Fundamental principles in Islam (II)

 

IN the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

Related to sincerity is the virtue of honesty and truthfulness. Like sincerity, honesty has implications in relation to Allah (SWT) and in relation to our behaviour towards others.

Allah says: “You who believe, be mindful of Allah: stand with those who are true.” Surat al-Tawbah 9:119.

All of the prophets, peace and blessings be upon them, were truthful and honest people whom Allah praised for their honesty.

Allah says: “Mention too, in the Qur’an, the story of Abraham. He was a man of truth, a prophet.” Surat Maryam 19:41. He also says: “Mention too, in the Qur’an, the story of Ishmael. He was true to his promise, a messenger and a prophet.” Surat Maryam 19:54.

Allah says: “Mention too, in the Qur’an, the story of Idris. He was a man of truth, a prophet.” Surat Maryam 19:56.

Honesty is, first and foremost, with respect to Allah (SWT), synonymous with sincerity as we have mentioned. Whoever achieves pure honesty with Allah (SWT) will be admitted to Paradise.

The Prophet (SAW) said: “No one testifies that there is no God but Allah (SWT) and Muhammad (SAW) is the Messenger of Allah; honestly from the heart (sidq min qalbih) but that Allah (SWT) will forbid him from entering Hellfire.”

Honesty with Allah (SWT) must correlate with honesty towards others. ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, said, “The best deeds are to fulfill the obligations of Allah (SWT), to be mindful of the prohibitions of Allah (SWT), and to have an honest intention before Almighty Allah (SWT).”

Umar said all deeds must be done sincerely altogether. As Abu Bakr al-Warraq said, “Preserve honesty in what is between you and Almighty Allah (SWT), and kindness in what is between you and the creation.”

However, telling the truth or telling lies are habits that are learned and, if necessary, must be unlearned. We should practise telling the truth so often that it becomes our second nature. We should always tell the truth without any effort, for this is the mark of a pure heart that will be admitted into Paradise.

The Prophet (SAW) said: “You must be truthful. Verily, truthfulness leads to righteousness and righteousness leads to Paradise. A man continues to be truthful and encourages honesty until he is recorded with Allah as truthful. And beware of falsehood. Verily, falsehood leads to wickedness and wickedness leads to the Hellfire. A man continues tell lies and encourages falsehood until he is recorded with Allah as a liar.”

Dishonesty in words, by contrast, was one of the sins that the Prophet (SAW) detested most. Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, said, “There was no behaviour more hateful to the Messenger of Allah (SAW) than dishonesty. A man would tell a lie when speaking in the presence of the Prophet (SAW) and he would not be satisfied until he knew that he had repented.”

The Prophet (SAW) made sure everyone who lied in public had repented, as the sin of false witness is indeed tremendous.

So, we ought to strive towards comprehensive honesty in all aspects of our lives inwardly and outwardly.

The fact of the matter is that our outward actions must coincide with our inward state; the good words we say and the good deeds we do should be authentic expressions of the goodness in our hearts and in our character.

The heart and tongue are intimately connected; honest words come forth from a pure heart. It was once said to the Prophet (SAW) “Which of the people is best?” The Prophet (SAW) said, “Everyone who is pure of heart and truthful in speech.” They said, “Truthful in speech we know, but what is a pure heart?” The Prophet (SAW) said, “It is a heart that fears Allah (SWT) and is clean. There is no sin in it and neither aggression, malice, or envy.”

In a variant of this tradition, the companions said, “And who shows a sign [of a pure heart]?” The Prophet (SAW) said, “A believer with good character.”

As with sincerity, an honest heart is one that is not deluded and misled by hatred and malice; it is the container of righteous character from which good deeds and goodwill emerge. To purify the heart, then, is to develop a habit of telling the truth and being honest with all those around us, to our family, our friends, our colleagues, and our neighbors.

The Prophet (SAW) said: “The faith of a servant is not upright until his heart is upright, and his heart is not upright until his tongue is upright. A man will not enter Paradise if his neighbor is not secure from his evil.”

When we are honest with Allah (SWT) and with others, we will find that all of our affairs will come together and any problems we have will work themselves out. ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab wrote to Abu Musa, may Allah (SWT) be pleased with them both, saying, “Whoever purifies his intention, then Allah (SWT) will take care of his affairs between people. And whoever embellishes for people what Allah knows is not in his heart, then Allah Almighty will disgrace him.”

