Islam is Religion of Nature Islam has called itself a ‘Natural Religion’ which is free from all these impurities : “ So (O Prophet) set your face steadily and truly to the faith. (Establish) Allah's nature on which He has framed mankind. There is no change in what Allah has created; that is the standard religion; but most among mankind do not understand.” -(Rum: 30) The function of the eye is to see until there is some disturbance in it. The ear hears the sound till it becomes deaf. The function of the nature is to follow the right path, and to rush towards it with such alacrity as the water rushes down from a height, unless it is overcome by corruption and wickedness, which may take its reins in hands and turn it away from the path of righteousness and blessings. The disturbing things, which corrupt nature are sometimes the result of the past centuries or sometimes they are the creation of the lowly environment and ha bits and customs, or both these things together are responsible for the disturbances. These things are a great danger for the nature of man. They cause a variety of diseases in it. The real jihad of a reformer is to fight these inhibitions and customs and to weaken their strength. He tries to relieve Nature of these dangers in order that its original purity may be regained and it may be able to fulfil its real responsibility. Islam has given a full clarification of this method. After explaining the natural religion in the above quoted verses, the holy Quran says immediately thereafter : “Turn back in repentance to Him, and fear Him; Establish regular prayers, and be not you among those who join gods with Allah, those who split up and become sects, each party rejoicing in that which is with itself:” -(Rum: 31-32) To encourage faith in place of disbelief, righteousness in place of wickedness, to adopt the policy of fearing God, in place of disturbed thoughts in respect of Allah the righteous people's unity of thought and action-these are the manifestations that show that man has remained on the righteous nature. This has been clarified in the following verse of the Quran : “We indeed created man in the best of moulds, then we have abased him to be the lowest of the low, except such as believe and do righteous deeds.” -(At-Teen: 4-6) What is the best mould or form of man? The understanding of Truth and adopting it, fulfilment of its requirements and meeting of its demands. This is called the attachment to virtuousness and decency, and consideration of these two good qualities in man's individual and collective life is the real achievement. And attempts to make them operative in all the departments of life is the real mould and form. But there is a very large number of people who do not reach this high level. They remain attached to the earth only. They follow their own desires, and express disobedience of God's commands. In this way they fall to the lowest level Quran has called this “ Asfala safileen” (lowest of the low), to which Allah has thrown such people. To throw the men of such nature to the lowest level is according to the divine law regarding guidance and transgression. And these laws are true and based on justice. The holy Quran mentions them as under: “And Allah will not mislead a people after He has guided them, in order that He may make clear to them what to fear (and avoid)-for Allah has knowledge of all things.” (Tauba: 115). In Surah A'raf this law of guidance and transgression has been mentioned thus: “Those who behave arrogantly on the earth in defiance of right-them I will turn away from My signs; even if they see all the signs, they will not believe in them; And if they see the way of right conduct, they will not adopt it as the way of error is the way they will adopt; for they rejected Our signs, and failed to take warning from them.” (A'raf: 146) Who is it then that remains on the 'best mould' and keeps himself away from the indignities of the world? In the verses of the Surah At-Teen occurring immediately after those quoted above the answer is given: “Except such as believe and do the righteous deeds.” (At-Teen) In the foregoing pages we have seen that the outcome of Faith and the Righteous Deeds is the excellence of moral character. There is a Counter to the Wicked Nature Islam's stand ,vis-a-vis man's pure nature and its strength and firmness has been discussed. As regards its dealings with the devil-like natures, that has also been made clear. Islam warns mischievous-natured people. It entrusts its reins in the hands of the healthy intellect; it encourages it to bow down to the pure nature and to surrender itself to Allah. The prophet has hinted at some of these kinds of natures : “The son of Adam reaches the old age and two of his habits do not leave him. One is greed and the second is the unending succession of hopes.” -(Muslim) “The worst evil found in man is the frightening cowardice and the un-dignifying miserliness.” -( Abu Daud ) “If the son of Adam is given a valley of gold, he will desire to have another one. And if the other is also given, he will be greedy to have the third one. The hunger of Adam's son will not be satisfied except when his remains are mixed with the dust. And the one who turns to Allah, Allah accepts his repentance.” ( Bukhari ) The holy Quran has mentioned some of the habits in the Surah Ale Imran : “Fair in the eyes of men is the love of things they covet, women and sons; heaped up hoards of gold and silver; horses branded (for blood and excellence) ; and (wealth of) cattle and well-tilled land. Such are the possessions of this world's life; but in the nearness to Allah is the best of the goals ( to return to ).” -(AIe-Imran: 14) The first thing Islam wants man to pay attention to is this that to run after the carnal desires of the self and to follow its unending demands will never satisfy self and make it contented. Truth and right path will not be acceptable to it. The condition of the self is that when its one desire is satisfied, it immediately demands to have some other desire satisfied. It is always busy in eating, drinking, and having a good time, and greedy with desire to have more and more of everything. It has no hesitation in committing sin and acts of aggression and cruelty. Therefore, Quran has forbidden men to follow the desires that have been considered haram : “Nor follow you the lusts (of your heart), for they will mislead you from the path of Allah; for those who wander astray from the path of Allah, is a penalty grievous, for that they forget the Day of Account.” -( Saad: 26) The policy of the infidels and the necessity of opposing it and its importance have been mentioned in these words: “If the Truth had been in accord with their desires, truly the heavens and the earth and all beings therein would have been in confusion and corruption ! Nay, We have sent them their admonition, but they turn away from their admonition.” (Muminun.. 71) It is necessary that a distinction be made between the forbidden desires of the self and the lawful desires, because some so-called religious people have mixed up these two very dangerously. If man wants to enjoy the goods of the world, then there is nothing wrong in it, but it is a very serious error that this kind of lawful demands and desires has also been included in the list of forbidden, wicked acts. Its consequence is this that man satisfies his lawful and respectable desires, but his conscience becomes like the conscience of those people who accept crimes as lawful and adopt them willingly. In this way their conscience becomes a victim of a great error. When he realises that he has committed a mistake, and that sin is an inevitable part of his life, then he commits more serious sins and indulges in the strictly forbidden acts. In other words this time he becomes a criminal and a sinner in the real sense of the word. The holy Quran has paid special attention to this aspect and has very clearly declared the pure desires of the self and the lawful wishes as proper and lawful, and provided it with a chance to use halal and clean things. It declared any interference of narrowness and inhibition in this respectable and lawful sphere by way of any checks on the self as bad and obscene, because it opens the gate for obscene acts and sinning. “O you people I Eat on earth what is lawful (hala) and clean (tayyib) and do not follow the footsteps of Satan.Indeed, he is an open enemy for you. He will command you (to do) what is evil and indecent and induce you to say about Allah that which you do not know.” -( AI-Baqarh : 168-169) It is a fact that to put restrictions on the consumptions of what is lawful (hala) and clean (tayyib) is nothing but levelling false charges against Allah, and this thing amounts to evil and indecency which Satan commands men to do. Islam does not like to repress such natures and inclinations with force and punishment, nor does it want to placate or Batter them, but Islam follows a balanced method which is free of any kind of excess. Morality holds the Reins As the rules and regulations of the healthy nature are secure in faith and reform and they have no connection with heresy and agnosticism, similar is the case of the rebellious natures and habits. In both the cases only a strong and firm moral character can control it. Where the holy Quran has mentioned man's weakness, his anxiety, his richness and indifference, there it has also made it clear that the remedy of these indignities lies in following the path of religion. “Truly man was created very impatient; fretful when evil touches him; and niggardly when good reaches him ; not so those devoted to prayer, those who remain steadfast to their prayer; and those in whose wealth is recognised right for ( the needy) who asks and him who is prevented ( for some reason from asking) ; and those who hold to the Truth of the Day of Judgment; and those who fear the displeasure of their Lord ,for the Lord's displeasure is the opposite of peace and tranquillity; and those who guard their chastity.” -( .41-Ma'arij.. 19-29)
It is common knowledge that good moral character does not develop suddenly. Nor does it become strong and firm in the beginning. It requires consistency and gradualness. And in strengthening it there come many stages. That is the reason why in its nourishment and growth it is required to perform such acts that have to be repeated. The quality that is developed should have consistency, e.g. prayer, fasting, Hajj, Zakat, and the performance of other forms of worship, confirmation of the Day of the Judgment, and to be fearful of its punishments, etc. When the rebellious natures insist on their acts and are steadfast on their wrong stance, and continue to attempt to traverse the wrong path from time to time, then to check and prevent it no fixed and temporary remedy can be found. Their transgression and intensity can be brought to the normal level only by such an activist who is more strong and powerful than them and who may be able to bring them to a balanced level. The long and short of the discussion is that Islam respects the human nature and considers its teachings as the voice of that nature. It warns the rebellious natures and reforms their point of view. Those forms of worship which have been made compulsory in Islam are such as strengthen the human nature and turn the wind of desires to the right direction. And these forms of worship do not perform their duties satisfactorily and the desired objective cannot be obtained from them unless they generate the excellent moral character and the tendency to exemplary treatment of others. CHAPTER 5' PUNISHMENT FOR MORAL CRIMES
