living islam _ Islamic tradition

Hadith Seven

The Prophet's ﷺ Recommendation
Of Truthfulness And His Description
Of Its Excellent Effects; His
Warning Against Lying and His
Description Of Its Evil Effects

It is narrated from Ibn Masʿud (ra) that he said:
"Allah's Messenger ﷺ said: ʿYou must be
truthful! Verily, truth leads to righteousness, and
righteousness leads to Paradise. One is ever truthful
and pursues truthfulness until he is recorded, in
Allah's presence, as most-truthful-and-trustful
(siddīq). Beware of lying! Verily, lying leads to
depravity, and depravity leads to Hellfire. One
constantly lie and pursues falsehood until he is
recorded, in Allah's presence, as a liar.'"

The above is narrated by al-Bukhari, Muslim, Abu
Dawud, and al-Tirmidhi, who declared it sahīh - the
above is the latter's wording - as mentioned in
al-Targhib and elsewhere.

The Prophet ﷺ here recommends truthfulness.
That is truthfulness of speech in harmony with the
practical aspect of the Law; truthfulness of deeds
with sincerity of intention for the sake of Allah
Almighty; and truthfulness in states which are
acquired through close attention (murāqaba) to Allah.

Then he showed that the realization of truthfulness
brings one to rightousness (birr), which lexically
signifies "vast and abundant goodness."What is meant
here is vast and abundant goodness of faith, and the
realization of the many, magnificent branches of
faith.

Allah said: “It is not righteousness that you
turn your faces to the East and the West; but
righteous is he who believes in Allah and the Last Day
and the angels and the Scripture and the Prophets; and
gives his wealth, for love of Him, to kinsfolk and to
orphans and the needy and the wayfarer and to those
who ask, and to set slaves free; and observes proper
worship and pays the poor due. And those who keep
their treaty when they make one, and the patient in
tribulation and adversity and time of stress. Such are
they who are sincere. Such are the God
fearing.” (2:177)

Reflect on Allah Almighty's saying: “Such are
they who are sincere” after He enumerated the
branches of righteousness. Compare this with the
Prophetic hadith in this chapter, and you will
understand what is meant.

The Prophet ﷺ also showed that whoever
realizes righteousness in faith, such realization will
make him reach Paradise.

Then the Prophet ﷺ warned against lying in
word, deeds, and states. He showed that lying
eventually leads to depravity (fujūr), which, at the
root, signifies "something passing its limit."What is
meant here is that lying leads the liar to trespass
the lawful bounds imposed on him by Allah Who decreed
that he should stop at those limits. The Prophet
ﷺ showed that such depravity leads one to
Hellfire without fail. Thus speech, deeds, states, and
stations are all interrelated. Each leads to the other
and produces effects in goodness or evil.