ISLAM AND HONESTY

Islam orders the Muslim to be honest to himself and others..A Muslim is ordered by Allah, to be honest in his words and deeds, privately and publicly alike.

Implication of Honesty:

Honesty in words implies telling the truth in all cases and under all conditions. Honesty also implies fulfilling the promise, whether written or given orally, in text and spirit. Honesty also implies giving the right advice to the one who asks for it. Honesty also implies doing one's work as sincerely and as perfectly as possible. Honesty also implies carrying out duties as fully as possible whether the person is supervised or not

Honesty means giving every person his due rights without his asking for these rights. Honesty means doing the right thing in the right way at the right time. Honesty means objectivity in judgment, objectivity in evaluation, and objectivity in decisions of all types. Honesty implies the right selection of personnel and the right promotion of personnel, i.e., selection by merit and promotion by merit, not by temper or personal relations.

Honesty is a blanket term that covers a wide range of traits. It covers telling the truth, sincerity in work, carrying out duties, fulfilling one's word, objective judgments, and objective decisions. Honesty is the opposite of lying, the opposite of bluffing, the opposite of hypocrisy, the opposite of favoritism, and the opposite of deceit.

External and Internal Honesty:

I would like here to classify honesty into external honesty and internal honesty. By external honestly, I mean honesty which is judged by other people. By internal honesty, I mean honesty which is judged by the person himself alone.

External Honesty:

The reward of external honesty comes from God, people, and from the psychological satisfaction the honest person feels. When you are honest, you are liked by God and people whom you deal with. Your honesty gives you the social approval you need and here comes the social value of honesty. Further, when everybody is honest, a great deal of human problems disappear including lying, bluffing, stealing, forgery, and many other social diseases. In other words, honestly is something you give and something you take: others enjoy your honesty and you enjoy their honesty.
In the absence of honesty, many social diseases appear. If a person is dishonest, he is ready to tell lies, to bribe, to be bribed, to distort the truth, to cheat, to forge, to deceive others, and to break his promises. A dishonest person is a totality of diseases. He is ready to misbehave at any time. Each time he misbehaves, he causes a great disturbance or harm to one person or to group of persons or to the whole nation, in some cases.

Internal Honesty:

Thus honesty is a factor in the psychological health of the honest person himself and the health of other persons whom he deals with. However, Islam emphasizes internal honesty, i.e., honesty which is judged by the person himself and cannot be seen by other people.

It often happens that a person acts privately. Sometimes we act with nobody seeing us. A believer in Allah feels that although no person is watching him, Allah is watching. This continuous watch of Allah develops the concept of internal honesty or conscience in the believer. This means that internal honesty becomes an overall strategy of the believer.

The Muslim is to be honest, internally and externally, privately and publicly, whether observed by other people or not, whether he acts or speaks. This overall honesty makes the Muslim confident of himself, of his behavior, and of his words and deeds. Honesty makes the person feel that he trusts others and is trusted by others.

This mutual confidence makes the believer feel self-satisfied and socially secure. Honestly implies unity of behavior, unity of standards, and integrity of personality. Honestly implies being away from internal conflicts, away from social conflicts, and away from self contradiction.

Building Honesty:

The important question, however, is this: how does Islam build honesty in the Muslim? Islam builds ethical qualities in general and honesty in particular in several ways:

1- Instructions. Allah orders the Muslim to be honest in all cases, in all deeds and words, to Himself an others

2- Reason. Allah shows the Muslim rationally that honesty is the best policy, even on utilitarian bases.

3- Reward. Allah promises the honest person generous rewards in the first life and in the second life.

4- Punishment. Allah threatens the dishonest person with severe punishment for his dishonest behavior.

5- Practice. Allah develops the habit of honesty in the Muslim through actual practice, i.e., through fasting and prayer.

Thus Islam builds the habit of honesty in the Muslim through direct instructions, through rational arguments, through the reward and punishment principles, and through practice.

The Practice of Honesty

Taking fasting as an example, when a Muslim fasts, he should abstain from any kind of food or drink from dawn until sunset. This means that a fasting Muslim should not eat or drink for about fifteen continuous hours, including not engaging in sexual intercourse with his wife or her husband.

