The
Eminent Value of Trustworthiness in Islam
By Aishah Stacey
In
the name of Allāh, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful;
All
the praise and Thanks is due to Allāh, the Lord of al-‘ālameen.
I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allāh,
and that Muhammad, Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam is His Messenger.
Reliability, honesty and trustworthiness
are characteristics that must be present in anyone who claims to be a believer.
"Honesty", is
important concept in Islam and it incorporates truthfulness and reliability. Another dimension of honesty is trustworthiness, or
in Arabic, "amanah".
The meaning of amanah is something someone
left for another person to protect or keep in his custody. The
opposite of truthfulness is betrayal or even treason.
That is, to fail to keep the trust in the way the person who left it expected
or wanted.
Trustworthiness further enhances the integrity and sound moral conduct that
is inherent in the notion of honesty. Being trustworthy implies
being honest, fair in dealings and punctual (in terms of both regularity
and timeliness) as well as honoring trusts and keeping promises and
commitments. An important part of the noble Islamic character is being
trustworthy. Prophet Muhammad (Sallallāhu
‘alayhi wa sallam) was known, even before his Prophethood
to be Al-Amin (the trustworthy one).
While the qualities of honesty and trustworthiness are
inextricably entwined, there are slight differences. Honesty
implies a lack of deceit while trustworthiness
entails honoring and fulfilling commitments, promises, trusts and covenants.
It covers moral, social, legal and religious obligations. Being truthful
in promises and covenants is one of the characteristics by which the believers
are known. Both promises and covenants involve saying something about an
issue to confirm that you will uphold the trust. This is especially so
with regard to one's duties towards Allāh. Allāh
praises the believers by promising them Paradise:
“Those who are faithfully true to their amanah (all the duties which Allāh
has ordained, honesty, moral responsibility and trusts, etc.) and to their
covenants...these indeed are the inheritors. Who shall inherit
Paradise. And dwell therein forever” (Al-Mu’minun, 23:
8-11)
Trust, and being worthy of another’s
trust, is inherent in being one who is submitted to the will of Allāh.
When Allāh appointed Adam (‘alayhissalam) , the father of mankind, as successor on earth, it was a trust
incumbent upon all of mankind. When Allāh
created us as individuals for worshipping Him, it became a trust incumbent upon
us to nourish ourselves and our families in a way that enables worship.
In Islam, every believer is a brother or
sister to the other; we are one body, one nation. The right hand must be
able to trust the left hand. The commands and rules from Allāh are
designed for our benefit and Islam holds people’s rights in high esteem.
The systematic arrangement of guidelines and regulations is intended to uphold
the rights Islam gives to the believers and to minimize vice and corruption.
Islam strongly condemns the violation of Allāh-given
rights. When Allāh commands us to keep the trust, to be
trustworthy, it is not a matter to be taken lightly.
Prophet Muhammad (Sallallāhu
‘alayhi wa sallam) explained the seriousness of upholding
the rights due to others when he said: “Allāh
says, ‘There are three people whom I shall be their opponent on the Day of
Judgment: A man who was given something
in My Name and then betrays; A man who sells-off a free man (as a slave)
and consumes the price; and A man who hires a labourer, makes use of his
service then does not give him his wages.’” (Al-Bukhari).
Allāh says in the Qur’an: “Verily, Allāh
does command you to render back your Trusts to whom they are due.” (An-Nisa’
4: 58)
In the past Allāh dealt severely with people who were
dishonest and did not honor their trusts. The people of Madian had
developed unfair and corrupt business practices and Prophet Shuaib (‘alayhis
salam) was instructed to warn them of Allāh’s displeasure.
“He said: “O my people! Worship Allāh,
you have no other Allāh but Him, and give not
short measure or weight, I see you in prosperity; and verily I fear for you the
torment of a Day encompassing. And O my people! Give full measure
and weight in justice and reduce not the things that are due to the people, and
do not commit mischief in the land, causing corruption. That which is
left by Allāh for you (after giving
the rights of the people) is better for you, if you are believers.” (Hud,
11: 85-86)
After Prophet Shuaib (‘alayhis
salam) issued his warning and the people chose to belittle and ignore him the
promise of Allāh was shown to be true. Allāh is
The Most Just, The Most Wise and He is the ultimate trustee, the one who can be
relied upon to fulfill His promises.
“And when Our Commandment came, We saved Shuaib and those who believed with
him by a Mercy from Us. And a torment (or awful cry) seized the
wrongdoers, and they lay (dead) prostrate in their homes.” (Hud,
11: 94)
Reliability, honesty and trustworthiness
are characteristics that must be present in anyone who claims to be a
believer. The sayings of Prophet Muhammad (Sallallāhu
‘alayhi wa sallam) indicate that dishonesty and betrayal
are completely at odds with the Islamic faith and morals. Prophet
Muhammad (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam)
informed us that: “A
hypocrite is known by three traits: When he speaks, he lies; when he promises,
he reneges; when he is entrusted, he cheats (or embezzles).”
(Al-Bukhari and Muslim)
When Abu Ubaydah Ibn Al-Jarrah (radiyallāhu’anhu) was the commander of the
Muslim armies in Syria, the Emperor of Byzantium set out with a large army to
recapture Hims. Abu Ubaydah Ibn Al-Jarrah (radiyallāhu’anhu) decided to evacuate the
city because he had only a handful of soldiers. He gathered the people of
Hims in the middle of the city and announced: “We collected the protection tax from you because we planned to defend
you. Now we are too weak. In this case, we return the tax we
collected.”
All the taxes collected were returned to
the non-Muslim people of Hims. Such was the depth of feeling and
understanding displayed by the early Muslims. They were constantly aware
of their obligations towards Allāh, their brothers and sisters and those
who were under the protection of the Muslim armies.
Trustworthiness is a quality that is essential
if a society is to function as one unit, bearing in mind the needs and
aspirations of all its citizens.
The Muslim nation should be one unit, one
nation. All members of this brotherhood should be able to stand before Allāh
knowing that he is safe and secure in the company of one who is trustworthy.
From the lowliest peasant to the mightiest king all are equal; the only
thing that makes one member of the unit better than the other is his piety or
righteousness. Amongst the many qualities that blend together to make
righteousness, is trustworthiness.
And Allāh
Almighty Knows best.
Related Links:
[Excerpted from: “The Eminent Value of
Trustworthiness in Islam” By Aishah Stacey,Via On Islam, Tuesday, 14 December
2010 ; Article by author titled
(Trustworthiness) published at The Religion of Islam web site
http://www.islamreligion.com/; Aishah Stacey is an Australian
revert to Islam. She currently spends her time between Australia and Qatar.
Aishah works as a writer at the Fanar Cultural Islamic Centre in Doha, Qatar
while studying for an Arts (Psychology) degree]
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