Honesty is the Power of Muslim
Islam commands the Muslims to be honest to himself and to others. This order recurrently comes in the Noble Qur’an and the hadith of Prophet Muhammad (SallAllahu Alayhi Wa Sallam). Islam orders the Muslim to tell the truth even if it is against the ones own interest. Islam orders him not to cheat or betray other people. A Muslim is ordered by Allah to be truthful in his words and deeds, privately and publicly alike.
Honesty in words implies telling the truth in all situations and under all circumstances. Honesty also implies fulfilling the promises, whether written or given verbally, in text and spirit. Honesty also implies giving an honest opinion and the right advice to the one who asks for it.
Honesty also implies doing one’s work as sincerely and as flawlessly as possible. Honesty also implies carrying out the duties as fully and completely as possible whether the person under supervision or not. Honesty means giving every person his due and deserved rights without his asking for these rights.
Honesty will be doing the right thing in the right way at the right time.
Honesty means objectivity in judgment, objectivity in assessment, and objectivity in decisions of all types. Honesty implies the right selection of people and the right promotion of personnel, i.e., selection by merit and promotion by merit, not by temper or favoritism or personal relationships.
a person made a recommendation for anyone in a just manner and gratified party gave him something as a gift (in return for it) and he accepted it, then he committed a grave error (meaning that it, too, is a form of bribery).”
It is of the mannerism of the high path of Islam to be honest when one speaks.The Prophet (SallAllahu Alayhi Wa Sallam) said:
“Honesty certainly leads to goodness, and goodness leads to paradise. Truly, a man keeps speaking the truth until he is inscribed as being true through and through. And lying leads to going wrong, and going wrong leads to hell. Truly, a man lies and lies until he is inscribed as being a liar through and through.”
[Muslim, 4.2012–13: 2607. S].
It is prohibited to lie, except when making up between two people, or lying to an opponent in war, or to one’s wife. It is also unlawful to praise or blame another with a falsehood. The Prophet (SallAllahu Alayhi Wa Sallam) said:
“Lying is wrong, except in three things: the lie of a man to his wife to make her content with him; a lie in war, for war is deception; or a lie to settle trouble between people.”
[Ahmad, 6.459. H].
Ibn Jawzi (ra) has said:
“The criterion for it is that every praiseworthy objective in Sacred Law that cannot be brought about without lying is permissible to lie for if the objective is permissible, and obligatory to lie for if the objective is obligatory.
“When lying is the single way to get one’s right, one may lie about oneself or another, if it does not harm the other. And it is mandatory to lie to if necessary to protect a Muslim from being murdered. But whenever one can achieve the objective by words that merely give a misleading impression with actually being untrue, it is unlawful to tell an absolute lie, because it is needless.