THE CONCEPT

OF
TRUST AND HONESTY
 TRANSLATION

 ALLAH does command you to render back your Trusts

to those to whom they are due; and when you judge
between man and man, judge with justice. Verily how
excellent is the teaching which He gives you! For
ALLAH is He Who hears and sees all things. (4:58)
 COMMENT
 Crime control agencies of the entire world are fed up
and worried about many disturbing problems
particularly due to the increase in crimes like forgery.
Islam suggests an easy remedy to deal with such crimes
by creating a sense of honesty and trustworthiness. Once
a person is honest and reliable he will surely progress
through his devotion and hard work. Such a person will
seldom snatch the credit achieved by the hard work of
other. He will also not squander away money illegally.
Obviously if such noble qualities are developed in the
member of any society, the society will become a very
pleasant and flourishing group of people.
 TRANSLATION

 O you who believe! Do not eat up your property among

yourselves in vanities: But let there be amongst you
trade by mutual good-will; and do not kill yourselves,
for verily ALLAH has been Most Merciful to you. If
someone does that in rancor and injustice, soon shall
We cast him into the Fire: and it is easy for ALLAH.
(4:29-30)
 COMMENT
 Deceitfulness and looting of others’ belongings have
become a source of worry for the present society.
Simply punishing the criminals does not offer a solution
to the problem. Culprits come out of the Jail and restart
their criminal activities.

 Islam approaches this problem spiritually and

psychologically in such a manner that by practicing the
teaching of Islam, moral awakening in honesty and
trustworthiness is achieved successfully. As a result the
criminals not only learn to live in peace but they
themselves become a source of peace to the society.
 DEFINITION

 Trustworthiness is the ability to keep promises, to be

honest, reliable and principled while never
inappropriately betraying a confidence. Trustworthiness
relies on the integrity and character of the person.

 Trustworthiness is a moral value, regarded as a virtue.

For example, a trustworthy person is someone in whom
one can place one's trust and rest assured that the trust
shall not be betrayed.
 TRUST AND HONESTY

 The Broader Sense of Trust

 Islam expects of its followers that they will be masters
of live hearts and wakeful conscience, which would
ensure the protection of the rights of Allah and humanity
and which would also protect their action: from the
commitment of excesses. Therefore it is necessary that
every Muslim should be Ameen, ”trustworthy”. 
 In the eyes of the Shariah, Trust has a very broad sense.
This word contains an ocean of meaning, but underneath
it all is the sense of responsibility, the sense of having to
appear before Allah and to account for one's actions, the
details of which are given in the Hadith :
 CONT…

 “Every one of you is a guardian and everyone will be

asked about his subjects. Imam is a guardian. He will be
asked about his subjects. A man is the guardian of the
persons in his household. He is answerable about them.
A woman is the guardian of her husband's house. She
will be asked about her responsibility. The servant is the
guardian of the articles of his master. He is answerable
about this responsibility of his”

(Bukhari)
 CONT…

 The people take trust in a very limited, sense and

consider it to mean the protection of others' deposits,
although in Allah's religion this has a very broad and
unlimited sense. This is a duty for safeguarding which a
Muslim advises another Muslim and in this connection
seeks the help of Allah, When a Muslim prepares to go
on a journeys his brother prays for him in this way: “I
pray to Allah for your religion, your trust and for the
happy ending of your work,”

(Tirmizi)
 CONT…
 Therefore, following are included in Trust and Honesty
in its broader sense:

 Wealth and ability given by ALLAH.

 Appointment to high offices and posts.
 Maintaining others’ secrets.
 Performance of duty perfectly.
 Misuse of office is betrayal of Trust.
 CONT…
 Trustworthiness is an excellent characteristic and it is one
of the best qualities of pious people. Allaah, the Almighty,
commanded His faithful Believers to give back trusts to
their owners, as He Says(what means):
 {Verily! Allaah commands that you should render back the
trusts to those, to whom they are due; and that when you
judge between men, you judge with justice. [Quran 4: 58]
 The Prophet, sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam, also urged us to
adopt the noble manner of trustworthiness saying: "Pay the
trust to him who deposited it with you, and do not betray
the one who betrays you." [Abu Daawood]
 Trustworthiness is an act of obedience to Allaah and it
goes in fulfillment of the instructions of the Prophet,
sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam.
 TYPES OF TRUSTWORTHINESS

 The trust that ALLAH commands us to render back to

its owner is not only related to money, but it has other
forms: -

 If somebody gives you anything, even if it is cheap, and

he/she asks you to keep it as a trust until he/she needs it,
it is a trust that must be respected and guarded.
 Keeping others' secrets is also an act of trustworthiness.
 If someone requests you to convey a message, then
conveying it is a trust.
 To testify to what you have seen exactly in a specific
situation is an act of trustworthiness.
 CONT…

 Spending time in a beneficial activity is also an act of

trustworthiness. So, never waste your time doing an act
that causes the Wrath of ALLAH.

 Performing the acts of worship which ALLAH

commanded us to do such as fasting and prayer is the
most important act of trustworthiness. When we perform
prayer at its designated time and complete its bowings
and prostrations carefully and submissively, we are doing
an act of trustworthiness.
 CONT…

 Refraining from cheating others in buying and selling

is also an act of trustworthiness. A trustworthy
merchant advises the buyer and never sells goods
unless he tells the truth about them. He should never
hide their defects, and he should avoid all forms of
cheating.

