One of the marks of true believers is, according to the Qur’an, that they “faithfully observe their trusts and their covenants” (23:8).

Maulana Shabbir Ahmad Usmani has briefly explained it in these words: “They do not commit breach of trust and do not break promises, neither in the matter of God nor in the matter of men” (p. 443).

Everything man has is given to him in trust by God or by man. In this way everyone is bound by certain promises and obligations. Some obligations are entered into by written or spoken agreement, while others are a matter of tacit understanding. Whatever the form of agreement, man has to fulfill all these trusts and obligations. If he fails to do so, he does not come up to the highest standards of humanity. He is proving himself guilty in the eyes of God.

Man’s body, heart and mind, are all like trusts from God. It is, therefore, incumbent upon man to make the best use of these endowments within the limits decreed by God. That is, his hands and feet should move only for the cause of justice, and not for tyranny. His mind should be full only of well-wishing and not of ill-will. Similarly all the trusts by which he is bound should be discharged to the trustees, whether these trusts are in written or in verbal form. He should never regard another’s possessions as his own.

The Qur’an defines believers as men and women who speak the truth. The noblest quality in a man or woman is honesty and avoidance of falsehood at all times. Indeed, nothing less than absolute truthfulness befits the human character.

Many traditions have been related which show the importance of truth. For instance, according to one tradition, the Prophet of Islam observed: You should speak the truth, because speaking the truth leads man to a life of virtue. And you should keep your distance from someone who tells lies, because telling lies leads man to a life of evil.

This Hadith commands us to speak the truth and it also tells us the wisdom of speaking the truth. When a man takes real care to speak the truth, a truth-loving personality is developed within him. The colour of truth dominates his temperament and thinking. Such a soul is nurtured within him as is free of all the evils of psychological complexes. In this way there is nothing to prevent the basic quality of honesty from shining through on all occasions.

On the contrary, one who, whenever he speaks, utters falsehoods, is sullying his inner personality. Purity of soul does not develop within him. He becomes more and more immersed in evil. This is why, according to a Hadith, the Prophet observed: The best utterance to me is that of the truth. The trader who is truthful and trustworthy will be raised on Doomsday along with the Prophets. (Bukhari)