SECTION ON LAWSUITS · 15 – FALSE TESTIMONY
3599 – It is narrated from Hureym ibn Fātik (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: The Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) performed the morning prayer. When he finished the prayer, he stood up and said three times: “False testimony is equated with shirk (associating partners with God).” Then he recited the verse: “So shun the abomination of idols and shun false speech, being upright to Allah, not associating anything with Him.” (Surah al-Hajj, 22:30) [327]
EXPLANATION
Injustice is injustice, no matter by what means it is committed. Any injustice that infringes upon the rights of another is forbidden and is oppression. False testimony is to unjustly transfer someone’s right to another through the court in exchange for money. This too is oppression. Allah the Exalted, in the Noble Qur’an, mentions false testimony immediately after shirk (associating partners with God), equating the two within the series of prohibitions. Just as shirk (associating partners with God) is abhorrent, so too is false testimony.