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Fatwa CenterHe is one year older than the date registered on his birth certificate
Question
Asalam-O-Alikum
My concern is reagrding my birth date.
Actually i am 100% sure that i was born in 1988 CE(which they call AD) however on my birth certificate my famlity got it written as 1989 which they said once was done for my benifit in education plus career(to allow for any loss of year - usally schools take in children of a relatively smaller age).
Now when i have to fill in my birth date on any of the worldly documents(e.g.applications, ID card, License, internet) would it be considered as a lie given that i have to put in 1989 due to my birth certificate. Moreover, all my education related documents(results etc) have 1989 on it.
Its a entire life thing and the worldy documents are not free of birth date these days as we all know. My birth certificate was not in my control when i was born and i am concerned about akhira and not the career.
Jazak Allah
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His Slave and Messenger.
The real meaning of lying is to say something that is different from reality; and this applies to what your parents originally did when they recorded in the birth certificate a year different from that in which you were really born. But you have nothing to do with that matter.
The same also applies to your personal data that you give concerning your being born in the year mentioned in those documents. The danger of telling lies and its being among the major sins should be obvious to you. Indeed, the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, warned of it, saying: "And beware of telling lies, for telling lies leads to wickedness, and wickedness leads to the fire (of Hell)." [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]
So, it is your duty to seek to restore the matter to its real state, and make your birth certificate and all other documents include the real date on which you were born, as long as you feel safe from receiving any resulting harm. But if you fear that you might receive any harm, then, it is permissible for you to leave the matter as it is.
Allaah Knows best.
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