Understanding The Prophet's Life
From Issue: 484 [Read full issue]
Falsehood is falsehood
Abdullah Ibn Amir narrated: "Once my mother called me when the Prophet was present in my house. My mother asked me to come and said that she would give me a certain thing. He asked what did she want to give? She said that she wanted to give me a date (fruit). The Prophet said: 'If you had not given him this date, then the committing of a falsehood would have been entered into your record of deeds.'" (Abu Daud).
Abu Huraira says that the Prophet has said: "Anybody who called a child saying that he would give him a certain thing, and did not give it, then it is a lie." (Ahmed)
Adoption of straight dealing and telling the truth has been very strictly insisted upon, so much so that it has been enjoined upon to take care about this in even small household matters.
Asma Bint Yazid narrates that she once asked the Messenger of Allah: "If one of us women stated that she had no desire to have a certain thing even though she had that desire, then would it be considered a lie?" He replied: "Falsehood is written as falsehood, and a small falsehood is written as a small falsehood." (Muslim)
Source:
“Muslim's Character” - Muhammad Al-Ghazali