Honesty (Abdullah Cheng)
Dear brothers and sisters,
Allah (SWT) has mentioned in the Qur’an:
وَلِلَّهِ ٱلْأَسْمَآءُ ٱلْحُسْنَىٰ فَٱدْعُوهُ بِهَا
Allah has the Most Beautiful Names. So call upon Him by them. [7:180]
These include the 99 names of Allah. For example, Al-Rahman (The Most Gracious), Al-Raheem (The Most Merciful), Al-Azeez (The Almighty), Al-Kareem (The Most Generous). The 99 names of Allah, as we know, are the names revealed to us, in order for us to ponder upon them and to better understand who Allah really is. When there are different names to describe something, we can better understand the different aspects of that being. The names and titles of a being reflect the roles and attributes it possesses.
Similarly, the Qur’an also has many names, such as Al-Furqan (The Criterion), Al-Huda (The Guidance), Al-Dhikr (The Reminder), Al-Shifa (The Healing), and so on.
With our Prophet (SAW), he also has many names, such as Al-Mustafa (The Chosen One), Al-Mujtaba (The Selected One), Al-Rahmatu lil 'Alamin (The Mercy to the Worlds), and many more. However, there are two names that are worth mentioning about our Prophet, which are Al-Sadiq (The Truthful) Al-Ameen (The Honest). These 2 names are in fact entitled to him even before he became a Prophet, by the people of Quraysh themselves. The characteristic of honesty by the Prophet (SAW) is one of the strongest evidence to prove that he is the Messenger of Allah and that the Qur’an is indeed the words of Allah (SWT). Even before he became a prophet, his people had never known him to be dishonest or a liar, and after he started spreading the message of Islam, deep down in their hearts they knew that he could not be lying, but out of pride and ignorance and other reasons, they try to find many other excuses and accusations to call our Prophet (SAW) as a poet, a magician, a fortune-teller, or a madman. Allah says in Surah Al-Haqqah:
إِنَّهُۥ لَقَوْلُ رَسُولٍۢ كَرِيمٍۢ
Indeed, this ˹Quran˺ is the recitation of a noble Messenger.
وَمَا هُوَ بِقَوْلِ شَاعِرٍۢ ۚ قَلِيلًۭا مَّا تُؤْمِنُونَ
And it is not the word of a poet; little do you believe.
وَلَا بِقَوْلِ كَاهِنٍۢ ۚ قَلِيلًۭا مَّا تَذَكَّرُونَ
Nor the word of a fortune-teller; little do you remember.
تَنزِيلٌۭ مِّن رَّبِّ ٱلْعَـٰلَمِينَ
It is a revelation from the Lord of the worlds.
In the early stage of calling the people to Islam, once, the Prophet (SAW) climbed the mountain of Safa and called his people, as this was a tradition of the Quraysh whenever they found out the enemy coming. The Prophet (SAW) told them: “What if I told you that there is an (enemy) group in the valley trying to attack you, would you believe me?” And his people said: “Yes, we have not found you telling anything other than the truth.” Then he said, "I am a warner to you of a terrible punishment.” The uncle of the Prophet, Abu Lahab, scolded the Prophet and said words of evil to him, and after that Allah revealed Surah Al-Masad.
This shows that when someone is known to be honest, he will continually be expected to be honest, and the reliability of the words he says is heavily dependent on his honesty. When someone is consistently telling the truth, his credibility builds up like a building, and he becomes a person who can be trusted and relied on by others. However, no matter how good his reputation is, or how strong his credibility is, if he has been proven to be lying and treacherous, then all of this credibility will collapse and fall off, everything he says becomes questionable, and he would need to start all over again.
Therefore, honesty is not only with Allah but also towards others. You can not be honest only with Allah and dishonest with others, or the other way around. Especially as a leader, a leader of a community, a leader of a family, a leader of a football team, a leader of a sales team, the quality of integrity, honesty, and reliability are what make a leader a real leader. A true respected leader takes responsibility and accountability for his actions and takes his followers to achieve success and accomplish their goals. And who is the greatest leader of all mankind in history? None other than our beloved Prophet Muhammad (SAW). Even though he was a political leader, he still demonstrated transparency, which means that he is consistent with the truth in private and public, in his words and his heart, on the outside and inside. 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.” [Musnad Imam Ahmad 13048]
A person’s heart doesn’t become pure within just a day. In order to purify our hearts, we need to be consistent and develop a habit of always telling the truth and always being honest with the people around us, by adjusting our tongue from the beginning, as our Prophet (SAW) mentioned. In some cases, speaking the truth can also be a form of Jihad, and even the best type of Jihad. A person asked the Prophet (SAW): “What is the best Jihad?” The Prophet (SAW) replied: “A word of truth in front of a tyrannical ruler”. [Musnad Imam Ahmad 18830] Because in such kind of circumstances, to speak the truth in front of an oppressor who takes the right of others unlawfully means to say things that he does not like to hear, and that can easily put his life at risk.
On the other hand, if someone is dishonest with his actions, meaning that the things he does or says contradict his intention and his heart, then it is a sign of Al-Nifaq (hypocrisy). 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.” [Sahih Muslim 58]
This again emphasizes the importance of fulfilling our obligations and responsibilities, not only to Allah (SWT) but also to others, as Allah has commanded us in Surah Al-Ma’idah:
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓا۟ أَوْفُوا۟ بِٱلْعُقُودِ
O you who believe, fulfill your obligations. [5:1]
May Allah protect us from any sign of hypocrisy and disbelief, may Allah purify our hearts and our tongues, and give us ease in this world and the hereafter.
