Dear Brothers and Sisters!
Truthfulness and trust are two great qualities that uphold both a person’s inner peace and the order of society. A truthful person’s heart is at ease, because they do not carry the burden of lies or the fear of cover-up. Wherever a trustworthy person is present, a sense of safety exists; love increases within the family, friendships grow stronger and even blessings multiply in trade. The command of Allah (swt), “Be with the truthful,”[1] shows that truthfulness is not just a personal moral quality, but the backbone that holds society together. The hadith of the Messenger of Allah (saw), “Indeed, truthfulness in speech and action leads to goodness and righteousness, and righteousness leads to Paradise. A person continues to speak the truth until they are recorded with Allah as a siddiq (a person of great truthfulness),”^[2] teaches that being truthful and trustworthy is a path that leads a person to peace in this world and happiness in the Hereafter.

Dear Brothers and Sisters!
One of the most fundamental qualities that makes a Muslim a Muslim is truthfulness. Truthfulness is the display of faith both in speech and in behaviour. The more truthful a person’s tongue is, the purer their heart becomes. For this reason, Allah (swt) commands, “Fear Allah and be with the truthful,”[3] thereby not only enjoining truthfulness but also declaring standing alongside truthful people to be a responsibility of servitude.

Dear Jama’ah!
At the heart of the trust issues felt today lies the loss of the value of one’s word. People have trust issues even with their neighbours, colleagues and at times their own family members. We live in times when spouses wonder, “Is there something being hidden?” and friendships fall apart over minor problems. In an environment where a person’s word alone is no longer enough and everything must be confirmed by documentation, what has truly been lost is the firm foundation of truthfulness and the sense of security established by trust. In our society, truthfulness and trust are essential principles and one’s word is a matter of honour. When trust weakens, doubt and anxiety surround the individual. Family ties loosen, friendships wear away, even the economy suffers, and the social fabric weakens. Yet trust is the invisible but deeply felt foundation of a society. Peace, goodness and beauty can only emerge and spread in an environment where trust exists.

Dear Brothers and Sisters!
In another hadith, our Prophet (saw), who advised us to uphold truthfulness, warned that lying is a disease that destroys society from within, he said: “Beware of lying, for lying goes hand in hand with sin, and both lead a person to Hell.”^[4] His statement, “Whoever deceives us is not from us.”^[5] clearly shows the connection between truthfulness, faith and the Islamic community. A believer is one who spreads trust through their very presence. To be Muslim is to establish trust whereby creating mistrust is contrary to the essence of the religion. Trust is the practical expression of faith and the proof of Muslim identity.

O Allah! Protect our hearts from hypocrisy, our tongues from lies and our deeds from deceit. Make us among Your sincere servants who take truthfulness as their guiding principle. Bless our homes and our community with truthfulness and trust. Ameen.

[1] Surah At-Tawbah, 9:119

[2] Buhâri, Edeb, 69; Müslim, Birr, 103-105

[3] Surah At-Tawbah, 9:119

[4] İbn Mâce, Muḳaddime, 4; Müsned, I, 3, 5, 7, 8

[5] M283 Müslim, İman, 164

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