the Fire; and a man continues to lie until he is recorded with Allah as a liar.” (Agreed upon).

[Explanation]
The author—may Allah have mercy on him—devoted this chapter to truthfulness, entitling it “Chapter: Truthfulness.” He first cited Qur’anic verses that we have already examined, and then brought the following traditions. Among them is the report of Ibn Masʿud—may Allah be pleased with him—in which the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “Adhere to truthfulness, for truthfulness leads to righteousness, and righteousness leads to Paradise….”

His words “Adhere to truthfulness” mean: remain firmly committed to it. Truthfulness is for one’s statement to correspond to reality. That is, when you inform about something, your report must match the facts. For instance, if someone asks, “What day is it today?” and you answer, “Today is Wednesday,” and indeed it is Wednesday, that is truthfulness. If you were to say, “It is Tuesday,” that would be a lie. Thus, truthfulness is the conformity of speech to fact.

We already saw in the story of Kaʿb ibn Mālik—may Allah be pleased with him—and his two companions an illustration of the virtue of truthfulness and its excellent outcome: the truthful person ultimately attains success, whereas the liar’s effort comes to nothing. It is related that one of the common folk once said, “Lying brings deliverance.” His brother replied, “Truthfulness brings deliverance—and brings it more surely.” That response is correct.

Be aware that informing occurs by the tongue and by the limbs. Informing by the tongue is spoken word, whereas informing by the limbs is action. But how can