Muslim adds in another wording: Umm Kulthum said, “I never heard him grant a concession in anything people say except in three cases”—she meant: during war, in reconciling people, and in what a man says to his wife or a wife says to her husband.

[Explanation]
We have already stated that lying is forbidden, and that some kinds of lying—such as fabricating about Allah or His Messenger—are major sins. In this chapter the author explains that lying may on occasion be permissible when the benefit is considerable, and that it may even become obligatory when it repels harm or injustice.

An example of repelling harm and injustice is when an oppressor wants to kill an innocent person. The innocent person hides from the aggressor and you know where he is. The oppressor, intent on killing him without right, asks you, “Where is So-and-so? Is he in here?” You answer, “No, So-and-so is not in here,” even though you know he is.

There is no sin in this; indeed, it is obligatory, for saving an innocent life from destruction is a duty, and whatever is indispensable for fulfilling a duty likewise becomes a duty.

Nevertheless, it is better to employ tawriyah (equivocation): to intend a truthful meaning that involves no real lying, even though the outward wording appears false. For instance, if the oppressor says, “Is So-and-so in here?” you reply, “He is not in here,” while pointing to a specific spot where he is not, just as is reported of Imam Ahmad