In the other side, dishonesty in heart and mind produces the uneasiness of cognitive dissonance, which can lead rather quickly to public exposure and humiliation.

How can we assess our level of honesty? Al-Thaʻlabi narrates a wise proverb, “A man does not reach the peak of righteousness (al-taqwa) until it is such that, were he to place what is in his heart on a plate and go around the market with it, he would not be ashamed of anything on it.”

If you carry nothing in your heart that would shame you if made public, then you have achieved the summit of spiritual excellence. Most of us not least this author! bare nowhere near such a pure state.

The vice of hypocrisy, like idolatry, is divided into two levels: greater and lesser hypocrisy. The greater hypocrisy (al-nifaq al-akbar) is one who pretends to have faith while concealing unbelief in his heart. Such an act is merely a form of unbelief. On the other hand, the lesser hypocrisy (al-nifaq al-asghar) is to have any amount of dishonesty in our deeds.

The Prophet (SAW) said: “There are four signs that make someone a pure hypocrite and whoever has them has a characteristic of hypocrisy until he abandons it: when he speaks he lies, when he makes a covenant he is treacherous, when he makes a promise he breaks it, and when he argues he is wicked.”

It is possible for us to have elements of faith and hypocrisy in our hearts at the same time, as hypocrisy exists along a spectrum, as a matter of degree, rather than a discrete category. Again, it takes a constant struggle to maintain the virtue of honesty in everything that we do, as Sufyan al-Thawri, may Allah have mercy on him, said:

You must be honest in all things. Beware of lying and treachery and sitting with those who commit them, for it will all be a burden of sin. Beware, my brother, of ostentation in words and deeds, as it is a form of idolatry. Beware of vanity, for good deeds within which is vanity will not be exalted.

Perhaps the most important social aspect of honesty is to be faithful to all of our contracts (al-‘uqud), promises (al-wu’ud), covenants (al-‘uhud), and trusts (al-amanah).

Allah says: “O’ You who believe, fulfill your obligations.” Surat al-Mā’idah 5:1.

The word ‘obligations’ in this verse refers to all types of covenants, those between Allah and those between people.

As believers, we ought to be trustworthy enough to fulfill our word when we give it. The sign of a true believer is to emulate the honesty of Prophet Muhammad, who himself was known by his people even before Islam as “the Trustworthy” (al-Amin).

The Prophet (SAW) said: “The Muslim is the one from whose tongue and hand the people are safe and the believer is the one people trust with their lives and wealth.”

Similarly, an inability or unwillingness to follow up on our trusts is a sign of weak faith or, worse, no true faith at all. The faith of a Muslim believer is only as good as his or her word and promise. The Prophet (SAW) said, “There is no faith for one who cannot be trusted. There is no religion for one who cannot uphold a covenant.”

As long as we can practice our religion and avoid sins, we may live anywhere in the world. Yet wherever we are, we must leave its land and its people better than how we found it. We should contribute to the collective betterment of humanity, to both Muslims and non-Muslims, as honest and trustworthy neighbors.

Honesty is also jihad in the way of Allah. Indeed, it is among the best and greatest deeds of jihad. A man asked the Prophet, “What is the best jihad?” The Prophet (SAW) said, “A word of truth in front of a tyrannical ruler.”

As Muslims, we should expect others to be honest and forthright with us when something we do is wrong. ‘Umar ibn ‘Abd al-Aziz, may Allah have mercy on him, would say, “May Allah have mercy on a man who shows me my faults.”

The truth is often a bitter, but necessary, medicine. No subordinates should be prevented from expressing their displeasures to their leaders or boss. Allowing them to have their day might be solutions to collective problems.

Another essential virtue in Islam is goodwill. We should have good intentions towards everyone and everything, to Allah and to all of his creatures. The Prophet (SAW) said, “Religion is goodwill.” It was said, “To whom?” The Prophet (SAW) said, “To Allah, His Book, his Messenger, the leaders of the Muslims and the common people.”

Affirmatively, the essence of Islam itself is goodwill in all things.

Abu Dawud considered this hadith to be one of four around which jurisprudence (al-fiqh) revolved. Several other scholars considered it of great importance, some referring to it as one-fourth of Islam.

