In Sura Al-Ma'idah, Allah describes a conversation between Himself and 'Isa on Qiyama.
Allah says to 'Isa the son of Maryam: "Did you say to the people: 'Take me and my mother as two deities besides Allah.'?" 'Isa answered Allah Most High saying: "Exalted are You! It is not for me to say that which I have no right to say. If I had said it, then You already know that. You know my secrets and I do not know Your secrets. You are the Complete Knower of all the Unseen. I said nothing to them except what You ordered me to say: 'Worship Allah my Lord and your Lord.'. I was a witness over them for as long as I was among them then, when You completed my affair, You were their Guardian and You are a Witness over all things. If You punish them, they are surely Your slaves and if You forgive them, You are surely the Mighty, the Wise.
After this, Allah Most High says:
{Qaala Allahu hadhaa yaumu yanfa'u as-saadiqeena sidquhum lahum janaatun tajriy min tahtihaa al-anhaaru khaalideena fihaa abadan radhiya Allahu 'anhum wa radhoo 'anhu dhaalika al-fauzu al-'adheem.}
{Allah said: This is a day when the truthfulness of the truthful will benefit them. For them are gardens under which rivers flow permanently therein forever. Allah is pleased with them and they with Him. That is the great success.} Al-Ma'idah:119
As-sidq means to be truthful in statement, action and belief. It means to inform about something as it actually is or the correspondence between what you impart and what actually is.
Honesty and truthfulness is required of every Muslim and is key to individual and collective success in this life and the hereafter. The Prophet (sas) mentioned the disappearance of trustworthiness as one of the signs of the deterioration of this Ummah in the last days. He (sas) said that the situation will get so bad that the people will say in amazement: In such-and-such village there is a trustworthy man!. Al-Jaahidh said:
"Truthfulness and fulfilling obligations are twins. Patience and maturity are twins. In these is the perfection of all religion and the success of all worldly affairs. In their opposites is the cause for all division and the root of all corruption."
Even a simple transaction like a sale loses all of its benefit and blessing when not accompanied by truthfulness. The Prophet (sas):
"Al-bayyi'aani bi al-khiyaari maa lam yatafarraqaa. Fa in sadaqaa wa bayyanaa boorika lahumaa fiy bai'ihimaa wa in katamaa wa kadhabaa muhiqat barakatu bai'ihimaa."
"The two parties to a sale have an option as long as they have not separated. If they two of them speak the truth and make things clear, they receive blessings in their transaction. If they conceal and lie, the blessing of their sale is obliterated." Muslim & Bukhari
When we are truthful with Allah Most High, the rewards can be great indeed. The Prophet (sas) said:
"Man sa'ala Allaha ash-shahaadata bi sidqin ballaghahu Allahu manaazila ash-shuhadaa'i wa in maata 'alaa firaashihi."
"Whoever asks Allah for martyrdom in truthfulness, Allah will cause them to reach the levels of the martyrs, even if they die in bed." Muslim
Truthfulness with Allah is particularly critical to every Muslim. Its opposite can be fatal in eternity. Allah says about those who attempt to perpetrate a falsehood or a deception against Himself and the believers that He "is infact THEIR deceiver", that "they deceive none but themselves". Because Allah is "the Turner of hearst" and Allah can "come between a man and his own heart" and make those who forget Allah to "forget themselves".