No Coercion la Morality To generate goodness in someone by coercion and to call him a man of good moral character is not possible. Similarly no faith can be developed in any person by means of force or terrorism. Only personal and intellectual freedom is the sole basis of responsibility and accountability. Islam understands this reality and respects it. It builds up its edifice on the foundation of the excellent moral character. Where is the need for Islam to use force and coercion to bring man to the right path and to make him run towards righteousness, when it has full confidence in the human nature and is certain that if the obstructions before man are removed then the best generation can be developed? Goodness is ingrained in the human nature. It does not mean that it cannot do anything except good, but it means that only good can co-ordinate with his original nature and offer resistance. The nature wants to attach itself to good only and wants to function in its light, like the bird that after getting free from the cage flies round and round in the sky in ecstasy in accordance with its foremost wish. According to Islam the right method is to break nature's checks and chains. After this when man falls down to the ground, and has no strength to rise and walk, then be should be considered as sick and efforts should be made to treat him. Islam does not order such kind of sick persons to be thrown out of society, provided his existent is not harmful and damaging to others. Within the limits of this sphere, Islam fights against moral crimes. At first it imagines that every man wants to lead a decent life and wants to live by the sweat of his brow and enjoy luxuries on what be earns from his own labours, that is he does not depend on thefts and looting. Then what thing compels him to take to thieving? In order to provide him for the necessities of life. Therefore, Islam says that the necessities and the means should be in such abundant quantifies that they may make him indifferent and above taking wrong steps. This is the responsibility of the society. If it is deficient and compels the individual to steal, then the responsibility for this crime falls on the deficient society, and not on the head of the wrong-committing individual. But if the society provides his requirements, and after this the individual advances in the wrong direction, then the actual condition of the individual should be ascertained before inflicting any penalty (Hudd) on him. Probably there may be such extenuating circumstances that may save him from the punishment. As it Is, Islam desires delay in inflicting punishment. The Messenger of Allah has reported to have said: “It is better if the Imam pardons somebody by error than he penalises him by error”
Fixation of Penalties for the Security of the Society When after examining the conditions and problems it is ascertained that the individual's nature is bent on rebellion, and that the society which has brought him up and had provided for him is being subjected to his depredations and he wants to repay its kindness with disturbance of peace, then if that society inflicts some penalty on this kind of an individual and wants to cut away that harmful limb, it cannot be criticised or blamed. The Holy Quran has termed a theft deserving the penalty of cutting the hand as the theft of tyranny and corruption,and about such a thief it has stated as under: “But if the thief repent after his crime, and amend his conduct , Allah turns to him in forgiveness ;for Allah is Oft- Forgiving, Most Merciful.” -(Malda:42) The penalty which Islam inflict in reality for saving the reformist , welfare , and just society from the damage that a harmful member may cause it. A criminal who repays' justice with cruelty and reform with corruption-who would like to consider him deserving of mercy ?
Islam Appeals to the Heart I have mentioned this example merely to show that the penalties for moral crimes have not been fixed with a view to generating forcefully goodness in society, nor does it amount to coerce people to follow the right path. For Islam the better way is to appeal to the hearts of men, to awaken their sleeping nature, to stir their repressed inclination and desire towards progress and perfection, to return them to the presence of God, and to adopt such a method that would have convincing arguments and the sweetness of love and brotherhood. The moral values should be explained and clarified in such a way that the heart may be convinced that it is a necessary to adopt them for attaining the good and the righteous qualities. In such an environment the rule of that law is necessary which helps in nourishing the human capabilities and in developing excellent habits and good moralcharacter. There is nothing wrong if this useless and profitless limb is cut and thrown away, because in the society we are undertaking farming of various kinds of produce. The purpose is growth and nourishment, whether it may involve the clearance of the wild plants or the thorn bearing shrubs. The security of the interests of common man and their safety is not a thing of less important, therefore, there is no reason for being critical of these penalties which are inflicted by Islam. This thing has been mentioned in the Torah, and all the divine religions have placed emphasis on this.