The word ‘goodwill’ has a very wide meaning, but it can be concisely defined as a good intention towards another. Ibn Daqiq writes, “Goodwill is a comprehensive word meaning completely good intent for one counseled to obtain prosperity… There is no word in Arabic more comprehensive for goodness in this life and in the Hereafter than it.”

Cultivating goodwill in our hearts towards all creatures is among the best acts of worship. The Prophet (SAW) said, “Allah Almighty said: The most beloved act with which my servant worships me is goodwill for my sake.”

And Ibn al-Mubarak, may Allah have mercy on him, was asked, “Which deed is best?” He said, “Goodwill for the sake of Allah.”

Goodwill in these traditions, as in others, is with respect to Allah and people in general. Goodwill with respect to Allah is to have sincerity (al-ikhlas) in all of one’s affairs, as previously discussed.

That is, to worship Allah free from idolatry, ostentation, compulsion, or other ulterior motives. Goodwill with respect to people is to offer sound and helpful advice, but its essence, according to Ibn Daqiq, is “to love for them what one loves for himself of goodness and to dislike for them what one dislikes for himself of offences.”

This is none other than the golden rule, to treat others the way we want to be treated.

The Prophet (SAW) said: “None of you has faith until he loves for his brother or his neighbor what he loves for himself.” He also said: “Whoever would love to be saved from Hellfire and admitted into Paradise, then let him meet his end with faith in Allah and the Last Day, and let him treat people the way he would love to be treated.”

As the golden rule of life; (treat others the way you want to be treated) is an all-embracing principle of good conduct in Islam.

Adherence to the golden rule is not simply something to be encouraged in Islam. As these traditions suggest, this principle is integral to faith in Islam and salvation in the Hereafter. Consequently, it was included in the pledge that the companions gave to the Prophet (SAW) himself. Jarir ibn Abdullah, may Allah be pleased with him, said, “I pledged allegiance to the Messenger of Allah (SAW) to establish prayer, to give charity, and to have goodwill towards every Muslim.”

We should apply the golden rule with everyone, both Muslims and non-Muslims, friends and enemies. In this respect, Al-Nawawi referred to humanity as a “universal brotherhood” (‘umum al-ikhwah) deserving of altruistic “religious love” (al-mahabbat al-diniyyah).

The universality of goodwill in Islam is demonstrated in the stories of the prophets, peace and blessings be upon them. They approached their peoples in a spirit of brotherhood and goodwill, even though at the time they were idolaters and unbelievers.

Prophet Noah (Peace be upon him) said: “I am delivering my Lord’s messages to you and giving you sincere advice. I know things from Allah that you do not. Surat al-A’raf 7:62. And Prophet Hud (Peace be upon him) said: “I am delivering my Lord’s messages to you. I am your sincere and honest adviser.” Surat al-A’raf 7:68. Prophet Salih (Peace be upon him) said: “My people, I delivered my Lord’s messages to you and gave you sincere advice, but you did not like those who gave sincere advice.”  Surat al-A’raf 7:79.

On the basis of goodwill, and the golden rule it implies, scholars derive the equality (al-musawah) of believers and, to be more precise, the virtue of giving preference (al-tafdil) to others.

Since the principle of goodwill extends to all of humanity, there is precedent in Islam for agreement with non-Muslims on a common understanding of human rights and political reconciliation. There is still much work to be done to achieve and restore justice, human rights, and political reconciliation among the nations of the world. Nevertheless, we should approach people in general with a spirit of goodwill similar to the prophets.

Bad will or malevolence (al-ghish) is yet another characteristic of hypocrisy that we must avoid. Ali ibn Abi Talib, may Allah be pleased with him, said, “Verily, the believers are people with goodwill between themselves, even if they reside far away from each other. The hypocrites are people with malevolence between themselves.”

People with such malevolence often approach others with “two faces” (wajhayn), saying one thing while concealing another in their heart. They may even intentionally give bad advice, like a swindler or a con man. This vice is a type of dishonesty only exhibited by the worst of humanity.

The Prophet (SAW) said, “Verily, among the worst of people is one with two faces, he who comes with one face to these and another to those.”

And Bilal ibn Sa’d, may Allah have mercy on him, said, “Do not be one with two faces and two tongues, making a show for people to praise you while your heart is wicked.”.

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