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.