Truthfulness - Sidq

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SIDQ - TRUTHFULNESS
QUR’AN - (The Qur’an with Annotated Interpretation in Modern English by Ali Ünal)
َ‫ﺼﺪّﻳﻘﻴﻦ‬ ّ ‫ﺳﻮ َﻝ ﻓَﺎُﻭﻟﺌِ َﻚ َﻣ َﻊ ﺍﻟﱠﺬﻳﻦَ ﺍ َ ْﻧﻌَ َﻢ‬

ّ ِ ‫ُ َﻋﻠَ ْﻴ ِﻬ ْﻢ ِﻣﻦَ ﺍﻟﻨﱠﺒِﻴّﻦَ َﻭﺍﻟ‬ ُ ‫ﺍﻟﺮ‬ ّ ِ‫َﻭ َﻣ ْﻦ ﻳُ ِﻄﻊ‬
‫َ َﻭ ﱠ‬
‫ﺴﻦَ ﺍُﻭﻟﺌِ َﻚ َﺭﻓﻴﻘًﺎ‬ ُ ‫ﺼﺎ ِﻟﺤﻴﻦَ َﻭ َﺣ‬ ‫ﺍء َﻭﺍﻟ ﱠ‬ ‫َﻭﺍﻟ ﱡ‬
ِ َ‫ﺸ َﻬﺪ‬
Whoever obeys God and the Messenger (as they must be obeyed), then those are (and in the
Hereafter will be, in Paradise) in the company of those whom God has favored (with the perfect
guidance) the Prophets, and the truthful ones (loyal to God's cause and truthful in whatever they do
and say), and the witnesses (those who see the hidden Divine truths and testify thereto with their
lives), and the righteous ones (in all their deeds and sayings, and dedicated to setting everything right).
How excellent they are for companions!nlar, Allah'ın kendilerine lütuflarda bulunduğu peygamberler,
sıddîkler, şehidler ve salih kişilerle beraberdir. Bunlar ne güzel arkadaştır! (Surah An – Nisa, 69)1
ّ ‫ﻳَﺎ ﺍَﻳﱡ َﻬﺎ ﺍﻟﱠﺬﻳﻦَ ﺍ َﻣﻨُﻮﺍ ﺍﺗﱠﻘُﻮﺍ‬

‫َ َﻭ ُﻛﻮﻧُﻮﺍ َﻣ َﻊ ﺍﻟ ﱠ‬
َ‫ﺼﺎﺩِﻗﻴﻦ‬
O you who believe! Keep from disobedience to God in reverence for Him and piety, and keep the
company of the truthful (those who are also faithful to their covenant with God).(Surah at – Tawbah,
119)2
‫ﺎ‬7‫ﺻﺪّﻳﻘًﺎ ﻧَﺒِﻴ‬
ِ َ‫ْﺮﻫﻴﻢ ﺍِﻧﱠﻪُ َﻛﺎﻥ‬ ِ ‫َﻭﺍ ْﺫ ُﻛ ْﺮ ﻓِﻰ ْﺍﻟ ِﻜﺘَﺎ‬
َ ‫ﺏ ﺍِﺑ‬
And make mention of Abraham in the Book. He was surely a sincere man of truth, a Prophet. (Surah
Maryam, 41)3
ُ ‫ﺎﺕ ﺗ َ ْﺠﺮﻯ ِﻣ ْﻦ ﺗ َ ْﺤﺘِ َﻬﺎ ْﺍﻻَ ْﻧ َﻬ‬

‫ﺎﺭ‬ ٌ ‫ﺻ ْﺪﻗُ ُﻬ ْﻢ ﻟَ ُﻬ ْﻢ َﺟﻨﱠ‬ ‫ُ ﻫﺬَﺍ ﻳَ ْﻮ ُﻡ ﻳَ ْﻨﻔَ ُﻊ ﺍﻟ ﱠ‬
ِ َ‫ﺼﺎﺩِﻗﻴﻦ‬ ّ ‫ﻗَﺎ َﻝ‬
‫ﻋ ْﻨﻪُ ﺫ ِﻟ َﻚ ْﺍﻟﻔَ ْﻮ ُﺯ ْﺍﻟﻌَﻈﻴ ُﻢ‬ ُ ‫ُ َﻋ ْﻨ ُﻬ ْﻢ َﻭ َﺭ‬
َ ‫ﺿﻮﺍ‬ ّ ‫ﻰ‬ ِ ‫ﺧَﺎ ِﻟﺪﻳﻦَ ﻓﻴ َﻬﺎ ﺍَﺑَﺪًﺍ َﺭ‬
َ ‫ﺿ‬
God will say: "This is the Day when their truthfulness (faithfulness and steadfastness) will benefit all
who were true to their word (to God). For them are Gardens through which rivers flow, therein to
1 http://mquran.org/index.php?option=com_quran&action=viewayat&surano=4&min=60&show=10
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abide forever. God is well-pleased with them, and they are well-pleased with Him. That is the
supreme triumph. " (Surah Al – Ma’idah, 119) 4
‫ﻀ ﱡﻞ َﻋﻠَ ْﻴ َﻬﺎ َﻭ َﻻﺗ َ ِﺰ ُﺭ َﻭ ِﺍﺯ َﺭﺓ ٌ ِﻭ ْﺯ َﺭ‬ َ ‫َﻣ ِﻦ ﺍ ْﻫﺘَﺪﻯ ﻓَ ِﺎﻧﱠ َﻤﺎ ﻳَ ْﻬﺘَﺪﻯ ِﻟﻨَ ْﻔﺴِﻪ َﻭ َﻣ ْﻦ‬
ِ َ‫ﺿ ﱠﻞ ﻓَ ِﺎﻧﱠ َﻤﺎ ﻳ‬
‫ﻮﻻ‬ً ‫ﺳ‬ ُ ‫ﺚ َﺭ‬ َ َ‫ﺍ ُ ْﺧﺮﻯ َﻭ َﻣﺎ ُﻛﻨﱠﺎ ُﻣﻌَﺬِّﺑﻴﻦَ َﺣﺘّﻰ ﻧَ ْﺒﻌ‬
Whoever takes the right way takes it for the good of his soul only; and whoever goes astray, goes
astray but to its harm only. No soul, as bearer of burden, is made to bear the burden of another. We
would never punish (a person or community for the wrong they have done) until We have sent a
Messenger (to give counsel and warning). (Surah Al – Isra’, 15)5
HADITH
Abdullah bin Mas'ud narrated that the Messenger of Allah said:
"Abide by truthfulness. For indeed truthfulness leads to righteousness. And indeed righteousness
leads to Paradise. A man continues telling the truth and trying hard to tell the truth until he is recorded
with Allah as a truthful person. Refrain from falsehood. For indeed falsehood leads to wickedness, and
wickedness leads to the Fire. A slave (of Allah) continues lying and trying hard to lie, until he is recorded
with Allah as a liar."6
Malik related to me that he heard that Abdullah ibn Masud used to say, "The slave continues to lie
and a black spot grows in his heart until all his heart becomes black. Then he is written, in Allah's sight,
among the liars."7
Narrated Isma'il bin 'Ubaid bin Rifa'ah:

From his father, from his grandfather, that he went with the Messenger of Allah (‫ )ﷺ‬to the Musalla,
and he saw the people doing business so he said: 'O people of trade!' and they replied to the
Messenger of Allah (‫ )ﷺ‬turning their necks and their gazes towards him, and he said: Indeed the
merchants will be resurrected on the Day of judgement with the wicked, except the one who has
Taqwa of Allah, who behaves charitably and is truthful.'"
[Abu 'Eisa said:] This Hadith is Hasan Sahih. And they also say Isma'il bin 'Ubaidullah bin Rifa'ah.8
Narrated Hakim b. Hizam:
6 http://sunnah.com/tirmidhi/27/77
7 http://sunnah.com/urn/418850
8 http://sunnah.com/tirmidhi/14/9
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The Messenger of Allah (‫ )ﷺ‬as saying: Both parties in a business transaction have a right of option (to
annul it) so long as they are not separated ; and if they tell the truth and make everything clear, they
will be blessed in their transaction, but it they conceal anything and lie, the blessing on their
transaction will be blotted out.
Abu Dawud said: A similar tradition has also been transmitted by Sa'id b. Abi 'Arubah and Hammad.
As regards with Hammam, he said in his version: Until they separate or exercise the right of option (to
annul the transaction), saying the words of option three times.9
Narrated Abdullah ibn Amir:

My mother called me one day when the Messenger of Allah (‫ )ﷺ‬was sitting in our house. She said:
Come here and I shall give you something. The Messenger of Allah (‫ )ﷺ‬asked her: What did you intend
to give him? She replied: I intended to give him some dates. The Messenger of Allah (‫ )ﷺ‬said: If you
were not to give him anything, a lie would be recorded against you.10
COMMENTARIES
From the Risale-i Nur Collection by Beduizzam Said Nursi – a

thematic tafseer
Damascus Sermon, Third Word

The summary and essence of this Third Word has T been made known to me through the studies and
researches I have carried out throughout my life and my experience of the ups and downs of social
life; it is thus: Truthfulness is the basis and foundation of Islam, and the bond of fine character, and
the disposition of elevated emotions. Since this is the case, we must bring to life within us
truthfulness and honesty, which form the foundation of our social life, and cure our moral and
spiritual sicknesses with them.
Indeed, truthfulness and honesty are the vital principles in the social life of Islam. Hypocrisy is a sort
of actualized lying. Flattery and artifice are cowardly lying. Duplicity and double-dealing are harmful
lying. And as for lying, it is to slander the All-Glorious Maker's power.
Unbelief in all its varieties is falsehood and lying. Belief is truthfulness and honesty. As a
consequence of this, there is a limitless distance between truth and falsehood; it is necessary that
they are as distant from one another as the East is from the West: Like fire and light, they should not
enter one another. However, cruel politics and tyrannical propaganda have mixed and confused
them, and have also confused man's perfections.11
9 http://sunnah.com/abudawud/24/44
10 http://sunnah.com/abudawud/43/219
11 http://www.saidnur.com/foreign/en/risaleler/sermon1.htm
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Fethullah Gulen – Key Concepts in the Practice of Sufism-1– a