According to Islam the society itself plays a very important role in the spread of good or evil that spreads in that society. It (Islam) wants to attain power because it wants, with other things, to form a society in such a way that it may be helpful in encouraging chastity, righteousness, aversion from wickedness, proliferation or good acts, indifferent to love for world, steadfastness for the right path and consistency. The Prophet bas told the story or a murderer who wanted to repent for his crimes. He inquired of the address of the greatest learned man of the land. His name was given to him, whom he saw and said : “I have committed hundred murders. Is there any chance of repentance for me ? He was told: “What thing can come between you and repentance. Go to a particular place where some good slaves of Allah reside and are always found worshipping Him. You also join them in worshipping. and do not return to your village, because it is a bad place” -(Buhari) In another version it is narrated that he went to a monk and .related his whole story and placed his difficulty before . him. The monk told him : “You have committed a big mistake. How am I concerned with this, However, there are two villages One of them is named 'Nasrah' that is supporter , of Allah and the other one is named 'Kufrah' that is rejector of God. The people of Nasrab perform the deeds of the people of the paradise. Any person who follows other method cannot stay there. The citizens of Kufrab perform the deeds of the people of the hell. There is no room for the people following other policies to stay there. Therefore, you go to the people of Nasrah. If you stayed there and worked like those people, then there would be no doubt about the acceptance of your repentance.” -(Tibrani)
For this reason Islam says that for the safety of the healthy nature and for the training and reform of the rebellious tendencies the care and vigilance of the environment is necessary, and in the formation of the good moral character it plays a very important role, We are sure that if all these aspects are taken care of, then a clean and tidy society can be brought into; existence, in which pure qualities and chaste character may be nourished. CHAPTER 6
Every religion has its characteristic symbols, which make it distinct from every other religion, Undoubtedly there are certain fixed forms of worship in Islam, which have been made compulsory for its followers. Besides there are certain values prevalent among the followers which have no relation with the Non Muslims. But the moral teachings do not come under this category or within the sphere of this principle, Every Muslim has been made responsible to employ good manners in dealing with all the citizens of the land unhesitatingly, For every Muslim it is necessary that he should be truthful in dealing with the Non-Muslims. Similarly good qualities like charities keeping one's promise, tolerance, decency, generosity, co-operation, etc. are to be brought into play while dealing with Muslims and Non-Muslims alike, The holy Quran has commanded us not to indulge in such debates with the Jews and the Christians that may encourage mutual enmity, clashes and quarrels. It says:
“And do not indulge in disputation with the people of the Book except in a refined way, unless it be with those of them who inflict wrong, and say: “We believe in the Revelation which came down to us and in that which came down to you Our Allah and your Allah is one ,. and it is to Him we bow'.” -( Ankabut ..46) And the followers of Moosa and Issa (Moses and Jesus) were asked, expressing wonder, whether they are indulging in this kind of argumentation and polemics? “Say: 'Do you argue with us about Allah when He is our Lord as well as your Lord? We are accountable for our deeds and you for yours so we are sincerely ( dedicated) to Him'.” -(Baqarah.. 139) It is a famous incident of the biography of the Prophet that he owed something to a Jew, The Jew demanded repayment and in a very harsh tone said: “O Sons of Abdul Muttalib! You people unnecessarily delay the repayment of your loans.” At that place Hazrat Umar bin AI-Khattab was also present. He decided to teach the Jew, who insulted the Prophet, good manners, and drew his sword from the scabbard. But the Messenger of Allah silenced Umar saying: “I and he deserve better treatment, Teach him to demand his money in a better way and advise me to repay it in a refined manner.” Islam has commanded to deal justly and fairly even if the opponent may be a wrongdoer or an infidel. Allah’s Messenger has said: “The prayer of the oppressed is answered, If he is wicked and wrongdoer, its ill effects will go against him.” -(Ahmed) In another Hadith it is stated: “Even if the oppressed person is an infidel, there is no obstruction between his prayer and its answer. Give up doubtful things and adopt those matters in which there may be no doubt.” In the light of these authorities and the commands, Islam has advised its followers not to mal-treat their ideological and religious opponents, In connection with the insistence on treating the followers of the other religion kindly, there is one more hadith: Hazrat Ibn. Umar says that a goat was slaughtered in his house. When he came home he inquired whether the gift was sent to the neighbouring Jew or not? He