When Honesty is Lost, then Wait for the Hour

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate

Assalaamu alaykum

Dear Friends

I pray that you are well.

Honesty is one of the most important and valuable of all moral values, but unfortunately has now been placed on the back burner of our character priorities. The absence of truthfulness is widespread and afflicts people near and far, young and old, men and women, religious and non religious people, and employees and employers; whether we admit or not, the lack of it does us great harm.

Islam's concept of honesty is wide and comprehensive. It covers the personal, family, social, economic, and political aspects of life. As well as other aspects that are related to the obligations Allah puts forth in the following example in the Qur'an,

إِنَّا عَرَ‌ضْنَا ٱلْأَمَانَةَ عَلَى ٱلسَّمَـٰوَ‌ٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْ‌ضِ وَٱلْجِبَالِ فَأَبَيْنَ أَن يَحْمِلْنَهَا وَأَشْفَقْنَ مِنْهَا وَحَمَلَهَا ٱلْإِنسَـٰنُ ۖ إِنَّهُۥ كَانَ ظَلُومًا جَهُولًا ﴿٧٢

Indeed, we offered the Trust to the heavens and the earth and the mountains, and they declined to bear it and feared it; but man [undertook to] bear it. Indeed, he was unjust and ignorant. (72) [Qur'an, Al-Ahzab 33:72]

Interpreters of the Qur'an state that "trust" in this context include all of the obligations under Islamic Law and also all of the Divine instructions to people.

One of the most significant forms of honesty today is verbal honesty, which means being absolutely truthful and sincere when uttering a word or a statement. Allah's Messenger (sallallahu alayhi wassallam) once told Mu'adh Ibn Jabal, "Hold this!" pointing to his tongue. Mu'adh asked, "Are we responsible for what we say?" The Prophet, (sallallahu alayhi wassallam) said, "Are people not turned around in Hellfire, with their nostrils (or their faces) to the ground, only as a consequence of (what they say with) their tongues?" (Ahmad and Tirmidhi).

The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wassallam said, "When honesty is lost, then wait for the Hour (Doomsday)' [Bukhari]

"Dishonest implies a willful perversion of truth in order to deceive, cheat, or defraud" (Webster's Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary). "The reverse of honesty; lack of probity or integrity; disposition to lie, cheat, or steal; fraud or thefts; a dishonest act" (The New Century Dictionary)

Dishonesty, to me, is an attitude or disposition of self-centeredness, exaltation of one's own wisdom, pleasure, desire, judgment, imagination and ambitions as the standard for life without due consideration or appreciation otherwise for right or wrong, good or evil.

Dishonesty includes lying about or hiding a material fact that form the basis of the other person's decision. For example, it is dishonesty when someone knew that a man is looking for a wife who will memorize Qur'an and pursue Islamic studies but it was not disclosed to him that a potential suitor has on-going health issues that would render her incapable of memorizing Qur'an and taking on heavy studies.

One of the Prophet's miracles is that he foretold the loss of honesty at the end of time. He (sallallahu alayhi wassallam) says, "Then people sell things to each other, and hardly anyone acts in honesty, so much that people say to each other, 'In the clan of such and-such, there is an honest man.'" (Bukhari)

And looking within our society today that prophecy is evident, as honest merchants are few and far between. Honesty plays such an important role in the lives of individuals and society and because of that Islam associates it with belief, considering it one of the greatest attributes of faith.

An honest heart is open and receptive to truth and right and will, to the extent of its ability, properly appropriate all the knowledge with genuine sincerity to ascertain and accept the right conclusions. It is uncontaminated with selfish, prejudicial opinions or calloused biases and earnestly seeks to find and walk in the right ways of life. An honest heart can be ignorantly wrong but can never knowingly continue in the wrong. An honest or dishonest heart is characterized by attitude - not knowledge, accomplishment not right or wrong.

An honest heart acts upon and within the bounds of the knowledge possessed with sincerity and confidence that such action is good and right. The understanding may be faulty but in ignorance one acts honestly. This is following one's conscience. What one feels or thinks, according to his knowledge, is proper and right must dictate his action, if he is honest. However, his doing such does not make it right. "What makes right?", you may ask. The proper standard of established Truth is Allah's words.

May Allah make us among the truthful people, protect us from dishonesty and its harmful effects. Ameen.

And Allah knows best and He alone grant success.

Allahumma salli 'ala Muhammad wa 'ala aalihi wa sahbihi wassallam.

Wassalaam.