thematic tafseer
Sidq (Truthfulness)
Meaning true thought, true words and true actions, sidq is reflected in the life of a traveler on the
path to God as follows: he or she does not lie or tell a falsehood, lives according to truthfulness, and
strives to be a trustworthy representative of loyalty to God. In other words, he or she never deviates
from truthfulness in all thoughts, words and actions and, in obedience to the Qur'anic command: Be
with the truthful (9:119), always seeks truthfulness on both an individual and a social level. Such
people are so careful about being truthful that they never give false evidence or tell lies even in jest.
As related in a Prophetic saying, one who is truthful to that degree is recorded as a truthful one by
the Supreme Court, while one whose thoughts, words, and actions are contradictory and who
deceives others is recorded as a liar.
Truthfulness is the firmest road leading to God, and the truthful are fortunate travelers upon it.
Truthfulness is the spirit and essence of action and the true standard of straightforwardness in
thought; it distinguishes believers from hypocrites, and the people of Paradise from the people of
Fire. Truthfulness is a Prophetic virtue in those who are not Prophets, by which "servants" share the
same blessings as "kings." In the Qur'an, God Almighty described as being true both the one who
communicated it and the one who confirmed it: He who came with the truth and he who declared
that it is true (39:33).
Truthfulness can be defined as struggling to preserve one's integrity and to avoid hypocrisy and
lying, even in strained circumstances when a lie will cause release. Junayd al-Baghdadi says: A loyal,
truthful one changes states at least forty times a day (in order to preserve personal integrity), while
a hypocrite remains the same for forty years without feeling any trouble or unease (over his or her
deviation).
The initial and lowest degree of truthfulness is sincerity and behaving the same whether in public or
in private. This is followed by being true in all thoughts, feelings, actions, and intentions. The truthful
are those valiant people whose feelings, thoughts, and actions do not contradict one another; the
most truthful are those heroes who are absolutely true in all of their imaginations, intentions,
feelings, thoughts, actions, and gestures.
Using all of one's faculties and capacities to achieve truthfulness in all actions, adherence to a lofty
ideal or cause, and loyalty to or steadfastness in it is an attribute of Prophethood. In the verse: Make
mention of Abraham in the Book: he was a most truthful one, a Prophet (19:41), the Qur'an refers to
this highest degree of truthfulness. Truthfulness is the primary attribute of all Prophets, and the
strongest moral force or means-producing activity for serving Islam and the Qur'an. It is also a
believer's greatest credit and most valid document in the Hereafter. God draws our attention to this
significant fact: This is a day in which their truthfulness profits the truthful (5:119).
Truthfulness serves the Prophets, the purified and perfected scholars and the saints brought near to
God, as a heavenly mount that, as quick as lightning, can carry them to the highest heights; lying,
however, pulls Satan and his followers down to the lowest depths. Thoughts "fly upward" on the
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wings of truthfulness and increase in value, actions grow and flourish on the ground of truthfulness,
and truthful supplications and prayers reach the Throne of Mercy and are welcomed.
Truthfulness is as effective as the "elixir" of God's Greatest Name. When asked about the Greatest
Name, Bayazid al-Bistami answered:
Show me the Least Name among God's Names so that I may show you the Greatest One. If there is
something as effective (for the acceptability by God of prayers and actions) as the Greatest Name, it
is truthfulness. Whichever Name is recited truthfully, It becomes the Greatest.
Truthfulness caused the light of repentance to shine on the forehead of Prophet Adam, upon him be
peace. Truthfulness served as a vessel of salvation for Prophet Noah, upon him be peace, when the
world was flooded. Truthfulness carried Prophet Abraham, upon him be peace, to safety and
coolness from the fire into which he had been thrown. Truthfulness elevates ordinary people to
extraordinary heights, and is a key that opens the door to realms and realities beyond visible
existence. One borne aloft by truthfulness cannot be detained from journeying upward, and doors
are not closed in the face of one who uses this key. How apt are the words of Rumi in this respect:
The truthfulness of a lover affects even the lifeless;
Why then should it be found strange that it affects man's heart?

The truthfulness of Moses affected his staff and the mountain;
Nay, it also affected that great, splendid sea.
As for the truthfulness of Muhammad, it affected
The beautiful face of the Moon and also the shining Sun.
In many verses, the Qur'an relates that being a true believer depends upon one's integrity and
truthfulness in words, actions, feelings, and innermost senses. It also regards such a degree of
integrity and truthfulness as the basis of happiness in both this world and the next. The following are
a few examples:
- Say: My Lord, cause me to enter with truth, and cause me to go out with truth, and grant me a
power from Your Presence to help me. (17:80)
- Grant me a good reputation, being remembered for truthfulness, in later generations. (26:84)
- Give to those who believe good tidings that they have a true, sure footing in the sight of their Lord.
(10:2)
- The righteous are in the Gardens and rivers, on the seats of truthfulness in the Presence of a
Mighty King. (54:54-5)
Entering with truth, going out with truth, being remembered for truthfulness, true and sure footing,
and a seat of truthfulness are all stations of and provisions for a long road extending from this world
to the Hereafter. Since what takes place in this world yields fruit in the Hereafter, the truthful always
pursue what is true, observe truthfulness when starting a task or moving to another place in the way
of God, act and live in accord with the requirements of truthfulness, and bequeath truthfulness to
succeeding generations. Their objective is to deserve eternal happiness in the Hereafter.
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To become truthful in intentions and aims, believers must consciously decide to become truthful in
their thoughts, decisions, and acts. This is the first step. Those so resolved must persist in
truthfulness, regardless of the consequences, and refrain from whatever might shake their
resolution. The second step is to maintain this worldly life only to support the truth and gain God's
approval and pleasure. Such people are always aware of the defects and faults of their selfhood, and
do not surrender to the world's attractions and change their conditions for worldly reasons. The
third step is to establish truthfulness so firmly in one's conscience that it governs every facet of life.
This is identical with the station of being pleased, which is explained in the Tradition: One who is
pleased with God as the Lord and Islam as the religion and Muhammad as the Prophet has tasted
the delight of belief.
The greatest truthfulness and loyalty is for people to be pleased with the Lordship of God regardless
of the treatment He dispenses, to accept Islam as the Divine system governing their lives, and to
submit willingly to the guidance or leadership of the best of creation, upon him be peace and
blessings. The way to true humanity lies in undertaking this grave responsibility, which is very
difficult to fulfill perfectly.
Let us conclude with a fine couplet:
What befits man is truthfulness even if under threat;

God Almighty is the helper of the truthful.12
Fethullah Gulen – The Broken Jug– a thematic tafseer
The faithful and trustworthy person
Question: A Muslim is described in a hadith as a person from whose tongue and hands other
people are secure. How can we ingrain this good character in us, and what is its significance?
Answer: As it is included in reliable sources of hadith, God’s Messenger, peace and blessings be
upon him, describes a true Muslim as a person whom other Muslims are secure from (possible
harms to come through) his tongue and hand. In order to open a door to the meaning you
mentioned in the question, I would like first to expound on the meaning of “Muslim” with the
definite article (al). The phrase “al-Muslim” shows that the hadith refers to an ideal Muslim in the
true sense of the word. That is, according to the principle, “An absolute mentioning refers to the
perfect example of the type,” the Muslim mentioned here is not someone who just seems or claims
to be so; it is one who confirms the truth in a heartfelt fashion and accepts it, surrenders to it, fulfills
the requirements of this faith, and a person who makes this faith into the pervading spirit in one’s
life.
12 http://fgulen.com/en/fethullah-gulens-works/1352-key-concepts-in-the-practice-of-sufism-1/24743-sidq-truthfulness
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If we expound further, the verb used in the hadith is “aslama” (to surrender) which comes from the
same root with “silm” (peace) and “salamah” (being safe and sound). The noun “Muslim” is an active
participle, functioning as the subject, from the same verb, as it means “one who surrenders to God.”
It also bears the meaning, “one who lets others be safe and sound, feel secure, and one who
establishes peace and mutual freedom from harm.” In this respect, the word “Muslim” describes “a
person who surrenders to God, and therefore who observes His commandments fastidiously, and is
trustworthy to the utmost degree.
The Divine Names “As-Salam” and “Al-Mu’min”
Ideal Muslims making others feel secure is a consequence of their adopting Divine morality with
respect to two Divine Names: “As-Salam” (the Supreme Author of peace and salvation) and “Al-
Mu’min” (the Supreme Author of safety and security Who bestows faith and removes all doubt).
They appear consecutively at the end of the Surah al-Hashr (59:23). As a Divine Name, As-Salam
means He who is absolutely immune from imperfections and who grants wellbeing to His creatures.
Al-Mu’min means God is the one who creates the faith in people’s hearts and promises them
deliverance, and who fulfills His promises. Therefore, if God Almighty makes a promise to His
servants, it must be trusted. Actually, this belief is the source of the feeling of hope (raja) in a
believer’s heart. Therefore, a person who seeks to adopt Divine morality, or in other words, a person
who strives to manifest a shadow of the Divine Names and Attributes in oneself should always
inspire trust in those around him or her; no one should feel any anxiety of possible harm from that
person. One must possess a heartfelt belief in God and inspire trust in others to such an extent that
they should comfortably entrust their most valuable possessions with this person, walking away
without any worries whatsoever.
The fact that sidq (truthfulness) and amanah (trustworthiness) are among the properties of God’s
Messengers is important in terms of indicating the significance of this issue. As it was truthfulness
that took the noble Prophet to the peak of perfection, it was lying that took the false prophet
Musaylima the Liar to the lowest of the low. Indeed, unbelief is a great lie against God. It means
denying everything in the universe that bears witness to the Creator, owing to failure to
comprehend the splendid order and harmony in the universe, turning a blind eye to it, and rejecting
the perfect correspondence of reasoning in the universe and the Qur’an. In this respect, it is such a
horrible murder that Hellfire is decreed as the due punishment for it. On the other hand, faith makes
one eligible for Paradise by taking that person to peaks of spiritual perfection. It is this truthfulness
that took all of the Companions to exalted levels, Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, being
the first.
In addition to truthfulness, another property of God’s Messengers is trustworthiness. Each of them

