Truthfulness

Imam Al-Nawawi’s Riyad-us-Saliheen
Chapter 4
Truthfulness

Allah, the Exalted, says:

“O you who believe! Be afraid of Allah, and be with those who are true (in words and deeds)”. (9:119)

“…the men and women who are truthful (in their speech and deeds)..”. (33:35)

“…then if they had been true to Allah, it would have been better for them”. (47:21)

54. Abdullah bin Mas`ud (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Prophet (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) said, “Truth leads to piety and piety leads to Jannah. A man persists in speaking the truth till he is enrolled with Allah as a truthful. Falsehood leads to vice and vice leads to the Fire (Hell), and a person persists on telling lies until he is enrolled as a liar”.’
[Agreed upon].

55. Hasan bin `Ali (May Allah be pleased with them) said: I remember (these words) from Messenger of Allah (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam): “Give up what is doubtful to you for that which is not doubtful; for truth is peace of mind and falsehood is doubt”.
[At-Tirmidhi].

56. Abu Sufyan (May Allah be pleased with him) reported, in course of his detailed narration about Heraclius when the latter questioned him about the teachings of the Prophet (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) He said that: He (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) told (us): “Worship Allah Alone and do not associate a thing with Him; and give up all that your ancestors said. “He also commands us to perform Salat (prayers), to speak the truth, to observe modesty and to strengthen the ties of kinship.
[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

57.  Abu Thabit from Sahl bin Hunaif (May Allah be pleased with him) said: The Prophet (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) said: “He who asks Allah for martyrdom, Allah will raise him to the high status of the martyrs, even if he dies on his bed”.
[Muslim].

58. Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) said: “One of the earlier Prophets who was out on an expedition proclaimed among his people that no man should follow him who had married a woman with whom he wished to cohabit but had not yet done so, or who had built houses on which he had not yet put the roofs, or who had bought sheep or pregnant she-camels and was expecting them to produce young. He, then, went on the expedition and approached the town at the time of the ‘Asr prayer or little before it. He then told the sun that both it and he were under command and prayed Allah to hold it back for them, so it was held back till Allah gave him victory. He collected the spoils and it (meaning fire) came to devour these, but did not. He said that among the people there was a man who stole from the booty. He told them that a man from every tribe must swear allegiance to him, and when a man’s hand stuck to his, he said: “There is thief among you and every individual of your tribe must swear allegiance to me”. (In course of swearing of allegiance,) hands of two or three persons stuck to his hand. He said: “The thief is among you”. They brought him a head of gold like a cow’s head and when he laid it down, the fire came and devoured the spoils. Spoils were not allowed to anyone before us, then Allah allowed spoils to us as He saw our weakness and incapacity and allowed them to us”.
[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

59. Hakim bin Hizam (May Allah be pleased with him) reported that: Messenger of Allah (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) said: “Both parties in a business transaction have a right to annul it so long as they have not separated; and if they tell the truth and make everything clear to each other (i.e., the seller and the buyer speak the truth, the seller with regard to what is purchased, and the buyer with regard to the money) they will be blessed in their transaction, but if they conceal anything and lie, the blessing on their transaction will be eliminated.”
[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].