Did Abraham (as) lie when he passed off his wife as his sister?

No. A prophet of God does not lie, and the story as the Bible tells it fits neither the character of Abraham (as) nor common sense.

The Bible relates that Abraham (as) came with his wife to a foreign land and said there that she was his sister. Anyone who reads this rightly wonders whether a prophet could have lied. The answer begins with a question put to the text itself.

Islam teaches that the earlier scriptures came from God, but that over time human elements found their way into them. Whatever in them befits God and His prophets, a Muslim gladly accepts. Whatever contradicts the character of a prophet and plain common sense cannot simply be taken at face value. One either looks for a deeper meaning, or one recognises it as a later human addition.

This story does not survive a calm examination. No honourable husband would knowingly put his wife in a position where she could be wronged. There is a second point. The account presents the king as someone who respects Abraham (as). Had Abraham (as) openly said that she was his wife, that very respect would have protected her. The supposed excuse would not have shielded her at all. It would have exposed her to danger. It makes no sense.

The Holy Qur’an paints a completely different picture. It calls Abraham (as) a truthful man and a paragon of virtue, as the verses above show. Such a person does not save himself with a lie that endangers his own wife.

That is why Islam does not accept this episode in the form in which it has come down. It contradicts what we know of Abraham (as), and it contradicts ordinary experience of life. The honour of a prophet of God is not defended by explaining away a lie, but by recognising that he did not lie.