Truthfulness
Table of Contents
Truthfulness in Self-Control & Self-Knowledge
Truthfulness in Opposing the Devil
Over 400 Free eBooks on Good Character
Acknowledgements
All praises are for Allah, the Exalted, Lord of the worlds, who has given us the inspiration, opportunity and strength to complete this volume. Blessings and peace be upon the Holy Prophet Muhammad whose path has been chosen by Allah, the Exalted, for the salvation of mankind.
We would like to express our deepest appreciation to the entire ShaykhPod family, especially our little star, Yusuf, whose continued support and advice has inspired the development of ShaykhPod Books.
We pray that Allah, the Exalted, completes His favour on us and accepts each letter of this book in His august court and allows it to testify on our behalf on the Last Day.
All praise to Allah, the Exalted, Lord of the worlds and endless blessings and peace by upon the Holy Prophet Muhammad, on his blessed Household and Companions, may Allah be pleased with them all.
Compiler’s Notes
We have tried diligently to do justice in this volume however if there are any short falls found then the compiler is personally and solely responsible for them.
We accept the possibility of faults and shortcomings in an effort to complete such a difficult task. We might have unconsciously stumbled and committed errors for which we ask for indulgence and forgiveness of our readers and the drawing of our attention thereto will be appreciated. We earnestly invite constructive suggestions which can be made to ShaykhPod.Books@gmail.com.
Introduction
The following is a short book discussing the different branches of truthfulness. In reality, without this key characteristic it is not possible to Achieve Noble Character.
According to the Hadith found in Jami At Tirmidhi, number 2003, the Holy Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, has advised that the heaviest thing in the Scales of Judgment Day will be Noble Character. It is one of qualities of the Holy Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, which Allah, the Exalted, complimented in Chapter 68 Al Qalam, Verse 4 of the Holy Quran:
“And indeed, you are of a great moral character.”
Therefore, it is a duty on all Muslims to gain and act on the teachings of the Holy Quran and the traditions of the Holy Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, in order to Achieve Noble Character.
Aspects of Truthfulness
Truthfulness in Sincerity
It is not possible to achieve noble character without truthfulness. In fact, the Holy Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, has made it clear in a Hadith found in Sahih Muslim, number 6637, that truthfulness leads to righteousness and this leads to Paradise. A person remains steadfast on the truth until they are recorded with Allah, the Exalted, as a truthful person. Whereas, lying leads to sins and sins lead to Hell. A person will keep telling lies until they are recorded with Allah, the Exalted, as a great liar. It is quite clear from this Hadith alone the importance of remaining truthful and avoiding lies.
The first aspect of truthfulness is truthfulness in sincerity. This means a muslim should aim to please Allah, the Exalted, in all their acts and thoughts. They should not partner any other intention with pleasing Allah, the Exalted. Otherwise, they might find that on Judgment Day they are told to seek their reward from who they acted for as Allah, the Exalted, is in no need of a partner. This has been confirmed in a Hadith found in Jami At Tirmidhi, number 3154. Chapter 18 Al Kahf, verse 110:
“…So whoever would hope for the meeting with his Lord - let him do righteous work and not associate in the worship of his Lord anyone."
A part of sincerity is that when others praise a person for their good deeds they in turn praise Allah, the Exalted, knowing He was the One who granted them the ability to perform the righteous deed. Through this they turn away from becoming pleased at the pleasure of people. The one who reaches this level is always afraid, even though they perform many righteous deeds, that their deeds may be rejected because of a lack of truthfulness in their sincerity. Chapter 23 Al Mu’minun, verse 60:
“And they who give what they give while their hearts are fearful because they will be returning to their Lord.”
The Holy Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, has confirmed in a Hadith found in Jami At Tirmidhi, number 3175, that this verse refers to these pious people.
It is better for a muslim whenever possible to keep their righteous deeds a secret. This is a characteristic of the one who acts sincerely for the sake of Allah, the Exalted. The only exception to this is when one desires to set an example for others to follow. But even this should only be done by those who are qualified meaning, the scholars and those who are sincere in their actions. Many muslims incorrectly believe their only duty is to perform a righteous deed. But in fact, this is only the first step. The thing which is more important than actually performing a good deed is to safeguard it so that the muslim can take it safely to the court of Allah, the Exalted. This has been indicated in chapter 6 Al An’am, verse 160:
“Whoever comes [on the Day of Judgment] with a good deed…”
Safeguarding deeds is extremely important as it is very easy to destroy their reward. For example, a muslim may do a good deed in secret and not mention it to anyone for decades. But then the Devil inspires them to mention it to others which can cause the reward to be reduced or even destroyed as the deed is now public.
A muslim can safeguard their deeds by eliminating the bad characteristics which can destroy them, such as envy. This has been warned in a Hadith found in Sunan Abu Dawud, number 4903.
To conclude, truthfulness in sincerity is that a muslim should only hope for reward for their good deeds from Allah, the Exalted. They should only fear the criticism and anger of Allah, the Exalted. They should only seek the pleasure of Allah, the Exalted, even if this displeases people. They should never seek the pleasure of people if it means disobeying Allah, the Exalted. As only Allah, the Exalted, can protect one from the displeasure of people even if this protection is not obvious to them. But no one can protect a person from the displeasure of Allah, the Exalted.
Truthfulness in Patience
Truthfulness in patience involves enduring something, such as an event, which a person dislikes. When this occurs a muslim must banish impatience by refraining from complaining through their words or actions and instead accept what has occurred through sincere obedience to Allah, the Exalted, knowing He chooses what is best for His servants. Chapter 2 Al Baqarah, verse 216:
“…But perhaps you hate a thing and it is good for you; and perhaps you love a thing and it is bad for you. And Allah knows, while you know not.”
Patience has aspects which apply internally and outwardly. The first aspect is patience in fulfilling the commands of Allah, the Exalted, during difficulties and ease, in security or in affliction, willingly or not. The second aspect is patience in abstaining from forbidden things and preventing the soul from inclining towards them. These two types of patience are an obligatory duty all muslims. The next aspect of patience is needed when performing voluntary righteous deeds. This will cause a muslim to be drawn close to Allah, the Exalted, and obtain His love. This has been indicated in a Hadith found in Sahih Bukhari, number 6502. The fourth kind of patience consists of accepting the truth from anyone. The truth is a messenger from Allah, the Exalted, to His servants. A messenger they must accept under all conditions. In fact, rejection of this truth is rejection of Allah, the Exalted.
A muslim becomes patient when they remember the blessings granted to the patient and the punishment for impatience and disobedience. This creates hope in reward and fear of punishment. These two halves encourage one to remain obedient to Allah, the Exalted, out of desire for reward and prevent disobedience to Him through fear of His anger and punishment. Through this a muslim can obtain an uncountable reward granted to the patient. Chapter 39 Az Zumar, verse 10:
“…Indeed, the patient will be given their reward without account [i.e., limit].”