honesty

honesty is a great trait in islam; it is one of the foundations of the religion.

among the meanings of honesty is devotion in worshipping almighty allah, being honest in belief and never to abandon this trust of being sincere and faithful muslim.

it is also a great obligation carried by man, while the heavens, the earth and the mountains refused to bury it because of its weightiness and greatness. allah says in the qur’an: “surely we presented (literally: set before) the trust (i.e., trust of devotion) to the heavens and the earth and mountains. yet they refused to carry it and felt timorous about it, and man carried it. surely he has been constantly unjust, constantly ignorant.” (al-ahzab: 72)

 

what is honesty?

 

honesty is giving, fulfilling rights and keeping them. the muslim has to give each person his right.

honesty status

 

1- almighty allah praises the believers for their honesty and trustworthiness. he says in the qur’an about them: “and they are the ones who pay heed to their deposits and their covenant.” (al-muminun: 8)

 

2- honesty is a trait in character of the prophet (pbuh), he was called before prophethood as “the truthful, trustworthy man”.

 

3- honesty is a sign of faith and betrayal is a sign of hypocrisy. narrated abu huraira that the prophet (peace be upon him) said: "the signs of a hypocrite are three: whenever he speaks he tells a lie; whenever he is entrusted he proves dishonest; whenever he promises he breaks his promise." (sahih al-bukhari).

 

4- honesty is the best grant from allah to his worshipper. he should not grieve for any difficulty or turmoil if he is characterized with an honest approach. narrated ibn omar (ra) that the messenger of allah (pbuh) said: “if you have four things, don’t worry about anything you missed in this world: truthfulness in speech, preserving one’s trust, good conduct and purity of food.” (musnad of imam ahmed)

 

kinds of honesty:

honesty has several kinds such as:

* honesty in worshipping:

adhering to the commands and obligations set on the muslim is part of his honesty. he should fulfill these duties obligated by almighty allah sincerely aiming for the reward of the creator.

* honesty in self-preservation:

the muslim has to be aware that limbs and organs are trusts that should be kept safe and preserved. they should only be used in obedience not any action that angers almighty allah.

 

* honesty in trusts:

keeping trusts and returning them to the owners when they ask for them is a reflection of honesty. almighty allah says: “surely allah commands you to pay deposits back to their qualified family (i.e. the owners) and, when you judge among mankind, that you judge with justice. how favorable is that to which allah surely admonishes you; surely allah has been ever-hearing, ever-beholding.” (an-nisa: 58)

 

* honesty in work:

doing the work the best way is also one of the branches of honesty. the student, the worker, the parents and each and every person in society are required to perfect their duties by doing them honestly and earnestly.

 

* honesty in uttering words:

another branch of honesty is being committed to speaking good honest words. the muslim should know the value of the word he utters and its importance. it is better to stay silent, than uttering a bad or insulting word.

 

* honesty in keeping secrets:

the muslim should never betray his brother, sell him out, or reveal his secrets.

 

fruits of honesty:

1- almighty allah and the prophet muhammad (pbuh) love the honest people, and people love them for that.

 

2- prevalence of trust and cooperation between the people in society.

 

3- tranquility, relaxation and easiness in dealings and transactions.

 

4- promotion of love and positive emotions among people.

 

how to be honest?

1- by upbringing and educating young children the value and status of honesty in islam and establishing it in their characters since early childhood.

 

2- remembering the responsibility and the day of resurrection when we will face almighty allah to be accounted for our deeds in the present life.

 

3- seeking to have a positive character in the present life and the great reward in the hereafter by the will of allah through embracing good manners, honesty included.

 

4- remembering the evil consequences of betrayal as it is a proof of hypocrisy.

 

5- benefiting from the righteous predecessors and their consideration of keeping trusts and dealing with honesty.

 

let’s revive a great islamic trait, let’s strive to gain the great reward from almighty allah.

peace and blessings of allah be on our beloved prophet muhammad, his family, his companions and all his followers until the day of judgment.

merits of good manners

alhamdulillah and all praises be to allah, the bestower of benevolence, bounty and generosity to his servants. he is the giver of countless blessings to all creatures and creations. he is the generous and the benevolent whose graces are visible and invisible. thanks and praises to him at the beginning and at the end. all thanks be to allah. we give gratitude to him, we seek his help and guidance, and we ask for his forgiveness.

