Honesty

I can honestly say that I believe honesty is one of the most important qualities a person can have. I've always hated dishonesty.

Of course cheating is a common practice here in this part of the world. Most kids become very good at the art of cheating early on in their school years. Unfortunately they are helped along by teachers who either look the other way or even encourage it by supplying the kids with the answers. No one is even ashamed of this behaviour and I wonder why since this is a Muslim country and they are taught that it is wrong. I have never understood this. If you can't achieve something by your own hard work than I don't think it's worth very much (if anything).

I hate going to the shops and have the shopkeeper raise the price on something. Shops here are starting to put prices on their goods but it's really not the real price as you end up haggling over it in the end. But usually it's an inflated price. Sometimes I just want to go out and buy something with out arguing over the price. It would be easier and make shopping more pleasant (I still like shopping though). But somehow I feel that the elevated price is in a way dishonest.

I definitely hate for someone to tell me a lie. Now that is something I really can't stand. Even small little fibs set me off to steaming. And then there is being evasive - most people aren't very good at lying or being evasive, or maybe I'm just good at spotting them out. If I catch someone in a lie it's basically the end of them for me. Uuugh - just the thought that someone would tell me a lie makes me upset! I'm usually very direct and tell it like it is and that doesn't sit well with everyone. I suppose some people don't want to deal with the truth.

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Vol 9, Book 88. Afflictions And The End Of The World - Honesty
Hadith 208. (Sahih Bukhari)

Narrated By Hudhaifa:

Allah's Apostle related to us, two prophetic narrations one of which I have seen fulfilled and I am waiting for the fulfillment of the other.

The Prophet told us that the virtue of HONESTY descended in the roots of men's hearts (from Allah) and then they learned it from the Qur'an and then they learned it from the Sunna (the Prophet's traditions).

The Prophet further told us how that HONESTY will be taken away: He said: "Man will go to sleep during which HONESTY will be taken away from his heart and only its trace will remain in his heart like the trace of a dark spot; then man will go to sleep, during which HONESTY will decrease further still, so that its trace will resemble the trace of blister as when an ember is dropped on one's foot which would make it swell, and one would see it swollen but there would be nothing inside. People would be carrying out their trade but hardly will there be a trustworthy person. It will be said, 'in such-and-such tribe there is an honest man,' and later it will be said about some man, 'What a wise, polite and strong man he is!' Though he will not have faith equal even to a mustard seed in his heart." No doubt, there came upon me a time when I did not mind dealing (bargaining) with anyone of you, for if he was a Muslim his Islam would compel him to pay me what is due to me, and if he was a Christian, the Muslim official would compel him to pay me what is due to me, but today I do not deal except with such-and-such person.