it is for reconciliation between people. Thus, if he asks you to swear, saying, “Say: By Allah, he said nothing bad about me,” you may say, “By Allah, he said nothing bad about you,” intending, “the one who said something bad about you.” Thus, you are truthful. This is good, and a person is to be commended for it.

The same applies when a man speaks with his wife. What should take place between spouses is that each of them does whatever brings about the other’s affection, so that their married life remains pleasant. A man may bring his wife some jewelry that he bought for ten riyals. She likes it and asks, “How much did you buy this for?” He replies, “I bought it for forty,” intending forty quarters, while she understands it to mean forty riyals. In any case, she will be pleased and say, “What a dear husband, buying things for me at such high prices!” This is desirable. Hence, lying is permitted when a husband speaks to his wife and when she speaks to him. (1)

But note that this is permissible on condition that one can be sure that the person addressed will not discover the reality. If that cannot be assured, it would lead people to doubt everything he says: whenever he speaks, people would say, “This man is using equivocation.”

Or if he swears, “Zayd is not here,” while intending somewhere other than his actual location; or if he makes his wife swear, “You have not stolen anything from me,” and she betrays his trust regarding a deposit, but he did not intend that matter, then he has not broken his oath in any of these cases.

His statement, “Or if he swears, ‘Zayd is not here,’ while intending somewhere other than his actual location”: if he swears and says, “By Allah, Zayd is not here,” while Zayd is present with him, but he intends a place other than Zayd’s actual location, then there is no problem; the equivocation is valid.