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 virtuous deeds. Telling truth and avoiding lies are two basic characteristics of a true and faithful Muslim. To speak always the truth means to be a faithful, honest and trustworthy person. Allah says:
وَمَنْ يُطِعْ اللَّهَ وَالرَّسُولَ فَأُوْلَئِكَ مَعَ الَّذِينَ أَنْعَمَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِمْ مِنْ النَّبِيِّينَ وَالصِّدِّيقِينَ وَالشُّهَدَاءِ وَالصَّالِحِينَ وَحَسُنَ أُوْلَئِكَ رَفِيقًا.
“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 is such people!” (Surah an-Nisa 4:69)
Truthfulness is a means by the help of which the servants of Allah attain the Good Pleasure and the True Love of Allah. Those who tell the truth always gain success and salvation on the Day of Judgment. Almighty Allah ordered the believers to tell the truth and urged them to be among the truthful. Through it is the hypocrite distinguished from the believer and the inhabitant of Paradise from the denizen of Hell. Allah says:
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَكُونُوا مَعَ الصَّادِقِينَ.
“O you who believe! be careful of (your duty to) Allah and be with the true ones.” (Surah Tawbah 9:119)
Truthfulness is the greatest of stations, from it sprout all the various stations of those traversing the path to God. It is the sword of God in His earth. Islam is the only religion that guides its followers in every step of their lives. There are various good manners and excellent morals that Islam teaches us and truthfulness is one of them. Islam has declared it as one key element of a good character. Allah says:
وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا بِاللَّهِ وَرُسُلِهِ أُوْلَئِكَ هُمْ الصِّدِّيقُونَ وَالشُّهَدَاءُ عِنْدَ رَبِّهِمْ لَهُمْ أَجْرُهُمْ وَنُورُهُمْ.
“And (as for) those who believe in Allah and His apostles, these it is that are the truthful and the faithful ones in the sight of their Lord: they shall have their reward and their light… “ (Surah Hadid 57:19)
Truthfulness is something that is to be cultivated till it becomes implanted in a person’s soul and disposition and therefore reflected throughout the person’s character. The positive reciprocal effect of behaving truthfully with people in this worldly life. Telling the truth is key for all doors and kinds of goodness that lead to Paradise. Faith (Iman) and lying are two different characters, one is good and the other is bad. They can never exist together in the heart of a true believer.
Truthfulness has too many benefits. Some of them are listed below:
- Truthfulness helps individuals reward here and hereafter
- Truthfulness helps individuals attain rewards from Allah
- Truthfulness is one of the necessities of our society
- Truthfulness is the excellence of human attitude
- Truthfulness is a virtue of human behaviour
- Truthfulness in conveying the religion
- Truthfulness brings glorious benefits
- Truthfulness is a kind of goodness
- Truthfulness brings great benefits
- Truthfulness doesn’t guide liars
- Truthfulness is a key for all doors
- Truthfulness practice what you preach
- Truthfulness person trust of the people
- Truthfulness beware of lying to children
- Truthfulness realize that lying is bad for you
- Truthfulness train yourself with a no-excuse policy
- Truthfulness includes being truthful towards Allaah
- Truthfulness saved from destruction and calamities
- Truthfulness emphasized in this great type of manner
- Truthfulness make a way out of our concerns and a refuge
In reality, truthfulness is a vast curriculum. It is as much one of the characteristics of the Muslim’s personality both outward and inward, as it is his speech and action. People trust a man who speaks rightly and truthfully. They hold him in esteem and accept every word of his to be correct. Thus a person should be the same on the inside and the outside. Allah says:
قَالَ اللَّهُ هَٰذَا يَوْمُ يَنفَعُ الصَّادِقِينَ صِدْقُهُمْ لَهُمْ جَنَّاتٌ تَجْرِي مِن تَحْتِهَا الْأَنْهَارُ خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا أَبَدًا رَّضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمْ وَرَضُوا عَنْهُ ذَٰلِكَ الْفَوْزُ الْعَظِيمُ
“This is a Day on which the truthful will profit from their truth: theirs are Gardens under which rivers flow (in Paradise) – they shall abide therein forever. Allah is pleased with them and they with Him. That is a great success (Paradise).” (Surah Al-Maidah 5:119)
Truthfulness includes being truthful towards Allaah by worshipping Him sincerely; being truthful towards one’s soul by making it adheres to the laws of Allaah; and being truthful with people in one’s words and by keeping one’s promises, and in dealings such as buying, selling and marriage, so there should be no deceiving, cheating, falsifying or withholding of information. Allah says:
وَاذْكُرْ فِي الْكِتَابِ إِسْمَاعِيلَ إِنَّهُ كَانَ صَادِقَ الْوَعْدِ وَكَانَ رَسُولًا نَّبِيًّا
“And mention in the Book, Ishmael: surely, he was a man true to his word, and he was a Messenger, a Prophet.” (Surah Maryam 19:54)
Truthfulness is one of the most basic things for the establishment of mutual social relations. Many people understand truthfulness to mean the truthfulness of the tongue through speech alone. 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 virtuous deeds.
Allah revealed too many verses about truthfulness in The Holy Quran:
- “O you who believe! Have fear of God, and be among the truthful.” (Quran 9:119)
- “And mention in the Book, Enoch: surely he was a most truthful Prophet.” (Quran 19:56)
- “If they had been true to Allaah, it would have been better for them.” (Muhammad 47:21)
- “And mention in the Book, Enoch: surely he was a most truthful Prophet.” (Quran 19:56)
- “But We have certainly tried those before them, and Allah will surely make evident those who are truthful, and He will surely make evident the liars.” (Quran 29:3)
- “That Allah may reward the truthful for their truth, and punish the hypocrites if He wills, or turn mercifully towards them … “ (Quran 33:64)
- “They [think to] deceive Allah and those who believe, but they deceive not except themselves and perceive [it] not.” (Quran 2:9)
- “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, Abraham: surely he was a most truthful Prophet.” (Quran 19:41)
Being truthful is one of the necessities of human society, one of the virtues of human behaviour, and brings great benefits, whilst lying is one of the major elements of corruption in human society, and the cause of the destruction of social structure and ties, one of the evilest features of bad conduct, and causes widespread harm. Hence Islam commanded truthfulness and forbade lying. Allah says:
إِنَّمَا الْمُؤْمِنُونَ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا بِاللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ ثُمَّ لَمْ يَرْتَابُوا وَجَاهَدُوا بِأَمْوَالِهِمْ وَأَنفُسِهِمْ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ أُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الصَّادِقُونَ
“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 truthful.” (Surah Al-Hujurat 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 noblest 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. And God confirmed the truthfulness of these words of His Beloved Messenger with His True Word. Allah says:
لَّقَدْ كَانَ لَكُمْ فِي رَسُولِ اللَّهِ أُسْوَةٌ حَسَنَةٌ لِّمَن كَانَ يَرْجُو اللَّهَ وَالْيَوْمَ الْآخِرَ وَذَكَرَ اللَّهَ كَثِيرًا
“Certainly, is for you in (the) Messenger (of) Allah an excellent example for (one) who has hope (in) Allah and the Day the Last, and remembers Allah much.” (Surah Ahzab 33:23)
Truthfulness is the backbone of any peaceful and sincere society. If all Muslims try to adopt this great and basic character, there is no doubt and no hurdle in the way of their success. Islam has, therefore, attached much importance to truthfulness as a moral value. As Muslims and true believers, we should tell the truth, adhere to it and follow a good example of the Prophet (PBUH). We ask Allah to make us truthful secretly and openly and forgive our sins. Ameen
