by: Dr Sani Badron
The most destructive unjust deed to one's self, family, society and state revolves around three vices: lying, breaking a promise, and betraying a trust. The modern Muslim world has long been reminded to effectively check these vices since the First World Conference on Muslim Education held at Mecca, in the April of 1977, when Dr. Syed Muhammad Naquib al-Attas presented the plenary paper on "the Definition and Aims of Education." He was quick to point out that although those three vicious characteristics may sound like three different acts, in reality they are three different ascending degrees of lying-lying when speaking, lying when not fulfilling a promise, and lying by breaking someone's trust.
A similar view has been stated by Sayyid Sulaiman Nadwi in his study on ethics according to the Prophet.
Likewise, Toshihiko Izutsu, in his work Ethico-Religious Concepts in the Qur'an, views that practically all the moral values in Islam may be said to have something to do with the idea of trustworthiness.
The moral concern here is not dissimilar from that of a Roman statesman Marcus Tullius Cicero (106-43 B.C.).
This greatest orator of ancient Rome aptly observed in the moral treatise written in the last year of his life, De Officiis, that "no type of injustice is more glaring than that of the hypocrite who, in the very instant of being most false, makes the pretence of appearing virtuous."
Many verses of the Qur'an as well as many other authentic hadiths have corroborated this principle.
As far as the religion of Islam is concerned, dishonesty is simply antithetical to true belief, real faith, and conscious submission to God, who has confided trust in human being (see the Qur'an, 33:72-73).
A mu'min or a muslim can never be a habitual liar nor a betrayer of trust as far as his ethics and morality is concerned.
The Prophet said that the one who does not possess honesty, does not possess Faith, and the one who does not keep his pledge, is not a Muslim (la imana li-man la amanata lahu wa la dina li-man la ‘ahda lahu, narrated by Ahmad, al-Tabarani, and al-Bayhaqi). Following the Prophet, the first Caliph Abu Bakr al-Siddiq stated that, "dishonesty shuns belief and faith (al-kidhb mujanab al-Iman)," while the second one ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab said that, "there is no mu'min who is a deceitful (la tajid al-mu'min kadhdhaban)."
In al-Hasan al-Basri's apt summation of religious lip-service, "being untruthful is that in which hypocrisy is comprised (al-kidhb jima' al-nifaq)." Indeed, being untruthful contradicts being obedient and faithful to God.
Imam Malik's al-Muwatta' recorded that a man asked the Prophet whether a believer could be a coward. The answer was in the affirmative. He then asked whether a believer could be a miser. Again the Prophet replied in the affirmative. However, when the man next asked whether a believer could be a liar, the Prophet answered in the negative (narrated in Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr's al-Tamhid and Ibn Abi al-Dunya's al-Samt).
Some Companions even reported in a very famous tradition that they had heard the Prophet saying that a believer could have any characteristic except dishonesty and the inclination to breach trust (‘ala kulli khallatin yutba‘u al-mu'minu illa al-khiyanata wa al-kadhib).
The Prophet was so meticulous in warning his people against lying, breaking one's word, and breach of trust that once he saw a woman calling her child saying, "Come on, I'll give you something!" He asked her whether she would really give the child something. When the woman replied that she would give him a date, the Prophet warned: "If you were not to give something, that would be a lie!"
He was not only against deceiving humans, but even warned people against deceiving animals. Once, annoyed at seeing one of his Companions calling his horse using deception, he said: "You should give up deceiving animals. You should be trustworthy even in your treatment of them!"
Finally, there is an anecdote which, according to Nadwi, although weak with regards to its transmission, is very effective as far as the message is concerned. It is stated that a person came to the Prophet and confessed to him that he had four bad habits. The person informed the Prophet that he was a fornicator, a thief, a drinker and a liar.
He requested the Prophet to order him to leave any one of them and he would comply. The Prophet asked him not to tell lies; the man promised he would not. At night fall the man felt a desire to drink and the urge for sexual gratification. He wondered what answer he would give in the morning if the Prophet asked about drinking and fornication. If he admitted to having indulged in drinking and fornication he would be punished for the crimes. On the other hand, if he denied drinking and fornication he would be telling a lie which would be breaking his solemn pledge to the Prophet.
So, he decided not to indulge in either.
When the night passed further and it became very dark, he wanted to go out to steal. The same thoughts came into his mind. If tomorrow he admitted to theft, his hand would be amputated, and if he denied it he would be breaking his promise.
In the morning he hastened to see the Prophet and told him that because of the promise not to tell lies, he had become free of all four bad habits. Hence, the importance for us to seriously systematize in an objective manner these comprehensive criteria into an educational devise. This devise, which is essentially educative, must be able to be applied as a moral check, in a positive and effective manner, on all who will pass through the educational process leading to appointments to responsible posts and offices.
