11

This is a pretty notable claim.

Examples (the sites are, predictably, pretty anti-Islamic to put it mildly, so the language at the links may be harsh to extreme)

Taqiyya ("al Taqiyya") is the Muslims' license to lie to infidels in order to camouflage Islam's holy war strategy (jihad) to conquer the world. The strategy mentioned through orders and solicitations in the Quran 3:28 and other Islamic writings and reference applies to all Western countries and against all infidels people (non-muslims) who is not Islamic and therefore seen as a constant threat to Islam. (source)

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Question: Are Muslims permitted to lie?
Summary Answer: Muslim scholars teach that Muslims should generally be truthful to each other, unless the purpose of lying is to "smooth over differences."
There are two forms of lying to non-believers that are permitted under certain circumstances, taqiyya and kitman. These circumstances are typically those that advance the cause Islam - in some cases by gaining the trust of non-believers in order to draw out their vulnerability and defeat them. (source)

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Muslims lie when it is in their interest to do so and “Allah” will not hold them accountable for lying when it is beneficial to the cause of Islam. They can lie without any guilt or fear of accountability or retribution. A lie in the defense of Islam is approved even applauded in their “holy” books. (source)

An evidence confirming this would be:

  • An unambiguous historical or Quranic example of a lie to a non-Muslim that was officially explained away as "OK" because of Taqiyya.

  • A fatwa from a notable and important religious leader stating this concept. (as in, more notable than an imam at a single mosque with 500 followers). A specific proof of author's notability is required.

An evidence denything this would be again a statement from an equally notable and important religious leader indicating that using Taqiyya is contrary to Islam and is a sin. The statement must be internally-oriented (e.g. aimed at Muslim followers of said leader, not at non-Muslim foreigners).

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  • Please cite the exact passages, and give a time when the statements are made. We can't accept questions about inferred claims or questions about entire videos, or books, because there is too much uncertainty on what it's meant vs. what is interpreted. Thus, try to focus on specific passages we can analyse.
    – Sklivvz
    Sep 25, 2014 at 10:08
  • Aren't questions relating to a religion's precepts and goals inappropriate for this stackexchange? Sep 25, 2014 at 18:09
  • 3
    @LarryOBrien - they are appropriate if they are unabiguously answerable by statements from qualified religious authority of said religion (e.g. "Is Catholicism compatible with theory of evolution" sounds like a theological question, but it does have a clear and unambiguous answer in the statements from Catholic Church leadership). They aren't if they are about un-substantiatiable motivations.
    – user5341
    Sep 25, 2014 at 19:44
  • @Sklivvz - the third clam (didn't look at first 2 yet) specifically is very widely notable, it seems kinda irrelevant to demand quotes from one video that itself is less notable than the claim. Examples: 1, 2
    – user5341
    Sep 25, 2014 at 19:46
  • @DWJohnson: I edited out 2 extra claims (if you want you can post them as separate questions) and provided exact quotes as well as specific criteria for answerability.
    – user5341
    Sep 25, 2014 at 20:05

1 Answer 1

19

Are Muslims allowed to deceive non-muslims through a practice called Taqiyya?

Wikipedia says,

In Islam, taqiyya تقية (alternative spellings taqiyeh, taqiya, taqiyah, tuqyah) is a form of religious dissimulation,[1] or a legal dispensation whereby a believing individual can deny his faith or commit otherwise illegal or blasphemous acts while they are in fear or at risk of significant persecution.[2]

However it's not "non-muslims" who are allowed to be deceived. Ibid. says,

The doctrine of taqiyya was developed at the time of Ja'far al-Sadiq (d. 148 AH/765 AD), the sixth Imamiya Imam. It served to protect Shi'ites when Al-Mansur, the Abbasid caliph, conducted a brutal and oppressive campaign against Alids and their supporters.[1]

An evidence confirming this would be an unambiguous historical or Quran example of a lie to a non-Muslim that was officially explained away as "OK" because of Taqiyya

Ibid.,

In 16th century Spain, following the end of the Reconquista of the Iberian Peninsula in 1492, Muslims and Jews were persecuted by the Catholic Monarchs and forced to convert to Christianity or face expulsion. The principle of taqiyya became very important for Muslims during the Inquisition in sixteenth century Spain, as it allowed them to convert to Christianity while remaining crypto-Muslims, practicing Islam in secret. In 1504, Ubayd Allah al-Wahrani, a Maliki mufti in Oran, issued a fatwā allowing Muslims to make extensive use of taqiyya in order to maintain their faith.[2][26][27][28]


See also:

  • What does Shia mean by taqiyya? whose answer starts with,

    Taqiyya is usually translated to dissimulation which means to hide your true feelings or intentions, especially by lying. Taqiyya has been a common survival tactic among Shiites during the periods where they lived under hostile, repressive tyrants.

    Shiites throughout history especially during Umayyad and Abbasid dynasties were often put under severe persecution and were often murdered for their devotion to the Pure Household of the Prophet and for their refusal to pledge allegiance to Ummayyad and Abbassid tyrants.

  • Another question Is concept called Taqiyya in Islam for propagation of Islam around the world? similar to the one originally asked here, was closed by two moderators with the following comments:

    Note that Sunnis do not believe this at all and find it abhorrent. Also most of the sentences in this question are incorrect in mainstream (modern and historical) Sunni Islam.

    This does not seem to match the Shi'a practice of taqiyya either. It is unclear exactly what flavor of Islam is being referenced here, and the question should be reworked so it can be properly answered.

    Before it was closed, though, it was answered 3 times, with answers like the ones, above for example,

    Taqiyyah is permitted for a Muslim only if there is fear of being killed for exposing beliefs.

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  • 8
    So basically it's "Truthfulness is a virtue, but if speaking the truth will get you killed for no good reason, Allah will forgive you for choosing to live."
    – Shadur
    Mar 28, 2016 at 12:46
  • So it's only a Shia thing? Is there any Sunni equivalent? Apr 5, 2016 at 12:25
  • 1
    Would "being killed" be the only reason? For example if a major north american country got a new president who decides to remove all muslims from the country, would it be Ok to lie about your religion in order to avoid deportation?
    – gnasher729
    Apr 7, 2016 at 8:37
  • 2
    @user568458 There is no concept of Taqqiya in Sunni jurisprudence. However, there is concept called idtirar (إضطرار) which is different from taqqiya. It allows Muslims to lie to non-Muslims under compulsion. For details, you may ask it as a question on Islam SE. Apr 29, 2016 at 5:36
  • 5
    It should be noted that one of the core premise of the question is false. The permission to lie is not to hide any nefarious agenda. Rather it is purely for survival. The reason why there was specific fatwas proclaimed regarding this is that in general there is a long-standing order in Islam that muslims should never hide the fact that they are muslims. However at certain times in history insisting on doing so would be suicide.
    – slebetman
    May 3, 2016 at 7:19

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