further says: “I have heard the Messenger of Allah as saying' Jibril' had been regularly insisting on me to treat kindly my neighbours, so much so that I surmised that the neighbour would be made a recipient of the inheritance.” -( Bukharl ) Similarly Islam has ordered that its followers should be kind to their relatives, even though they may have rejected this religion, which they have made their own. Therefore, following the Truth does not mean that the rights of the relatives may be usurped: “And bear them company in this life with justice (and consideration), and follow the way of those who turn to Me (in love); in the end the return of you all is to Me and I will tell you the truth (and meaning) of all that you did” -( Luqman ..15) The Need of Morality for the Nation and the Country This discussion was on the importance of morality at the level of individuals. As regards the importance and need of morality at the public and collective level, Islam says that the progress and the survival of the nations, the nourishment and the development of their civilization and culture, and the consolidation of their power and strength depend on morality. If the people have good and excellent moral character, then all these good qualities will be found in them, but if their moral character is a lower levels then kingdom and rule will soon end, “Nations live till their morality lives. When their moral character declines, they also decline,”
This reality is fully explained in a hadith in which the Prophet says to the people of his nation that although they have control over the whole of Arabia, and are in a position to decide the fate of the people of the country, as they hold an important position, their power can be maintained on the pillar of morality only. Anas bin Malik says: “We were sitting in a house where some members of the Ansar and Muhajir were present, The Messenger of Allah came into the room and everybody tried to make room for him near his own seat. Then he proceeded towards the door and stood taking support of the door and said:
“The leaders will be from the Quraish, and I have great right on you and they have also a right on you as they would do. When they would be requested to show mercy, they would show mercy. When they would give a judgment, it would be based on justice. And when they would make a covenant, they would honour it. He who does not do like this, there would be on him the curse of Allah, of the angels and of all the people” (Tibrani) This hadith unambiguously shows that any person, community, nation or government would be deserving of as much honour and respect as they would be the representatives of the best qualities in this world and would be striving to achieve high objectives. If a government flaunts the label of Islam and Quran but the people are not satisfied with it, if it does not decide their matters justly, if it is not kind to the needy and does not honour its covenant, then it should be understood that in this government Islam and Quran are merely names, and this government is bereft of Islam's basic values and it deserves to be cursed from every corner of the earth and the skies. Hazrat Husain narrates that the Messenger of Allah has said: “When Allah wants to deal kindly with a nation, He entrusts its reins in the hands of the wise men, gives wealth to its generous people; and when He wants to deal with a nation harshly, he entrust its control in the hands of foolish people, and gives wealth to its miserly men.” (Abu Daud) It is a famous saying of Imam Ibn Taimiyah: “Allah guards the justice-loving government, even if it is the government of the infidels, and destroys the tyrant government, even if it is the government of Muslims.” In the light of the holy Book and the Sunnah, morality is the perfect religion and also the perfect world. If any nation loses its honour in the eyes of Allah or commands no respect among the people, it so happens because of its losing good moral character and becoming deprived of decent and honourable traits. CHAPTER 7
THE TRUTH Advice to be True Allah has created this whole universe on the basis of love, and has demanded of the people that they should build up their life on the foundation of truth, to make truth and straight dealing a practice of their life, and should give place to truth only in their talks and dealings. When this clear sense is lost sight of by people, and false stories, superstitions and absurd beliefs rule their self, ideas and thoughts, then hardness and harshness are generated in them they move away from the right path, and they totally give up those realities the adoption of which was necessary. For this reason the strong and firm pillar of a Muslim's character is straight dealing. It is his duty to be attached to truth in every matter and to see every problem and affair through the glasses of truth, To keep it before him in every decision is the clearest manifestation of his dealing and treatment, Similarly the construction of the society in Islam is made on this foundation that mere conjectures and superstitions should be opposed baseless things and imaginary stories should be thrown outs doubts and misgivings should not be encouraged, because strong and firm realities only deserve to be manifested; they should have their imprint on the society s and their help should be taken in strengthening various relations. Allah's Messenger has said: “Keep away from ill-thinking, because ill-thinking is the greatest falsehood,” (Bukhari)
