When It's Ok To Lie

Umm Kulthum bint ‘Uqbah (radi Allaahu ‘anhaa) said: “The Prophet (sallAllaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) allowed lying in three (situations): during war, in reconciling between people, and the speech of a man to his wife. {In another narration:} the speech of a man to his wife and the speech of a woman to her husband.” [source: silsilat ul-ahaadeeth is-saheeha – the series of authentic narrations –hadeeth no. 545]

Shaykh al-Albaani (rahimahullaah) comments: [1]

“I say, it is not part of the permissible lying that (the man) promises (his wife) something that he does not intend to fulfill for her, or he tells her that he bought such and such thing for her with such and such price – i.e., more than the real (price) – for the purpose of pleasing her, because that may be revealed to her; then it will be a reason for her to think badly of her husband, and that is part of corruption, not rectification.”

[1] this commentary was taken from Silsilat ul-Ahaadeeth is-Saheeha #498