Refuting Islam

Holy Deception?

Why Did Muhammad Approve of Lying in Certain Situations?

April 15, 2025

Islam teaches that morality comes from Allah, and that His messenger, Muhammad, was the supreme embodiment of that divine morality:

“Indeed in the Messenger of Allah you have a good example to follow…”
— Qur’an 33:21

Muslims are taught from childhood that Islam stands for truth, honesty, and integrity. The Qur’an repeatedly condemns deception and falsehood:

“And do not mix the truth with falsehood or conceal the truth while you know [it].”
— Qur’an 2:42

“Indeed, Allah does not guide one who is a liar and a disbeliever.”
— Qur’an 39:3

But when we turn to the hadith literature — specifically Sunan Abu Dawood 4989 — we find something deeply troubling:

“Lying is not permissible except in three cases: to one's wife to please her, in war, and to bring reconciliation between people.”
— Sunan Abu Dawood 4989; also reported in Muslim and Ahmad

This statement is attributed directly to Muhammad.

Let that sink in.

The prophet who is supposed to be the final and greatest moral guide told his followers that lying is acceptable in three cases — and not one of those is about saving a life or resisting evil, but includes personal relationships and warfare.

So we are forced to ask:

If lying is immoral, how can Islam’s prophet justify it in any situation?

Let’s unpack this moral and theological contradiction step by step.

1. The Problem: A Divine Endorsement of Deception

This hadith doesn’t merely describe someone lying in a difficult situation. It permits lying — as a rule.

Let’s look at the three cases Muhammad allegedly approved:

❖ 1. Lying to one’s wife to please her

This isn't about sparing someone’s feelings during a tragedy. This opens the door for deception in the most intimate human relationship: marriage.

Honesty and trust are the foundation of a healthy marriage. But according to this hadith, a husband can lie to his wife as long as it makes her happy. And in classical fiqh, this principle is even used to justify:

Lying about taking a second wife
Lying about income or property
Lying to avoid conflict or hide infidelity

This is not mercy. This is manipulation sanctioned by religion.

❖ 2. Lying in war

Here we enter the realm of taqiyya — a concept often associated with Shi’a Islam, but rooted in Sunni hadith as well. According to this teaching, it is morally acceptable to deceive enemies during battle.

But here’s the danger:

Islam doesn’t just describe war as military conflict. In many Islamic legal traditions, da’wah (missionary work), jihad (struggle), and politics are also forms of “warfare.”

This opens the door to sanctified deception in the pursuit of religious goals. And that’s exactly how many Islamist groups have interpreted it.

In other words, this hadith is not a footnote — it’s a blueprint for religiously justified lying whenever Islam is seen as “under attack” or advancing a cause.

❖ 3. Lying to reconcile between people

At first glance, this might seem noble. But again, the permission is dangerously broad.

There is a vast difference between tactful diplomacy and outright lying. But this hadith makes no such distinction. It gives a general license to deceive in the name of peacemaking.

And history has shown: when religious leaders are allowed to lie “for the greater good,” the truth becomes a casualty.

2. Modern Muslim Defenses — Do They Hold Up?

Faced with this morally awkward hadith, Muslim apologists offer several explanations:

❖ “These are white lies — not serious deception.”

But the hadith makes no such limitation. The permission is open-ended, and historically has been used to justify major untruths in marriage, diplomacy, and warfare.

Even if they are “small” lies, they are still lies condoned by a prophet, which undermines Islam’s claim to perfect moral integrity.

❖ “The hadith is weak.”

This simply isn’t true. The hadith is found in Sunan Abu Dawood, a respected collection, and is also reported in Sahih Muslim (2605) — one of the two most authoritative Sunni hadith collections.

In other words, it is considered sahih (authentic) by mainstream Sunni scholars.

If you reject this hadith, you risk invalidating vast portions of Islamic jurisprudence and tradition — including many aspects of Muhammad’s life used to support Sharia law.

Selective skepticism won’t work.

❖ “Other prophets also used deception — like Abraham or Jacob.”

Even if true, this only levels down the morality of prophetic figures. It doesn’t resolve the issue — it multiplies it.

Islam claims Muhammad was the “best of creation”, the “seal of the prophets”, and a “mercy to the worlds.” So why would the highest moral figure in history endorse deception?

Shouldn’t the final messenger of God set a higher standard?

3. The Contradiction at the Heart of Islamic Ethics

Let’s recall what the Qur’an says:

“Allah does not guide the one who is a liar and a disbeliever.”
— Qur’an 39:3

Yet here, the prophet Allah supposedly sent to guide humanity says lying is acceptable in multiple scenarios.

So we are left with a stark contradiction:

Either Muhammad was wrong to permit lying — and therefore not infallible
Or lying is morally acceptable in Islam — and truth becomes conditional, not absolute

Either way, Islam’s ethical framework collapses into relativism. What is good or evil is no longer defined by principle, but by strategic expediency.

And this is exactly how Islamic empires and modern Islamist groups have operated for centuries.

4. Consequences: When Deception Becomes Doctrine

These teachings are not historical relics. They shape how Islamic authorities think and act today.

Religious deception is sanctioned under the name of hikmah (wisdom).
Husbands lie to wives to manipulate and control.
Islamist activists conceal true intentions behind interfaith dialogue or public relations — citing the Prophet’s own example.

This is not slander. It is doctrinal precedent, enshrined in the Prophet’s own words.

Truth is only sacred when it serves the cause. Otherwise, deception is divine.

5. Conclusion: Can Truth Be Conditional in a Divine Religion?

Muhammad’s teaching that lying is permissible in certain scenarios may seem minor — until we remember that he is supposed to be the standard of truth and virtue for all time.

A religion that claims moral perfection must have an absolute commitment to truth — especially from its prophet.

But this hadith shows that Islam allows for situational ethics, where the ends justify the means — even at the cost of honesty.

If the Prophet of Islam can endorse deception, then what objective moral foundation remains?

And if a lie can ever be holy — what else in this “final revelation” is untrue?