Another hadith says: “Leave alone doubtful things, follow those matters in which there is no doubts for truth is a means of satisfaction and falsehood is the cause of doubts and misgivings.” (Tirmizi) Quran has expressed condemnation of those communities who follow conjectures and superstitions that have filled their brains with absurdities and has staked their present and future, with the help of the false stories, on the gamble of corruption and disruption: “They follow nothing but conjecture and what their own souls desire, even though there has already come to them Guidance from their Lord.” ( An-Najm ..23) “But they have no knowledge therein. They follow nothing but conjecture and conjecture avails nothing against Truth” (An-Najm.. 28) Since Islam respects truth most strongly, it turns away liars very harshly. It admonishes them very severely. Hazrat Ayesha narrates : “Allah's Messenger did not hate anything as strongly as he hated falsehood, If he received in formation that a particular man has told a lie, he used to throwaway that man's respect and honour from his heart till the time he was not informed that he has repented for it,”
(Ahmed)
Another narration by her states: “For the Messenger of Allah falsehood was the worst habit in a person, If any man told a lie in his presence, that man's thought always troubled him until the time he was informed that he has repented”, (Ibn Habban) This habit of the Prophet is not at all surprising. This was the policy of our forefathers. Their relations were formed on the basis of righteousness and good moral character. They knew each other. If anyone had blemishes in his character, and if he could be singled out on account of his misdeeds, then his position in that society would be like the position of a man suffering from an infectious itching disease in a healthy society, and he was not considered deserving of any respect until he was not cured of that defect. The distinctive characteristic of the Muslim society in its first period was truth, disciplines, tolerance and cautious manner of speaking, Falsehood, breaking of promises, false accusations, and baseless things are the signs of disruption or of breaking away relation from religion. Or if they are to be termed as having relation with the religion, then it would be caused the religious business of the false accusers, deceivers and tricksters, or the religiosity of liars and promise breakers.
Falsehood is a Great Curse Falsehood is such an evil that discloses the internal corruption and wickedness of the liar; and this is a name of the wrong dealing which only acts in spreading evil. so much so that even without the needs that are troublesome or the forcing inclinations it leads persons to committing sins. Some evils are such that a man is involved in them totally. They are like diseases which require a very long -drawn treatment; they are like fright and cowardice, which always hinder the progress of a coward and a frightened man, or like greed which makes men miserly and stingy. When some people come out for jihad to accompany the soldiers. they are shivering in their boots. Or some other people who are terrified when they work out the amount of Zakat that they have to pay. What is the comparison of these coward and miserly natures with those brave and generous natures which rush towards death laughing and which spend their wealth in the cause of Allah most willingly! Here some excuse can be found for such person as they become a prey of their fears and doubts when called upon to offer sacrifices But there can be absolutely no excuse for those who make lying their habit and who for the whole of their life go on deceiving people by their falsehoods. Allah's Messenger said : “All the evils can be found in a momin, except dishonesty and falsehood.” (Aluned)
The Messenger of Allah was asked whether any Muslim could be a coward. He answered : “Yes.” He was asked: “Can a momin be a miser ?' He said that yea, he could be a miser. He was again asked: “Can a momin be a liar?” He replied: “No !” (Malik) The replies of the Prophet show that these factors of deficiency and weakness enter some persons' nature and when they are called upon to do their duty or pay the dues of Arab and His slaves, then these factors adversely influence them. But this does not mean that miserliness is tolerated and cowardice is a lesser evil. How is “ possible when non-payment of zakat and running away from jihad are acts which touch the borderline of infidel ” (kufr) , The extent to which a liar and a defiant person may spread falsehood and however wide this extent may be his sin before Allah will be to the same extent. Journalists, who misguide the people by false news, politicians who misrepresent important public problems and slaves of selfishness who cast aspersions against eminent persons and ladies of good character-all these sections commit terrible crimes and their punishment is very severe. Allah's Messenger said: “One night I saw two men. They came to me and said:' Any man whom you see talking by widening his jaws, consider him a liar, He tells a lie which is copied through his medium, till it is talked of in the whole world. He goes on doing this till the Doomsday.” (Fathul Bari) Making false promises to their subjects by the rulers also comes in this category, because the falsehood spoken from the pulpit spreads to the four corners of the world. It is in the Tradition that “Three persons can never enter Paradise. First the old man who commits illegal sex, second the man who tells lies and third that poor man who indulges in pride.” (AI Bazzar)
