for the simple reason that a ruler has no need to lie: his word is the highest authority among the people. If, in spite of that, he lies, he begins to make promises he does not keep—“I will do such-and-such,” yet he never does; “I will refrain from this,” yet he never refrains. He addresses the populace, toys with their minds, and deceives them. Such a man—Allah’s protection is sought—falls squarely under the threat: Allah will not speak to him on the Day of Resurrection, He will not look at him, He will not purify him, and for him is a painful punishment.

Lying is forbidden for rulers and for commoners alike, yet in the ruler it is more grievous and more severe, precisely because he has no excuse to lie. His command is decisive among the people, and he is therefore obliged to speak plainly: if he wants a matter carried out he should say “yes,” approve it, and implement it; if he does not want it, he should say “no,” reject it, and leave it alone. An ordinary subject may imagine that circumstances compel him to lie, but a ruler has no such need.

Falsehood is prohibited, and it is one of the traits of the hypocrite—for when the hypocrite speaks, he lies. No one is ever permitted to lie. The saying heard among some lay people that “lying is permissible so long as it does not turn what is lawful into something unlawful” is a satanic maxim with no basis in fact or religion. The correct position is that lying is unlawful under every circumstance.

The third category is a ʿāʾil (pauper) who is mustakbir (arrogant). This is the principal point of the hadith. The impoverished man possesses nothing that could possibly warrant arrogance, whereas the wealthy may be deluded by their riches into looking down on Allah’s servants or rejecting the truth. But the pauper—having, as the proverb puts it, “worm-eaten dates and a scant measure”—how can he display pride when he owns nothing? An arrogant pauper such as this will not be spoken to by Allah on the Day of Resurrection, nor will He look at him