Honesty in Islam
“When honesty is lost, then wait for the Hour (the Day of Judgment)’’.
These are the noble words of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).
They paint a picture of the time leading up to the Day of
Judgement, when righteous people will be sorrowful due to the lack of
honesty around them. In the 21st century, we live in a world where
honesty is still valued and yet shunned at the same time. We expect
people to be honest in their dealings and transactions with us yet we
watch and applaud television shows and movies that promote and encourage
lying and deceitfulness in our society.
With our negligence, we teach our children that dishonesty is
acceptable. When we expect our children to tell the caller on the
telephone we are not home, this is a lesson in deceit for the leaders of
tomorrow. When we refuse invitations and pretend we are busy, this is
lying. We admonish our children for lying, yet the reality is we have
been their teachers. Whether we tell lies, or we allow our children to
live in a world surrounded by deceit, the lesson is learned and the
honesty begins to disappear from the hearts of the next generation.
Furthermore, honesty incorporates the concepts of truthfulness and
reliability and it resides in all human thought, words, actions and
relationships. It is more than just accuracy; it is more than just
truthfulness, it denotes integrity or moral soundness. Islam commands
truthfulness and forbids lying. God commands that a Muslim be honest.
“O you who believe! Fear God, and be with those who are true (in word and deeds).” (Quran 9:119)
Ibn Katheer, the renowned Quran scholar, explained the meaning of
this verse. He said, “Being truthful and adhering to truthfulness,
means you will be among the people of the truth and be saved from
calamity and that it will make a way out for you from your problems”.
A true believer, one who is truly submitted to God, has many
characteristics by which he can be identified. The most obvious of
these noble characteristics are honesty of character and truthfulness of
speech. Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him) was a perfect example of
honesty. Even before his Prophethood, he had earned the titles of Al
Amin (the trustworthy one) and As Sadiq (the truthful).
Al Amin, Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) once gathered all the
people of Makkah and asked them, “O people of Makkah! If I say that an
army is advancing on you from behind the mountains, will you believe
me?” All said in one voice, “Yes, because we have never heard you
telling a lie.” All the people, without exception, swore to his
truthfulness and honesty because he had lived an unblemished and
extremely pious life among them for forty years.
Abu Sufyan described his honesty. When Prophet Muhammad (peace be
upon him) sent a letter to the Emperor of Byzantium inviting him to
Islam, the Emperor, Heraclius sent for the Meccan trader, Abu Sufyan.
Even though he was, at that time, a dire enemy of Islam, he spoke the
truth about Prophet Mohammad when he said, “He neither tells lies nor
betrays others, he bids people to worship God Alone and orders us to
observe prayer, honesty and abstinence” (1)
This honesty, an essential ingredient of the Muslim character,
includes being truthful towards God by worshipping Him sincerely; being
truthful to oneself, by adhering to God’s laws; and being truthful with
others by speaking the truth and being honest in all dealings, such as
buying, selling and marriage. There should be no deceiving, cheating,
falsifying or withholding of information, thus a person should be the
same on the inside as he is on the outside.
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) warned us of the dangers
inherent in dishonesty, and the benefits of living in an honest way. He
said:
“Truthfulness leads to righteousness, and righteousness leads to
Paradise. In addition, a man keeps on telling the truth until he
becomes a truthful person. Falsehood leads to wickedness and
evil-doing, and wickedness leads to the (Hell) Fire, and a man may keep
on telling lies till he is written before God, as a liar”. (Al-Bukhari)
A true Islamic society is based upon honesty and justice, and is
intolerant of dishonesty in all its various forms. Honesty in all
business transactions is emphasised and Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon
him) exhorts Muslims to be scrupulously honest in all their dealings.
Abdullah ibn Omar was once described as the “brother of the night.” He
would stand at night performing prayer, weeping, seeking God’s
forgiveness and reading Quran. One day, he was sitting among some close
friends and he read the following verses:
“Woe unto those who give short measure, those who, when they are to
receive their due from people, demand that it be given in full but when
they have to measure or weigh whatever they owe to others, give less
than what is due. Do they not know that they are bound to be raised
from the dead (and called to account) on an awesome Day, the Day when
all men shall stand before the Sustainer of all the worlds?” (Quran
83:1-6)
Then, Abdullah wept until he was faint and kept repeating the words
“the day when all men shall stand before the Sustainer of all the
worlds.” He was amongst the most honest and trustworthy men, but being
reminded of the punishment for those who are deceitful filled him with
fear.
Therefore, a Muslim seeking to please God and follow the path of
righteousness should be aware of the dangers of deceit and dishonesty.
However, equally he should know that God is All-Merciful and
All-Loving, willing to forgive even the gravest sins for those who
strive for His sake. Honesty is very important in the life of a
believer.
“Honesty descended from the Heavens and settled in the roots of the
hearts of men (faithful believers), and then the Quran was revealed and
the people read the Quran, (and learnt it from it) and also learnt from
the sayings and traditions. Both the Quran and the traditions
strengthened their honesty. (Al-Bukhari)
This is from among the many sayings of Prophet Muhammad (peace be
upon him), many of which forbade deceit and enjoined honesty among
people. For those who wish to be among the truthful, Prophet Muhammad
(peace be upon him) has left us with these words of guidance, “Let he
who believes in God and the Last Day either speak good or keep silent”.
(Muslim)
By: Aisha Stacey