To invent lies against Allah's religion is the worst evil. One who has the slightest relation with Allah and His Messenger will never indulge in this kind of activity. This is the worst kind of liar, and the consequences which he will have to face are terrible. The Prophet has said: “The consequence of inventing falsehood against me is not as bad as it is for inventing falsehood against anybody. Let the man who purposely and wittingly makes a false statement about me make his destination Hell.” (Bukhari)
In the list of false charges and accusations are included all those inventions and absurdities which the uneducated have fabricated against Allah's religion, which have no place in the faith. The general public has taken them to be the religion though they have nothing to do with it. In fact they are nothing but mere pastime and plaything. Allah's Messenger has warned his followers against the sources of these invented absurdities, has admonished them to be wary of adopting other ways than those directed by the Quran and the Sunnah. He has said: “In the last period of my Ummah there will come people who will be deceitful, liars. They will tell you things which you would never have heard, nor have your forefathers heard them. Be wary of them; let them not misguide you and let them not involve you in corruptions.” (Muslim)
Accustom your Children to be Truthful Islam commands that in the hearts of the children the seeds of the greatness and importance of truth be sown, so that they may grow up and develop on truth and may become young in its lap; and they may give it its due place in their talks. Abdullah Ibn A 'amir says that once my mother called me when the Prophet was present in my house. My mother asked me to come and said that she would give me a certain thing. He asked what did she want to give? She said that she wanted to give me a date (fruit). The Prophet said: “ If you had not given him this date, then the committing of a falsehood would have been entered into your record of deeds.”. (Abu Daud). Abu Huraira says that the Prophet has said: “Anybody who called a child saying that he would give him a certain thing, and did not give it, then it is a lie.” (Ahmed) It is worth noting that in what a wise way the Prophet has instructed his followers to train their children in such a manner that they should consider truth and straight dealing respectable things and should avoid telling lies. Had the Prophet ignored these things and had not emphatically reminded about them, then there was a danger that the children on growing up would not have considered telling lies as sin. Adoption of straight dealing and telling the truth has been very strictly insisted upon, so much so that it has been enjoined upon to take care about this in even small household matters.
Asma Binte Yazid narrates that she once asked the Messenger of Allah: “If some one of us women stated that she had no desire to have a certain thing even though she had that desire, then would it be considered a lie ?” He replied: “Falsehood is written as falsehood, and a small falsehood is written as a small falsehood.” (Muslim)
Prohibited to tell a Lie even in a Joke The Establisher of the Shariah (p, b. u. h,) has warned of all the occasions where falsehood can be used and the adverse consequences of the same, so much so that it is not possible for even an ordinary enforcer to misguide the people about the reality or to lessen its importance. A man tends to make false statements in cutting jokes, thinking that on the occasions of entertaining people there is nothing wrong if baseless information is given or false and imaginary events are related. But Islam, which considers providing relief to hearts as permissible, has fixed only those methods proper and permissible which are within that: limits of truth, because halal is much broader than haram and that truth is independent of falsehood. Allah's Messenger has said: “Death for the man who indulges in story-telling in order to make some people laugh and for that he relies on falsehood. There is death for him, there is destruction for him.” (Tirmizi)
In another hadith it is stated: “I give guarantee of a house in the middle of Paradise for the man who has given up falsehood, though he was required to indulge in humour.” (Baihaqui)
The Prophet has said: “A Momin cannot have complete faith unless he gives up falsehood in his jokes and debates though in all other matters he speaks the truth.” (Ahmed) This is our daily observation that people give full rein to their tongues in the matter of humorous talks to make others laugh, and do not hesitate to spread the tales and stories invented by friends or foes only for the purpose of getting some pleasure or for pulling some one's leg, when the world has absolutely prohibited such a wrong policy, and this is a fact that this kind of entertainment and amusements and false acts create enmities and rivalries,
