|
“O you who believe! Have fear of God, and be among the
truthful.” (Quran 9:119)
_-_The_Status_and_Reward_of_Truthfulness_001.jpg) Ask the average person to define truthfulness and the
answer will most likely be restricted to something about truthful speech. Islam,
however, teaches that truthfulness is far more than having an honest tongue. In
Islam, truthfulness is the conformity of the outer
with the inner, the action with the intention, the speech with belief, and the
practice with the preaching. As such, truthfulness is the very
cornerstone of the upright Muslim’s character and the springboard for his
virtuousness deeds.
The great sage and scholar of Islam, Ibn al-Qayyim,
said: “Truthfulness is the greatest of stations, from it sprout all the various
stations of those traversing the path to God; and from it sprouts the upright path
which if not trodden, perdition is that person’s fate. Through it is the
hypocrite distinguished from the believer and the inhabitant of Paradise from the denizen of Hell. It is the sword of God in His earth: it is not placed
on anything except that it cuts it; it does not face falsehood expect that it
hunts it and vanquishes it; whoever fights with it will not be defeated; and
whoever speaks it, his word will be made supreme over his opponent. It is the
very essence of deeds and the well spring of spiritual states, it allows the
person to embark boldly into dangerous situations, and it is the door through
which one enters the presence of the One possessing Majesty. It is the
foundation of the building of Islam, the central pillar of the edifice of certainty
and the next level in ranking after the level of prophethood.”
By practicing truthfulness, a person betters himself,
his life is made upright and due to it, he is elevated to praiseworthy heights
and raised in ranks in the sight of God as well as the people. As the Prophet
Muhammad, may the mercy and blessings of God be upon him, related:
“I order you to be truthful, for indeed truthfulness
leads to righteousness, and indeed righteousness leads to Paradise. A man
continues to be truthful and strives for truthfulness until he is written as a
truthful person with God. And beware of falsehood, for indeed falsehood leads
to sinning, and indeed sinning leads to the Fire. A man continues to tell lies
and strives upon falsehood until he is written as a liar with God.” (Saheeh
Muslim)
So, truthfulness is something which is to be cultivated
till it becomes implanted in a person’s soul and disposition and therefore
reflected throughout the person’s character. Ali b. Abi Talib, the cousin and son-in-law of the Prophet Muhammad, mentioned
the positive reciprocal effect of behaving truthfully with people in this
worldly life:
“Whoever does three things with regards to people, they
will necessitate three things from him: whenever he speaks to them he is
truthful; whenever they entrust him with something he does not betray them; and
whenever he promises them something he fulfils it. If he does this, their
hearts will love him; their tongues will praise him; and they will come to his
aid.”
As for the Next Life, through God’s Grace and Mercy, the
obedient ones - practitioners of truthfulness - will reach a station in Paradise alongside those most fortunate of souls mentioned in the revelation.
“And whosoever obeys God and His Messenger, such will be in
the company of those whom God has blessed: the Prophets, the truthful ones, the
martyrs, and the righteous. And how excellent a company are such people!”
(Quran 4:69)
In fact, truthfulness is an essential attribute of every
single prophet who graced the earth. We are told in the Quran:
“And mention in the Book, Abraham: surely he was a most
truthful Prophet.” (Quran 19:41)
“And mention in the Book, Ishmael: surely, he was a man true
to his word, and he was a Messenger, a Prophet.” (Quran 19:54)
“And mention in the Book, Enoch: surely he was a most truthful
Prophet.” (Quran 19:56)
We also read in the Quran how a man incarcerated
alongside the Prophet Joseph addressed him with the words:
“Joseph! O most truthful one!...” (Quran 12:46)
…and that Mary, the mother of Jesus, was also declared
truthful in the Words of God:
“The Messiah (Jesus), son of Mary, was no more than a
Messenger; many were the Messengers that passed away before him. His mother
(Mary) was a truthful one, a Believer….” (Quran 5:75)
… and the Companions of God’s Messenger, the “believers”
mentioned time and time again in the Quran, also reached the lofty ranks of the
truthful ones:
“The believers are but those people who believed in God and
His Messenger without ever feeling doubt thereafter, and strove with their
souls and possessions in the way of God; those are the ones who are the
truthful.” (Quran 49:15)
Hence, to tread the path of truthfulness is to tread the
path of the most righteous of God’s creation. And as for ways and means to
engender this most noble of virtues into our daily lives, then we have been
left an ocean of teachings from God’s Final Messenger to humanity, the Prophet
Muhammad, detailing and describing precisely what the virtue, nay!, the injunction
of truthfulness requires. One from among these vast and numerous sayings of
God’s Messenger is his plea:
“Guarantee for me six things and I will guarantee
Paradise for you: tell the truth when you speak, fulfill your promises, be
faithful when you are trusted, safeguard your private parts, lower your gaze,
and withhold your hands (from harming others).”
And God confirmed the truthfulness of these words of His
Beloved Messenger with His Own True Word:
“For Muslim men and women, for believing men and women, for
devout men and women, for truthful men and women, for patient men and women,
for humble men and women, for charitable men and women, for fasting men and
women, for men and women who guard their chastity, and for men and women who
engage much in God’s praise: for them has God prepared forgiveness and a great
reward.” (Quran 33:35)
|
