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In the name of Allah[1], the All-Merciful,

the Ever-Merciful. All Prayers and


Blessings of Allah be upon Prophet
Muhammad. We praise Allah, thank
Him, and seek His help, guidance and
forgiveness. We seek refuge in Allah
from the evil in our souls and the
sinfulness of our deeds. “Whomever
Allah guides, then he is right-
guided, and whomever He leads
away into error, then you will never
find for him a right-minded patron”
.((TMQ[2], 18:17

Truthfulness is a trait that is associated


with prophets. Whenever Allah (AWJ [3])
praises a Prophet in the Qur’an, Allah
describes him as truthful and
sincere. “And mention in the Book
Ibrahim (Abraham); surely he was
most sincere, a Prophet” (TMQ,
19:41). “And mention in the Book
Idris (Enoch); surely he was most
sincere, a Prophet” (TMQ, 19:56).
“And mention in the Book Shu'ayb;
surely he was sincerely (true) to his
promise, and he was a Messenger, a
.(Prophet” (TMQ, 19:54
Therefore, we notice that truthfulness
was a character trait associated with
prophets to a degree approaching
perfection and was not doubted for a
moment. It is thus a defining
.([characteristic of the Prophet (SAWS[4

The Prophet (SAWS) was known among


his people and tribe as “the truthful and
honest,” even before the revelation.
After the revelation, he was also known
among his friends and followers as “the
.”truthful and truly-inspired

This was to the extent that, three years


after the revelation, he once
climbed Mount Safa when he was
ordered to go public with
his da’wah (call for Islam): “So profess
openly what you have been
commanded and veer away from the
associators (Those who associate
.(others with Allah)-”(TMQ, 15:94

He ascended the mount and his speech


was almost unbelievable. This was to
test how much people believed in him.
He gathered all the tribes and asked
them, "Suppose I told you that there was
an (enemy) cavalry in the valley
intending to attack you, would you
”?believe me

Whoever has made Hajj[5] or


“Umrah[6] knows that Safaa is a low
hillock. It would have been easy to see
the cavalry, had they been actually
behind the mount. "Yes,” they said, "for
you have never told us anything but the
truth." He then said, "I warn you of a
”severe punishment
Even when Abu Lahab stood up to reply,
he could not accuse him of being a liar.
Instead, he said, “Damn you, is that why
you gathered us?” So, do you see how
solidly rooted this trait is in the Prophet
?((SAWS

After the revelation, he was known as


the truthful and truly-inspired. Abdullaah
Ibn-Mas“ood (RA[7]) narrated that
Allah's Apostle, the truthful and truly-
inspired, said that one is formed
in his mother’s womb for forty days,
then he becomes a clot for another forty
days, and then a piece of flesh for
.another forty days

Such concepts were not witnessed by


the Prophet’s companions as we witness
them nowadays with scientific
development and the ultrasound
scanning device, which can determine
the age of the fetus. When one of the
companions narrated the hadith[8], he
said, “We were told by the truthful and
truly-inspired,” and they actually
.believed what the Prophet had said

Today we are talking about a genuine


characteristic of prophets; a
characteristic that is associated with
them, especially the Prophet Muhammad
(SAWS). Imagine if it had turned out
that one of the prophets had lied, even
once; would he be believed afterwards in
?his mission

Even Allah (AWJ) does not deal with us


except in truthfulness. Allah (AWJ) says
what can be translated as,“Allah, there
is no god except He. Indeed He will
definitely gather you on the Day of
the Resurrection; there is no
suspicion about it. And who is more
sincere in discourse than
Allah?” (TMQ, 4:87). And He also
says, “And the ones who have
believed and done deeds of
righteousness, We will soon cause
them to enter Gardens from
beneath which rivers run, eternally
(abiding) therein forever; the
promise of Allah (is) truly (binding)
and who is more truly sincere in his
blissful saying than Allah? (TMQ,
.(4:122

Do you truly believe in the Day of


Judgment and Jannah (Paradise)? And
who is more sincere than Allah? So, if
you truly believe in Jannah, where is
your preparation for it? Are you ready
for that Day of Judgment? And if you
believe in hellfire, where is your fear of
?it

You will notice many words which are


derived from “truthfulness” which you
do not usually notice. For example, the
word sadeeq (friend) is derived
from sidq (truthfulness), because a
friend is that person who is sincere in his
dealings with you and would never
betray you. Also, don’t be
astonished; sadaqah (charity) is also
derived from sidq because it is the proof
of your fundamental truthfulness before
.Allah
The Importance of truthfulness and
the Prophet’s hadiths about
:truthfulness