acted as an example of trustworthiness throughout their lives and always inspired trust in others.
The most trustworthy person, the Messenger of God, inspired such trust in others with his attitudes
and behaviors that when people needed to have someone watch their daughters or wives until they
returned from travel, he was the first person that would come to their mind, as they knew that he
would not even raise his head to look at their daughters’ or wives’ faces. He was a paragon of
modesty. When our mother Khadija implied her wish to marry him, the noble Messenger, peace and
blessings be upon him, sweated profusely. These virtues were deeply ingrained in him. For this
reason, his trustworthiness was appreciated by all accounts.
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The credibility of trust
The same situation must actualize for his followers today. Particularly those heroes devoted to ideals
of making others love God and His Messenger must make others in their atmosphere feel secure all
of the time and evoke a feeling of trust toward themselves in everyone—so much so that people
should be able to turn their back to them and comfortably say: “If that person is saying it, then it
must be true. His (or her word) can be trusted.” To the extent that people support your activities
today, you should know that this feeling of trust is the underlying factor.
Without making special tests and spying, people observe you in many instances along the natural
flow of events that in the end they will say, “It is possible to trust this person.” For example, when
you recommend an organization during the Eid of sacrifice for taking meat to poor people, they will
come unhesitatingly with some fifty sacrifices to entrust to you unhesitatingly. Acting with utmost
sensitivity, building this trust, and maintaining its continuity are imperative.
If the devoted souls in our time can make the genuine breeze of trust around them keep blowing as
they have done so far, new people who meet them today—by God’s permission and grace—will see
that they are sincere and not change their minds. In this respect, the volunteers who migrated for
their ideals must give their position its due in the face of the most difficult conditions. They must
keep an upright stance and always live in compliance with the essential disciplines. They must fear
being deserving of punishment as described in the verses, “…but you love and prefer what is before
you (the present, worldly life), and abandon that which is to come later (the Hereafter)” (al-Qiyamah
75:20–21); “… because they have chosen the present, worldly life in preference to the Hereafter” (an-
Nahl 16:107).
Devoted souls value the world only as that transient abode it deserves, and the Hereafter as much as
its infinity deserves. Indeed, when you value the Hereafter as it truly deserves, you make your
worldly life more valuable as well. This is so because those who lead their lives with this balance
become so sincere and present such faithfulness and feel so secure that everything becomes
efficient in their hands. Nothing is wasted. For this reason, they better the world also. Without any
doubt, as those who dedicated themselves to the Hereafter and gaining good pleasure of God let
Andalusia thrive, as the Ottomans did the same in their region, today’s trustworthy ones can help
the contemporary world to thrive if they resolve to do so.
In this respect, a person devoted oneself to serving God must always keep away from luxury and
lead a simple life. Such people’s home must be accordingly, and when they pass away, their friends
must try to raise money to pay for their shroud. A person devoted to serving God cannot be bound
by fortunes, the world, status, or comfort. Thanks to devoting one’s heart solely to serving none but
God, nothing can fetter such a person. There naturally are, and should be, people who engage in
business and serve God by donating from their lawful earnings. This is a different issue from the
sensitivity expected from those whose sole job is to serve God.
Administrators’ representation of their values
Devoted souls must always inspire trust in their own fellow volunteers as well. They should always
refrain from attitudes and behaviors that might lead their friends to distrust. They must refrain from
doing things that might raise suspicion and always act transparently. They must be so sensitive and
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careful at this issue that no one should feel that they have been deprived of something or their field
of action has been restricted.
It is for this reason that we always need to be transparent toward the people we walk with, make all
of our decisions with consultation, avoid oppressive attitudes and behaviors, and continually take
into consideration the feelings and thoughts of the people around us. In the same way, we must be
careful to assign duties suitable with others’ abilities and arrange their working hours accordingly.
We must build such trust in them that people given a certain duty are sure that their seniors are
acting with good intentions and common sense all of the time. In addition, people need serious
counseling to internalize the duty they have been given. In short, division of labor must be done with
so much transparency and sensitivity that no feeling of mutual distrust should ever be evoked.
When Umar ibn al-Khattab discharged the army commander Khalid ibn Walid from duty and similarly
when Uthman ibn Affan sent Abu Dharr to Ar-Rabadha, they did as ordered without any objection at
all, thanks to this very feeling of trust. If you have been able to inspire trust in the people under your
responsibility with your attitudes and behaviors, if you have protected your innocence in terms of
your thoughts, feelings, reasoning, and logic, then the decisions that you make with respect to them
will be accepted. When people are assigned with a new duty and are sent somewhere else, they will
do so without hesitation. For example, if you tell them to go to a certain place, they will think to
themselves, “The ones who made this decision must have thought that this was the best thing for
me to do,” and they will gladly forbear the lack of means in the places they go. Even if you tell them
to reside in a narrow place like a cell, they will do as required, because they know that the demand
was made with certain wisdoms. In sum, your demands will find acceptance in accordance with your
trustworthiness as an administrator. The most reliable method of finding a way into people’s hearts
is to inspire trust with genuine feelings. People must trust you in such a way that they must
comfortably say, “If a duty—no matter which—befalls on me for serving on the path of faith and
Qur’an, God’s good pleasure must be there.” And this undoubtedly, will be realized by the power of
administrators’ fastidious care about representing the values they believe.13
Fethullah Gulen – The Messenger of God: Muhammad– a