Avoid Exaggeration in Praise Some peoples when they praise somebody, go to the extent of exaggerating and making false statements, For a Muslim it is necessary that when he praises somebody he should do it to the extent to which he knows about that man, He should avoid exaggeration and falsehood in showering praises of the praised one, although he may be deserving of the praises, for exaggeration is a kind of falsehood which has been forbidden, To a person who was praising the Prophet, he said: “Do not indulge in exaggeration while praising me, as the Christians did in the case of Ibn Maryam (Christ). I am only a slave. So only say that he is a slave of Allah and His Messenger.” (Razin) A group of such people is always found who lick the boots of the leaders and rulers of the country and praise them to heaven, The main purpose of their lives is to compose very lengthy panegyric poems or to write long-drawn essays in praise of their benefactors, Thus they try to make a mountain of the molehill and place an unknown person in the palace of fame. Sometimes they do not even hesitate to call the tyrant rulers as standard bearers of justice and coward and chicken hearted soldiers as brave and lion-hearted fighters. Their only purpose in this is to earn wealth. This is the worst kind of falsehood. Allah's Messenger has counselled us to totally reject them and expose them till they give up their wrong practices. Abu Huraira says that the Prophet has commanded us that we should throw dust in the face of those who indulge in exaggeration in their praises. (Tirmizi)
The commentators have pointed out that the persons mentioned here are those who make exaggeration as their habit and through this try to earn gifts and presents from the praised ones but those persons who praise the performers of good acts with a view to encouraging them and to inciting others to follow their example are not meant. The limits where a Muslim stops and which keep him distinct from the bootlickers and the exaggerators are: that he praises his benefactor or a good person, but he does not let him indulge in vanity and pride. These limits have been clarified by the Prophet. Hazrat Abu Bakr narrates that a man praised some one in the presence of Allah's Messenger and the Prophet told him: “Fie on you, you have separated the head of your companion,” He repeated these words and then said: “If some one wants to praise his brothers then if he is aware of the facts then he should say that I think he is such and such and Allah is the real Knower, and there is none purer and innocent than Allah; I consider him bearer of these qualities.” (Bukhari)
Keep away from Falsehood and Deception In Trade Traders make false statements while showing their wares and stating their prices. The basis of trade in our midst is unlimited greed. The shopkeeper desires that their should be dearness, while the buyer wants to get the commodities free of charge. It is wealth which controls activities of buying and selling in the markets and in different fields. Islam hates this kind of deceptive affair and the senseless debate and disputation latent in it, The Prophet has said: “The buyers and sellers are free till they do not separate and if they have acted with honesty, and have explained the defects of commodities, then Allah will bless them with prosperity. And if both of them tried to deal dishonestly and tried to hide the defects then it is likely that they may get some profit, but the prosperity will vanish from their trade.” In another tradition it stated: “The prosperity of the dealing of both the persons is terminated. The untrue and false oath will help get the commodity sold, but it reduces the earning .” (Ahmed) The buyers who go to the shopkeepers are mostly ignorant of the real situation, and whatever the shopkeeper says they believe it, The honest thing is not to take undue advantage of the simplicity of men for the purpose of obtaining double price or for concealing the defects. The Messenger of Allah has said : “What would be a greater dishonesty than this that when you are talking with your brother he may be thinking that you are telling the truth whereas you are deceiving him by telling lies.” (Bukhari)
He has also said : “It is not lawful for a Muslim to sell such a commodity that has a defect, except that the defect is shown to the buyer.” (Bukhari) Ibn Abi Adna narrates that a man opened a shop in the market and swore that he would sell such a commodity as no one else would be selling, so that he may deceive some Muslims; so the following verses were revealed:
“Verily, those who sell the covenant with Allah and their oaths for a small price, there is no compensation for them in the Hereafter. On the Day of Judgment Allah will not speak to them, nor will He look at them, and nor will He purify them; but for them is very severe punishment.” (Baqarah) Disregard of truth in giving evidence is the worst type of falsehood. When a Muslim should stand up for giving evidence, he should state the truth unhesitatingly; regardless of the fact whether it is against his close friend or a favourite person. No relationship or prejudice should deviate him from the right path, nor any greed or bribe should be able to make him waver in his stand.