The Prophet (SAWS) instructed us to do


the following to be truthful for
truthfulness leads to righteousness, and
righteousness leads
to jannah (paradise). He said that a man
who keeps on telling the truth and
actively seeks truthfulness will be
written before Allah as one of the strictly
veracious. Beware of falsehood. It leads
to immorality, and immorality leads to
hellfire. While a man who keeps on
telling lies and actively seeks falsehood
will be written before Allah as a
".consistent liar

How would you like to be written before


Allah? Imagine that it is possible for
someone among us to be written before
Allah as a liar and to be gathered on the
Day of Judgment as such. He would read
his Book of Deeds and would find himself
described before Allah as a liar; even the
.angels would know that he was a liar

Conversely, any ordinary person,


possibly a student or a woman who
maintains truthfulness in her home and
on the Day of Judgment, may be called a
.’‘truthful person

Truthfulness leads to“


righteousness” The Prophet (SAWS)
chose the word “yahdi” (leads) to show
that “truthfulness” is what guides you by
the hand to Jannah; however, if you lie,
.lying will take you to hellfire

And look at the word “yataharra”


(persists) used in the above hadith.
“Yataharra” means to observe accuracy
in your truthfulness; in order to ensure
.that you do not make even a little lie

Falsehood leads to al-Fujur (wickedness,“


evil-doing)” He also chose the word
“fujur” because it is descriptive of all
kinds of evil-doings, as if lying causes all
.evil

The Prophet (SAWS) says that if a person


guarantee six things on his part then he
shall guarantee jannah(paradise): Speak
the truth when you talk, keep a promise
when you make it, fulfill the trust with
which you are entrusted, safeguard your
private parts (from immorality), lower
your gaze (in modesty), and restrain
.(your hands (from doing injustice

The Prophet also said that whoever can


guarantee (the chastity) of what is
between his two jaw-bones and what is
between his legs (i.e. his tongue and his
private parts), then the Prophet himself
.(SAWS) would guarantee him Paradise

Similarly, the Prophet said that we ought


to replace that which you doubt for that
which you do not doubt; for it is the truth
that brings peace of mind, and it is
.falsehood that brings uncertainty
It is as if the Prophet (SAWS) is
expressing his inner thoughts. As you
ponder this hadith, how do you feel?
Relieved and assured, right? You do not
feel worried. You do not feel hesitant?
Your face does not change color
remembering your lies? This hadith
teaches us that that whenever we deal
with a truthful person, we feel assured.
However, whenever you deal with a lying
person, you become worried. You do not
know what he will do. You do not trust
.him
Imagine if the whole society were
permeated with lying. How worried
would we become? And vice-versa, if
the society was filled with mercy and
truthfulness, and people felt secure
towards one another, then that society
.would be filled with trust

Indeed as the Prophet said; it is great


treachery that you should tell your
brother something and have him believe
you when you are lying. Suppose you
talk to your friend and he believes you
while you are lying to him. Then, you
say to your friends, “He is an idiot; he
believed me”. If he is an idiot, then you
are deceitful before Allah (AWJ). So, do
not become upset when an equally
underhanded person does the same to
.you

The Prophet (SAWS) taught us that the


signs of a hypocrite are three: If he speaks
he tells a lie, if trusted he proves to be
dishonest, and if he makes a promise he
breaks it. The Prophet (SAWS) tells us that
when a man lies, the angel moves a mile
away from him out of the rottenness of
what he did. Lying is indeed rotten, so if
this is how an angel sees lying, imagine
how Allah (SWT) sees it. The angel moves
a mile away, so how much will lying
displease Allah (SWT)? And if the angel
moves away, who will be left to influence
.the liar then? Satan

The companions of the Prophet


(SAWS) say that no manner was more
hateful to the Messenger of Allah (SAWS)
than lying. If a man amongst them had
lied to the Prophet (SAWS), he would
keep it deep within himself (regarding
the lie) until he knew that the man (who
lied) had repented. Those who love the
Prophet (SAWS) and wish to be loved by
him, and those who praise him because
they know that now he responds to
them, do you wish to be detested by the
Prophet (SAWS); because he detests
?lying

We should learn two things from this


:story
When you lie, imagine that the (1
Prophet’s (SAWS) attitude has
changed towards you and he has
.become upset with you
The Prophet (SAWS) will remain (2
.displeased with you until you repent
Do you realize that lying can be deleted
from the record of your actions and that
Allah will be pleased with you if you
?simply repent from lying

Some scholars believe that the


prevalence of lying is a sign of the hour
(Day of Judgment). Scholars also say
that whoever keeps on lying will end up
.committing a major sin

:Imagine! Think about these two points

Why is lying considered a sign of the


hour? Because the universe is based on
a genuine human characteristic:
.righteousness

Allah created the heavens and the“


earth for just ends, and in order
that each soul may find the
recompense of what it has
(earned...” (TMQ, 45:22