thematic tafseer
Trustworthiness
The second attribute of Prophethood is amana, an Arabic word meaning trustworthiness and
derived from the same root as mu'min (believer). Being a believer implies being a trustworthy
person. All Prophets were the best believers and therefore perfect exemplars of trustworthiness. To
stress this principle, God summarizes the stories of five Prophets using the same words: The people
of Noah denied the Messengers. When their brother Noah asked them: "Will you not fear God and
avoid evil? I am a trustworthy Messenger to you" (26:105–7). Replace the name Noah with those of
13http://fgulen.com/en/fethullah-gulens-works/thought/the-broken-jug/37144-fethullah-gulen-the-faithful-and-
trustworthy-person
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Hud, Lut, Shu'ayb, and Salih, and you have a summarized version of these five Prophets'
trustworthiness.
Mu'min is also a Divine Name, for God is the ultimate Mu'min, the source of security and reliability.
We put our trust in, confide in, and rely upon Him. He distinguished the Prophets by their
trustworthiness, and our connection to Him through the Prophets is based entirely on their
trustworthiness and reliability.
Trustworthiness is also an essential quality of Archangel Gabriel. The Qur'an describes Gabriel as one
obeyed and trustworthy (81:21). We received the Qur'an through two trustworthy Messengers:
Gabriel and Prophet Muhammad. The former conveyed it; the latter related it to us.
The trustworthiness of God's Messenger. Prophet Muhammad was completely trustworthy toward
all of God's creatures. He was loyal and never cheated anyone.
God chose the Messenger for his trustworthiness so that he would devote himself totally to
delivering the Message truthfully. He was so concerned about his duty that he would repeat the
verses while Gabriel was reciting them to him. God finally revealed: Move not your tongue
concerning (the Qur'an) to make haste therewith. It is for Us to collect it, to establish it in your heart
and enable you to recite it. So, when We have recited it to you, follow its recital. Then it is also for Us
to make it clear to you (75:16–19).
As the Qur'an was given to him as a trust, he conveyed it to people in the best way possible. He
dedicated his life to this sacred cause, constantly aware of his responsibility. In the last year of his
life, when he was delivering the Farewell Pilgrimage's sermon at Mount 'Arafat, he reiterated the
Commandments of God once more. At the end of each sentence, he told the people: "In the near
future, they will ask you about me." He then would ask them if he had conveyed the Message to
them, to which they responded, each time, with great enthusiasm: "Yes, you have conveyed it!" He
then would call upon God to witness their words.
Specific events demonstrating the Messenger's trustworthiness. God's Messenger never thought of
concealing even a word of the Qur'an. In fact, we read in the Qur'an several Divine mild admonitions
for a few actions of his. If he wrote it, as some mistakenly claim, why would he have included such
verses?
The Prophet was raised in a primitive society characterized by customs that contradicted reason as
well as sociological and scientific facts. For example, as adopted children enjoyed the same legal
status as natural children, a man could not legally marry his adopted son's widow or ex-wife. This
practice was abolished, for adoption does not create a relationship comparable to that with one's
biological parents. God solved this problem, as always, through the Messenger's life in order to
separate a legal fiction from a natural reality, and to establish a new law and custom.
Zayd, an emancipated black slave and servant of God's Messenger, was also his adopted son. At the
Prophet's request, Zayd married Zaynab bint Jahsh. Nevertheless, it soon became clear that the
marriage would not last long. Admitting that he was spiritually and intellectually inferior to his wife,
Zayd thought it would be better for him to divorce her. In the end, the Qur'an commanded
Muhammad to marry her: We gave her in marriage to you (33:37).
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Of course, doing so would violate a strong social taboo. As such, and because the Hypocrites would
use this to defame him, he delayed announcing the Divine decree. God admonished him as follows:
Then you said to him on whom God bestowed grace and unto whom you had shown favor: "Keep
your wife to yourself and fear God." But you hid in your heart that which God was about to make
manifest because you feared the people [would slander you], whereas God had a better right that
you should fear him (33:37). 'A'isha later commented: "If God's Messenger could have concealed any
Revelation, he would have concealed that verse."
If Muhammad had not been trustworthy, he would have done just that. However, such an act is
contrary to his character and mission, and would mean that he had not delivered the Message.
Furthermore, God prohibits him from doing this: O Messenger, deliver what has been sent down to
you from your Lord; for if you do not, you will not have fulfilled your task of His Messengership. God
will protect you from men. God does not guide the unbelievers (5:67). So, God's Messenger passed
on whatever was revealed to Him.
His relations with others. God's Messenger was trustworthy and encouraged others to follow his
example. Once during the last ten days of Ramadan, his wife Safiyya visited him while he was
keeping vigil in the mosque. As he was escorting her home, two Companions happened to pass by.
The Messenger stopped them and, unveiling his wife's face, said: "This is my wife Safiyya." They said:
"God forbid any evil thought about you, O Messenger of God." The Messenger was warning them
against having evil thoughts about him, for that could cause them to lose their faith and enter Hell.
He gave them and us a lesson, saying: "Satan continuously circulates within people's blood vessels."
God's Messenger was an embodiment of trustworthiness. His own people, even before his
Prophethood, called him al-Amin (the Trustworthy One). After his declaration, his enemies
continued to entrust him with their precious goods.
He warned his people against lying, breaking their word, and breaching their trust. All of these were
condemned as "signs of hypocrisy." He was so meticulous in this matter that when he saw a woman
call her child, saying: "Come on, I'll give you something," he asked her if she was telling the truth.
She replied that she would give him a date, to which God's Messenger responded: "If you don't give
him something, you are a liar."
His concern in this matter extended even to animals. Once, annoyed at seeing a Companion trying to
deceive his horse, he said: "Stop deceiving animals. Instead, be trustworthy with them." Another
time, while returning from a military campaign, a few Companions took some baby birds from a nest
to pet them. The mother bird returned after a short while and, finding her babies gone, began to fly
around in distress. When God's Messenger was informed, he was so upset that he ordered the
babies returned immediately. Such an order was meant to show that representatives of
trustworthiness should harm no living creatures.
Each Companion was an embodiment of trustworthiness. By virtue of this and other laudable
virtues, cities and states submitted to Islam. During 'Umar's caliphate, Abu 'Ubayda, the
embodiment of justice, commanded the Muslim armies in Syria. When the Byzantine Emperor set
out to recapture Hims, Abu 'Ubayda decided to evacuate the city, for his forces were vastly
outnumbered. He had the non-Muslim population assembled and announced: "We collected the
protection tax from you because we had to defend you. Since we can't defend you against the
coming Byzantine assault, we are returning the tax we collected." This was done. Pleased with the
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Muslim administration, Christian priests and Jewish rabbis flocked to the churches and synagogues
to pray that God would cause the Muslim army to be successful.
Such was the attitude of Muslim conquerors and administrators in the lands they ruled. Muslims
stayed in Spain for eight centuries. If there were enough Christians left to acquire enough power to
expel the Muslims later on, it was because of the Muslim administration's religious tolerance.
Muslim rulers did not interfere with a conquered people's religion, language, or culture. If they had
done so, there would have been no Christians left to recapture Spain, no Jews left to conquer
Palestine, and no Christians left in the Balkans to engage in genocide. Nor would Christians have
been able to destroy peoples, cultures, and languages on an almost-global scale.
Islam emphasizes trustworthiness and security to such an extent that suspicion and gossip are
forbidden:
O you who believe! Avoid much suspicion, for suspicion in some cases is a grave sin. Do not spy on or
gossip about one another. Would one of you like to eat the flesh of his dead brother? You would
abhor it. Fear God, for verily God is the Acceptor of repentance, the Most Merciful. (49:12)
God's Messenger was so sensitive on this point that once when 'A'isha commented: "How long her
neck is," he said: "You have gossiped about her and thereby eaten of her flesh!"
God's Messenger always prayed: "O God, I seek refuge in You from hunger, for how bad a
companion it is! I also seek refuge in You from betrayal, for what an evil confidant it is!" He also had
harsh words for those who betray and are disloyal: "When God gathers together on the Day of
Judgment all the people preceding and to come, a banner will be raised on behalf of every disloyal
person. It will be announced: 'This is because of the disloyalty of so and so!'"
The heart of God's Messenger was closed to all evil, but open to all good. He lived in a climate of
security, faithfulness, and trustworthiness. He never cheated, lied, betrayed people, just as he never
gossiped about, slandered, or harbored evil suspicion about someone. In return, people relied on
him and confided in him. His enemies slandered him, but no one ever accused him of lying and
disloyalty. Those who turned their backs on him were deceived and dragged into wrong ways.
God's Messenger was totally reliable. His trustworthiness had two aspects: his relationship with
people, and his relationship with God. The former manifested itself as complete reliability; the latter
as perfect reliance on God. When combined, these two aspects ensure a peaceful atmosphere of
steadfastness and security.
The Qur'an gives several examples concerning the Prophets' confidence in, and perfect reliance on,
God. To cite only a few:
And recite to them the news of Noah, when he said to his people: "O my people! If my stay (with
you) and my reminding (you) of the signs of God is unbearable to you, then I put my trust in God. So
come together with your partners and come to an agreement on your plan! Then let not your affair
be a worry to you. Pass your sentence on me, and give me no respite. (10:71)
[Hud) said to his people:] I call God to witness and bear you witness that I am free from all that you
ascribe as partners in worship to God, beside Him. So, plot against me, all of you, and give me no
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respite. I put my trust in God, my Lord and your Lord. There's not a moving creature but He has
grasp of its forelock. Verily my Lord is on a straight path. (11:54–56)
Indeed there has been an excellent example for you in Abraham and those with him, when they said
to their people: "Verily we are free from you and from whatever you worship besides God; we have
rejected you, and there has arisen between us and you hostility and hatred for ever, until you
believe in God alone,"—except Abraham's saying to his father: "Verily I ask forgiveness (from God)
for you, but I have no power to do anything for you before God. Our Lord! In you (alone) we put our
trust, and to You (alone) we return in repentance, and to You (alone) is our final return." (60:4)
The nature of unbelief is deviation and opposition. Unbelievers see the world in darkness and feel
alone in an alien world; believers see the whole universe as a cradle of brotherhood and sisterhood,
and feel connected to everything. By its nature, unbelief severs relations and, as a result, unbelievers
feel enmity against everything, especially believers. They cannot bear the believers' existence, so
they try their best to eradicate belief. That is why all Prophets encountered severe opposition and,
with their followers, suffered pitiless acts of cruelty. But due to their complete confidence in and
perfect reliance on God, they never lost heart because of what befell them in God's Way, nor did
they weaken (in will) nor were they brought low (3:146).
The Messenger's reliance on God made him fearless. He appeared in the heartland of a desert
inhabited by one of the most uncivilized peoples. Despite their harsh treatment, and the strident
hostility of one of his own uncles, he challenged the whole world and, through complete trust in
God, carried his mission to victory. He had only a handful of supporters, and his victory came in a
very short period—an unparalleled achievement. We can understand his fearless nature, which
developed out of his absolute confidence in God, through the following anecdotes.
The Quraysh were so eager to kill him that just before his emigration to Madina they selected one
man from each clan. These numbered roughly 200. Led by Abu Jahl and Abu Lahab, then besieged
his house. God's Messenger told his cousin 'Ali to spend the night in his bed and, throwing some dust
at the hostile men while reciting: We have put a barrier before them and behind them, and thus
covered them so that they cannot see (36:9), he departed without being seen. He left Makka with
his closest friend, Abu Bakr, and reached Thawr cave, which is at the top of a steep mountain.
Finding him gone, the Qurayshi chiefs sent out search parties. One of these climbed the mountain up
to the cave. Abu Bakr became anxious, fearing for the life of God's Messenger. However, the latter
comforted him: Do not be anxious, for God is with us (9:40), and added: "What do you think of the
two men beside whom God is the third?"
In the Battle of Hunayn, the Muslim army was forced to retreat. All but a few thought they were
about to lose. God's Messenger spurred his horse forward and shouted: "I am a Prophet. This is not a
lie! I am the son of 'Abd al-Muttalib!" His courage and steadfastness were enough for his
Companions to collect themselves and ultimately be victorious.
As related through various channels, during the military campaigns of Ghatfan and Anmar, a
courageous chieftain named Ghowras unexpectedly appeared beside God's Messenger, who was
lying under a tree. Unsheathing his sword, he asked God's Messenger: "Who will save you from me
now?' "God," the Messenger replied, and then prayed: "O God, protect me against him as You will."
At that moment, Ghowras was knocked down and his sword slipped from his hand. God's Messenger
picked it up and asked him: "Now, who will save you from me?" Ghowras began to tremble and
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pleaded for his life: "You are a noble, forgiving man; only forgiveness is expected of you." God's
Messenger forgave him, and when Ghowras returned to his tribe, he said: "I have just come from the
best of humanity."
Trustworthiness is a cornerstone of belief:
God commands you to give the trust to (the charge of) those qualified for them, and when you judge
between men, to judge with justice. How excellent is the teaching which He gives you! Truly God is
All-Hearing, All-Seeing (4:58).
According to God's Messenger, breaching a trust is a sign of the end of time: "When a trust is
breached, expect the end of time." When his Companions asked how a trust would be breached, he
answered: "If a job or post is assigned to the unqualified, expect the end of time."
Assigning qualified people to jobs or posts is a social trust and plays a significant role in public
administration and social order. Its abuse causes social disorder. There should be order at all social
levels, for some are to be given responsibilities by others. God's Messenger declared: "Each of you is
a shepherd [manager], and each of you is responsible for your flock. The ruler is a shepherd
responsible for his subjects. A husband is a shepherd responsible for his family. A woman is a
shepherd responsible for her husband's house. A servant is a shepherd responsible for managing the
duties or property his master entrusted to him." If everyone in a society were to carry out their
responsibilities, we would be living in a "society of trustworthy ones." Until that time, we can only
imagine such utopias.
Trustworthiness is so essential an aspect of belief that God's Messenger once declared: "One who is
not trustworthy is not a believer," and described a believer as one whom the people trust with their
blood and property. Furthermore, he said: "Promise me the following six things and I will promise
you Paradise: When you speak, speak the truth; when you give a promise, carry it out; when
something is entrusted to you, do not breach it; keep chaste and don't engage in illicit sexual
relations; don't look at what is forbidden; and don't grasp what is forbidden." [19] Even looking with
lust at one to whom you are not married is forbidden: "God says: "[Such] a glance is like a poisonous
arrow from Satan's quiver. Whoever refrains out of fear of Me, I inculcate belief so firmly in their
hearts that they will taste it."
To live in absolute security is only possible if trustworthy people are in power. If the Muslim world
observes the Divine Trust and becomes the representative of trustworthiness and security in the
world, a "new world order" based on justice and balance will be possible. Otherwise, humanity will
continue to chase after mirages of justice, security, and happiness.
Through his truthfulness, trustworthiness, and other laudable virtues, God's Messenger left an
indelible mark on people of all ages. His every word and deed proclaimed his Messengership, that he
was sent to guide people to truth, to bring them out of the darkness of ignorance and savagery,
slavery and immorality, into the light of knowledge, high morality and love, compassion and true
freedom.14
14 http://fgulen.com/en/fethullah-gulens-works/faith/prophet-muhammad/24792-trustworthiness
15
Fethullah Gulen – The Messenger of God: Muhammad– a

