ISLAM IS ALL ABOUT SPEAKING THE TRUTH In this world, there is truth and there is falsehood. One is from God; the other is from the Devil. God not only speaks the truth, he is the truth. He is, in the language of the Qur’an, Al-Haqq: The Truth. Also, in the language of the Qur’an, truth is Haqq and falsehood is Baatil. This is eternally etched in heaven and earth – and on the face of every grain of sand, blade of grass and molecule of water. On earth, this equation was spelled out most crystally 1400 years ago and never left it since. Hence the way of the “righteous,” the good people, then, is truth: speaking the truth and acting on it. The way of the wicked, on the other hand, is falsehood. It is the way of the Devil. The Devil builds his empire on fraud and falsehood. The name of his game is to deceive and to cheat. That is the only way the Devil can maintain his empire and keep his game going: using deceit and using an elaborate and intricate structure of lies. A more exotic name for lies is propaganda. It is the boudoir where the Devil sleeps. That is why the Qur’an calls the Devil Al-Gharoor: the great deceiver. Those dedicated to working for and in the name of God, must continually examine and reexamine their coordinates and location on truth: where are they in relation to truth? Are they speaking it, and are they acting on it? Or are they hedging and compromising on truth for expediency’s sake? Are they hiding behind flimsy rationalizations from their responsibility to speak the truth and act on it? For, once truth goes, their very raison d’être goes. Their very existence on earth loses meaning and relevance. Once they lose their foothold on truth, everything they do turns into devilish activity, even if they do it in the name of God and even if they do it chanting the most sacred texts and mantras. I mean those people who say they are doing things for and in the name of God. And this today is one of the most serious problems the world is facing: diminishing quotient of truth in our discourse and in our communication and behavior. And there are some very powerful reasons why it is so. For one, truth-telling has become a dangerous thing, more so perhaps than it ever was. There are serious repercussions to speaking the truth, ranging from loss of jobs and economic advantages and opportunities to loss of life, liberty and loved ones. Over the past couple of decades, the world has rediscovered an old perversity: justifying torture using the most foolish and evil logic and analysis. The Devil has gotten us by the throat. So, speaking the truth in today’s world could have some very serious consequences for those doing so. But the point is this: Truth is still from God, as it always was and shall be. And truth is also where Barakat and goodness and success are in life. Especially for those who do things in the name of God and for the sake of God. Truth is the essential precondition for Islam. It is the difference between good and evil in this world. God Almighty ensured that Prophet Muhammad, Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam, received the titles of Al-Saadiq and Al-Ameen before he was formally appointed prophet and messenger of God. And it did not happen as Wahy or revelation coming from above, but as a carefully considered universal acclamation conferred upon him by his own society as a matter of empirical truth. He simply proved himself to be that man: truthful, both in speech (Al-Saadiq) and in character and conduct (Al-Ameen). Way before Archangel Jibraeel, Alaihis Salaam, brought the first Wahy or revelation to him. Thereafter, everything else was on autopilot – as it should be. It was all a matter of detail. The world rose to meet him, welcome him and embrace his message, even as it fought him tooth and nail along the way to complete surrender and acceptance. That is the great paradox of how the world reacted to him and to his message of truth. And that was entirely in keeping with the nature of the world on the one hand and the nature of the message that he delivered to the world from God Almighty on the other hand. But truth triumphed. Once and for all. And falsehood perished. Truth conquered and demolished the pack of lies the Devil had so craftily created: Jaa-al haqqu wa zahaqal baatil. But the challenge to speak the truth is an ongoing one, no matter how serious the temptation to do otherwise. For, the eternal law of the world still is this: truth shall live, falsehood shall perish and vanish. For, that is the nature of falsehood: to die and disappear. Innal baatila kaana zahooqa. Muslims remain the custodians of truth in this world. They have been placed in that position by God Almighty. They should not easily abandon that lofty perch, no matter how severe the threat to their personal, physical, professional and economic wellbeing. Muslims must speak the truth. For, the fate of the world depends on Muslim truth telling.
Posted on: Sat, 01 Feb 2014 07:23:52 +0000
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