The most destructive unjust deed to one's self, family, society and state revolves around three vices: lying, breaking a promise, and betraying a trust. The modern Muslim world has long been reminded to effectively check these vices since the First World Conference on Muslim Education held at Mecca, in the April of 1977, when Dr. Syed Muhammad Naquib al-Attas presented the plenary paper on "the Definition and Aims of Education." He was quick to point out that although those three vicious characteristics may sound like three different acts, in reality they are three different ascending degrees of lying-lying when speaking, lying when not fulfilling a promise, and lying by breaking someone's trust.
A similar view has been stated by Sayyid Sulaiman Nadwi in his study on ethics according to the Prophet.
Likewise, Toshihiko Izutsu, in his work Ethico-Religious Concepts in the Qur'an, views that practically all the moral values in Islam may be said to have something to do with the idea of trustworthiness.
The moral concern here is not dissimilar from that of a Roman statesman Marcus Tullius Cicero (106-43 B.C.).
This greatest orator of ancient Rome aptly observed in the moral treatise written in the last year of his life, De Officiis, that "no type of injustice is more glaring than that of the hypocrite who, in the very instant of being most false, makes the pretence of appearing virtuous."
Many verses of the Qur'an as well as many other authentic hadiths have corroborated this principle.
As far as the religion of Islam is concerned, dishonesty is simply antithetical to true belief, real faith, and conscious submission to God, who has confided trust in human being (see the Qur'an, 33:72-73).
A mu'min or a muslim can never be a habitual liar nor a betrayer of trust as far as his ethics and morality is concerned.
The Prophet said that the one who does not possess honesty, does not possess Faith, and the one who does not keep his pledge, is not a Muslim (la imana li-man la amanata lahu wa la dina li-man la ‘ahda lahu, narrated by Ahmad, al-Tabarani, and al-Bayhaqi). Following the Prophet, the first Caliph Abu Bakr al-Siddiq stated that, "dishonesty shuns belief and faith (al-kidhb mujanab al-Iman)," while the second one ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab said that, "there is no mu'min who is a deceitful (la tajid al-mu'min kadhdhaban)."
In al-Hasan al-Basri's apt summation of religious lip-service, "being untruthful is that in which hypocrisy is comprised (al-kidhb jima' al-nifaq)." Indeed, being untruthful contradicts being obedient and faithful to God.
Imam Malik's al-Muwatta' recorded that a man asked the Prophet whether a believer could be a coward. The answer was in the affirmative. He then asked whether a believer could be a miser. Again the Prophet replied in the affirmative. However, when the man next asked whether a believer could be a liar, the Prophet answered in the negative (narrated in Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr's al-Tamhid and Ibn Abi al-Dunya's al-Samt).
Some Companions even reported in a very famous tradition that they had heard the Prophet saying that a believer could have any characteristic except dishonesty and the inclination to breach trust (‘ala kulli khallatin yutba‘u al-mu'minu illa al-khiyanata wa al-kadhib).
The Prophet was so meticulous in warning his people against lying, breaking one's word, and breach of trust that once he saw a woman calling her child saying, "Come on, I'll give you something!" He asked her whether she would really give the child something. When the woman replied that she would give him a date, the Prophet warned: "If you were not to give something, that would be a lie!"
He was not only against deceiving humans, but even warned people against deceiving animals. Once, annoyed at seeing one of his Companions calling his horse using deception, he said: "You should give up deceiving animals. You should be trustworthy even in your treatment of them!"
Finally, there is an anecdote which, according to Nadwi, although weak with regards to its transmission, is very effective as far as the message is concerned. It is stated that a person came to the Prophet and confessed to him that he had four bad habits. The person informed the Prophet that he was a fornicator, a thief, a drinker and a liar.
He requested the Prophet to order him to leave any one of them and he would comply. The Prophet asked him not to tell lies; the man promised he would not. At night fall the man felt a desire to drink and the urge for sexual gratification. He wondered what answer he would give in the morning if the Prophet asked about drinking and fornication. If he admitted to having indulged in drinking and fornication he would be punished for the crimes. On the other hand, if he denied drinking and fornication he would be telling a lie which would be breaking his solemn pledge to the Prophet.
So, he decided not to indulge in either.
When the night passed further and it became very dark, he wanted to go out to steal. The same thoughts came into his mind. If tomorrow he admitted to theft, his hand would be amputated, and if he denied it he would be breaking his promise.
In the morning he hastened to see the Prophet and told him that because of the promise not to tell lies, he had become free of all four bad habits. Hence, the importance for us to seriously systematize in an objective manner these comprehensive criteria into an educational devise. This devise, which is essentially educative, must be able to be applied as a moral check, in a positive and effective manner, on all who will pass through the educational process leading to appointments to responsible posts and offices.
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