وَحَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ نُمَيْرٍ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبِي، حَدَّثَنَا سَعِيدُ بْنُ عُبَيْدٍ، حَدَّثَنَا عَلِيُّ بْنُ رَبِيعَةَ، قَالَ: أَتَيْتُ الْمَسْجِدَ وَالْمُغِيرَةُ أَمِيرُ الْكُوفَةِ، قَالَ: فَقَالَ الْمُغِيرَةُ: سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَقُولُ: «إِنَّ كَذِبًا عَلَيَّ لَيْسَ كَكَذِبٍ عَلَى أَحَدٍ، فَمَنْ كَذَبَ عَلَيَّ مُتَعَمِّدًا فَلْيَتَبَوَّأْ مَقْعَدَهُ مِنَ النَّارِ»
Translation: Muhammad ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn Numayr narrated to us: his father narrated to us; Saʿīd ibn ʿUbayd narrated to us; ʿAlī ibn Rabīʿah narrated to us: “I came to the mosque when al-Mughīrah was governor of Kūfah. Al-Mughīrah said: I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say: Indeed, lying about me is not like lying about anyone else; whoever lies about me deliberately, let him take his seat in the Fire.”
“Not like lying about anyone else” points to the special consequence of falsely invoking Prophetic authority: it may be treated as evidence about belief or religious practice. This explains the heightened warning without suggesting that ordinary falsehood is permissible.