thematic tafseer
Truthfulness
Truthfulness is the cornerstone of Prophethood. No lies or deceit, whether explicit or implicit, were
ever heard from them. The Qur'an declares: Mention Abraham in the Book: Surely he was a most
truthful Prophet (19:41); Mention Ishmael in the Book; surely, he was a man of his word, and he was
a Messenger, a Prophet (19:54); and Mention Idris (Enoch) in the Book; surely he was a most truthful
Prophet. We elevated him to an exalted place (19:56-57). We also read in the Qur'an that a fellow
prisoner addressed Prophet Joseph: Joseph, O most truthful one (12:46).
The Prophets had to be endowed with truthfulness, for God wants everybody to be truthful and
extols the truthful: O you who believe, fear God and be with the company of the truthful! (9:119),
and: The believers are those who believed in God and His Messenger without ever feeling doubt
thereafter, and strove with their souls and possessions in the way of God; those are the ones who
are the truthful (49:15).
The Qur'an praises believers who, without faltering, carry out their promises: Among the believers
are the valiants who have kept their promise which they gave to God: Some of them carried out
their word [and were martyred] and the others are expecting (their turn); they have never thought
of going back on their word (33:23).
This verse extols the heroes of Uhud, a decisive turning point in Islamic history. After the Qurayshi
unbelievers were defeated at Badr, they had spent a whole year preparing for a deadly retaliatory
blow at the Muslims. Meeting at the foot of Mount Uhud, a few miles from Madina, the Muslims at
first were victorious and the Quraysh began to flee. At this crucial point, the archers whom God's
Messenger had positioned at 'Aynayn pass left their positions, against the Prophet's command, and
pursued the enemy. Khalid ibn Walid, commander of the enemy's cavalry, took this opportunity to
surround the Muslims from behind. As a result, the Muslims experienced a reverse. Such leading
figures as Hamza, Mus'ab ibn 'Umayr, 'Abd Allah ibn Jahsh, and Anas ibn Nadr were martyred. Even
the Prophet was wounded.
Let us note here that during the battle, God's Messenger, the Prophet of forgiveness and mercy who
was sent as a mercy for creation, raised his hands toward God and, while bleeding profusely, asked
for the enemy to be forgiven: "O God, forgive my people, for they do not know."
Anas ibn Nadr was the uncle of Anas ibn Malik, the servant of God's Messenger. Although he had
sworn allegiance with God's Messenger in 'Aqabah before he emigrated to Madina, for some reason
he did not fight at Badr. He so regretted this that he told God's Messenger: "O Messenger of God, if
God allows us to confront them once more, they will see what sufferings I will inflict on them!" He
fought fearlessly at Uhud, especially when the Muslims suffered a reverse. Just before being
16
martyred, he told Mu'adh ibn Jabal with a smile: "By God, I sense the scent of Paradise behind
Uhud."
The Qur'an exalts in the above verse (33:23) those martyrs who fulfilled their promise to God
through His Messenger, as well as others expecting martyrdom, to show that they were true to their
words. They are not the only ones extolled here; rather, all who fulfill their words and keep their
promises are mentioned here.
God's Messenger was known as a truthful person even before Islam. The Makkans, even the
unbelievers, called him al-Amin, the Trustworthy One, the Truthful. Even his enemies did not accuse
him of lying after he proclaimed his Prophethood. After the Treaty of Hudaybiya (6 AH), God's
Messenger sent letters to the rulers of neighboring countries. The Emperor of Byzantium received it
in Syria at a time when a Makkan trade caravan headed by Abu Sufyan was in the area of Damascus.
The Emperor summoned him, and the following conversation took place:
- Do the elite or the weak mostly follow him?

- The elite.
- Has anyone apostatized after converting?
- Not yet.
- Do his followers increase or decrease?
- They increase daily.
- Have you ever heard him tell a lie?
- No, never.
Struck by Abu Sufyan's answers, at that time the bitterest enemy of Islam, the Emperor
acknowledged Muhammad's position: "It is inconceivable for one who has never told a lie during his
whole life to invent lies against God." The Emperor was right. Why would a believer who had never
told a lie, even in jest, suddenly begin to lie, especially against God, when he is 40 years old and
getting closer to the grave?
The Makkans agreed unanimously that God's Messenger was a truthful person. Once before his
conversion, Yasir asked his son 'Ammar where he was going. 'Ammar said that he was going to
Muhammad. Being fully satisfied of his son's safety while with Muhammd, he replied: "Muhammad
is a trustworthy person. The Makkans recognize him so. If he claims Prophethood he must be telling
the truth, for no one has ever heard him tell a lie."
God's Messenger always encouraged truthfulness, as can be seen in his words as recorded in the
following Traditions:
• Promise me six things and I will promise you Paradise: Speak the truth, keep your promises, fulfill
your trusts, remain (sexually) chaste, don't look at what is unlawful, and avoid what is forbidden.
• Abandon what arouses your suspicions and follow what is certain. Truthfulness gives satisfaction;
lying causes suspicion.
• Seek truthfulness even if it might bring you to ruin.
• Always be truthful, for truthfulness leads to righteousness and righteousness leads to Paradise. If
you are always truthful and seek truthfulness, God records you as such. Never lie, for lying leads to
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shamefulness and shamefulness leads to Hell. If you insist on lying and seek deceit, God records you
as such.
Due to his truthfulness, God's Messenger rose to such a high rank that his nearness to God is
expressed metaphorically in the Qur'an as follows: Then he approached and came nearer, till he was
[distant] two bowlengths, or even nearer (53:8-9).
Truthfulness always brings salvation, even if it causes one's death. We die through truthfulness only
once, whereas each lie is a different kind of death. One of the most striking examples of this is the
case of Ka'b ibn Malik, a famous Ansari poet who swore allegiance to God's Messenger at 'Aqabah.
Although he took part in almost all the battles, he missed the campaign of Tabuk without a
justifiable excuse.
The Tabuk campaign was very difficult. It took place in mid summer and, what is more, against the
Roman Empire. Although God's Messenger always kept the destination of such campaigns secret,
this time he disclosed it and wanted every believer to participate. Ka'b completed his preparations
but, at the last minute, uncharacteristic negligence kept him from joining the army.
When God's Messenger returned from the campaign, he asked those who had not fought why they
had stayed at home. The Hypocrites lied and made excuses, but Ka'b, being unable to lie, told the
truth. God's Messenger told him to leave. Thereafter, Ka'b and two other believers who had done
the same thing were boycotted. On the order of God's Messenger, no Muslim met with them or
spoke to them. They repented publicly, begging God for forgiveness, for 50 days. After this, it was
revealed that:
As for those three, the acceptance of their repentance was delayed until, for them, the Earth, vast as
it is, was straitened and their own souls were straitened to them, and they perceived that there is no
fleeing from God and no refuge but with Him. Then He accepted their repentance so that they could
recover their former state. Verily, God is the One who accepts repentance, Most Merciful. (9:118)
After this revelation, Ka'b ibn Malik told God's Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings: "I
promise to speak the truth as long as I live."
Truthfulness is the pivot of Prophethood. It could not be otherwise, for if a Prophet were to lie,
everything connected with the Divine religion would be upset. All it takes is one lie to call a mission
into question. Thus God declares: If he [Muhammad] had invented false sayings concerning Us, We
would surely have grasped him firmly, and then cut off the artery of his heart, and none of you could
have withheld Us from doing this (69:44-47).
The Prophet never lied or broke his promise, either prior to or during his Prophethood. A Companion
remembered: "Before his Prophethood, we made an appointment to meet somewhere. It was,
however, 3 days after the appointed time when I remembered it. When I hastened to the appointed
place, I found the future Prophet waiting for me. He was neither angry nor offended. His only
reaction was to say: 'O young man, you have given me some trouble. I have been waiting here for
you for 3 days.'"
Some of His Predictions