The important thing here is that a fasting Muslim does not allow a drop of water to go into his mouth from dawn until sunset in spite of his thirst, because he has learned to be honest, i.e., internally honest. The only observer of a fasting person is Allah and the person himself. Here is an actual and real practice of honesty exercised during the whole month of Ramadan, the month of fasting in Islam. So in Ramadan, a Muslim is practically trained to be honest. Of course, one of the components of honesty is refusing to submit to temptations and impulses. In Ramadan, the Muslim is thirsty, but he does not drink; he is hungry, but he does not eat. In Ramadan, the fasting month in Islam, water is but is spatially near but psychologically far from the Muslim; water is near to the Muslim but far from his desire. This is a practical exercise of self-control and internal honesty.
Therefore, Islam instructs the Muslim to be honest and trains him to be so. The outcome is healthy self and a healthy social atmosphere that leads to the happiness of both the individual and the group.

- Muhammmad Ali alkhuli

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ISLAM PROHIBITS BACKBITING AND SLANDERING

Major sins are indeed the cause for all misery, evil and torment in this world and the hereafter.

And the worst of all sins are those that are greatest in harm and danger to humanity. Among the destructive major sins are backbiting and slandering. These two sins are forbidden by Allah because they sow enmity, evils and discord among people and lead to destruction. They cause hostilities between people of the same household and between neighbors and relatives. They can decrease in good deeds and increase in evil ones and lead to dishonor and ignominy.

Backbiting and slandering are shame and disgrace. Their perpetrator is detested and he shall not have a noble death. Allah forbids these acts, as He says in the Qur'an:

"Backbiting and Gossiping are from the most vilest and despicable of things, yet the most widely spread amongst mankind, such that no one is free from it except for a few people."

Backbiting means mentioning something about a person (in his absence), that he hates (to have mentioned), whether it is about: His body, his religious characteristics, his worldly affairs, his self, his physical appearance, his character, his wealth, his child, his father, his wife, his manner of walking, his smile, it is the same whether you mention that about him with words, through writings, or whether you point or indicate him by gesturing with your eyes, hand or head.

As for the body, is when you make fun of how someone looks, or mentioning any bad quality in him, as saying: "he is blind", "he limps", "he is bleary-eyed", "he is bald", "he is short", "he is tall", "he is black", "he is yellow", "he's too thin", "he's too fat". As for his religious qualities, it is when you say: "he is a sinner", "he is a thief", "he is a betrayer", "he is an oppressor", "he doesn't pray", "he prays so fast", "he does not behave well towards his parents", "he does not pay the zakat duly"." As for the worldly matters, then it is when you say: "he has poor manners", "he does not think that anyone has a right over him", "he talks too much" …etc

Allah says in the Qur'an:

"O you who believe! Avoid much suspicion, in deeds some suspicions are sins. And spy not neither backbite one another. Would one of you like to eat the flesh of his dead brother? You would hate it (so hate backbiting). And fear Allah, verily, Allah is The One Who accepts repentance, Most Merciful" (Qur'an 49: 12)

In this verse, Allah strongly forbids backbiting, and he compares the backbiter to one who eats the flesh of his dead brother. If he would hate eating the flesh of his brother, he should also hate to eat his flesh while he is alive by backbiting and slandering him.

When one reflects deeply over this assimilation it will be enough to keep one away from backbiting.

Backbiting is so widespread among people that it has become an issue of people’s meetings and an avenue for expressing their anger, misgivings and jealousy. Those who indulge in backbiting are hiding their own imperfections and harming others. They are oblivious of the fact that they are only harming themselves.

This is because the backbiter if the wrongdoer and his victim is the wronged, on the Day of Resurrection both the wrongdoer and the wronged will stand before Allah Who is the Just Judge and the wronged will appeal to Allah to avenge the wrong done to him, Allah will then give this wronged person from the good deeds of the person who wronged him in accordance with his wrong by backbiting his brother on a Day that no father will give his son any of his good deeds nor a friend to his friend. All will be saying, ‘Myself, myself.’

Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) also said:
"Who protects his tongue from unlawful utterances and his private parts from illegal sexual intercourse; I shall guarantee him entrance into Paradise."


So, Muslims, you should beware of slipping of your tongues and do not give it free hand to wreak havoc on you. For a too free tongue destroys its owner and causes him calamities and evils.

