Honesty in the Quran
Islam's Holy Book Exhorts Believers to be Truthful in their Speech
These Ayahs (verses) from Surat Al-Ahzab are broken down as follows.
"Ya Ayuha Aladheena Amanoo" (O You Who Believe)
The Ayah begins with, “Ya Ayuha Aladheena amanoo”, or “O those [of you] who believe”. From this, it is understood that the Ayah is directed at those who are believers. Allah gets their attention by exclaiming it in the first person. This is not some ordinary request; it is a warning.
"Ittaqoo Allaha" (Be Reverent to Allah)
The next words are, “Ittaqoo Allaha”. This is frequently translated as "Fear Allah (God)". Again, this is stated as a command. The type of fear that the word Taqwa denotes is not the type of fear that one gets when someone creeps up on them from behind, claustrophobia or any phobias. The word for that would be “Khaaf Allah” (Be afraid of Allah).
This Taqwa is the kind of “fear” that one has of disappointing someone out of a sense of overwhelming love and duty. It may be best described by the word "reverence". Why would the believers be commanded to Taqwa? When Taqwa dissipates, so do inhibitions. A person with no sense of inhibition is a dangerous person indeed and on a quick road away from Imaan (belief).
"Wa Qooloo Qawlan Sadeedan" and Speak the Rightful Speech
The Ayah is wrapped up by probably the most misunderstood section, “wa qooloo qawlan sadeedan”. “And say words that are “Sadeedan”. The misunderstanding or “understatement” occurs with the word “sadeedan”.
When doing a comparison of the different translations of the word “Sadeeda” into English, one will find each translation is different, from MH Shakir to Yusuf Ali to M. Pickthal. To be fair, they all stay within the general theme. What is being missed is that the true essence of the meaning is not being conveyed.
The word “Sadeedan” relates back to the root of “Dam” – as in a barrier that keeps water from flowing through. Words that are Sadeedan cannot be penetrated. So when one is cautioned to say only words that are Sadeedan they are asked to be sure of what they say; to not say something that can be proven wrong; to only speak words he knows are foolproof; to not speak conjecture. The believer should be sure that no loopholes can be found in his or her speech.
This “Sad” or Dam keeps all falsehood and lies from flowing out of one’s mouth. Words always have a way of coming back to the one who said them. If one is speaking about Islam, for instance, he should not speak about that which he does not know. If he is asked a question that he does not know, he or she should refer the questioner to a better source.
Final Thoughts
In summary, believers should be diligent about maintaining a state of Taqwa in the best way possible. One way to help maintain that state of Taqwa is to be honest and truthful in every word, at all times.
Approaching the understanding of Qur’an is a serious task. This article may have shed some light for some on what one can miss out on when depending solely on someone else’s translations and transliterations. It is always encouraged to make an effort to learn Arabic in order to get a better footing. Many, if not most Muslims, in English-speaking countries have made the effort to learn English solely for the purpose of worldly goals. What does that say about any possible excuse for not learning Arabic?
Allah written in Arabic Calligraphy
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