18
Ordinary people can establish their truthfulness by their detracator's inability to provide any proof to
the contrary. In the case of a Prophet who has brought a universal Divine system, people expect
more. They want explanations and rules for everything: theology, law, sociology, human psychology,
economics, history, and so on. Moreover, a Prophet must be proven truthful in all of them.
The explanations of God's Messenger concerning theology-Divine Essence, Attributes, and Names-
are such that philosophers, religious scholars, and saints cannot compete with him. Instead, they
study his explanations and try to perceive the truths behind them. In addition to these, he dealt with
the most subtle matters of Destiny and human free will so ably and convincingly that if his
knowledge is ignored, we cannot obtain a true understanding of such matters.
What he said about past nations and previous Prophets has been confirmed by historical research
and followers of previous Scriptures. Although unlettered, never enjoying the benefit of being able
to read or being taught by another person, he established the most rational, practical, and just
system known to history. Islamic civilization, which based itself on this system, enabled a large
portion of humanity to experience true happiness for centuries. Indeed, the universal system of life
revealed to him continues to offer a unique alternative for our future in general. The happy world of
the future will be built upon its principles.
Out of hundreds of his predictions, the vast majority of which already have come true, I would like to
present a selection to show his truthfulness in this matter.
'Umar reports that one day the Prophet, upon whom be peace, ascended the pulpit after the dawn
prayer and spoke about almost everything from the creation of the world to the Last Day. He
mentioned certain past events and what will befall humanity until that Day. These predictions
demonstrate that his teacher was God, the All-Knowing, and that he related only what was revealed
to him. Before giving specific examples, we must clarify a few points concerning knowledge of the
Unseen.
Knowledge of the Unseen. The concept of the Unseen pertains to what is suprasensory and
metaphysical, or even metacosmic. In this sense, the past, the future, and everything beyond
ordinary human senses are included in the concept of the Unseen, provided that certain concrete
indications have not been manifested. In a narrower sense, the Unseen pertains only to the future. It
is this second sense that is used in the following section, as I intend to concentrate on his
predictions.
The knowledge of the Unseen is, first of all, with God. As we read in the Qur'an:
With Him are the keys of the Unseen, none knows them but He. He knows whatever is in the ground
and the sea. Not a leaf falls but He knows it. There is not a grain in the darkness of the ground nor
anything wet, fresh, or dry but is in a Manifest Record. (6:59)
Say, [O Muhammad]: "I do not tell you that with me are the treasures of God, nor that I know the
Unseen, nor do I tell you that I am an angel. I but follow what is revealed to me." Say: "Are the blind
and the one who sees equal? Will you not then reflect?" (6:50)
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Say: "I have no power over any benefit or harm to myself except as God wills. If I had the knowledge
of the Unseen, I should increase good for myself and no evil should have touched me. I am only a
warner and a bringer of glad tidings unto people who believe." (7:188)
Does this mean that no one can obtain even a small part of this knowledge? To answer this question,
we should consider the following points:
• Whatever we have (e.g., health, knowledge, and power) essentially belongs to God and is,
accordingly, from God. We have no power except that which He has given us, and no knowledge
except that which He has taught us or enabled us to learn. We see and hear because He makes this
possible. This being so, the verses do not exclude people absolutely from acquiring some of this
knowledge-but only if He allows this.
• The concept of the Unseen relates to the future and the past. The Qur'an presents the stories of
past nations as stories of the Unseen. Historical research informs us of the past.
• Many people can, by God's Will, glimpse part of the future in dreams or other ways that are
beyond the scope of this book.
• The Qur'an, like the universe and humanity, is an organic entity, for each verse is interrelated with
the others. Thus the first and foremost interpreter of the Qur'an is the Qur'an itself. This means that
a complete and true understanding of a verse depends on understanding all other relevant verses. It
is a creedal principle and explicitly declared that knowledge of the Unseen, like power, seeing, and
hearing, belongs to God. However, He reveals some of this knowledge to a Messenger whom He has
chosen: [God alone is] the knower of the Unseen and He does not disclose His Unseen to anyone,
except a Messenger whom He has chosen (72:26-27).
God revealed many secrets to His Messenger, who then related to his people those that they needed
to know. The number his predictions reported in authentic books of Tradition exceed 300, and fall
into three categories: his own time, events after his death, and miraculous explanations that can be
understood only in conjunction with scientific developments.
His Own Time
• As reported by authentic books of Tradition, including Sahih al-Bukhari, one day God's Messenger
mounted the pulpit, preached, and then told the congregation to ask him whatever they wished to.
They did so. Finally, a young man named 'Abd Allah stood up and asked who his father was. Since
illicit intercourse was widespread in pre-Islamic times, this young man was attributed to someone
other than Hudafa al-Sahmi, whom he called father. God's Messenger told him his father was Hudafa
al-Sahmi. Freed from groundless accusations, 'Abd Allah was relieved and thereafter was called 'Abd
Allah ibn Hudafa al-Sahmi.
People continued to ask questions until, eventually, 'Umar, noticing the anger of God's Messenger,
stood up and said: "We are pleased with God as our Lord, with Islam as our religion, and with
Muhammad as our Messenger." This eased the Prophet and he came down from the pulpit. This
event took place before all the Companions, and no one was reported to contradict what he said.
• 'Umar reports in a narration recorded in Sahih al-Muslim: Before the Battle of Badr started, God's
Messenger walked around the battlefield and pointed to some locations, saying: "Abu Jahl will be
20
killed here, 'Utba here, Shayba here, Walid here, and so on." By God, after the battle we found their
corpses in those exact places.
• Ahmad ibn Hanbal reports: One day, God's Messenger was sitting in the mosque with his
Companions. He told them: "In a few minutes, a man with a shining face will come. He is one of the
best people of Yemen, and has on his forehead an angel's handprint." After a short while the man
came and, kneeling before God's Messenger proclaimed his conversion. He was Jarir ibn 'Abd Allah
al-Bajali.
• In his Dala'il al-Nubuwwah, Bayhaqi narrates: Abu Sufyan accepted Islam during the conquest of
Makka, but belief had not yet been established firmly in his heart. While God's Messenger was
circumambulating the Ka'ba, it occurred to him: "I wonder what would happen if I formed a new
army to confront this man once more." No sooner had he thought this than God's Messenger
approached him and said: "If you do, God will defeat you again." This strengthened Abu Sufyan's
belief, and he begged God's forgiveness. He finally understood that the Messenger was taught by
God, the All-Knowing.
• As related in the reliable books of Tradition, 'Umayr ibn Wahb, known as a "diabolic man" before
his conversion, conspired with Safwan ibn Umayya to assassinate God's Messenger. He went to
Madina for this purpose and pretended to be a Muslim. He was taken to the mosque. However,
since the Companions had no trust in him, they formed a protective circle around God's Messenger.
The Messenger asked 'Umayr why he had come to Madina. All of 'Umayr's lies could not convince
God's Messenger, who finally told him: "As you are not telling the truth, I will tell it. You conspired
with Safwan to kill me in return for 100 camels." Shocked by the truth of this answer, 'Umayr held
the Prophet's hands tightly in awe and amazement and became a Muslim. He became so deeply
committed to Islam that he came to be called "a most ascetic devotee of Islam."
The Future
The reliable books of Tradition contain approximately 300 such predictions, among them the
following:
• Bukhari and Muslim report from Usama that: One day I was with God's Messenger on the roof of a
tall building in Madina. Looking around, he said: "I see seditious events and internal conflicts pouring
down like raindrops among your houses."
'Umar was very afraid that disorder and sedition might appear in the Muslim community. One day
during his caliphate, he asked Hudhayfa ibn al-Yaman, to whom God's Messenger had disclosed
many secret things, including future events and who the Hypocrites were, about them. Hudhayfa
responded: "They have nothing to do with you, 'Umar. There is a gate between you and them."
'Umar asked if the gate would be opened or broken down. When Hudhayfa replied it would be
broken down, a shocked 'Umar exclaimed: "Then this gate will never be closed again!" 'Umar was
the gate between the Muslim community and sedition. After he was stabbed by a treacherous
Persian slave, Muslim unity received a fatal blow. Since that day, the Muslim world has suffered
discord and sedition.
• Bukhari and Abu Dawud quote Habbab ibn Arat, who said: "During the days of trouble and torture
in Makka, I went to God's Messenger while he was sitting in the shade of the Ka'ba. I was still a slave
21
then, and the Makkans tortured me severely. Unable to endure it any longer, I asked him to pray to
God for help and salvation. But he faced me and said: "By God, previous communities endured much
more than this. Some people were forced to lie in ditches and then sawed in half. This did not make
them forsake their faith. They were skinned alive, but never became weak against the enemy. God
will perfect this religion, but you are impatient. A day will come when a woman will travel alone by
herself from San'a to Hadramut fearing nothing but wild beasts. However, you show impatience."
Habbab concluded: "By God, what God's Messenger predicted that day has all come true. I have
personally witnessed it all."
• During his last illness, God's Messenger called his daughter Fatima to his bedside. He whispered
something to her, and she burst into tears. He called her again and whispered something else to her.
This time she displayed great joy. 'A'isha saw this and asked Fatima about it. At first, Fatima said:
"This is a secret belonging to God's Messenger." But after the Prophet's death, Fatima told her: "The
first time he said he would die of that illness, which made me weep bitterly. Then he told that I
would be his first family member to join him after his death, and this made me very happy." The
Prophet died of that illness, and Fatima joined him in death 6 months later.
• As related in most of the six authentic books of Tradition, one day on the pulpit God's Messenger
took his grandson Hasan into his arms and declared: "This son of mine is a noble one. It is hoped that
God will reconcile through him two large hosts of Muslims." Hasan was indeed a noble person.
About 35 years after this prediction, he renounced the caliphate in favor of Mu'awiya, thus
demonstrating the truthfulness of his noble grandfather.
• One day the Messenger put his hand on 'Abd Allah ibn Busr's head and said: "This boy will live 100
years, and those warts on his face will disappear." 'Abd Allah lived, as predicted by God's Messenger,
for 100 years and died without any warts on his face.
• As recorded in almost all books of Tradition and the Prophet's biography, the Muslims dug a ditch
around Madina during the Battle of Khandaq (the Ditch). The Prophet shared in this work and, to
reinforce his Companions morale, occasionally prayed for them: "O God, the true life is the life of the
Hereafter, so forgive the Helpers and the Emigrants." His Companions would reply enthusiastically:
"O God, had it not been for Your help and grace, we could not have found the Straight Path, paid
alms, or prayed. And so, send down upon us serenity, and make our steps firm if we encounter the
enemy!"
While digging, a huge rock was uncovered. The Companions could not remove it, and so called God's
Messenger. He came with a lever and pickaxe, and set out to smash it. Each blow produced a spark
and, through God's inspiration, he predicted a future conquest, saying: "I have been given the keys
of Byzantium; I have been given the keys of Persia; I have been given the keys of Yemen," [23] and so
on. Within 20 years, Persia and many parts of Byzantium belonged to the Muslims, thanks to the
brilliant military leadership of Khalid ibn Walid and Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas. Byzantium was conquered
later by the Ottoman ruler Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror.
• 'Adiy ibn Khatam reports: One day people complained, in the presence of God's Messenger, about
poverty, deprivation, and unsafe desert roads. He replied: "A day will come when a woman will
travel alone on her camel from Hira to the Ka'ba with fear of nothing but God alone. A day will come
and the treasures of Chosroes (the Persian ruler) will be distributed among you. A day will come
when people will travel around to find someone to pay the prescribed alms to, but in vain." When
22
God's Messenger made these predictions, members of the Tayy tribe used to attack travelers, and
the Persian Empire was enjoying its most splendid days. But I personally witnessed the first two
predictions come true, and I am expecting the third also will prove to be true.
'Adiy did not live long enough to see the third prediction come true. However, soon after his death,
during the caliphate of 'Umar ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz, people became so rich that no one could be found to
give the prescribed alms to in the vast lands of the Muslim state. Living standards were very high,
and there was no discernible imbalance in the distribution of wealth.
• While the Prophet's Mosque was being built in Madina, everybody, including God's Messenger,
worked to complete it as quickly as possible. Some cast sun-dried bricks, and others carried them to
construction site. Meanwhile, 'Ammar ibn Yasir, one of the first Muslims, approached God's
Messenger and, probably to attract his love and affection, said: "O God's Messenger, they loaded on
me two sun-dried bricks." God's Messenger smiled and, while rubbing the dust off 'Ammar's face,
said he would be martyred: "What a pity (Glad tidings for you, according to another version), O
'Ammar, a rebellious group will kill you." 'Ammar was martyred about 40 years later at the Battle of
Siffin by Mu'awiya's followers.
• God's Messenger was distributing the spoils of a war when a man with Mongol features told him to
be just in distribution. To this impertinence, God's Messenger asked: "Who else will show justice if I
am not just? If I do not show justice, then I have been lost and brought to naught." According to
another version, he said: "If I am not just, then, (by following me) you (the people) have been lost
and brought to naught."
'Umar was furious with this man, and demanded that God's Messenger allow him to "cut off this
hypocrite's head." But the Messenger only said: "In the future, a group of people with chubby faces,
slanting eyes, and flat noses [like this man] will appear. They will recite so much of the Qur'an that,
when compared to their recitation, yours will seem small to you. Nevertheless, what they recite will
not have the slightest effect on them. They will leave the religion like an arrow shot from a bow.
There will, moreover, be a large fatty growth on the arm of one of them."
Years passed, and a group called the Kharijites appeared. Bearing these very characteristics, and
basing themselves on a mistaken interpretation of the Qur'an, they rebelled. Caliph 'Ali met and
defeated them at Nahrawan. A corpse with a fatty growth on its arm was taken to 'Ali. This event,
besides proving the truthfulness and Messengership of Prophet Muhammad, fulfilled another
prediction: "O 'Ali, I have fought for the descent of the Qur'an; you will fight against its
misinterpretation."
• One day God's Messenger slept in the house of Umm Haram, his foster aunt. He woke up smiling.
Umm Haram asked why he was happy, and he answered: "I dreamed that like kings seated on
thrones, a group of Muslims boarded ships and went off to war." Umm Haram asked him to pray
that she would be included in this group. He did so, and said: "You will be among them." Years
passed. During Mu'awiya's caliphate, Muslims waged war upon Cyprus. Umm Haram was in the army
accompanying her husband, "Ubada ibn Samit. She died there, and her tomb has been visited ever
since.
The Distant Future

