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Is it permissible to swear falsely in order to reconcile estranged parties?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

The fundamental principle for a Muslim is truthfulness and not lying. Truthfulness leads to righteousness and enters Paradise, while lying leads to wickedness and enters Hellfire. However, due to the importance of reconciling disputes, Islamic law has permitted lying in three situations: reconciliation between people, war, and a man's conversation with his wife and vice versa, because these situations involve overriding legitimate interests. There is no blame in swearing a false oath in these cases if necessity or an overriding interest calls for it, such as someone saying in the context of reconciliation, "By God, your companions desire peace," intending good, or saving an oppressed person by saying, "By God, he is my brother," to rescue him from an oppressor.

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

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