Loss of Honesty and its Disappearance from People's Hearts

[ابوالوليد المسلم]

Loss of Honesty and its Disappearance from People's Hearts

Dr. Muhammad al-`Areefi


Putting the right man in the right position is the foundation of the Ummah's survival, for the well-being of the land and its people, and the flourishing of civilisation. If honesty is lost, then standards will be turned upside down; people's hearts will become corrupted and people with no qualification will be placed in charge of affairs, resulting in chaos. This is as prophesized by the Prophet Muhammad:
The reason for the loss of honesty is the corruption of people's hearts.
Hudhayfah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that The Prophet (Peace be upon him) said,
"Honesty was preserved in the roots of men's hearts then the Qur'an was revealed and they learned (it) from the Qur'an and from the Summit."
Then he related to us about its disappearance, saying,
"A man will go to sleep and honesty will be taken away from his heart, and only its trace will remain. Then he will go to sleep again and the remainder of the honesty will also be taken away (from his heart), leaving a trace like a blister, as when an ember touches your foot and raises a blister which has nothing inside."
Then he picked up a handful of pebbles and rolled them on his leg and said,
"People will engage in business with one another, but there will hardly be any honest persons among them. It will be said that in such-and-such a tribe there is an honest man, and a man will be admired for his strength, good manners and intelligence, but there will not even be a mustard-seed of Faith in his heart!"
Hudhayfah (may Allah be pleased with him) said,
"There was a time when I did not mind dealing with any one of you, for if he was a Muslim, his religion would prevent him from cheating; and if he was a Christian or a Jew, his Muslim ruler would prevent him from cheating; but today I cannot deal (in buying and selling) except with so-and-so, and so-and-so.[1]"
If the hearts of most people are corrupted, and people who are not qualified are placed in charge of things, and honesty is lost, then the Hour is close at hand.

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that while the Prophet (Peace be upon him) was in a gathering, speaking to the people, a Bedouin came and asked,
"When will the Hour be?" The Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) continued speaking. Some of the people thought, he has heard what the Bedouin said and disliked it; others thought that he had not heard the Bedouin. Then when he had finished speaking, he (Peace be upon him) said, "Where is the one who was asking about the Hour?"
He said, "Here I am, Messenger of Allah."
The Prophet said, "When honesty is lost, then wait for the Hour."
He asked, "How will it be lost?"
The Prophet said, "When authority is given to those who are not qualified for it, then wait for the Hour.[2]"
This sign is completely visible in our own time. You see many of those who hold positions of responsibility and other positions in society which have to do with the people's interests being not the most capable, most suitable, nor most trustworthy [for that position]. Those who are appointed to these positions are also not concerned with the people's well-being; rather, people are appointed on the basis of knowing the head of the department or having a common interest with those who support him, and so on.
So the Prophet (Peace be upon him) said the truth when he said,
"When authority is given to those who are not qualified for it, then wait for the Hour."

[1] Agreed upon

[2] Recorded by Al-Bukhari