What corrupts righteousness? The


primary way to destroy the truth and
lead to falsehood is by lying. Imagine
that lying spreads and spreads until
kindness becomes detested, goodness
becomes evil, and righteousness
becomes falsehood. Then truth is
destroyed and crushed to the extent that
people do not know where the truth lies.
Then, the Hour takes place. The skies
and earth will be gone because the
foundation, righteousness, is gone.
Therefore, a sign of safeguarding the
earth is people remaining truthful and
believing in righteousness and denying
falsehood. If this applies, then you know
.that life on earth will continue

This is why we say that there still


remains great hope in our countries and
nations because people still believe in
.the truth, recognize it, and value it

So, why is lying, and persisting on it,


?considered a major sin

Because lying prevails on the tongue


until you believe yourself deep inside
and believe that you are right. You may
even insist on your opinion even though
you know you are wrong; this is the first
stage. In another stage, lying becomes
part of your normal actions. All your
behavior and habits become lies. You
then commit major sins because you
cheat and shatter all prohibitions. This is
.why lying opens the door to major sins

For instance, tell a person to commit all


sins except lying. If a girl is seeing a boy
behind her parents’ back, don’t ask her
to break up with him, just ask her to stop
lying. After punishments and reproaches
from her family, there is no way for her
to proceed with this relationship except
through lying to her family. Or, she
would have to end this relationship.
What would you say if you came
home late one night from an event that
was sinful and we asked you not to
mention it until your father asked you
?where you were

In other words, if you want to close the


door to major sinful behaviors, the first
thing you should do is stop lying. You
will suffer in the beginning but
afterwards, you will prefer to leave all
sins and mischief so that you won’t have
to lie. Do you see how valuable
?truthfulness is

It is also said that lying eventually leads


?to hypocrisy. Can you imagine that
Even Allah (AWJ) classifies people into
two kinds: truthful and hypocritical. In
His words, which can be translated
as, “That Allah may recompense the
sincere ones for their sincerity, and
torment the hypocrites, in case He
(so) decides, or relents towards
them. Surely Allah has been Ever-
Forgiving, Ever-Merciful” (TMQ,
33:24). What do you think brought the
description of hypocrites into this
context? Shouldn’t it have been the
description of liars? The reason is that a
liar would eventually become a
.hypocrite

That is why truthfulness is the


foundation of faith and lying is the
foundation of hypocrisy, and that is why
it is not possible that you combine both
faith and lying in your heart; one of them
.has to expel the other

The results of lying on the Day of


:Judgment

Allah (AWJ) says what can be translated


as, “And on the Day of the
Resurrection you will see the ones
who lied against Allah, their faces
blackened; is there not in Hell a
lodging for the proud?” (TMQ,
.(39:60

Allah (AWJ) calls out on the Day of


Judgment, “This is the Day the
sincere ones will profit by their
.(sincerity” (TMQ, 5:119

Even if telling the truth leads you to


troubles in this life, it will profit you on
the Day of Judgment and you will be
.optimistic when you hear that call

Allah (AWJ) says about his prophets,


what can be translated as, “And as We
took from the Prophets their
covenant, and from you and from
Nuh, and Ibrahim, and M‍usa, and
Isa, son of Maryam. (Noah,
Abraham, Moses, and Jesus, son of
Mary respectively) And We took
from them a solemn covenant”
(TMQ, 33:7). The beginning of
the ayah[9] was talking about prophets,
about how they will be questioned
concerning their truthfulness. So, how
will liars be questioned about their
truthfulness? If Musa, Isa, Nuh, and
Muhammad will be questioned about
?their truthfulness, how will you fare

Do not be amazed about the value of


truthfulness. As we said, it is the
foundation of the heavens and earth; if it
.disappears, the Hour is imminent

The Prophet (SAWS) tells us


about shafaa“ah (intercession) where he
talks about a long wait on the Day of
Judgment. Those who were liars will be
in a tough situation, since the people will
stand naked and shoeless for five
thousand years as the sun gets closer to
their heads. Out of extreme distress, the
unbelievers ask Allah (AWJ) to save them
from this situation, even if it means to be
.placed in Hellfire

All of humanity, in millions and billions,


will go to each of the prophets asking for
intercession to begin their Judgment
(thus ending the painful wait), until the
Prophet (SAWS) says “I am the one for it,
I am the one!” He will fall down in
prostration to Allah (AWJ) and then he
will be addressed, “'Raise up your
head (O Muhammad)! Ask, and your
request will be granted, and speak,
and your speech will be heard;
intercede, and your intercession will
”'.be accepted

I am telling this story because the


Prophet Ibrahim (AS) (Abraham) is
among the prophets approached by
humanity in that situation. They will call
him: “O, Khalil Al-Rahman (close friend
of The Most Merciful)! O father of
prophets, intercede for us with Allah”.
And he will reply: “Myself! Myself! I am
not fit for this undertaking. I lied three
times…” and he will mention his lies and
ask them to go to Musa (Moses) (AS) [10].
One of these lies was when he said it
(destroying the idols) was done by the
biggest idol in the incident of destroying
”.all the idols

