Drinking wine makes intellect and thinking perish.

Drinking wine makes intellect and thinking perish. What is worse than the drinking of wine is to tell lies about God, and about His proofs (authorities) which is equal to disbelief.” Imam Ali (AS) has been reported as saying: “No God’s servant will enjoy the taste of faith, unless he abandons lying, both seriously and jokingly.”[^5] Imam Sadiq (AS) narrated that Jesus (AS) said: “Whoever tells many lies, shall lose his worth and dignity.”[^6] The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said: “Whenever a believer tells a lie without having any excuse, seventy thousand angels will curse him.

A bad smell comes out of his stomach which will reach the heaven. Those who carry the Throne (angels) will curse him. God will write for him the sin of seventy commitments of adultery…”[^7] Some man came to the Messenger of Allah (SAW) saying: “Tell me about a virtue which entails the good of this world and the hereafter.” The Holy Prophet (SAW) said: “Do not tell a lie!” The man said: “I was in a state (of disobedience) that God was not pleased with me.

I used to do all evil things, but I abandoned them all lest someone may ask me: did you commit so-and-so evil act? I had either to commit sin and say “yes” and be disgraced, or I had to tell a lie which was against the instruction of the prophet. So, I abandoned all the kinds of sin.”[^8] Therefore abandoning lies means abandoning all sins.

Evidently, by abandoning sins, human beings will gain a lot whereas one who tells lies will not only suffer losses in the hereafter, but will suffer in this world and be ruined. In the annotation of Makhlat, on page 174, it has been narrated: “Ahmed ibn Touloun was still a child when he came to his father, saying: ‘There are some poor people at the door.

Write something for them.’ The father said: ‘Fetch me a pen and ink.’ When he went to bring a pen and ink, he saw one of the slave girls of his father having an indecent relation with one of the servants. Saying nothing, he brought the pen and ink for his father. The slave girl said to herself: ‘Ahmad will certainly tell the whole story to his father.’ So, she went to Touloun, saying: ‘Ahmad has molested me.’ Touloun accepted what she had said without making any investigation.

He wrote a letter as follows: ‘As soon as you receive the letter, kill the one who carries the letter! He handed it over to Ahmad, saying to him: ‘Give it to so-and-so servant!’ Ahmad, who was unaware of the content of the letter, took hold of the letter.