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TELLING THE
TRUTH
Telling
the truth is a very good habit. If you always speak the truth, you
can save yourself from a lot of trouble! Here is a story of a man
who did a lot of bad things, but his promise to tell the truth
saved him.
Once a man came to the prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.) and said,
"Oh prophet of Allah, I have many bad habits. Which one of
them should I give up first?" The prophet said, "Give up
telling lies first and always speak the truth." The man
promised to do so and went home.
At night the man was about to go out to steal. Before setting out,
he thought for a moment about the promise he made with the
prophet. "If tomorrow the prophet asks me where have I been,
what shall I say? Shall I say that I went out stealing? No, I
cannot say that. But nor can I lie. If I tell the truth, everyone
will start hating me and call me a thief. I would be punished for
stealing."
So the man decided not to steal that night, and gave up this bad
habit.
Next day, he felt like drinking wine, when he was about to do so,
he said to himself, "What shall I say to the prophet if he
asks me what did I do during the day? I cannot tell a lie, and if
I speak the truth people will hate me, because a Muslim is not
allowed to drink wine." And so he gave up the idea of
drinking wine.
In this way, whenever the man thought of doing something bad, he
remembered his promise to tell the truth at all times. One by one,
he gave up all his bad habits and became a good Muslim and a very
good person.
If you always speak the truth, you can be a good person, a good
Muslim whom Allah likes and favors. If Allah - our Creator - is
pleased with us, He will reward us with HEAVEN, which is a place
of happiness and joy.
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