In fact, all divine religions prohibit perjury. We observe that the prohibition of perjury is one of the Ten Commandments in the Torah. In the Old Testament, we read: “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.” (Exodus 20:16)
The New Testament tells us that Jesus prohibited perjury among other sins. In the New Testament, we read the following verse: “He said to Him, ‘Which ones?’ Jesus said, ‘You shall not murder,’ ‘You shall not commit adultery,’ ‘You shall not steal,’ ‘You shall not bear false witness.’” (Matthew 19:18)
The Qur’an orders Muslims to avoid perjury. In the Qur’an, we read the following verse:
…therefore avoid the uncleanness of the idols and avoid false words.(Al-Hajj 22:30)
According to the Qur’an, one of the qualities of the true servants of Allah is that they do not testify to falsehood. In the Qur’an, we read the following verses:
And the servants of the Most Merciful are those who walk upon the earth easily, and when the ignorant address them [harshly], they say [words of] peace…….and [they are] those who do not testify to falsehood, and when they pass near ill speech, they pass by with dignity. (Al-Furqan 25:63-72)
Prophet Muhammad considered perjury one of the most major sins. Abu Bakrah Nufai` bin Al-Harith reported that the Messenger of Allah said, “Shall I not inform you of the biggest of the major sins?” The Messenger of Allah asked this question thrice. People said, “Yes, O Messenger of Allah.” He said, “Ascribing partners to Allah, and to be undutiful to your parents”. The Messenger of Allah sat up from his reclining position and said, “And I warn you against giving forged statement and a false testimony; I warn you against giving forged statement and a false testimony.” The Messenger of Allah kept repeating that warning till we wished he would stop. [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]
Prophet Muhammad also indicated that perjury renders fasting valueless. He once said: “Whoever does not abandon falsehood in word and action, then Allah has no need that he should leave his food and drink.” (Al-Bukhari)
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References:
1- The Glorious Qur’an (Sahih International Translation)
2- Sahih Al-Bukhari
3- Sahih Muslim
4- The Holy Bible (Visit biblegateway.com)