From all these verses, we see clearly that untruthfulness and deceipt leads to the most serious of all spiritual afflictions: hypocrisy. In fact, that form of hypocrisy where the individual has no clue that they have condemned themselves to the deepest pit of hell-fire. These are the ones upon whose hearts Allah has placed a seal. They will die in that state of kufr and there is no return for them to belief. Allah said about them:
{Wa idhaa qeela lahum laa tufsidoo fiy al-ardhi qaaloo innamaa nahnu muslihoon. (11) Alaa innahum hum al-mufsidoona wa laakin laa yash'aroon. (12)}
{And, when it is said to them 'Do not make corruption in the land', they say 'We are nothing but reformers'. (11) Lo, they are surely themselves the corrupters but they have no perception of that whatsoever. (12) Al-Baqarah: 11-12
{Fa man adhlamu mimman kadhaba 'alaa Allahi wa kadh-dhaba bi as-sidqi idh jaa'ahu alaisa fiy jahannama mathwan lil-kaafireen (32) Wa alladhiy jaa'a bi as-sidqi wa saddaqa bihi ulaa'ika hum al-muttaqoon. (33)}
{So who is greater in oppression than one who lies upon Allah and rejects the truthfulness when it comes to him? Is there not in hell-fire an abode for the disbelievers? (32) And [as for] the one who brought the truthfulness and believed in it, these are truly the people of piety. (33)} Az-Zumar:32-33
This was true in the time of the Prophet (sas) when "the one who brought the truthfulness" was the Prophet (sas) himself, those who "believed in it" were all of the believers or, according to some mufassireen, Abu Bakr literally and the rest of the believers by extension and those "greatest in oppression" were the disbelievers who rejected Islam (those who "reject truthfulness") and the hypocrites who feigned Islam but plotted against it in secret (those who "lied upon Allah").
And, it is true
now for those who speak lies about Islam through either ignorance or arrogance
and who fail to submit to and believe fully in the Communication given to
Muhammad (sas) when it is shown to them. Rather, they cling to various
"isms" they have injected into Islam such as racism, tribalism,
nationalism, modernity, democracy, what their minds think or what their hearts
feel. These, in our times, are those who "reject truthfulness when it
comes to them."
Beware of all forms of
dishonesty and lying with Allah first of all, but also with other people.
It will lead you straight down a road to moral corruption, hypocrisy and
ultimately hell-fire. The Prophet (sas) said: Don't rely on Allah's
forgiveness alone to save you from you dishonesty, lies and misdeeds.
Rather, strive to be among those who fulfilled their covenant to Allah to
worship Him, obey Him and to struggle for the establishing of His deen here on
this earth. Ask yourself at the end of each day: have you fulfilled your
covenant with Allah today? What have you done to improve yourself, to
increase you knowledge and understanding of Allah's deen and to work for its
promotion and establishment on this earth? Face the answers to these
questions each and every day and recognize our need to improve! Allah said
about those complete and sincere in their covenant to Allah:
"Inna as-sidqa yahdiy ilaa al-birri wa inna
al-birra yahdiy ilaa al-jannati wa inna ar-rajula la yasduqa hatta yuktaba
'inda Allahi siddeeqan. Wa inna al-kadhiba yahdiy ilaa al-fujoori wa
inna al-fujoora yahdiy ilaa an-naari wa inna ar-rajula la yakdhibu hattaa
yuktaba 'inda Allahi kadhaaban."
"Verily, truthfulness guides to righteousness and
righteousness guides to Paradise. And a man will be truthful until he
is recorded in Allah's presense as a "Siddeeq". And verily
dishonesty guides to corruption and corruption guides to the fire. And
a man will be dishonest until he is recorded in Allah's presence as a
"kadh-dhaab".
Muslim &
Bukhari{Min al-mu'mineena
rijaalun sadaqoo maa 'aahadoo Allaha 'alaihi. Fa minhum man qadhaa
nahbahu wa minhum man yantadhir wa maa baddaloo tabdeelan (23) Li yajzia
Allahu as-saadiqeena bi sidqihim wa yu'adh-dhibu al-munaafiqeena in shaa'a
au yatooba 'alaihim. Inna Allaha kaana ghafooran raheeman. (24)}
{Among the believers
are men who were truthful in the covenant they undertook with Allah.
Among them are those who have completed their term and among them are those
waiting and they have not wavered in any way. (23) In order that Allah may
reward the truthful for their truthfulness and punish the hypocrites if He
wishes - or to forgive them. Verily Allah is ever Forgiving, Merciful.
(24)} Al-Ahzaab:23-24