It is reported that Prophet Muhammad, may Allah grant and bless him peace, once gave salam, closing the prayer, after two rakats (units) in Asr prayer. The Asr prayer comprises four rakats. A companion enquired, “Has the prayer been shortened, or have you forgotten?” The Prophet replied that it was not one or the other. In another tradition, he said that the prayer has not been shortened. Scholars have discussed this event in light of the question of whether a Prophet can forget. The reply is that a Prophet cannot forget the matters of his message. He cannot give the wrong message due to forgetfulness. The particular event had a purpose. The Prophet did not forget, as such, but was made to forget by Allah to convey one specific teaching related to the prayer. The teaching established through the example of the Prophet is to complete the remaining prayer and do sajdasahw (prostration for forgetfulness).
Another tradition that needs to be discussed here relates to Prophet Ibrahim, may Allah bestow peace on him, who lied three times according to a tradition. Abu Hurayra, may Allah be pleased with him, reported that the Prophet said, “Ibrahim, never lied except three times, two were for the sake of God, the Mighty, when He said, ‘I am indisposed’ and ‘The biggest of them did it.’ And one was about Sarah. He went to the land of one of the tyrants with Sarah, who was very beautiful. He said to Sarah, ‘This is a tyrannical person; if he knows that you are my wife, he will overcome me (kill me) because of you. So, if he asks you, tell him that you are my sister. You are indeed my sister in Islam, and I do not know any Muslims on the face of earth except myself and you.”
The question arises as to the possibility that a Prophet can lie or not. The fact is that these are not lies, as such. Rather, they are in the category of equivocation, where the speaker chooses words that have more than one meaning and sense. Take the example of the first ‘lie’, there is no report to suggest that he was not actually indisposed. He avoided going with the people and preferred to stay back with a purpose, and made a plea of his sickness.
The second event that has been reported as a ‘lie’ was made to pose an unreal question to make an argument that the faith of the idolaters in their idols was untenable. Later in the course of his discussion, he posed the argument in a question form that if idols, including the big one, were not capable of doing anything, why were they worshipping them? Allah has reproduced the conversations between Ibrahim, may Allah bestow peace on him, and the people in the following verses.
“He (Ibrahim) replied (sarcastically), ‘No, this one – the biggest of them – did it! So, ask them if they can talk!’ So, they came back to their senses, saying (to one another), ‘You yourselves are truly the wrongdoers!’ Then, they (quickly) regressed to their (original) mindset, (arguing,) ‘You already know that those (idols) cannot talk.” He rebuked (them), ‘Do you then worship (idols) instead of Allah – what can neither benefit nor harm you in any way? Shame on you and whatever you worship instead of Allah! Do you not have any sense?” (The Qur’an 21:63-67)
The purposeful sarcastic remark in a question form cannot be termed as a ‘lie’ as we use the word in our language.
Similar is the case of the third reported ‘lie.’ The Prophet, may Allah bestow peace on him, justified by saying, “You are indeed my sister in Islam, and I do not know any Muslims on the face of earth except myself and you.”
Some scholars have discussed the veracity of the above-mentioned tradition of three lies, particularly with reference to the last one about Sarah, in light of the historical position, as evident from the Bible, that she was 65 years old at that time. So, her being beautiful may not make sense. However, the tradition, as such, is strong.