 

praise be to allah the lord of the worlds, we glorify him, seek his help, ask for his forgiveness and return to him in repentance to him. we seek refuge in allah the almighty from our faults and iniquities. he whom allah guides, is rightly guided, but he whom allah sends astray, you will find no guide for him. i bear witness that no god but allah, and i bear witness that muhammad (peace be upon him) is the servant and messenger of allah.

 

we thank almighty allah and all the praises and blessings be on the prophet muhammad (pbuh), the master of the messengers, the imam of the pious and the final prophet. he is the final messenger, the leader of goodness and the messenger of mercy.

 

having good manners is a trait of the prophets, truthful and righteous people. high degrees and ranks are achieved by following good manners. almighty allah devotes a verse in the qur’an about the manners of the prophet (pbuh), it relates all the high morals and best of manners to the prophet (pbuh). allah says in the qur’an: “and verily, you (o muhammad) are on an exalted standard of character.” (al-qalam: 4).

 

having good manners in islam is of a high status and favorable position. there are many texts that praise the good behaviors and encourage following and adhering to them. the prophet (pbuh) said: “the believers with the most perfect faith are those with the most perfect conduct and manners. and the best ones amongst you are those who are best to their families.” (al-tirmidhi) the prophet (pbuh) said: “mankind has not been given anything better than good manners." (sahih al-jami')

 

narrated anas ibn malik (ra) that the prophet (pbuh) said to him: "i command you to be of good manners and remain silent for long periods of time, because by him whose hand is in my soul, the creation cannot beautify themselves with anything better than these."

 

good manners mean smiling at people’s faces, helping them, doing goodness, treating people with kindness, and not to hurt anyone. in short, they are every positive conduct by muslims such as good words, forbearance, anger suppression and forgiveness.

 

now let’s look at the great reward and absolute goodness of people with good manners:

 

* having good manners and character is the heaviest good deed in your balance according to what the prophet (peace be upon him) said: "nothing will be placed in the balance (in the day of resurrection) heavier than good conduct." (al-tirmidhi no. 2003; al-albany no. 5721, classified it as hadith sahih)

 

* having good manners and character makes you the most beloved and closest to the prophet (pbuh) in the day of resurrection. the prophet (pbuh) said: "the most beloved of you to me and the closest of you to me in the hereafter are those of you who have the best manners; the most hated of you to me and farthest from me in the hereafter are those of you who have the worst manners, those who speak and do not even care about what they are saying" (sahih al-jami)

 

* having good manners and character is the way to enter paradise and reach the highest status in paradise. the prophet (pbuh) said: “i am a leader, in a house in the lowest place of paradise, of the people who leave the argument even they were right.  i am a leader, in a house in the middle of paradise, of the people who leave the lies even though  it was a joke. i am a leader, in a house in the highest place of paradise, of the people who have high morals.” (narrated by abo dawood, hadith no 4800, approved by al albany in sahih attargheeb, hadith no 2648)

 

* having good manners and character will enable the muslim to reach by them the rank of the person who always prays at night and fasts during the day. the prophet muhammad (pbuh) said: "the person of good manners will get the same reward as the person who prays during the night and fasts during the day" (sahih al-jami)

 

* in another hadith the prophet (peace be upon him) mentions the reward for one who is a musaddat, the one who is always trying to fill in the gaps between other muslims by being social, friendly, and having good manners. he (pbuh) said: "the muslim who is musaddat reaches the darajat as-sawwam al-qawwam." sawwam is the one who continually fasts and the qawwam is the one who continually stands in prayer. so the muslim who is very social, has good manners, and is fulfilling the rights of his brothers reaches the level of the one who continually fasts and prays just because of his good manners.

 

my dear muslim brothers and sisters! how many good deeds have we missed by our heedlessness of the greatness of good manners? this is an invitation to get the highest rank in the present life and in the hereafter by following the best conduct and praised attitude. we should lead and encourage ourselves to follow good manners and strive for having them. by this, we will be following the best human and greatest role model of humanity, the prophet muhammad (peace be upon him). we should follow his example of how he treated his wives, his children, his neighbors, his companions, the muslims and even disbelievers and infidels.

 

 in this series “our morals following the prophet’s path,” we will talk about a number of the highest morals that islam urges people to follow to get the highest reward and rank.

please stay with us!