He considers it a lie, even though it was


just covering for the truth. He did it to
prove to the unbelievers that they were
wrong, but he was a truthful man, whose
soul dreaded any lie. He felt it was a
major lie that would prevent him from
interceding. What about a person who
arrives on the Day of Judgment with a
life full of lies? The problem is that his
soul does not dread the enormity of
.lying

Describing this kind of person who is


accustomed to lying, Allah (AWJ) says
that they will arrive on the Day of
Judgment and lie to Allah (AWJ).
Imagine! “Then will they have no
deception save that they will say:
By Allah, our Lord, we never were
idolaters. Behold! How they lie
against their own souls! But the
(lie) which they invented will leave
them in the lurch.” (TMQ, 6:23-
24). Having been accustomed to lying,
they reach the extent to falsely avow by
Allah, in front of Allah (AWJ). So, Allah
(AWJ) says that they have lied to
.themselves and not to Allah

?Why do People Lie

For fear of falling into trouble: This


is the main reason among people. For
example, if a wife watches TV all day
and her husband comes back home and
asking for food, a problem will arise if
she tells the truth. So, she lies (e.g.
there was a problem with the stove…).
The reason here is to get out of the
awkward situation by presuming that the
.lie will save me from the consequences
Isn’t that the most common reason most
of us lie? For example, a student fails
the exam. He did not study. His father
wants to know the grades but the son
cannot tell him the truth, so he says that
he passed. Then the father is surprised
to know after four years that his son had
failed. Or consider an employee who did
not complete his job properly and
.consequently, lied to his boss

The problem is that you think a lie can


save you. Had you known that what you
did would get you into more severe
trouble, and that the person you are
trying to appease will be angrier just as
Allah (AWJ) will be angry with you, what
would be your attitude? Allah (AWJ) will
expose all lies. Would you lie and save
yourself from the momentary difficulty
and later be exposed so that your
position becomes more dire? Or would
you be truthful and endure the
punishment, yet be known as a truthful
?person

The Prophet (SAWS) says that we ought


to faithfully seek the truth even if you
think it will incur annihilation on you for
.truly all salvation is within it

He also tells us in a beautiful hadith (if


truly authentic) that wise men say that if
truthfulness is placed on a wound, it will
heal. Hence, if you sin and are injured
by it, truthfulness will heal it.
Sometimes a remedy is painful to the
.wound but, in the end, it heals

Omar Ibnul-Khattab said, “If truthfulness


places me in a subordinate position –
and it rarely does—that would be better
for me than being elevated by lying, and
it rarely does”. It is thus better to look
bad in front of people yet remain truthful
than to look good in front of people as I
.lie

Omar Ibn Abdul-Aziz said, “By Allah, I


have never lied once since I knew that
.”lying demeans its people

Junaid said, “Genuine truthfulness is to


be truthful in a situation whereby
nothing will save you except lying”. This
is the greatest kind of truthfulness: to be
truthful in a situation in which you are
.sure that lying would save you
I will tell you a story that happened
during the time of the Prophet: The
Prophet (SAWS) went out during the
Battle of Tabuk with thirty thousand of
his companions. It was very hot in
August and the distance was far
(approximately one thousand
kilometers). Before leaving, the
hypocrites began taking leave from the
Prophet (SAWS). However, there were
three of his truthful companions who
failed to set out with the troops, among
whom was Ka“b Ibn-Maalik, who narrates
this story. He says that every passing
day he would say “I will follow them
tomorrow, I will follow them tomorrow,”
until they reached a distance he could
not catch up with them. He kept walking
around Madinah finding no one but the
hypocrites until the Prophet (SAWS)
finished the battle and came back. He
said, “When the Prophet (SAWS)
returned, my extreme sorrow haunted
me. What would I tell him? And how
”?would I avoid his wrath tomorrow

Isn’t that what happens to you? And


whose wrath is it that you fear? Your
father’s? Your mother’s? Your
husband’s? What if it were the Prophet
(SAWS)? So he says, “I kept bringing to
mind all sorts of lies and choosing the
one that the Prophet would believe most
and would forgive me”. Isn’t that what
?happens to you

He continues narrating, “So, when the


Prophet returned, deceit abandoned me
and I decided to be truthful to the
Prophet”. Imagine if you were in this
situation and you missed the jihad with
.the Prophet in the name of Allah

