"And remind, for indeed, the reminder benefits the believers."
(Al-Quran 51:55)

Friday 13 December 2013

Prophet Muhammad (saw) - The Truthful One

Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu!

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

Of all men who have ever walked the earth, none has - nor will any ever be - as truthful as the Prophet (saw). How could anyone come close to him, when he never spoke a single lie in his entire life, not even one that was meant as a joke?

And while he held himself to a high standard of truthfulness, he ordered his followers to do the same. He said: "Verily, truthfulness leads to righteousness and piety, and this piety leads to Paradise. And, a man continues to be truthful and to search out for the truth until, with Allah, he is written as a truthful person".

The Prophet (saw) informed Muslims that, while a believer might be miserly or cowardly on occasion, he will never lie; furthermore, he forbade Muslims from lying even if they do so only as a joke, in order to make others laugh.

Enough of a testament to his truthfulness is the fact that Allah entrusted him with the job of conveying His message to both mankind and jinns. The Prophet (saw) then carried out that job with complete truthfulness and trustworthiness, accurately conveying the entire message he was entrusted with, without adding or removing even a single letter of that message.

The Prophet (saw) was truthful on all occasions and in all situations - in times of war and times of peace; when he was happy and when he was angry; when he was serious and when he was joking; when he was engaged in normal conversations and when he issued legal rulings. 

And he was truthful with all people - with close acquaintances and strangers, with men and women, with friends and enemies. When buying and selling, when signing contracts or treaties, when delivering sermons or writing letters, when issuing legal rulings or telling stories - in these and all other situations, the Prophet (saw) was completely truthful. In fact, he couldn't lie, for Allah not only forbade him from lying, but also protected him from it.

The Prophet (saw) was truthful not only in speech, but also with his gestures and signals. For instance, in certain situations, he considered the act of winking to be a lie, because it gave key information to some people, while leaving others in the dark.

Allah said:
O you who believe! Be afraid of Allah, and be with those who are true (in words and deeds).
(Surah Tawbah - Verse 119)

And, in another verse, He said:
.. Then if they had been true to Allah, it would have been better for them.
(Surah Muhammad - Verse 21)

The Prophet (saw) was truthful with Allah, truthful with himself, truthful with his family, truthful with his friends, truthful with people in general, and even truthful with his enemies. 

Had the truth been an actual man, that man would have been Muhammad (saw). He was known as, The Truthful, Trustworthy One prior to the advent of Islam; imagine, then, how he became once he began to receive revelation from his Lord, once he became a Prophet, once he became blessed with guidance and uprightness. 

Wasalaam!

No comments:

Post a Comment