Being Truthful

 Being truthful means speaking the truth and also saying things that reflect reality.

Being truthful is one of the necessities of a human society, one of the virtues of human behaviour, and brings great benefits, whilst lying is one of the major elements of corruption in human society, and the cause of the destruction of social structure and ties, one of the most evil features of bad conduct, and causes widespread harm. Hence Islam commanded truthfulness and forbade lying.

Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

O you who believe! Be afraid of Allaah, and be with those who are true (in word and deeds). [al-Tawbah 9:119]

Ibn Katheer (may Allaah have mercy on him) said (2/414):

“It means: be truthful and adhere to truthfulness, and you will be among its people and will be saved from calamity, and this will make a way out for you from your problems.

Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

if they had been true to Allaah, it would have been better for them. [Muhammad47:21]

Abd-Allaah ibn Masâood (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah 

be upon him) said:

You must be truthful, for truthfulness leads to righteousness and righteousness leads to Paradise. A man will keep speaking the truth and striving to speak the truth until he will be recorded with Allaah as a siddeeq (speaker of the truth). Beware of telling lies, for lying leads to immorality and immorality leads to Hellfire. A man will keep telling lies and striving to tell lies until he is recorded with Allaah as a liar.â€‌ (Reported by Muslim, 4721)

This hadeeth indicates that truthfulness leads to righteousness (al-birr), an all-embracing concept that includes all kinds of goodness and different kinds of righteous deeds. Immorality is basically an inclination towards deviation from the truth, and the immoral person (faajir) is one who is inclined to turn away from the path of guidance.  Hence immorality and righteousness are diametrically opposed. 

  One of the most important forms of both being truthful and lying is in the area of promises and covenants. Being truthful in promises and covenants is one of the characteristics by which the believers are known. Both promises and covenants involve saying something about an issue to confirm that you will do it, especially with regard to one''s duties towards Allaah.

Allaah says, praising some of His slaves (interpretation of the meanings):

Those who are faithfully true to their amaanaat (all the duties which Allaah has ordained, honesty, moral responsibility and trusts, etc.) and to their covenants.[al-Muminoon 23:8]

and who fulfil their covenant when they make it[al-Baqarah 2:177]

Among the believers are men who have been true to their covenant with Allaah  they have gone out for jihad (holy fighting), and showed not their backs to the disbelievers], of them some have fulfilled their obligations (have been martyred), and some of them are still waiting, but they have never changed [they never proved treacherous to their covenant which they concluded with Allaah] in the least.[al-Ahzaab 33:23]