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This Life is not our Real Life

Many people think that they can make a perfect life for themselves in this world. They think that if they can acquire enough material possessions, they will experience total personal satisfaction and happiness. According to the most widespread opinion, a person's life will be perfect after he or she has attained material wealth, gotten married with this intention in mind, and is respected by society because of his or her influential and well-established career.

The Qur'an does not support this view, for it states that this present life will never be perfect and without problems, as it is designed like that.

The root of dunya (world) has a very important meaning in this sense: It is a derivative of the adjective "daniy": low, unrefined, basic and worthless. "World" means a space characterized by these traits. So, the Qur'an often emphasizes this worldly life's worthlessness and unimportance. It refers to such things as wealth, family, status, and success, which are thought to make for a good life, as nothing more than transitory and deceptive. In one verse, Allah says:

Know that the life of the world is merely a game and a diversion and ostentation, and a cause of boasting among yourselves and trying to outdo one another in wealth and children, like the plant-growth after rain, which delights the cultivators. But then it withers, you see it turning yellow, and then it becomes broken stubble. In the hereafter there is terrible punishment, but also forgiveness from Allah and His good pleasure. The life of the world is nothing but the enjoyment of delusion. (Surat al-Hadid, 20)

Another verse explains how people are blinded by illusion because of this earthly life:

Yet still you prefer the life of the world, when the hereafter is better and longer lasting. (Surat al-A'la, 16-17)

As this verse says, such people regard the life of this world as superior to the afterlife. Such a mistaken view causes them to turn away from faith in Allah and His Book. The Qur'an describes such people as "those who do not expect to meet Us and are content with the life of the world and at rest in it, and those who are heedless of Our Signs" (Surah Yunus, 7) and reveals that they will find themselves in Hell's eternal agony. Surely, this imperfection does not mean that this world contains no beautiful things. On the contrary, Allah filled the world with beautiful things to remind us of Paradise. But mixed in with these beautiful things are the imperfection and ugliness of Hell.

The qualities of Paradise and Hell are mixed together here, for this world is really a place of testing. Thus believers can get an idea of those two places and, instead of getting caught up in this world's short and transitory life, can direct themselves toward the real, perfect, and endless life of the hereafter. As a result, the Qur'an describes the afterlife as each person's true and eternal land.

But despite this truth, many people think they can make a perfect life in this world. They view this life's imperfections and deficiencies (e.g., getting sick, becoming tired, and suffering from pain and worry) as something totally natural. However, Allah has created all these imperfections with many hidden meanings, and people have to think seriously about these meanings and learn the appropriate lessons.

It could have been possible would never get sick or feel so tired that they would need to rest or sleep. They could have had so much stamina and energy that they would not feel fatigued. If Allah had willed, He could have created us without such flaws and deficiencies. But He created us with them so that we might understand that we are helpless and weak.

Each individual must come face to face with his or her helplessness and weakness at every moment of life. His body, upon which he lays so much value, constantly reminds him of his situation. When he wakes up every morning and starts his day, his face is swollen and distorted, his mouth has a bad taste, and there is an uncomfortable dirty feeling on his skin, hair, and body. If he does not clean himself carefully, he cannot leave this unpleasant state. This cleaning must be repeated several times during the day, because after a few hours have passed, the dirt returns. After not washing for a few days, his need to wash himself becomes all the more obvious, coming to a point where he makes those around him very uncomfortable.

The human body is not as strong or resilient as a stone or a piece of metal; rather, it is made of an extremely perishable material: flesh. The body is covered with a thin skin that could be torn at any moment by the slightest accident. Structurally speaking, flesh is very vulnerable. It can be wounded, bruised, and twisted by the slightest blow, and, with age, begins to lose its former youthfulness and becomes rough and wrinkled. After death, it starts to rot. A few weeks after burial, the body begins to disintegrate and be eaten by worms and bacteria, until finally it mixes with the soil and disappears.

As stated earlier, this shows us our frailty and reminds us that the imperfections in the world are specially created. Instead of flesh, human beings could have been created from much stronger and purer materials or could have been totally free of pain, illness, and vileness. However, all of these things were created to remind human beings of how poor and needy they are in relation to Allah, and to show them just how imperfect and deficient a place this world really is.

