لطفا منتظر باشید ...
Lesson: 34 Honesty
Honesty
is one of the prominent qualities of man and acquiring it is the virtue, which
attracted common confidence and made deviated people and non-Muslims fall upon
the shining lamp of Islam. It created a peaceful society and made people proceed
on the path to progress. This aim cannot be attained but through action as commanded
by Islam: Imam (a.s.) says: Call people through your deeds not by mere oral
invitation.
Some verses
Regarding Honesty: Surely Allah commands you to make over trusts to their
owners.
O you who
believe! Be not unfaithful to Allah and the Apostle, nor be unfaithful to your
trusts while you know.
It is understood
from this verse that: Man, in addition to being dishonest to himself and to
others, sometimes also does so with regard to God and His Apostle. This last
kind of the dirty deed related to dishonesty toward God and His Prophet has
been the target of severest condemnation. Here it is better to look at the circumstances
leading to the revelation of this verse:
Imam Sadiq
(a.s.) says: When the Apostle of Allah ordered the siege of the Jews belonging
to Banu Quraysh, the order was carried and the group was under siege for twenty
one nights. Finally they demanded that the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) may send
Abu Lubabah to them. The Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) conceded that request and sent
Abu Lubabah to them. Banu Quraysh, on the issue whether or not it was advisable
to accept the mediation of Saad bin Maaz consulted Abu Lubabah. Abu Lubabah
pointed to his throat that meant that if they accepted it they might be killed.
Jibraeel (a.s.)
informed the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) of this. Abu Lubabah says, he had not taken
a few steps when he realised his dishonest and so he made the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.)
aware of the same.
Abu Lubabah
became very much ashamed and repentant and so he fastened himself with rope
to one of the pillars of the mosque of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) and said:
By God! I will
never take any food nor drink any water till death unless Allah accepts my repentance
and I desist from this misdeed. For seven days and nights he remained hungry
and thirsty, then fell unconscious on the ground At last Allah accepted his
repentance and the news reached himself from the pillar unless the Holy Prophet
(s.a.w.s.) himself unfastens the rope and finally the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.)
did so
After this
event Abu Lubabah declare that, in order to complete his repentance, he would
give up the house wherein he had committed the sin. But the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.)
prevented him from doing so and said: Give one third of your wealth in the path
of Allah. That is enough.
And those
who are keepers of their trusts and their covenant
As you have
seen, honesty and keeping of trust is one of the Divine orders and is considered
as one of the virtues of the faithful.
Some Traditions
Relating to Trust
The Holy Prophet
(s.a.w.s.) said: One who is not honest trustworthy has no religion faith.
Similarly The
Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) said: One who is dishonest in this world and does not
return the trust to its owner and dies in this state has left the world being
out of my ummah nation and is not considered as my follower and he will meet
Allah making HIM angry and furious, that is, he will meet with Divine chastisement.
Amirul Mo-mineen
(a.s.) said: Keep distance from a dishonest person as, doubtlessly, dishonesty
is one of the worst sins and a dishonest person will always remain in the fire
of hell.
The Holy Prophet
(s.a.w.s.) has said: For recognising people, do not see only how much prayers
do they perform or how much do they fast or how many times he has made hajj
pilgrimage and how much donations he has made. Nor pay attention to his name
and fame regarding his night worship. But keep in mind his truthfulness and
honesty.
Imam Sadiq
(a.s.) said: The weight of man's goodness is not in his bowings and prostrations
during his lengthy worship because, these acts have become his habit in such
a way that it they leave them they become restless, but the balance and measure
is their truthfulness and honesty or trustworthiness.
Yes, so many
are the people whose prayers and worships are no more than habitual routine
and they think that through such spiritless rituals performed without realising
the reality behind Divine commandments they will enter paradise. Those who imagine
like this should know that such worship acting according to it is like soul
in a body. If the soul is dead within a body, it is more than a corpse.
We read in
the Holy Quran: Surely We offered the trust to the heavens and the earth
and the mountains, but they refused to be unfaithful to it and feared from it,
and man has turned unfaithful to it; surely he is unjust, ignorant.
Many traditions
are found explaining the above verse which provide full evidence about the importance
of trustworthiness as explained by the sinless Imams (a.s.).
In public talks
when honesty is discussed mostly they imagine that it is related to merely wealth
but it should be borne in mind that honesty, in the philosophy of the Holy Quran,
has a very vast field which encircles all the social as well as moral aspects.
For example, one of the trusts is the same Imamat and guidance which, in reality,
is one of the most principled and the most life giving causes leading to wisdom
and progress relating both to matter and spirit.
Imam and guidance
is the principle, for bringing which up, Muslims, especially the Shias have
sacrificed much blood.
With regard
to the Quranic verse said: dishonesty toward Allah and His apostle is to disobey
their orders and in amaanat dishonesty in trust is dishonesty regarding what
has been obligatory by God.
And it is also
there in a Hadith that: Talks is a special gathering is a trust.
It is also
mentioned in yet another Hadith that: I, while saying something, a man looks
around him so that others may not hear him his talk is also considered a trust.
On this basis,
the Islamic state and its laws and all the sources of the Islamic sate and summarily,
all the bounties of Almighty Allah like: mother, children are trusts from God.
Though some of the Divine ordinances are described as His law and some of the
trusts of the Prophet as his Sunnah and the trusts of the faithful are called
their secrets At the end of this discussion let us pray to Allah so that He
may make us Truthful and Trustworthy.
