lying be committed through action?! When a person behaves outwardly in a way that contradicts what he conceals within, he has lied by his very deed. The hypocrite, for instance, is a liar: he shows the people that he is a believer—he prays with them, fasts with them, and gives charity—yet he is in fact miserly. He may even perform the pilgrimage. Anyone who judged him by what he does would deem him upright, but those actions do not reveal what is in his heart, so they are a lie.

Hence we say: truthfulness is expressed by the tongue, and whenever a person’s outward limbs act in harmony with what is in the heart, that is truthfulness in action.

After commanding truthfulness, the Prophet ﷺ clarified its consequence, saying, “Indeed, truthfulness leads to righteousness, and righteousness leads to Paradise.”

Al-birr (righteousness) signifies abundant good; among Allah’s beautiful names is al-Barr—“the All-Benign,” abounding in goodness and beneficence.

Thus righteousness—abundant good—is one of the fruits of truthfulness. Concerning his words “…leads to Paradise,” the possessor of righteousness—may Allah make us and you among them—is guided by his righteousness to Paradise. Paradise is the ultimate aspiration. For this reason a person is instructed to ask Allah for Paradise and to seek refuge with Him from the Fire: “Whoever is kept away from the Fire and admitted to Paradise has certainly triumphed, whereas the life of this world is nothing but the enjoyment of delusion” (3:185).

He also said, “A man continues to speak the truth until he is recorded with Allah as a steadfastly truthful one (ṣiddīq).” In another wording: “He does not cease to tell the truth and pursue truthfulness until he is recorded with Allah as a ṣiddīq.”

The ṣiddīq occupies the second rank among the categories of people upon whom Allah has bestowed His favor, as the Almighty says: “Whoever obeys Allah and the Messenger—those will be with the ones upon whom Allah has bestowed favor…"