The Essence of Islam – Volume III — Page 33
Natural, Moral and Spiritual States of Man. Truthfulness 33. Of all the natural states of man, one that is an essential part of his nature is truthfulness. Normally, unless a person is moved by some selfish motive, he does not wish to tell a lie. He is naturally averse to falsehood and is reluctant to have recourse to it. That is why, he dislikes a person whom he knows to be a liar and looks down upon him with contempt. But this natural state by itself cannot be considered moral. Even children and the insane exhibit this quality. The fact is that so long as a person does not renounce such selfish motives as prevent him from telling the truth, he cannot be considered truthful. If a person tells the truth only when he stands to lose nothing but tells a lie when his honour, property or life are threatened, how then can he be considered better than children and the insane. Do minors and the insane not speak this kind of truth? There is hardly anyone in the world who would tell a lie without any motive. Truth that is abandoned at a time of risk can never form part of the true morals. The real occasion of telling the truth is when one apprehends loss of life or property or honour. In this context, the Divine teaching is: فَاجْتَنِبُوا الرِّجْسَ مِنَ الْأَوْثَانِ وَاجْتَنِبُوا قَوْلَ النُّورِ 25 ولا ياب الشُّهَدَارُ إذَا مَا دُعُوا 20 ولا تَكْتُمُوا الشَّهَادَةَ وَ مَنْ يَكْتُمُهَا فَإِنَّةَ ايْمُ قَلْبُهُ 27 وَإِذَا قُلْتُمْ فَاعْدِلُوا وَلَوْ كَانَ ذَا قُرْبى 28 25 Al-Hajj, 22:31 [Publisher] 26 Al-Baqarah, 2:283 [Publisher] 27 Al-Baqarah, 2:284 [Publisher] 28 Al-An'ām, 6:153 [Publisher]