Email by Khalid Latif
Significance of Honesty in Islam Honesty is one of the greatest
of all moral virtues. From it springs forth many of the noblest of human
qualities like integrity, chastity, and valor. Some people might suppose that
honesty is restricted to words. This is not the case. Honesty can manifest
itself in our actions as well as in our innermost state of being.
The great scholar and ethical thinker, al-Muhâsibî, once said:
For honesty to be complete, it must exist in three things. It must exist in
the heart as ones faith, it must exist in the intentions behind ones deeds,
and it must be present in the words that one speaks.
Honesty penetrates to the innermost fiber of a person when his inner being is
in harmony with his outer self. A persons deeds are honest only when he
practices what he professes. Dishonesty in deed is more despicable than
dishonesty in word, for it is naught but a hypocritical display of sincerity.
This is what the brothers of Joseph (peace be upon him) did when they came with
Josephs bloody clothing to their father.
Allah says: So they came with his shirt stained with false blood. [Sûrah
Yûsuf: 18]
Allah warns us saying: O you who believe, why do you say what you do not do?
It is loathsome indeed with Allah that you say what you do not do. [Sûrah
al-Saff: 3]
Truth in word is the most familiar and obvious kind of truth, since every
statement that is inconsistent with reality is obviously a lie.
Allah says: Verily those who fabricate a lie against Allah will not find
success.
Allah commands the believers, saying: O you who believe, fear Allah and be
among those who are honest.
Allah gives glad tidings to the believers who are honest. He says: Allah
will reward the honest people for their honesty.
Allah informs us that our honesty will bring us good even in this world: And
when a matter is resolved upon, it would be best for them if they were true to
Allah.
And of course, honesty will be of doubtless benefit to us in the Hereafter.
Allah says: This is the day that the honest people will benefit from their
honesty. [Sûrah al-Mâidah: 119]
Allahs Messenger (peace be upon him) was renowned for his honesty long
before he began to receive revelation and became Allahs Messenger. He had been
known among his people for years as al-Amîn (the Trustworthy) .
The Prophet (peace be upon him) informed us of the effects that both honesty
and dishonesty have on our personalities when he said: Honesty brings about
security and lying fosters doubts.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) also said: Honesty leads to righteousness
and righteousness leads to Paradise . A man remains honest and concerned about
honesty until he is recorded as an honest man with Allah. Lying leads to
sinfulness and sinfulness leads to the Fire. A man keeps lying and remains
partial to lies until he is recorded as a liar with Allah. [Sahîh al-Bukharî
and Sahîh Muslim]
He also explained the effects that honesty and dishonesty have on our
interpersonal dealings: Honesty and clarity are blessed for both parties to a
sale, while concealment and deceit destroy the blessings of their sale. [Sahîh
al-Bukharî and Sahîh Muslim]
We must be honest in our relationship with Allah. There are many dimensions
to this most important expression of honesty. There is our sincerity to Allah.
Then there is being cognizant that Allah is ever watchful of what we do. There
is the sense of humility and shame that we must feel before Him. If we truly
want to be honest in our relationship with Allah, we must become so fully
sincere to Him that there remains in our hearts no other motive for what we do
but to seek His pleasure. We must care nothing for the thanks and appreciation
of our fellow men. We can achieve this by making our greatest concern the
attainment of Allahs mercy. We must be constantly aware that Allah is ever
watchful over us. This will make us feel too shy to ever willingly disobey
Allah.
Honesty with other people is also extremely important. There are many aspects
to this as well.
First, we must be honest in our dispensation towards others. We should not
behave deceptively and present a false face to people. Instead, we must be
genuine and straightforward with people as much as possible.
We must be honest in what we say. This requires from us to be careful to
ascertain the truth of the news that we hear before we go ahead and pass it on
to others. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: It is enough to make a person
a liar that he tells others everything that he hears.
We must be honest in giving advice to people. We should be sincere in our
advice and truly do our best to help people avoid misfortune and attain what is
good for them.
We need to be even more honest with our spouses. We must be able to confide
in them and speak freely to them about our concerns, our secrets, and our
ambitions. A husband or wife is a life partner, a friend, a confidant. The more
openly a husband and wife are able to communicate with each other in an
atmosphere of trust and confidence, the stronger their relationship will be.
Honesty, in fact, engenders strength on every level. On the personal level,
it provides integrity, self worth, and inner fortitude. On the social level, it
lends depth and substance to our relationships with other people. On the
spiritual level, it brings about the sincerity to our Lord that is the key to
our salvation.
Courtesy Of: IslamToday.net
The True meaning of Life is to Plant Trees under whose shade you do not Expect
to Sit.
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