The True Essence of Truthfulness

The deed by which a servant is honored on the Day of Resurrection, and through which one is granted success by the permission of Allah (swt), is to come to Allah having established Tawheed (the oneness of Allah) in the heart and having acted according to it throughout one’s life. Establishing Tawheed in the soul is embodied in one comprehensive act: truthfulness, as Allah says: “This is the Day when the truthful will benefit from their truthfulness” (5:119).

Here, two words are significant: “the truthful” and “their truthfulness.” There are those who claim truthfulness, but do not truly embody it in their deeds, so their actions do not align with reality. Then, there are those whose truthfulness is realized in action, leading them to the truth and earning them the rank of the truthful. Allah says: “That He may question the truthful about their truth” (33:8), and He also says: “That Allah may reward the truthful for their truth” (33:24). Whoever aligns their claim with their deeds is indeed truthful, and Allah affirms their truth.

So, what is the reality of truthfulness?

Allah, Exalted is He, says: “The believers are only the ones who have believed in Allah and His Messenger and then doubt not, but strive with their properties and their lives in the cause of Allah. It is those who are the truthful” (49:15).

This striving — built upon firm belief in Allah and His Messenger and without any doubt — is itself a testimony of truthfulness. The actions encompassed within this striving, whether through wealth or the self, are further detailed in the verse on righteousness in Surah al-Baqarah (2:177).

The completion of the virtue of truthfulness within the soul is achieved through gratitude for the blessing of faith. Allah (swt) says: “They consider it a favor to you that they have accepted Islam. Say, ‘Do not consider your Islam a favor to me. Rather, Allah has conferred favor upon you that He has guided you to the faith, if you should be truthful’” (49:17). Here, truthfulness is tied to recognizing that guidance is a divine favor, not a personal merit.

Thus, the reality of truthfulness is bearing witness to the truth through one’s heart, speech, and actions. To bear witness to the truth means that a servant’s inner state and outward behavior both align with what is right and real. When a servant attains this level of truthfulness, they themselves become a manifestation of the truth — illuminating, guiding, and standing in the lofty rank of witnesses over humankind on the Day of Resurrection. Allah says: “And thus We have made you a median [i.e., just] community that you will be witnesses over the people and the Messenger will be a witness over you” (2:143).

The work to attain truthfulness begins by purifying the foundation of faith from corrupt beliefs and misleading suspicions, so that the starting point upon which righteous action is built is itself truthful. This is reflected in Allah’s words: “Indeed, those who have said, 'Our Lord is Allah' and then remained on a right course … ” (41:30).

Thus, the servant has a single goal: truthfulness in faith and action. Their vision of life becomes centered upon it. Righteous deeds, then, represent steps forward toward attaining the rank of truthfulness, accompanied by gratitude to Allah (swt) for His guidance. From this perspective, trials become a means of purification, as Allah says: “[It was] so that Allah might test what is in your breasts and purify what is in your hearts. And Allah is Knowing of that within the breasts”(3:154).

The core of truthfulness lies in striving and patience. For this reason, Allah the Exalted says: “And We will surely test you until We make evident those who strive among you [for the cause of Allah] and the patient, and We will test your affairs”(47:31).

Allah’s questioning of His servant on the Day of Resurrection regarding truthfulness includes the assumptions the servant held about Allah during times of trial, as well as their conduct, response, and attitude toward those trials. The journey of truthfulness begins with sincerity of intention and firm resolve to attain the rank of the truthful.

For the ones who seek truthfulness, only one concern remains: that their deeds align with Allah’s command and His will. They strive against the constriction of the chest produced by negative assumptions, for such assumptions distance a person from truth. The remedy lies in strengthening one’s trust in Allah and nourishing the heart with His Names: “And to Allah belong the best names, so invoke Him by them. And leave [the company of] those who practice deviation concerning His names. They will be recompensed for what they have been doing” (7:180).

A wise person carries the concern of attaining truthfulness in both state and action, and entrusts to their Lord what Allah has already guaranteed for them. They do not allow such matters to trouble them or distract them from rectifying their condition, nor to divert them from the path of truthfulness. As Ibn ʿAṭā’ Allāh al-Sakandarī said: “Your intense effort toward what has already been guaranteed for you, and your neglect of what is demanded from you, is a sign of the blindness of your inner sight.” This is also evidence of the absence of truthfulness in one who exerts himself for what is guaranteed, while falling short in what is required.

Among the pitfalls that have caused people to become heedless of the path that guarantees success — and that path is truthfulness — is the phenomenon of materializing religion. You see widespread sermons and lectures that promote using religion for material gain, such as: “Whoever does three things after Fajr will have his provision multiplied,” or “Whoever recites such-and-such will receive such-and-such reward.”

This materialistic approach contradicts the essence of truthfulness. It turns worship into a pursuit driven by the desires of the self and its longing for worldly outcomes, seeking to secure material benefit in one’s hands. Such a mindset opposes true faith in Allah as the Dependable Guardian (al-Wakīl) and the Sustainer (al-Qayyūm). It undermines both the covenant and the intended purpose: the covenant being to worship Allah alone, and the intended purpose being submission to Allah, not to one’s own self. The end result for such a person is that they end up worshipping Allah “on an edge,” or slip into heedlessness.

The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Truthfulness leads to righteousness, and righteousness leads to Paradise. A servant continues to speak the truth and strive for truthfulness until he is recorded with Allah as a truthful one.” Thus, truthfulness is a ship of salvation and the key to acceptance. When certainty arrives — that is, death, which every living being will inevitably face — truthfulness is what allows the servant to proceed safely, to stand before their Lord with honor, and to be elevated to the rank of those who bear witness.

Those who occupy themselves with worshiping their Lord with sincere intention, firm resolve, and righteous action, Allah guarantees their provision in this world and the Hereafter. As Allah says in the Qudsi Hadith: “O Child of Adam, devote yourself to My worship, and I will fill your heart with richness and suffice your poverty; but if you do not, I will fill your hands with work, yet will not suffice your poverty.”