Allah (SWT) has mentioned in the Qur’an:
وَلِلَّهِ ٱلْأَسْمَآءُ ٱلْحُسْنَىٰ فَٱدْعُوهُ بِهَا
Allah has the Most Beautiful Names. So call upon Him by them. [7:180]
These include the 99 names of Allah. For example, Al-Rahman (The Most Gracious), Al-Raheem (The Most Merciful), Al-Azeez (The Almighty), Al-Kareem (The Most Generous). The 99 names of Allah, as we know, are the names revealed to us, in order for us to ponder upon them and to better understand who Allah really is. When there are different names to describe something, we can better understand the different aspects of that being. The names and titles of a being reflect the roles and attributes it possesses.
Similarly, the Qur’an also has many names, such as Al-Furqan (The Criterion), Al-Huda (The Guidance), Al-Dhikr (The Reminder), Al-Shifa (The Healing), and so on.
With our Prophet (SAW), he also has many names, such as Al-Mustafa (The Chosen One), Al-Mujtaba (The Selected One), Al-Rahmatu lil 'Alamin (The Mercy to the Worlds), and many more. However, there are two names that are worth mentioning about our Prophet, which are Al-Sadiq (The Truthful) Al-Ameen (The Honest). These 2 names are in fact entitled to him even before he became a Prophet, by the people of Quraysh themselves. The characteristic of honesty by the Prophet (SAW) is one of the strongest evidence to prove that he is the Messenger of Allah and that the Qur’an is indeed the words of Allah (SWT). Even before he became a prophet, his people had never known him to be dishonest or a liar, and after he started spreading the message of Islam, deep down in their hearts they knew that he could not be lying, but out of pride and ignorance and other reasons, they try to find many other excuses and accusations to call our Prophet (SAW) as a poet, a magician, a fortune-teller, or a madman. Allah says in Surah Al-Haqqah:
إِنَّهُۥ لَقَوْلُ رَسُولٍۢ كَرِيمٍۢ
Indeed, this ˹Quran˺ is the recitation of a noble Messenger.
وَمَا هُوَ بِقَوْلِ شَاعِرٍۢ ۚ قَلِيلًۭا مَّا تُؤْمِنُونَ
And it is not the word of a poet; little do you believe.
وَلَا بِقَوْلِ كَاهِنٍۢ ۚ قَلِيلًۭا مَّا تَذَكَّرُونَ
Nor the word of a fortune-teller; little do you remember.
تَنزِيلٌۭ مِّن رَّبِّ ٱلْعَـٰلَمِينَ
It is a revelation from the Lord of the worlds.
In the early stage of calling the people to Islam, once, the Prophet (SAW) climbed the mountain of Safa and called his people, as this was a tradition of the Quraysh whenever they found out the enemy coming. The Prophet (SAW) told them: “What if I told you that there is an (enemy) group in the valley trying to attack you, would you believe me?” And his people said: “Yes, we have not found you telling anything other than the truth.” Then he said, "I am a warner to you of a terrible punishment.” The uncle of the Prophet, Abu Lahab, scolded the Prophet and said words of evil to him, and after that Allah revealed Surah Al-Masad.
This shows that when someone is known to be honest, he will continually be expected to be honest, and the reliability of the words he says is heavily dependent on his honesty. When someone is consistently telling the truth, his credibility builds up like a building, and he becomes a person who can be trusted and relied on by others. However, no matter how good his reputation is, or how strong his credibility is, if he has been proven to be lying and treacherous, then all of this credibility will collapse and fall off, everything he says becomes questionable, and he would need to start all over again.
Therefore, honesty is not only with Allah but also towards others. You can not be honest only with Allah and dishonest with others, or the other way around. Especially as a leader, a leader of a community, a leader of a family, a leader of a football team, a leader of a sales team, the quality of integrity, honesty, and reliability are what make a leader a real leader. A true respected leader takes responsibility and accountability for his actions and takes his followers to achieve success and accomplish their goals. And who is the greatest leader of all mankind in history? None other than our beloved Prophet Muhammad (SAW). Even though he was a political leader, he still demonstrated transparency, which means that he is consistent with the truth in private and public, in his words and his heart, on the outside and inside. 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.” [Musnad Imam Ahmad 13048]
A person’s heart doesn’t become pure within just a day. In order to purify our hearts, we need to be consistent and develop a habit of always telling the truth and always being honest with the people around us, by adjusting our tongue from the beginning, as our Prophet (SAW) mentioned. In some cases, speaking the truth can also be a form of Jihad, and even the best type of Jihad. A person asked the Prophet (SAW): “What is the best Jihad?” The Prophet (SAW) replied: “A word of truth in front of a tyrannical ruler”. [Musnad Imam Ahmad 18830] Because in such kind of circumstances, to speak the truth in front of an oppressor who takes the right of others unlawfully means to say things that he does not like to hear, and that can easily put his life at risk.
On the other hand, if someone is dishonest with his actions, meaning that the things he does or says contradict his intention and his heart, then it is a sign of Al-Nifaq (hypocrisy). 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.” [Sahih Muslim 58]
This again emphasizes the importance of fulfilling our obligations and responsibilities, not only to Allah (SWT) but also to others, as Allah has commanded us in Surah Al-Ma’idah:
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓا۟ أَوْفُوا۟ بِٱلْعُقُودِ
O you who believe, fulfill your obligations. [5:1]
May Allah protect us from any sign of hypocrisy and disbelief, may Allah purify our hearts and our tongues, and give us ease in this world and the hereafter.