23
• Once God's Messenger declared: "When the end of time [the Last Day] approaches, the children of
Kantura will appear. They will be slant-eyed, chubby-faced, and flat-nosed." This description fits the
Mongols, as it does some of the Kharijites, to whom it is traditionally thought to refer. God's
Messenger predicted both the Mongol invasion and the destruction of the Muslim world, and the
Western massacre of Andalusia's Muslims-two of the most tragic calamities to afflict the Muslim
nation. Always concerned with his people's fate, he used such predictions to warn Muslims that any
deviation from the Straight Path will bring calamity upon them. God uses wrongdoers and
oppressors to chasten and correct His believing servants, and afterward turns against the oppressors
and eradicates them.
• God's Messenger foresaw the conquest of Constantinople (present-day Istanbul): "Certainly,

Constantinople will be conquered. How good is the commander who will conquer it, and how good
his army!" Hoping to be the object of the Prophet's praise, Muslim rulers and commanders from the
time of Mu'awiya sought to conquer this city. During one campaign, Abu Ayyub al-Ansari, the noble
Companion, was martyred and buried near the city walls.
Constantinople finally was conquered by the Ottoman ruler Mehmed the Conqueror. Besides this
great commander and statesman, his two school friends Hasan of Ulubat and Qadi Khidr Calabi, as
well as his tutor Ak Shamsaddin, were also symbols of this conquest. One was in the army, and the
others were in the departments of religious and scientific education. The prayer and praise of God's
Messenger encompasses all of them.
• God's Messenger predicted and explained the principle reasons for the Ottoman State's
destruction and condition of the Muslim world after the First World War: "Nations will call each
other, as people make invitations to a meal, to make a concerted attack on you." Someone asked:
"Will this happen because there are only a few of us?" God's Messenger answered: "No, your
numbers will be vast, but you will be as powerless as woodchips or straw carried in a flood. God will
remove your enemies' fear of you and implant within you a fear of death and a love of the world."
The prediction, which became reality during the First World War, also describes our current
situation. We are divided into many factions, while our enemies seek closer unity based on mutual
interests. In the past, they were afraid of us because we saw the grave as a bridal chamber,
something to look forward to. But now, we are so attached to this world that we do all we can to
escape death, even though we know this is impossible. We also have been the object of many
betrayals. 'Uthman and 'Ali were victims of treachery, and the magnificent Ottoman State was made
sacrificial food for the carnivorous peoples of the world. It experienced uncountable betrayals by
nations who had been so prosperous and peaceful under Ottoman rule.
• God's Messenger predicted the rise of communism in a hadith reported by Ibn 'Umar. Facing
toward the east, he said: "Take care! Anarchy and subversion will appear from that direction, from
where the Age of Satan will begin." The Age of Satan, built upon atheism and hedonism, is the
opposite of the Age of the Prophet, based on belief in and devotion to God. Communism, the
unlawful outcome of capitalism, champions hostility to religion, piety, and all moral and traditional
values. In another hadith, God's Messenger foretold that communism would arise as "a red wind."
• God's Messenger once declared: "The Euphrates will probably go dry, uncovering a treasure (a
mountain, according to another version) of gold beneath it. Whoever of you witnesses it, should
refrain from taking any of it." This hadith alludes to the great war expected to take place along the
24
Euphrates. Although this river has seen many wars, among them the Iran-Iraq war, this hadith points
to a much greater spasm of violence in the future. While we can take the hadith literally, we also can
take it figuratively. For example, oil is known as "black gold." Or, maybe the water itself will become
as valuable as gold and cause regional or even international wars. Maybe the income obtained from
the dams on this river will attract international attention and cause great wars. In whichever case,
God's Messenger warned that the Euphrates region is like dynamite at the heart of the Muslim
world.
• God's Messenger averred that Christianity would be purified of its borrowed, pagan elements and
join Islam, thus strengthening the Divine religion. This will be a universal turning point in human
history, and the believers, at a time when they are gripped by their enemies, will defeat and destroy
the global representatives of unbelief.
• God's Messenger predicted that agricultural reform and developments in science and technology
would enable farmers to produce a pomegranate that, on an individual bases, will be enough for
twenty people, and that its rind will provide shade for people. He also prophesied that wheat
produced in area the size of a house balcony will be enough to feed a family for a year. With the
advent of biotechnology and genetic manipulation, such wonders are probably not too far in the
future.
• In another Tradition, God's Messenger describes the end of time: "Prior to Doomsday, people will
discriminate when greeting others (preferring to greet only some), trade will be given so much
currency and preference that a wife will help her husband in it, parents and relatives will no longer
be visited, false evidence and false testimony will replace the truth, and writing will gain
prominence."
All of this has come true. Today, trade is the most preferred way of making a livelihood, and women
are exploited to advertise various products and services, and to attract customers. The rights of
parents and relatives are no longer considered and, once they become old and most need attention
and affection, they are often placed in old people's homes or nursing homes. The power of the
modern press is unquestionable, and lying is now so widespread that few people can resist it. This is
true at all levels, from business lies to false testimony in law suits.
• In a hadith qudsi, the Prophet relates from God: "At the end of time I will cause knowledge to be
obtained by everyone, men and women, slave and free, and old and young." Education is now open
to almost everyone through schools, universities, and the media. Many intellectuals and scientists
say that the next age will be the Age of Information.
• In another authentic Tradition, God's Messenger declares: "The Last Day will not come until the
Qur'an is a means of shame and Islam is left without a powerful group to support it." [39] We have
seen the truth of this prediction. For nearly a century, Muslims have been persecuted even in their
own lands. While atheists and unbelievers have openly declared their unbelief everywhere, Islam
has been the target of verbal, written, and even physical assault. Muslims have felt compelled to
conceal their belief, and have become too ashamed to openly declare their belief.
• The Messenger predicted the developments in telecommunication and transportation. The above
hadith continues: "The Hour will not come until the distances of time and space diminish." I have
translated the word taqarub as "diminish." It means "to approach each other" and implies that
25
before the Day of Judgment, things which previously took a long time will be possible in a very short
time.
This hadith, in addition to predicting modern methods of transportation and telecommunication,

