"When honesty is lost, then wait for the Hour (Doomsday)' Sahih Bukhari.

Posted by islamic web  |  at  9:20 PM

"When honesty is lost, then wait for the Hour (Doomsday)' Sahih Bukhari.

Narrated Abu Huraira:

While the Prophet was saying something in a gathering, a Bedouin came and asked him, "When would the Hour (Doomsday) take place?" Allah's Apostle continued his talk, so some people said that Allah's Apostle had heard the question, but did not like what that Bedouin had asked. Some of them said that Allah’s Apostle had not heard it. When the Prophet finished his speech, he said, "Where is the questioner, who enquired about the Hour (Doomsday)?" The Bedouin said, "I am here, O Allah's Apostle." Then the Prophet said, "When honesty is lost, then wait for the Hour (Doomsday)." The Bedouin said, "How will that be lost?" The Prophet said, "When the power or authority comes in the hands of unfit persons, then wait for the Hour (Doomsday.)"

Honesty and Social Growth

Honesty really is the best policy and quite rightly so. It is one of the most important and valuable of all moral values, but unfortunately has now been placed on the backburner of our character priorities.

The absence of truthfulness is widespread and afflicts people near and far, young and old, men and women, and employees and employers; whether we admit or not, the lack of it does us great harm. One of the Prophet's miracles is that he foretold the loss of honesty at the end of time. He, [sallalalhu aalyhe wa salaam (SAWS)] says, "Then people sell things to each other, and hardly anyone acts in honesty, so much that people say to each other, 'In the clan of such and-such, there is an honest man.'" (Bukhari)

And looking within our society today that prophecy is evident, as honest merchants are few and far between. Honesty plays such an important role in the lives of individuals and society and because of that Islam associates it with belief, considering it one of the greatest attributes of faith. Anas said, "We heard Allah's Prophet, (SAWS) say, 'A man who does not keep his vow has no faith." (Ahmed).

Islam's concept of honesty is wide and comprehensive. It covers the personal, family, social, economic, and political aspects of life.

As well as other aspects that are related to the obligations Allah puts forth in the following example in the Qur'an,

"Indeed, We offered the Trust to the heavens and the earth and the mountains, and they declined to bear it and feared it; but man (undertook to) bear it. Indeed, he was unjust and ignorant." (33: 72).

Interpreters of the Qur'an state that "trust" in this context include all of the obligations under Islamic Law and also all of the divine instructions to people.

One of the most significant forms of honesty today is verbal honesty, which means being absolutely truthful and sincere when uttering a word or a statement. Allah's Messenger, (SAWS) once told Mu'az Ibn Jabal, "Hold this!" pointing to his tongue. Mu'aath asked, "Are we responsible for what we say?" The Prophet, (SAWS) said, "Are people not turned around in Hellfire, with their nostrils (or their faces) to the ground, only as a consequence of (what they say with) their tongues?" (Ahmed and Tirmidhi).

One aspect of truthfulness in speech is the avoidance of exaggerated flattery, which is not the same as legitimate humoring. Ibnul-Qayyim distinguishes between the two by saying, "Humoring is being gentle with a person to get the truth out of him, or to make him renounce falsehood. Flattery, meanwhile, is being gentle with a person and approving falsehood of his or letting him have his way. Thus gentleness is an attribute of believers, and flattery is an attribute of hypocrites."

The Companion of the Prophet, Abdullah Ibn Masoud, was quoted as saying; "A man may go out of his house, taking his faith along with him. He meets a man with whom he has some business and he starts saying, 'You are this' and You are that', praising and commending him with false statements, and he might get nothing from that man in return. He goes back home, having incurred Allah's wrath and with nothing of his faith left with him."

So the case in point, flattery will get you nowhere in the context of our Deen (religion).

On the other hand, one of the most outstanding forms of honesty in the contemporary world for a Muslim is to perform work with which he/she is entrusted with complete honesty and integrity. In doing so, he is being dutiful to his Lord, who knows the smallest details of his life and who also distinguishes between a corrupt person and an upright one. This type of person is concerned with and preparing for the time when he will be answering and accounting for this life in the Hereafter, rather than his immediate desires of the moment.

However, and unfortunately so, that character type is not typical in the Muslim world, or any other for that matter. Administrative corruption in many offices in the Islamic world is nothing but betrayal of trust, and procrastination in performing one's tasks and meeting one's responsibilities.

It is reported that Allah's Messenger, (SAWS) appointed a collector of charity. When that man finished his job, he said, "Allah's Messenger, this is for you, and this was given to me as gift." The Prophet, (SAWS) said, "Why do you not stay in the house of your father and mother and see if you get any gifts?" In the evening after salah (prayer), the Prophet, (SAWS) said, "By Him Who has Muhammad's soul in His hand, anyone of you who garners anything of it will come of the Day of Resurrection carrying it around his neck. If it is a camel, he will have it with him, with the camel bawling; if a cow, it will be mooing; if a sheep, it will be wailing. Oh Allah, I have delivered the message." (Bukhari and Muslim).

A very noteworthy and admirable form of honesty is the placement of every person in the right place according to their individual ability, and giving qualified, experienced, and honest people positions suitable for them, where they can excel and be creative. It is a grave social injustice to place dishonest persons in decision-making position when there are others who are honest, proficient and capable of meeting the requirements of the job.

The worst societies are those in which tasks are entrusted to people who do not have the skills and the talent needed to perform them, and have no inclination to them. A Bedouin once asked Allah's Messenger, (SAWS) "When will the Hour (of Resurrection) come?" The Prophet, (SAWS) said, "If honesty is lost, expect the Hour!" The Bedouin asked, "How is it lost?" The Prophet, (SAWS) said, "When things are entrusted to people unfit to them, expect the Hour! (Bukhari).

In contrast, the best society, with the highest productivity in both quantities, is that which assigns individuals to tasks, services, and activities in accordance with their abilities, inclinations, choices, talents, experience, and qualifications.

In addition to the grave damages suffered by society and public interests when a non-qualified person is appointed to a position, such an appointment is a betrayal of Allah, His Messenger, and the faithful. The Prophet (SAWS) said, "A person betrays Allah, His Messenger, and the Faithful when he appoints a person as a governor of some people when they have those who would please Allah better," i.e., they are better and more qualified than him."

Thus, the place of honesty in Islam is well demonstrated. Proving that in all aspects, its influence in the progress of society is essential to our well-being and that of our daily lives. Without it, our world would be anarchy and chaos; words would be meaningless, promises deceit rampant and only the worst of people would prosper.

But with our faith to lean on, we can feel comfort in knowing that in the world there are still many who value honesty and integrity, swearing to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth; so help them and all of us, Allah.