So, the Prophet came and sat inside the“


mosque. The hypocrites agreed to enter
together and kept on asking for the
Prophet’s forgiveness and swearing to
him, ‘By Allah, such and such happened
and that is what prevented us”. The
Prophet accepted publicly but in his
heart he asked forgiveness for them. He
renewed the bay“ah (pledge of
allegiance) with them and they happily
departed. Ka“b Ibn-Maalik saw all that
and he recognized that falsehood could
.not save him

He said, “The Prophet looked at me and


smiled an angry smile and said to me
come over. So, I walked up and sat in
front of him. The Prophet asked about
what kept me behind and whether I had
not yet bought a camel to carry me. I
told him “O Prophet of Allah, if I sat
before a worldly king, I would have come
up with an excuse because I am skillful
with words” (i.e. he could sweet-talk and
lie). “But, O Prophet of Allah, if I tell you
today something to appease you, Allah
will make you angry with me. And if I
tell you truthful words, you would be
angry with me. I want the acceptance of
Allah, so by Allah, O Prophet of Allah, I
had no excuse (he swears) and I was
never in a stronger or better condition
.”than on that day

Can you do that with your father or with


your boss at work? “I have no excuse!”
Not in a proud way, no. Our
master Ka“b never intended that either,
but it was the truth. So, the Prophet
says, “This one has said the truth, (which
means that he knew that the others did
not say the truth), Stand up, until Allah
sends his decree.” Ka“b said, “I stood
up and the Prophet forbad talking with
us three for forty days and these
increased to another ten days”. So, they
remained for fifty days not being spoken
to by the Prophet and any of his
.companions

Does it mean that, because he said the


truth, he should not be punished? No,
the Prophet wants to teach us that you
must be truthful and endure the
consequences. Don’t say that if I am
truthful my father will cut my allowance,
so lying is better. No, be truthful and
bear the consequences of you
wrongdoings. And they remained like
that “until, when the earth, spacious
as it is, became straitened for them,
and their souls became straitened
for them” (TMQ, 9:118) as it was
described in the Qur’aan in Surat At-
Tawbah. Ka“b said, “After I left the
Prophet, men from the tribe of Abu-
Salamah from the Ansar told me, ‘You
should have lied and found excuses like
so and so. Didn’t you see that the
Prophet has asked forgiveness for them
”’?and this erases what has passed

He said, “This continued until I intended


to go back to the Prophet and contradict
myself!” He admits to the hesitations of
his soul, and that is what happens with
us. The situation remained that way;
they were not spoken to until
the tawbah (repentance) of these three
was related in a Qur’aan that will be
recited until the Day of Judgment.
“Indeed Allah has already relented
towards the Prophet…And to the
three who were left staying behind,
…O you who have believed, be pious
to Allah and be with the sincere.”
(TMQ, 9:117-119). So, be like Ka“b
!Ibn-Maalik and be truthful

Let’s try to agree on being truthful. Let


anything happen, it will pass like
anything else, but you will be known
among the people as a truthful person.
Ka“b Ibn-Maalik says, “So, after the fifty
days had past, I went to greet the
Prophet at the mosque, and his face lit
up with joy. We knew that if the Prophet
smiled and was happy with something,
his face would light up like the moon.
The Prophet of Allah looked at me and I
told him, ‘O Prophet of Allah, by Allah
nothing saved me except truthfulness.
Part of my repentance is to speak
nothing but the truth from now on. By
Allah, I never lied once since then, and I
hope I will continue doing that until I
?die.’” Can we be like that

:To gain benefit

The second reason for lying is gaining


benefits, which can be in the form of
fame, profit, leadership, money, social
status, etc. This type of lying is worse,
more evil than the first because it
causes those who resort to it to fall into
the pit of hypocrisy. They first start by
cheating and end up by committing
forbidden acts. Even shedding blood
would be completely acceptable to them
if they choose lying as a way of life,
because lying alone is not enough to
bring personal gains closer. Lying for
personal interests is exactly what led
Abu-Jahl astray. People assume that
Abu-Jahl did not convert to Islam
because he did not believe the Prophet
(SAWS), but the fact is that he knew the
.Prophet (SAWS) was telling the truth

Abu-Jahl revealed the reason behind this


unreasonable hostility to one of his
friends. When the Prophet(SAWS) talked
to him about Islam, Abu-Jahl retorted,
“You talked to me about it several times!
I know you are a liar. I would have
followed you if I thought you were not.”
After the Prophet walked away
disappointed, Abu-Jahl said, “By God, I
know that he is not a liar, but I cannot
simply join him; my tribe and his (Bani
Makhzoom and Bani Hashim) have
always competed against one another.
They took the responsibility of providing
water for the pilgrims, so we took the
responsibility of providing assistance.
We host many with food and drink
exactly as they do. Now that we are of
an almost equal status, they say that
amongst them is a prophet! That is too
much to compete with!” The friend to
whom Abu-Jahl was speaking revealed
the story later after he embraced Islam.
However, Abu-Jahl preferred to lie in the
present life to protect his interests and
.be at the bottom of hell in the hereafter

