The Consequences of Oppression and Dishonesty: Protecting Faith and Fulfilling Trust

Cause of Losing Faith

Sayyidunā Abu Bakr Warraq رَحْمَةُ اللهِ عَلَيْه says, “Oppressing others often results in the loss of Imaan (faith)”. What will you do if the oppression makes you lose your Imaan and die a disbeliever! Listen! Listen! The 25th to 32nd verses of Sura-tul- Haaqah (part 29) speaks of the disgrace of the disbelievers:

وَأَمَّا مَنْ أُوتِيَ كِتَٰبَهُۥ بِشِمَالِهِۦ فَيَقُولُ يَٰلَيْتَنِي لَمْ أُوتَ كِتَٰبِيَهْ ۝ وَلَمْ أَدْرِ مَا حِسَابِيَهْ ۝ يَٰلَيْتَهَا كَانَتِ ٱلْقَاضِيَةَ ۝ مَا أَغْنَىٰ عَنِّي مَالِيَهْ ۝ هَلَكَ عَنِّي سُلْطَٰنِيَهْ ۝ خُذُوهُ فَغُلُّوهُ ۝ ثُمَّ ٱلْجَحِيمَ صَلُّوهُ ۝ ثُمَّ فِي سِلْسِلَةٍ ذَرْعُهَا سَبْعُونَ ذِرَاعًا فَٱسْلُكُوهُ ۝

A’la Hazrat Imam Ahmad Raza Khan رَحْمَةُ اللهِ عَلَيْه translates this verse in his masterpiece translation Kanz-ul-Imaan as such:

‘But as for him who is given his record in his left hand, he will say, if only I had not been given my book, and was not told my reckoning, if only it had been death, my wealth has not benefitted me, my power has gone from me, (The Angels will be told) take him and restrain him, and expose him to the hell fire, and then insert him in a chain of which the length is seventy cubits.’

صَلُّوا عَلَى الْحَبِيب صَلَّى اللهُ تَعَالٰى عَلَى مُحَمَّد

Read the Booklet ‘Consequences of Oppression’

My Dear Islamic Brothers! Please buy and read my booklet “The Consequences of Oppression” from Maktaba-tul-Madina or listen to the audio version. اِنْ شَآءَ اللّٰه عَزَّوَجَلَّ it will teach you ways of avoiding oppression and cruelty. To understand how to avoid all types of oppression and to protect your faith, travel in the Sunnah-inspiring Madanī Qafilas of Dawat-e-Islami and whilst doing Fikr-e-Madina punctually, fill in your Madanī In’aamaat card daily and hand it in to your local in charge at the end of every Islamic month.

Second Piece of Merchandise: Dishonesty

Satan said that his second piece of merchandise was dishonesty and that he sells it to traders (business men). Many traders and business men are often seen treating people dishonestly. Remember! Dishonesty is also a sign of hypocrisy. A Hadith narrated by Sayyidunā Abdullah bin Umar رَضِیَ اللهُ عَنْهُ has been mentioned in Sahih Bukhari that The Holy Prophet صَلَّى اللهُ تَعَالٰى عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم said, “There are four signs of a hypocrite and if someone possess one of them he has one sign of hypocrisy (until he abandons it), (1) Betrayal when trusted with something (amaanat), (2) Lying whilst speaking, (3) Breaking promises, (4) Swearing when involved in an argument.”

(Sahih Bukhari, V1, P17, Hadith 34, Dar-ul-Fikr)

The Vast Meaning of Amaanat

My Dear Islamic Brothers! The word amaanat refers to a variety of things. Imam Qurtubi says, “Amaanat is to fulfil the entire commands and worships of Islam”. Hujja-tul-Islam Sayyidunā Imam Muhammad Ghazali رَحْمَةُ اللهِ عَلَيْه says, “The private parts are an amaanat, the ears are an amaanat, the tongue is an amaanat, the stomach is an amaanat, the hands and feet are an amaanat, he who has no amaanat has no faith”. So anyone who uses his body-parts in disobedience has used them wrongfully.

