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Is it permissible to lie to the government to obtain residency in a non-Muslim country with the intention of learning religion and then returning to one's home country?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

Lying to obtain residency is impermissible, due to the general prohibition of lying in Islam, as the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, clarified that truthfulness leads to righteousness and Paradise, and lying leads to wickedness and Hellfire. Moreover, lying is a characteristic of hypocrites. The questioner must adhere to truthfulness, even if it results in not obtaining residency. He can learn the Quran, religious rulings, and the Arabic language in another Muslim country.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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