implies that time is relative. The Earth is gradually taking an elliptical shape. This may cause some
changes in the division and calculation of time. As for the relativity of time alluded to in the hadith,
we know that time differs in some aspects (e.g., division, length, calculation, and the speed of its
passage in or around every sphere or planet). If humanity manages to leave this solar system, the
present conception of time will completely change. Thus, in a single word, God's Messenger makes
several predictions, some of which have already come true, and also alludes to several scientific
facts.
• God's Messenger also predicted: "A time will come upon people when almost everyone will eat
from usury, to the extent that those who refrain from it will be exposed to its 'dust'." God's
Messenger points to two important facts:
- A time will come when all formal transactions will involve interest. No one will be able to avoid it
completely. However, those who do not enter into interest-based transactions will not be held
accountable for the interest they eat unintentionally, as long as they do their best to refrain from
usury.
- God's Messenger may have meant by being exposed to its dust that a capitalist class would emerge
and increase its wealth through interest. This would gradually lead the working class into deeper and
deeper poverty, which would result in direct and bitter class warfare.
It goes without saying that all these predictions have come true. How tragic it is that Muslim
countries are in such a despised, degenerate state because, among other things, they are drowning
in a swamp of interest despite the Qur'anic warning that anyone involved in interest-based
transactions is at war with God and His Messenger (2:279). If only Muslims had been conscious of
such Qur'anic statements, they would not be in such a miserable position.
• In the following authentic Tradition, God's Messenger points to another aspect of the present sad
state of the Muslim world: "A time will come upon people when believers conceal themselves as
hypocrites do among you today." At the time of the Prophet, hypocrites used to conceal themselves
by going through the outward motions of the religious rituals. According to this hadith, Muslims will
try to conceal themselves, even to the point of performing their religious obligations in secret. The
same state was described in another hadith: "Sedition and deviation will occur, and a Muslim will be
disgraced for performing the prescribed prayers, just as a woman is disgraced today because of
fornication."
• In another narration, God's Messenger predicted that oil would be discovered in Taleqan (Iran):
"Good tidings to Taleqan, for God's treasuries are there, but not of gold and silver." [43] In the past,
treasury meant gold and silver. For this reason, God's Messenger emphasized that Taleqan's
treasuries would be something else. What comes to mind first today when told of such a treasury is
oil. However, God's Messenger also might have implied resources of uranium or diamonds. If this is
the case, the prediction has come true, for such resources have been discovered in and around
Taleqan.
26
• "You will walk in the footsteps of those who preceded you so closely that if, for example, they put
their heads in a lizard's hole, you would do the same." The Companions asked him if those who
preceded you meant the Jews and Christians, and he answered: "Who else could it be?" Muslims
have been suffering from an identity crisis for two centuries. They are blind imitators of the West
and have been caught up in vices that destroyed all previous civilizations.
Scientific Developments
God's Messenger also made many predictions concerning various scientific developments, some of
which have already come true. Out of the many examples, I will cite only a few to illustrate his
accuracy in this regard.
• As related by Bukhari, God's Messenger declared: "God did not send down an illness for which He
did not send a cure." This hadith, in addition to declaring that every illness is curable, is the most
comprehensive statement encouraging medical research. In another Tradition, the Messenger states
that "there is a cure for every illness."
Another version tells us: "Do not neglect to treat your diseases, for God does not send a disease for
which He does not also send a cure. The only exception is old age." Humanity may discover a cure
for every illness, but will never be able to stop our journey from the world of spirits to the material
world and then on to either Paradise or Hell through the stations of embryo, infancy, childhood,
youth, old age, the grave, and the Resurrection. The Prophet encourages us to learn how to cure
illnesses, but also warns us not to neglect preparing for the next world.
God encourages us to pursue scientific knowledge by relating the miracles of earlier Prophets. This
brings such matters to the scientists' attention and thereby shows the limits to their aspirations. By
allowing Jesus the inimitable miracle of bringing the dead back to life, He points out that we can cure
everything but death. The story of Moses' staff shows us that we can use inanimate things for
various purposes, such as obtaining water from deep underground by using such simple things as a
staff like a centrifuge. However, we will never cause a rock to bring forth abundant water by striking
it with a staff, or to change a staff into a snake, both of which Moses did.
The Qur'an is Prophet Muhammad's greatest miracle, and marks the farthest limit in literary style
and eloquence that humanity can attain. It also implies that writing and eloquence will have the
greatest importance toward the end of time. The Prophets set examples and showed us the limits to
which we may go in material as well as spiritual progress.
• The Messenger advised quarantine to contain outbreaks of contagious diseases: "If you hear that
there is pestilence in a place, don't enter it; if pestilence breaks out where you are, don't leave it to
escape the pestilence." According to Ahmad ibn Hanbal, he also declared: "Keep away from the
leper as you do from a lion." In this hadith, God's Messenger advises us to protect ourselves against
leprosy. Quarantine is again suggested here as a way to prevent the spread of leprosy.
• Imam Muslim narrates in his Sahih that God's Messenger declared: "If a dog licks your bowl, clean
it seven times, first time with soil, and the other six with water." This hadith contains the following
medical principles related to bacteria:
27
- Dogs may carry microbes of certain diseases that can be passed to people. This fact was discovered
recently by scientists.
- A dog's saliva and excrement may contain substances that can damage a person's health.
- At the time of the Prophet, disinfection and sterilization were unknown. Nevertheless, God's
Messenger recommends that a bowl licked by a dog be cleaned with soil. Today we know that soil is
a good antiseptic that contains such substances as tetracycline.
In another hadith concerning dogs, God's Messenger expresses a fundamental principle of ecology:
"If dogs were not a separate community, I would order their killing." This implies that every species
is an indispensable element of ecological balance.
• As recorded by Sahih al-Tirmidhi and Sunan Abu Dawud, God's Messenger declares: "The blessings
of food lie in washing hands before and after eating." This hadith emphasizes the importance of
cleanliness. As we use our hands, germs accumulate and can be removed only by washing them. In
another hadith, he advises us to wash our hands after we wake up since "You do not know where
your hands have moved while you sleep." At that time, no one knew about microbes.
• As recorded in all six of the most authentic books of Tradition from as many as 40 Companions,
God's Messenger established the principle of dental care: "If it didn't burden upon community
excessively, I would command them to clean their teeth with miswak [a tooth stick] before each of
the five daily prayers." Dental hygiene is of great significance not just for our teeth, but for our entire
body. God's Messenger followed this practice, and so we should do likewise.
• In relation to health and digestion, God's Messenger recommended: "In eating, apportion a third
of your stomach to food, another third to water, and leave the last third empty. The bowl most
distasteful to God is a full stomach." In another similar hadith, he said: "What I fear concerning my
community is a large stomach, oversleep, idleness, and the lack of certainty."
All of the points mentioned here are either antecedent to or a result of the other. Those who are idle
and heedless, who ignore self-control and self-criticism, are apt to become fat. This causes them to
eat more food. A full stomach encourages more sleep, and the person begins to sleep for longer
periods of time. Such people, now addicted to overeating and excessive sleeping, will never be able
to acquire certainty and deep conviction in Islam. This is the case with most people today.
• Another Tradition concerning health is as follows: "Treat your eyes with kohl, for it nourishes the
eyes and eyelashes." Many medical authorities state that kohl does exactly that. Another substance,
recommended by the Prophet and useful for health as an antibiotic and for its dermatological effect,
is henna. Henna is better and more effective as an antiseptic and sterilization agent than such
substances as a tincture of iodine.
• Bukhari relates from Abu Hurayra that once God's Messenger said: "A black cumin seed contains a
cure for every illness but death." This hadith contains many truths related to therapy. A patient
needs, particularly during convalescence, foods that are rich in proteins, calories, and vitamins, and
that are easily digestible. Scientific investigations have recently shown that all these properties are
found in black cumin.
28
• Bukhari relates from God's Messenger: "When a fly falls into your bowl, dip it completely in the
food before taking it out. There is disease in one of the fly's wings, and cure in the other." No one at
that time knew that flies carry microbes. Moreover, when a fly drops into a bowl, it tries to hold one
of its wings off the food so that it can take off again. Thus, it leaves bacteria on the food. But when it
is submerged with a slight touch, the tiny bag on the other wing bursts and scatters the anti-bacteria
to kill the germs already left. This is a very recent medical discovery.
• 'A'isha related that once a woman named Fatima bint Abu Khubash asked God's Messenger: "O
God's Messenger, my blood does not stop. Should I abandon the prescribed prayers?" He replied:
"No, you must not, for it is not menstrual blood but rather a haemorrhage." Except by Prophethood,
how could he have distinguished between a normal haemorrhage and menstrual blood? How could
he have known that menstrual bleeding is a kind of haemorrhage?
• Tariq ibn Suwayd narrates: I used to suffer from an illness, and took alcohol as a remedy. When
alcohol was banned, I asked God's Messenger whether I could continue using this remedy. He told
me: "No, for it is not a remedy; rather, it is the disease itself." Scientists now agree that even a
single drop of alcohol is harmful to one's physical and spiritual health.
• God's Messenger proclaimed that ten things are intrinsically necessary for men and therefore
ordered by Prophets. Circumcision is one of them. Today, scientists admit that a man's foreskin is
exposed and susceptible to infections, even cancer. Therefore, millions of people are circumcised in
Europe and America.
We are convinced that the West will one day acknowledge the truth of Islam, and that the prediction
made at the beginning of the twentieth century by Said Nursi will come true: "The Ottoman State is
pregnant with a Western one, as the West is with an Islamic one. Both will give birth to what they
are pregnant with."
We have so far explained the truthfulness of Prophets, emphasizing the truthfulness of Prophet
Muhammad. As mentioned several times, all predictions made by a Prophet eventually come true,
for they never lie. They came to guide us to the Straight Path and to lead us to Paradise. Had they
lied even once, they would have guided no one to the truth. However, their truthfulness, especially
that of Prophet Muhammad, will be manifested as brightly as the sun in the Hereafter, where people
will see everything clearly. In that place, all the tidings they gave about the next life, the
Resurrection, the Place of Gathering, the Final Reckoning, the Bridge, Paradise, and Hell will be
realized.15
15http://fgulen.com/en/fethullah-gulens-works/faith/prophet-muhammad/24777-truthfulness

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َ‫ﺼﺪّﻳﻘﻴﻦ‬ ّ ‫ﺳﻮ َﻝ ﻓَﺎُﻭﻟﺌِ َﻚ َﻣ َﻊ ﺍﻟﱠﺬﻳﻦَ ﺍ َ ْﻧﻌَ َﻢ‬

ّ ‫ﻳَﺎ ﺍَﻳﱡ َﻬﺎ ﺍﻟﱠﺬﻳﻦَ ﺍ َﻣﻨُﻮﺍ ﺍﺗﱠﻘُﻮﺍ‬

ُ ‫ﺎﺕ ﺗ َ ْﺠﺮﻯ ِﻣ ْﻦ ﺗ َ ْﺤﺘِ َﻬﺎ ْﺍﻻَ ْﻧ َﻬ‬

Narrated Isma'il bin 'Ubaid bin Rifa'ah:

Narrated Hakim b. Hizam:

Narrated Abdullah ibn Amir:

From the Risale-i Nur Collection by Beduizzam Said Nursi – a

Damascus Sermon, Third Word

Fethullah Gulen – Key Concepts in the Practice of Sufism-1– a

The truthfulness of a lover affects even the lifeless;

Why then should it be found strange that it affects man's heart?

Let us conclude with a fine couplet:

What befits man is truthfulness even if under threat;

Fethullah Gulen – The Broken Jug– a thematic tafseer

The faithful and trustworthy person

The Divine Names “As-Salam” and “Al-Mu’min”

In addition to truthfulness, another property of God’s Messengers is trustworthiness. Each of them

The credibility of trust

Administrators’ representation of their values

Fethullah Gulen – The Messenger of God: Muhammad– a

Trustworthiness is a cornerstone of belief:

Fethullah Gulen – The Messenger of God: Muhammad– a

- Do the elite or the weak mostly follow him?

• Seek truthfulness even if it might bring you to ruin.

Some of His Predictions

His Own Time

The Distant Future

• God's Messenger foresaw the conquest of Constantinople (present-day Istanbul): "Certainly,

This hadith, in addition to predicting modern methods of transportation and telecommunication,

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