(Mukashifa-tul-Quloob, P43, Dar-ul-Kutubul Ilmiya Beirut)

Hazrat’e Sayyidunā Abdullah bin Amr bin Aas رَضِیَ اللهُ عَنْهُ says that before Allah عَزَّوَجَلَّ created the body parts of a person, the private parts were made and whilst addressing the person said, ‘I am leaving an amaanat with you. Don’t be neglectful in fulfilling its rights. Ears are amaanat, eyes are amaanat, private parts are amaanat, stomach is an amaanat and the tongue is an amaanat.’

(Navaad-rul-Usool fi Ahadith-ur-Rasool, V3, P155)

Hazrat Sayyidunā Fakhr-ud-Din Raazi رَحْمَةُ اللهِ عَلَيْه says, ‘Know that the chapter of amaanat is very big. The amaanat of the tongue is that the person saves it from lying, backbiting, slandering, kufr, bidat and wrongful acts. The amaanat of the eyes is that they are not used to look at Harām and the amaanat of the ears is that they are not used to listen to Harām. Similarly, a person needs to show that he is trustworthy when it comes to other body parts.

(Tafseer-e-Kabeer, V4, P109)

Severe Punishment for Dishonesty

Whenever you are left in trust of money, goods, books etc. you must return them on time. No one will be able to bear the punishment of breaching someone’s trust. Hujja-tul-Islam Sayyidunā Imam Muhammad Ghazali رَحْمَةُ اللهِ عَلَيْه says in Mukashifa-tul-Quloob, “On the day of judgement a man will be brought in the court of Allah عَزَّوَجَلَّ and asked, “Did you return what was trusted to you by so and so person?” He will reply in the negative, then by the command of Allah عَزَّوَجَلَّ an Angel will take him towards Hell, at the bottom of which he will see what was trusted to him, he will fall inside and reach the bottom 70 years later, he will then lift that thing and begin to climb, when he reaches the top he will slip and fall back down. This climbing and falling will continue until he will be blessed with Allah's mercy for the sake of the intercession of the beloved صَلَّى اللهُ تَعَالٰى عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم and the owner will forgive him.”

(Mukashifa-tul-Quloob, P44, Dar-ul-Kutubul Ilmiyyah Beirut)

Betraying Trust when Speaking

My Dear Islamic Brothers! Remember! As dishonesty is Harām in the matter of wealth, it is also forbidden to breach another person’s trust in matters of speech, social affairs and duties. For instance if someone tells you a secret or asks you not to tell anyone his phone number or address (or even if he does not mention it clearly but his fear and hesitation indicate that he does not want you to tell it to others, for example looking around to make sure no one is listening) but you reveal it (whether it be verbally, literally or using gestures) then you have breached his trust.

Beware Oh Government Officials

The responsibility of a ruler is to take care of his citizens and establish justice. If he does not fulfil his responsibilities, it will also be considered the breaching of the trust of the nation. The President, secretary, governor, chancellors, members of assembly, mayors, police officers etc are all in fact servants of the nation. They are paid from the taxes taken from the public. They might forget who they really are, but in actual fact these positions are like “wooden sweets” wrapped up in silky wrappers, impossible to chew and digest. These leaders have actually taken a huge risk by taking on these responsibilities, this might be hard to understand at the moment but everyone will understand after death. If any of them is unjust, and has oppressed, filled his pockets by taking advantage of his position, or turned his attention away from the grief of the nation then he has breached their trust. His evil character will probably prevent anyone from saying anything to him at the moment, but how long will he remain in this world? When the wrath of Allah عَزَّوَجَلَّ encompasses these leaders, not a single one of them will escape. The consequences of dishonesty are severe indeed in both worlds, dishonest leaders and officers often face disgrace even in this world, their disastrous consequences are portrayed everywhere by the media and the public eventually curses them.