To maintain social harmony (e.g., telling a white lie to avoid hurting someone’s feelings).
3. In situations where truthfulness would lead to greater harm (e.g., lying to a child to calm them down and prevent them from harming themselves).
May Allah guide us all to the truth and grant us wisdom in our interactions with others, especially children.
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