:To harm others

The third reason for lying is to harm


others, either because of a grudge or
because of envy or dislike. For example,
a person who bears a grudge against
another would lie to make trouble for
that other person or to take his/her
position. People should think twice
before they allow their feelings to wreck
other people’s lives. Spreading a rumor
about someone can earn one a seventy-
.year-long fall into Hell

:To lie for the sake of lying

A person might lie just for the sake of


lying. This type of lie is simply
inexcusable. The Prophet (SAWS) was
asked whether a believer could be
cowardly to which he replied that it was
possible. He was also asked whether a
believer could be miserly, and he replied
affirmatively. Last, he was asked
whether a believer could be a liar and he
replied that a believer can not be a liar.
Hence, one can be pardoned for a
moment of cowardice or miserliness, but
.never for blatant dishonesty

:Types of truthfulness

There are three types of truthfulness:


truthfulness of intention, truthfulness of
.speech, and truthfulness of action

:Truthfulness of intention
Truthfulness of intention is devoting
one’s deeds to Allah alone, without
asking for a reward other than Allah’s
satisfaction. For instance, one would
study just to pass, or just because one
must. However, if one studies with the
intention to pleasing of Allah and one's
parents by being an excellent Muslim
student, a regular task would be turned
into a form of worship, gaining by that
the heavenly reward of Allah. Likewise,
those who wish to be rich should wish for
it intending to please Allah, spread his
religion, and to set a good example of
rich Muslims, so as to gain Allah’s reward
for the intention. Getting married with
the intention of creating an exemplary
Muslim family secures the reward of the
deed more than marrying simply
because everybody gets married at a
.certain age

The concept of truthfulness of intentions


brings out the beauty of Islam as it
reaches out to the hearts of people.
People are rewarded for their sincerity
and not for the sort of work they do.
They could, while doing everyday
chores, be gaining heaps of reward if
they have the right intention in their
.hearts

The Prophet (SAWS) said that whoever


seeks martyrdom with sincerity will be
ranked by Allah among the martyrs even
if he dies in his bed.” Accordingly, the
good intentions of an old woman or an
adolescent could put them in the same
class as Hamzah Ibn-Abdul-Muttaalib and
.(Sumayyah (RA

We all can wish for martyrdom sincerely


and then achieve it even if we die in bed.
Allah says what can be translated as,
“…And when the matter
(preparation for Jihad) is resolved
on, then if they had been true to
Allah, it would have been better for
them.” (TMQ, 47:21). The Prophet
(SAWS)once gave an example of a rich
man who spends his money to please
Allah and a poor man who wishes to be
rich in order to do the good deeds the
rich man does. The Prophet
(SAWS) surprised everyone by revealing
that both men get the same reward! If
someone wishes he could build a
mosque or spread Islam like those who
can, one would get the reward exactly as
if he were able to do those good deeds.
The sincerity of intentions can bring
.about heaps of rewards

Truthfulness of speech

Truthfulness of speech is the most


widely known type of truthfulness of the
three we are discussing here. The
Prophet (SAWS) used to ask Allah for a
truthful tongue, which is something
ordinary people like us need to ask Allah
for all the time. There are different kinds
:of truthfulness in speech
The Prophet (SAWS) instructs us to
abstain from narrating (anything) about
him except what you know (for certain),
for whoever (intentionally) ascribes to
him what I have not said then (surely) let
him occupy his seat in hellfire, and
whoever speaks about the Qur’an on the
basis of his own opinion (without
knowledge), then (surely) let him occupy
his seat in hellfire. This warning
mentions two important aspects of
:truthfulness

Truthfulness in the speech of -


Qur’an: No one is allowed to
interpret an ayah according to
his/her own views. For instance,
some explain the ayah
decreeing hijaab (veil) as if it were
addressed to the wives of the
Prophet (SAWS) only, and not to all
women, as the great majority of
.Muslims understand it
Truthfulness in speech of the -
Prophet’s (SAWS) hadith: If one is
not sure of the narration of ahadith,
he should say, “as X narrated” or “if
”.this narration is true

Other kinds of truthfulness in speech


:include

Truthfulness in trade: The -


Prophet (SAWS) says that the
merchant who strives to achieve the
utmost truthfulness and
trustworthiness is among the
Prophets, the ones constantly sincere
.and the martyrs

Moreover, the Prophet (SAWS) once


told a group of merchants that they
are resurrected (amongst the)
impious on the Day of Judgment,
except for him who feared Allah,
.fulfilled his oath and spoke the truth
He (SAWS) also said the buyer and
the seller have the option (to
cancel or to confirm the deal) as
long as they have not parted or
until they part. If they spoke the
truth and told each other the
defects of the item (sold), then
their deal will be blessed; and if
they hid (the truth) and told lies,
then the blessing of the deal will be
.nullified

