Why Be Truthful?
Quick Summary
- There are 2 Ayat and 1 Hadith
- Being Truthful is a command from Allah (swt)
- Truthfulness is reflected in our actions
- 93% of communication is non-verbal
(Photo: Lush.i.ous)
Sure, we all know that being truthful is important. I’m sure that all of us know it is a part of Islam and that it’s the right thing to do. But perhaps it is time we learn a little bit more about why we must be truthful. Perhaps we should look at some Ahadith and Ayat from the Qur’an that speak about Truth.
The concept of truth in Islam is not something that should be taken lightly at all. But first, here is a study done by the researchers over at UCLA.
“UCLA study, 93 percent of a person’s communication effectiveness is determined by nonverbal communication.” (MIT Career Office)
93 percent of communication is non-verbal. So let us begin to reconsider what it means to be truthful.
It might have taken researchers till the 20th century to figure out that communication is much greater than just words. As Muslims, we can take these studies into consideration as a form of possible supporting evidence if it does not contradict any Islamic teaching or principles.
On that note, let us take a look at what the Qur’an and Sunnah have to say about Truth. I will also be referring to an English Translation (Mufti A. H. Usmani) of Imam Al-Ghazali’s book Muslim Character. *Check at the end of this post for a complete citation of this text.
Emaan may be in our hearts but it is reflected in our actions. Similarly, we may verbalize the Truth but it also will be reflected in our actions.
“Truthfulness in words leads to upright actions and reform in behavior…Straightforward action is free from doubts because it is born out of belief.” (Ghazali, 33)
The connection being established here is that if a person were to be Truthful then, consequently, their actions will also reflect this. Here is an Ayat from the Qur’an that may help to give you a better understanding of why this is true:
“O you who believe! Keep your duty to Allah and fear Him, and speak always the truth. He will direct you to do righteous deeds and will forgive you your sins. And whosoever obeys Allah and His Messenger, he has indeed accomplished a great achievement” (33:70-71)
Subhan’Allah. Perhaps take a moment to read that Ayat once again. Allah (swt) is speaking directly to you, “O you who believe!” He, the All-Mighty, continues on to command us with three things with the last being Allah (swt) commanding us to “speak always the truth”. What will happen if we do this? What happens when our tongues always speak the truth and do not lie?
Allah (swt) tells you immediately after that He, the All-Mighty Himself, will do what? “He will will direct you to do righteous deeds and will forgive you your sins.” Allahu Akbar. Allah (swt) is commanding us to speak the truth; so doing it is not an option. But, even though it is something that is not optional, what will Allah (swt) do for those “who believe”? Allah (swt) guides our actions towards those leading to Jannah and forgives the sins that lead to the Hell-Fire. Do we need any other incentive? Do we need any other incentive? Do we need any other incentive?
But you know, when Allah (swt) is promising such a great reward, we should also be aware that it will not necessarily be very easy. Remember that the Hell-Fire is surrounded by temptation and if lying seems to be the easier way out of some situation–then it takes courage to speak the truth. Imam Ghazali says in Muslim Character on page 33:
“Uprightness to which truth guides is the highest virtue attained only by the people with firm determination and conviction.”
Courage, bravery, virtue, conviction, firm determination, perseverance–these are all some of the characteristics of the believing Muslim. Another part of our Deen are the beautiful and wise words of the Prophet (saw), and so let us take at look at what he (saw) has to say about why we should be truthful:
“Adopt truthfulness, because truth guides to virtue and virtue leads to Paradise. A man speaks the truth and continues to do so until he is called the truthful. Avoid falsehood because it leads to sin and sin leads to Hell. A man lies and continues to do so until he is recorded as a liar in the sight of Allah.” (Bukhari)
Because the concept of lying was mentioned, I would like to share one last Ayat from the Qur’an before closing:
“It is only those who believe not in the Ayat of Allah, who fabricate falsehood, it is they who are the liars.” (16:105)
Look at that carefully, Allah (swt) is saying that only those who do not believe in the Ayat of Allah are those who fabricate and lie.
Being truthful leads to Paradise.
Lying leads to Hell-Fire.
Simple.
Filed under: Hadith/Ayat, Reminders, Trust, Why | Leave a Comment
Tags: Al-Ghazali, Ayat, Bukhari, Hadith, Hell-Fire, Honesty, Paradise, Truth, Truthful
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