Allah Almighty says: {O you who believe, fear Allah and be with those who are truthful.} [Surat at-Tawbah: 119] Allah Almighty also says: {... and the truthful men and women} [Surat al-Ahzāb: 35] Allah Almighty also says: {... it would be better for them to be truthful to Allah.} [Surat Muhammad: 21]
1) Allah, Glorified and Exalted, commands His believing servants to be truthful and adhere to the truth so that they be among the people of the truth.
2) Truthfulness is a praiseworthy trait that is required of believers, males and females alike.
3) Truthfulness is all good and it is a savior. It is what imparts value to words and deeds.
54/1 - First: Ibn Mas‘ūd (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Truthfulness leads to Birr (righteousness), and Birr leads to Paradise. A man continues to tell the truth until he is written as truthful with Allah. Lying leads to Fujūr (deviance), and Fujūr leads to the Hellfire. A man continues to lie until he is written as a liar with Allah.” [Narrated by Al-Bukhāri and Muslim]
Birr: an umbrella term comprising all aspects of good.
Fujūr: evil deeds.
1) It encourages committing to truthfulness at all times because it is the cause of every good. It warns against lying and against taking it lightly because it is the cause of every evil.
2) Lying is prohibited and it is absolutely impermissible to lie even for the sake of joking or jesting. What laymen call a 'white lie' is also prohibited because all lying is black and incurs evil on oneself as well as on the people around him. The only exemption to lying is the type classified as permissible by the Lawgiver.
There are reported situations where the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) permitted lying for a greater interest. They are as follows:
1) during war;
2) when reconciling among people;
3) and in what the wife tells her husband and what he tells her.
These situations are listed in the Hadīth reported by Um Kulthūm bint ‘Uqbah: “The Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) permitted lying in three situations only: in war, in reconciling among people, and in what a man says to his wife.” In another version of the Hadīth: “... and in what the husband says to his wife and what the wife says to her husband.” [Narrated by Ahmad]
55/2- Second: Abu Muhammad al-Hasan ibn ‘Ali ibn abi Tālib (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) reported: “I memorized from the words of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him): ‘Leave what you doubt for what you do not doubt, for the truth brings tranquility while lying sows doubt.’” [Narrated by Al-Tirmidhi; he classified it as Sahīh (authentic)]
What you doubt: means leave what you doubt in terms of lawfulness for what you do not doubt to be lawful.
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1) The individual must abandon lying and commit to the truth, because lying plants doubt whereas the truth inspires tranquility.
2) A manifestation of one’s piety is to avoid the doubtful and ambiguous matters.
56/3- Third: Abu Sufyān Sakhr ibn Harb (may Allah be pleased with him) reported, in the course of his long narration about his story with Heraclius, that the latter asked him: “What does he – meaning the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) – command you to do?” Abu Sufyān replied: “He says: ‘Worship Allah alone and do not associate anything with Him, and give up what your ancestors say.’ And he commands us to perform prayers, speak the truth, to observe modesty and to uphold the ties of kinship.” [Narrated by Al-Bukhāri and Muslim]
1) The central pillar of this religion is Tawhīd of Allah Almighty because it is the source of all types of good. All Muslims must pay Tawhīd their utmost attention because its presence is indispensable for the validity of any deed and the lack of which bars from admission to Paradise, for it is the key to it.
2) It warns against blind following of the forefathers, chiefs, or dignitaries, especially in issues of religious nature. Instead, one must learn the Sharia from its genuine source, namely the Qur’an and the Sunnah as interpreted by the early predecessors of this nation (Salaf). As for what people grew accustomed to – that contradicts the revealed religion – it must not be followed as if it is religious law.
3) Truthfulness is among the essential morals that one must internalize; and it is a trait of the prophets and messengers (peace be upon them).
57/4- Fourth: Abu Thābit (it was said his nickname was Abu Sa‘īd or Abu al-Walīd) Sahl ibn Hunayf (may Allah be pleased with him), who attended the Battle of Badr, reported that the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Whoever sincerely asks Allah Almighty for martyrdom, Allah will make him reach the ranks of martyrs even if he dies on his bed.” [Narrated by Muslim]
1) Truthfulness of the hearts is a cause to attain what is desired. Whoever intends to do a good deed will be rewarded for it even if he were unable to do it or failed to complete it.
2) It is recommended to sincerely ask Allah for martyrdom.
58/5- Fifth: Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: “One of the Prophets (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon them) set out on a military expedition. He said to his people: ‘Let not anyone accompany me who has married a woman and wishes to consummate his marriage with her but has not yet done so, or one who has built a house but has not yet erected its roof, or one who has bought sheep or pregnant camels and is waiting for their offspring.’ Then he marched on and approached a village at the time of the afternoon prayer or close to that, so he said to the sun: ‘You are commanded and so am I. O Allah, hold it back (from setting) for us,’ and it was held back until Allah granted him victory. He gathered the spoils of war, and the fire came down to devour them but it did not devour them. He said: ‘Some of you misappropriated the spoils of war, so one man from each tribe should give me his pledge of allegiance.’ They all did so and the hand of one man stuck to his hand, so he said: ‘Your tribe is guilty of misappropriation of the spoils of war. Let all the members of your tribe give their pledge of allegiance to me.’ They did so and the hands of two or three men stuck to his hand. He said: ‘You have taken something from the spoils of war illegally.’ So they brought an amount of gold equal in size to the head of a cow. They placed it among the spoils so the fire approached and devoured them. The spoils of war were not made lawful for any people before us, then Allah made the spoils of war lawful for us when He saw our weakness and helplessness, so He made them lawful for us.” [Narrated by Al-Bukhāri and Muslim]
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1) If the individual intends to perform an act of worship, he must devote his heart and body to it, so that he approaches it while yearning to it and performs it with deliberateness, tranquility, and an open-heart.
2) It displays the blessings of Allah, Glorified and Exalted, for this nation because He made lawful for them war spoils while they were made unlawful for the preceding nations; this reflects how Allah bestowed mercy on this nation.
3) It makes clear the severe consequences of lying as opposed to the pleasant consequences of truthfulness.
The prophet mentioned in the Hadīth is Yūsha‘ ibn Nūn (Joshua son of Nun) because the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said in an authentic Hadīth: “The sun was not held (from setting) for any human except Joshua, on the nights he marched to Jerusalem.” [Narrated by Ahmad on the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him)]
59/6 - Sixth: Abu Khālid Hakīm ibn Hizām (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Both parties in a business transaction have the right to annul it so long as they have not separated. If they are honest and truthful, their transaction will be blessed for them, and if they conceal something and tell lies, the blessing of their transaction will be wiped out.” [Narrated by Al-Bukhāri and Muslim]
Parties: the vendor and the buyer.
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1) It is obligatory to display any fault in merchandise, and it is prohibited to hide it. How remote the market vendors are from the guidance of this Hadīth!
2) Honest trading is an ambitious goal that demands a level of patience enjoyed only by highly self-restrained individuals.
3) Truthfulness in buying and selling is the source of blessings and growth.