Truthfulness in testimony:
Testimony is a huge responsibility
that should be taken seriously. The
Messenger of Allah (SAWS) said that
the gravest of the major sins was to
join partners in worship with Allah,
and to be undutiful to one's parents.
He also warned against giving a
.forged statement and false witness

Lies are not all the same; the more


people they harm, the more severe
the punishment for them is. The
Prophet (SAWS) said that he saw (in
a dream) that two men came to him
and said, ‘The one whose cheek you
saw being torn away (from the
mouth to the ear) was a liar and used
to tell lies and the people would
report those lies on his authority until
they spread all over the world.
Hence, he will be punished like that
.until the Day of Resurrection

Truthfulness in marriage: In -
marriage, everything should be clear
from the beginning. One should
reveal one’s marital status and
health conditions among other things
to the prospective spouse before any
legal proceedings. Lying in such
.matters is by no means allowable
Truthfulness to children: There -
is a whole chapter in every book
of Sunnah (the Prophet's
traditions) solely to warn against
lying to children. This is obviously
because children tend to take after
their parents. In such a family, lying
would become similar to hereditary
diseases. Parents who ask their
children to lie for them actually train
them to become professional liars
without knowing it! The Prophet
(SAWS) once heard a companion’s
wife tell her son that if he comes to
her she would give him
“something.” The Prophet (SAWS)
asked her what she was going to give
him and the woman said that she
was going to give him some dates.
Relieved, the Prophet (SAWS) told
her that had she not really intended
to give her son something as she
promised, she was going to be
punished for her petty lie in the
.hereafter
Truthfulness of jokes, (a -
concept) which takes us by surprise.
The Prophet (SAWS) joked with his
companions, but he never had to lie.
We can joke too, but we should avoid
gaining sins by imagining that these
lies are trivial. The Prophet (SAWS)
guarantees a house on the sides of
Paradise for a man who avoids
dispute even if he were right, a
house in the middle of Paradise for a
man who avoids lying even if he
were joking, and a house in the
upper part of Paradise for a man who
.perfects his character
Truthfulness in inconsequent -
matters: The Prophet also warns us
from the so-called “white lies” some
of us unfortunately tell on a daily
.basis

:Truthfulness of action

Allah says, what can be translated


as, “And say (O Muhammad): ‘My
Lord! Let my entry (to the city of Al-
Madinah) be good, and (likewise)
my exit (from the city of Makkah) be
good; and grant me from You an
authority to help me (or a firm sign
or a proof)’” (TMQ, 17:80). The
Prophet (SAWS) has prayed to Allah
(SWT) to make his entry to or exit from
any place guarded in truthfulness, away
.from any evil

Allah says, what can be translated


as, “Among the believers are men
who have been true to their
covenant with Allah” (TMQ, 33:23).
This ayah leads us to the conclusion that
those who are true to Allah, are granted
.all that they ask for

One of the men whose sincerity to Allah


guaranteed them what they sought was
‘Umair Ibnul-Hamam. During the Battle
of Badr, he asked the Prophet (SAWS) if
he would go to Jannah (Paradise) if he
were killed by the disbelievers during the
battle. The Prophet replied that he
definitely would. ‘Umair then, overjoyed,
dropped a couple of dates he was going
to eat saying, “Are these all that is
between me and Jannah?! A life too long,
indeed!” He rejoined the battle and was
.killed as he had hoped

The Prophet (SAWS) put aside some of


the spoils of the Battle of Khaibar for one
of the new converts. The man (RA) was
stunned, almost offended, when his
share of the spoils was brought to him.
He went to the Prophet (SAWS) and
asked about it. The Prophet
(SAWS) replied that it was his share of
the booty. The Bedouin said that this is
not why he believed in him and followed
him; rather, he followed him so that I
could be shot by an arrow right here,
(and then he pointed to his throat) then
die and enter Paradise. The Prophet
(SAWS) told the man that if he was
sincere then Allah will grant him his.”
After a short while, fighting resumed and
the Bedouin’s body was brought to the
Prophet (SAWS) with an arrow in his
throat at exactly the same spot where
he had pointed to before to the Prophet
(SAWS). Thereupon, the Prophet
(SAWS) asked if it was the same man
then said that since he was sincere,
Allah granted him his wish. Then using
his own garment, the Prophet
(SAWS) shrouded the Bedouin and
prayed the funeral prayer over him. This
notion encourages those who have big
dreams to do everything they can be
truthfull with Allah and with themselves,
because that guarantees them the
.fulfillment of their dreams