When we look at these imperfections, we can see our own frailty and understand the transitory nature of all people's earthly strength and values. Meanwhile, we also can understand that the people who we adore, try to please, or earn their respect and praise are as weak and imperfect as anybody else.

But as most people cannot understand this or see this world's great imperfection and flaws, they find satisfaction in this earthly life. Actually, this is the result of an extreme ignorance and lack of intelligence.

The morality of such people is described in the Qur'an as follows:

So turn away from him who turns away from Our remembrance and desires nothing but the life of the world. That is as far as their knowledge extends... (Surat an-Najm, 29-30)

Those who are unaware of this truth and bound by a passion for the life of this world are people without "knowledge," as the verse says.

But what is this "knowledge" that we must have in this matter? In truth, it is nothing less than the knowledge of Paradise, which Allah has promised to us. The most important steps toward this are to be well-versed in the Qur'an and to think seriously about what it says.

In the Qur'an, Allah described the believers' real homeland in these words:

The life of the world is nothing but a game and a diversion. The abode of the hereafter - that is truly Life, if they only knew. (Surah al-'Ankabut, 64)

One hadith records our Prophet (saas) as saying that Paradise is humanity's real abode, a place in which there will be no human imperfection:

A proclaimer will proclaim: "For you there is everlasting health, and you will never be sick. For you there is everlasting life, and you will never die. For you there is perpetual youth, and you will never get old. And for you there is everlasting bliss, and you will never be in want. (Muslim)


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PARADISE

What do you want most out of life? A nice house, expensive clothes, money, wealth, opulence? What if you were told about a place where you could get everything you wanted and keep it forever? What would you say? Of course you would be very excited and want to see this perfect place right away. Surely no one would ever object to living in such a wonderful place.

Now just think. Has anyone ever talked to you about a place filled with a countless array of blessings, where beauty is spread out at your feet? Surely someone must have done so, telling you and all other people about the existence of a life - the life of Paradise - where everything that you want will be prepared for you. Everyone knows that after death there is an endless Paradise. Everyone judged worthy to enter it will find everything they desire there; they will receive their rewards and blessings, and live in a perfect place surrounded by beauty forever. To those faithful servants who pass the test of this earthly life, Allah has promised an unprecedented land. The limited time one spends in this world, on the other hand, is an opportunity to attain these beauties.

So what keeps people from being overcome with joy at the good news of Paradise? What stops them from longing for it, from expending every effort to attain it? Why do people, knowing that they will receive these blessings as a divine reward, not prepare for Paradise? Surely the most important reason is that some people do not have an assured faith that it exists; others are not convinced. There may be other reasons why people do not believe in or have doubts about it. But the basic thing that we must consider is that this doubt sometimes arises from a lack of knowledge.

The only remedy for this lack of knowledge is the Qur'an.

In the Qur'an, Allah describes a wonderful life of perfect and endless beauty in Paradise. Someone who does not know this beauty's extent or how the Qur'an describes it may have difficulty envisioning Paradise and the kind of life there.

This book tells people about Paradise, which Allah offers to them, describes its great blessings, and proclaims its beauties to everyone. It informs people that Paradise is one of two ways of life prepared for them in the afterworld, and that every good thing will be theirs in Paradise to a degree that surpasses our present ability to imagine. It also shows that Paradise, is a place where all blessings have been created perfectly and where people will be offered everything their souls and hearts will desire; that people will be far removed from want and need, anxiety or sadness, sorrow and regret. Every kind of beauty and blessing exists in Paradise and will be revealed with a perfection never seen or known before. Allah has prepared such blessings there as a gift, and these will be offered only to people with whom He is pleased.

This book describes everything about Paradise in the light of the Qur'an's verses. So, as you read this information and try to envision that blessed place, remember that the Qur'an is the truth. Based on this information, consider the perfection of the real land that is waiting for you, and make every effort to be worthy of it. Be aware that Allah will give you all of these things by His grace, and that they can be yours forever. Given all of this, if you still cannot decide in favor of eternal beauty, remember that the only choice left is Hell, a place full of anguish from where you will observe the comfort of those in Paradise and experience eternal anxiety, sadness, misery, and sorrow

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