Truthfulness.Part1

Honesty and being straightforward are characteristics that are manifested both in thought and deed. The honesty of  a  true  believer  can  never  be  compromised.  

The Qur’an very clearly declares the greatness of honesty and integrity. God’s Word says,

“O you who believe! Act in reverence for God and piously, without doing anything to incur His punishment, and always speak words true, proper and straight to the point” (Ahzab 33:70).

This verse tells us that a person of faith must always be honest;even when we have done something wrong, we must never lie to cover it up. Instead, whenever we make a mistake, we should immediately apologize and try to compensate for the wrong.

A person who has internalized the fundamental moral quality of honesty would never lie, not for any reason whatsoever; they never see telling an untruth as an option or a solution. Therefore, a person who practices the morality taught in the Qur’an does not have to bear the burden and consequences of lying.

Those who say,

“Our Lord is God” (Fussilat 41:30),

and steadfastly pursue the right way, according to this verse, will be visited by angels who say,

“Donot fear or grieve; but rejoice in the glad tidings of Paradise which you have been promised)” (Fussilat 41:30).

People with integrity and sincerity will live a peaceful life, as they can be trusted.

Moreover, one who adopts this admirable way of life while in the world will experience even better rewards in the next life. God has promised such rewards to those who are righteous and honest:

God will say,

“This is the Day when their truthfulness (faith- fulness and steadfastness) will benefit all who were true to their word (to God). For them are Gardens through which  rivers flow, therein to abide for ever. God is well-pleased with them, and they are well-pleased with Him. That is the supreme triumph.”  (Maeda  5:119)

The essence of being righteous is to

“Pursue what is exactly right (in every matter of the Religion) as you are commanded (by God)…” (Hud 11:112; Shura 42:15).

God sent the Prophets as examples of righteousness and integrity. Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, and all the Prophets sent before him were the quintessence of righteousness. The Qur’an also mentions righteousness and truthfulness when describing the qualities of Abraham, Ishmael, and Enoch, peace be upon them all (Maryam 19:41, 54, 56).

Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, also taught about honesty in some hadith. Ibn Mas’ud explains,

“God’s Messenger said, ‘Loyalty and truthfulness will lead  a  person  to  do good things that please God, and these in turn will bring that person to Paradise. For he will speak honestly and seek after righteousness and in the end will be recorded as eminently truthful in the presence of God. But lies will lead a person to overstep the bounds, and this in turn will bring him to the Fire. A lying person will pursue lies and in the end he will be recorded as a great liar in the presence of God.’”

In another hadith from Abu Musa, the Prophet spoke of the reward of a truthful Muslim who is worthy of being charged with protecting someone else’s property:

“The faithful trustee who gives what he is commanded completely and in full with a good will (takes good care of what is entrusted to him), and who delivers it to the one whom he was told to give it, is regarded as one of the two (i.e., God gives him reward like the owner of the trust) for giving charity.” 

In a different version of the same hadith, Nasai adds,

“A believer is like a wall for another believer; they can lean on and rely upon one another.”