Abdullaah Ibn Jahsh (RA) prayed to Allah“


before the battle of ‘Uhud to help him kill
two strong disbelievers and then send
him a third who would kill him, slit his
belly open and cut off his ears and nose
and resurrect him on the Day of
Judgment in his mutilated body so that
when Allah asks him why this happened
to him, he would reply, “I did it for you,
Allah,” and Allah would tell him then that
what he said was the truth. After the
battle, Sa“ad Ibn Mu“ath (RA) walked up
and down the battlefield looking for
“Abdullaah’s body. He was stunned
when he finally found “Abdullaah’s dead
body with a split belly, cut-off ears and
nose, and two dead bodies from the
.disbeliever’s troops lying next to it

An African slave asked the Prophet


(SAWS) during the Battle of Khaibar if
leaving the Jewish tribes and fighting
with the Muslim troops would allow him
to go to Jannah. The Prophet’s (SAWS)
positive answer puzzled the slave, so he
asked, “Even with my black face,
tattered clothes, and disgusting smell?”
and the Prophet (SAWS) replied
affirmatively. Later, the slave was killed
and the Prophet (SAWS) ordered some
men to take the dead body to his tent.
There, the Prophet (SAWS) stood in front
of the slave’s body and said that Allah
made pleasant your unpleasant smell
and made luminous your black face. The
judgment of deeds is not based on looks
or pedigree; rather, it relies on devotion
.and sincerity to Allah

Ali Ibn Abu Talib used to pray to Allah to“


grant him martyrdom after a long life
spent in His cause; and that is what he
was granted. Likewise, Omar Ibnul-
Khattab asked Allah to grant him
martyrdom within the borders of
Madinah, which was quite a strange
prayer as Madinah was the capital of
Islam and fighting in it was not
imaginable, but Allah still granted him
.his wish

Similarly, Salahuddin used to say, “How


can I laugh when the Aqsah mosque is
besieged?” He was never seen laughing
.until he re-conquered it

Truthfulness is not only in speech, but


also in intention and action. Once you
fulfill all three you are considered among
the truthful, like Abu-Bakr who was
called As-Siddeeq (confirmer of truth) for
.his unsurpassed correctness

?What is the reward of truthfulness

Allah says what can be translated as,


“ And those who obey Allah and the
Messenger (Muhammad), then they
will be in the company of those on
whom Allah has bestowed His
Grace, of the Prophets,
the siddiqun (those followers of the
Prophets who were first and
foremost to believe in them, like
Abu-Bakr As-Siddeeq), the martyrs,
and the righteous. And how
excellent these companions are!”
(TMQ, 4:69). The sequence in the ayah
means that the rank of the truthful
(i.e. siddiqun) comes right after that of
the prophets. The truthful are actually
mentioned before the martyrs. That is
because martyrdom can only be
achieved by the truthful. A black slave
attained martyrdom one day after
embracing Islam because he was
.completely sincere

?When is it permissible to lie

According to scholars, lying is


:permissible in three cases only
Warfare: because warfare is .1
.based on deception
Making peace: for example, one .2
is allowed to tell each of the parties
in dispute that the other says good
.things about them
Pleasing a spouse: This does not mean
that a man can lie to his wife to cover up
his deception. It simply means that a
man is allowed to tell his wife that she is
the most beautiful woman he has ever
!seen even if it is not true
The word Allah is the Arabic term for [1]
God. Although the use of the word
"Allah" is most often associated with
Islam, it is not used exclusively by
Muslims; Arab Christians and Arabic-
speaking Jews also use it to refer to the
One God. The Arabic word expresses
the unique characteristics of the One
God more precisely than the English
term. Whereas the word "Allah" has no
plural form in Arabic, the English form
does, and the word 'Allah' in Arabic has
no connotation of gender. Allah is the
God worshipped by all Prophets, from
Adam to Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus
.and Muhammad
TMQ= Translation of the Meaning of [2]
the Qur'an. This translation is for the
realized meaning, so far, of the stated
(Surah:Ayah) of the Qur'an. Reading
the translated meaning of the Qur'an
can never replace reading it in Arabic,
.the language in which it was revealed
AWJ= Aza-Wa-Jal [Glorified and [3]
.[Sublime be He
SAWS= Salla Allah alayhe Wa Salam [4]
[All Prayers and Blessings of Allah be
.[upon him
Hajj= The pilgrimage to Makkah [5]
during the first half of the month of Dhul-
.Hijjah, and is the fifth pillar of Islam
Umrah= Voluntary short pilgrimage [6]
that can be performed at any time of the
year
RA= May Allah be pleased with [7]
.him/her
The Prophet’s actual sayings or [8]
.actions as narrated by his companions
.Ayah= Verse in the Qur’an [9]
Authentic hadith reported by Muslim [10]
in al-Musnad as-Saheeh page/number
.(194, and narrated by Abu-Hurayrah (RA

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