How to ask forgiveness from ALLAH because of telling a lie?

Question

I have heard and now read a hadith:-

• “Can a believer be a coward? He(Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)) said, “Yes, he can be coward. Then it was asked whether a believer could be a miser? He replied, “Yes, he can be a miser”, it was then asked whether a believer could be a liar? He replied, “No, a believer cannot be a liar.” (Imam Malik, Mishkaat)

• How to ask for Allah's forgiveness for this sin?

• One is too weak to tell back a person that he was lieing,if the lie does not hurt the person in any way,still is it necessary to tell him the truth to ask for Allah's forgiveness?

Answer 1

This hadith isn't authentic since there is a missing person in the narrative.

It comes from Malik > Safwan bin Sulaim > Prophet.

Safwan never met the Prophet; it's impossible that he could've heard him say such a thing. And there's no other people reporting this hadith. Therefore, the hadith is unreliable.

Despite that, lying is a sin and it's forgiven by Allah. So you can supplicate to Allah and ask forgiveness. You can pray two rakat with the intention of forgiveness, you can give charity, you can show kindness to animals, etc. many things.

If you regret what you did, it's a very good step to repentance. Aameen.

Answer 2

وَ الَّذينَ إِذا فَعَلُوا فاحِشَةً أَوْ ظَلَمُوا أَنْفُسَهُمْ ذَكَرُوا اللَّهَ فَاسْتَغْفَرُوا لِذُنُوبِهِمْ وَ مَنْ يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ وَ لَمْ يُصِرُّوا عَلى‏ ما فَعَلُوا وَ هُمْ يَعْلَمُونَ

And those who, when they commit an indecent act or wrong themselves, remember Allah, and plead (Allah's) forgiveness for their sins and who forgives sins except Allah? and who do not persist in what they have committed while they know.(3:135)

أُولئِكَ جَزاؤُهُمْ مَغْفِرَةٌ مِنْ رَبِّهِمْ وَ جَنَّاتٌ تَجْري مِنْ تَحْتِهَا الْأَنْهارُ خالِدينَ فيها وَ نِعْمَ أَجْرُ الْعامِلينَ

Their reward is forgiveness from their Lord, and gardens with streams running in them, to remain in them (forever). How excellent is the reward of the workers!(3:136)

In the book Nahjul Blaghah, there is a saying from Imam Ali (peace be upon him) about repentance:

Istighfar" (asking Allah's forgiveness) is meant for people of a high position. It is a word that stands on six supports. The first is to repent over the past; the second is to make a firm determination never to revert to it; the third is to discharge all the rights of people so that you may meet Allah quite clean with nothing to account for; the fourth is to fulfill every obligation which you ignored (in the past) so that you may now do justice with it; the fifth is to aim at the flesh grown as a result of unlawful earning, so that you may melt it by grief (of repentance) till the skin touches the bone and a new flesh grows between them; and the sixth is to make the body taste the pain of obedience as you (previously) made it taste the sweetness of disobedience. On such an occasion you may say "astaghfiru'llah".

There are some points regarding this Hadith:

1. Imam Ali (peace be upon him) deems six conditions for a true repentance. the first two are the basis of every repentance. the next two are the requisites for its acceptance and the last two are necessary for its perfection.

2. The third condition includes both belongings and rights. one has to make up for any right he/she has violated in the past.

3. The forth condition is about (to name but a few) compensating for ritual prayers one has failed to perform in their prescribed times or making up for the obligatory pilgrimage to Mecca one has failed to make in the past when he/she was physically and financially bale to do so.

If your lie has resulted in trampling others' rights, you have to make up for it by apologizing or doing anything to make sure that they have forgiven you.

If your lie has not resulted in violating anyone's right, taking the first and the second step of the above-mentioned Hadith is enough.