 The Prophet, sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam, said: "He

who cheats is not of us."[Muslim]
 CONT…

 Being on time when you are going to meet somebody is

also an act of trustworthiness. You must arrive on time
and avoid being late or not showing up for the
appointment.

 Acquiring knowledge is a trust, and the same thing

applies to teaching this knowledge with others.

 The human body is a trust from ALLAH. We must take

care of it and utilize it in actions that are beneficial.
 THE VIRTUE
OF TRUSTWORTHINESS

 A trustworthy person is loved by ALLAH and His

Messenger (Sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam). ALLAH, the
Almighty, prepared a great status in the Hereafter for the
trustworthy person which is Al-Firdaus, the highest rank in
Paradise.

 It means that those who are faithfully true to their Trust (all
the duties which ALLAH has ordained i.e. honesty, moral
responsibility and trusts etc) and to their covenants, and
those who strictly guard their prayers, these are indeed the
inheritors who shall inherit Paradise. They shall dwell
therein forever.
[Quran 23: 8-11]
 CONT…
 Practicing trustworthiness increases confidence and
stability in the society and it also fosters the spirit of
love, Islamic brotherhood, and cooperation among the
people.

 People respect, love, trust and deal with a trustworthy

person. On the contrary, they avoid dishonest people.
The Prophet, Sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam, warned us
against dishonesty which leads to weak faith and
hypocrisy.
 CONT…

 He also said: "There are three signs of a hypocrite: when

he speaks he lies, when he gives a promise he breaks the
promise, and when he is entrusted he betrays."

[Bukhaari and Muslim]

 The Prophet (S.A.W.S) also said: “ a dishonest person

has no faith and the one who does not keep his promise
has no religion.”
(Musnad e Ahmad)
 CONT…

 HONESTY: Trustworthiness further enhances the

integrity and sound moral conduct that is inherent in the
notion of honesty. Being trustworthy implies being
honest, fair in dealings and punctual (in terms of both
regularity and timeliness) as well as honouring trusts
and keeping promises and commitments.

 An important part of the noble Islamic character is

being trustworthy. Prophet Muhammad was known,
even before his Prophet hood to be Al Ameen.
 CONT…
 While the qualities of honesty and trustworthiness are
inextricably entwined, there are slight differences.
Honesty implies a lack of deceit while trustworthiness
entails honouring and fulfilling commitments, promises,
trusts and covenants.

 It covers moral, social, legal and religious obligations.

Being truthful in promises and covenants is one of the
characteristics by which the believers are known. Both
promises and covenants involve saying something about
an issue to confirm that you will uphold the trust.
 CONT…

 This is especially so with regard to one's duties towards

ALLAH. He praises the believers by promising them
Paradise, “Those who are faithfully true to their amanah
(all the duties which He has ordained, honesty, moral
responsibility and trusts, etc.) and to their
covenants.....these indeed are the inheritors. Who shall
inherit Paradise and dwell therein forever”
(Quran 23:8, 23:10-11)
 CONT…

 Trust, and being worthy of another’s trust, is inherent in

being one who is submitted to the will of ALLAH.
When He appointed Adam (the father of mankind) as
successor on earth, it was a trust incumbent upon all of
mankind. When ALLAH created us as individuals for
worshipping Him, it became a trust incumbent upon us
to nourish ourselves and our families in a way that
enables worship.
 UNITY AND SYMPATHY
 In Islam, every believer is a brother or sister to the other; we are
one body, one nation. The right hand must be able to trust the
left hand. The commands and rules from ALLAH are designed
for our benefit and Islam holds people’s rights in high esteem.
The systematic arrangement of guidelines and regulations is
intended to uphold the rights Islam gives to the believers and to
minimise vice and corruption.

 Islam strongly condemns the violation of ALLAH-given rights.

When ALLAH commands us to keep the trust, to be trustworthy,
it is not a matter to be taken lightly. ALLAH says in the Quran,
“Verily, He does command you to render back your Trusts to
whom they are due.”
(Quran 4:58)
 CONT…

 Reliability, honesty and trustworthiness are

characteristics that must be present in anyone who
claims to be a believer. The sayings of Prophet
Muhammad indicate that dishonesty and betrayal are
completely at odds with the Islamic faith. Prophet
Muhammad informed us that “A hypocrite is known by
three traits: When he speaks, he lies; when he promises,
he reneges; when he is entrusted, he cheats (or
embezzles).”
(Saheeh Al-Bukhari, wa Muslim)
 CONT…

 The Muslim nation should be one unit, one nation. All

members of this brotherhood should be able to stand
before ALLAH, knowing that he is safe and secure in
the company of one who is trustworthy. From the
lowliest peasant to the mightiest king all are equal, the
only thing that makes one member of the unit better than
the other is his piety or righteousness. Amongst the
many qualities that blend together to make
righteousness, is trustworthiness.
 CONCLUSION
 We have learnt about the far reaching effects of prominent
aspect of Islamic values. Namely honesty, reliability and
trust worthiness, of which a few are quoted below :
 By honouring promises, an atmosphere of mutual trust is
created, which satisfies every body.
 By creating the quality of righteousness Islam has
remedied all the misdeeds possible by falsehood.
 Islam is the only religion which by projecting the concept
of Righteousness, provides every one safety in life and
property.
 If such noble qualities are developed in the members of any
society, the society will become a very pleasant and
flourishing group of people.