The Supreme Religious Authority indicated that if we want to open for ourselves, our society and our homeland a wide door, to get out of our tragic reality that we live in, then we need honest ruler who assumes responsibility and commits to their promises and duties, and in the mandate entrusted to him in his care of his subjects.
These were the important points stated in the second sermon of the Friday prayer today 21st Jumada al-Ula 1441 AH) corresponding to January 17, 2020, which was held in the Holy shrine of Imam al-Hussayn (peace be upon him) and was led by His Eminence Sheikh Abdul Mahdi Al-Karbalai, in which he stated:
Dear brothers and sisters, we are going to talk in this sermon about an important social and moral virtue, to explain its effects on the individual and society in this life and in the hereafter, and also its corresponding vice and its negative effects. We are talking about the virtue of honesty.
Dear brothers and sisters, we draw your attention to honesty as it is considered to be at the forefront of high morals and virtues, because it is the adornment of the speech and the source of integrity and righteousness, and important principle of social cohesion and an indication of civilized progress; a reason for success and happiness in this world and in the hereafter.
Thus, this virtue was the subject of attention, care and glorification in all the heavenly laws; in Islam and other religions, and a subject of care and action by the wise and righteous. And if we meditate on some noble hadiths that highlighted the status of honest, we find that this virtue is in fact a norm and criterion so we test our awareness of the essence of Islam and the truth of the belief.
Imam as-Sadeq (peace be upon him) said: "Do not be deceived by their [lengthy] prayer or their [abundant] fasting, for verily it may be that a man becomes so attached to his prayer and his fasting that were he to stop doing them, he would be greatly disturbed. Rather test these people through the truth in their speech and their prompt return of goods entrusted in their care."
Thus, if we want to test ourselves, we have to test our honesty and sincerity. Scholars explain honesty by the harmony between words and reality, but it also includes thought, belief, intention, intent, action and ethics. Therefore, the precise meaning of honesty in the Holy Quran and Hadiths include all these fields.
We, thus, will talk about some of the social, intellectual, cultural and devotional effects on commitment to the virtue of honesty, to know its importance.
First: Honesty enhances trust and reassurance between people in their social relations and economic transactions, as the person's sincerity in his speech and acts makes the society coherent, cooperative and stable.
Second: In order to succeed in our social, economic and cultural life, we need to adhere to the virtue of honesty - and the virtue of honesty is important and necessary for the religious and non-religious individual and for the religious and non-religious society - and society matters can only be organized through honesty in action and the transmission of facts and historical facts, among others.
Third: Through honesty, we have confidence in the testimonies of others, and we gain their love, appreciation, and social honor - as well as in the field of worshiping with God Almighty, for the one who is sincere with Him gains His love, glory be to Him, and obtains spiritual energy that raises him.
Fourth: Nowadays we need a sincere media in its transmission, a sincere analysis, a writer and a true historian in the transmission of history, its facts and beliefs - and we need a sincere doctor, an honest engineer and a sincere teacher in his education - we need honesty in all areas of life. The society also needs unbiased historians and writers to recount peoples’ and nations’ historic events in order for the coming generations to review those events and benefit from peoples’ experiences.
Whereas if the matter is the other way around and we notice the opposite of this virtue, the vice of lies, which is a serious social affliction and one of the worst psychological defects and moral ugliness, until it became a source of many sins and evils.
There is a statistic conducted in one of the Ziyarat to know which of these sins and faults is more prevalent, the results found that backbiting is the most prevalent, then lies comes second in its spread in the community.
And the previous hadith highlights this meaning, as well as the hadith of Imam al-'Askari (peace be upon him): "Wickedness was put inside a house, and the key (of its door) was rendered to be lies.” Lying is one of the worst vices that lead to many evils and sins, such as the destruction of homes and many social problems. Just as truthfulness is the very cornerstone of the upright person’s character and the springboard for his virtuousness, falsehood, its opposite, is the foundation of a person’s depravity and the launch pad for his wickedness. Just as the truthfulness of a person starts from within - that is, it is a reflection of a state of true faith - a person’s dishonesty, lying and deceit is also a reflection of the inner state. This is why God mentions truthfulness as being the opposite of hypocrisy
The Messenger of God (Allah's prayers be upon him and upon his holy Household) said: "The signs of the hypocrite are three: when he speaks he lies; when he makes an oath he breaks it; and when he is entrusted with something he betrays that trust.”
And one should not differentiate between the matters about which he is lying, whether small of big, it is considered as a lie. Imam as-Sajjad (peace be upon him) warned against this underestimation and belittling the small lie, because one who lies in small matters or when joking, can easily lie about bigger issues. He (peace be upon him) said: ""Avoid telling lies irrespective of small or great, whether it is in earnest or joking, because when a person tells a lie in small (things), he dares to tell a lie in great things, too."
Therefore, brothers and sisters, we must review ourselves in the extent of our commitment to this virtue, especially because of the danger if the vice of lies turns into a social phenomenon, then there is a great danger, especially if some important personalities in society are accustomed to it, then the risk is greater, the society that deals honestly in its conversations and economic transactions and in its transfer of news, facts and other, is a prosperous, developed and stable society, while the society, in which lying is spread, has great and serious effects.
We ask God Almighty to help us to be one of the truthful, and to avoid the evils and sins of lies. Indeed He is Hearing and Responsive. And, praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds, and Allah's Prayers be upon Mohammad and his pure and virtuous Household.