For a murīd (aspirant, disciple) who seeks to attain the Exalted Allah and aspires to embark upon the path of najāt (salvation), it is certainly necessary for the following three attributes to be realized: ṣidq (truthfulness), ikhlāṣ (sincerity), and ṣabr (patient endurance). For adorning oneself with all kamāl (perfection) attributes and being embellished by them is only attained when one is characterized by these three attributes. Likewise, action is only completed by these three conditions. Whenever these three qualities are separated from action, the action becomes corrupt and is not worthy of acceptance.
Advancement in righteous action and the degrees of perfection is only possible through ṣidq. Therefore, we will begin our discussion with ṣidq, then proceed to ikhlāṣ, and then to ṣabr.
The scholars have divided into several madhhab (schools of thought) regarding ṣidq. Some of them have gone into detail in categorization and elaboration, while others have chosen the path of summarization and brevity.
Ḥujjat al-Islām Imām Ghazālī (may Allah have mercy on him) mentioned six meanings for ṣidq: “Know that the term ṣidq is used in six senses: truthfulness in speech, truthfulness in intention and will, truthfulness in resolve and loyalty, truthfulness in action, and truthfulness in the realization of all religious stations. Whoever is characterized by all of these along with ṣidq is the ‘ṣiddīq’ (the utterly truthful). These six meanings can be explained as follows:
1- The ṣidq of the tongue is in reports. Fulfilling or not fulfilling a promise falls under this category. In ambiguous speech, there is escape from lying.
2- Ṣidq in intention and will falls under ikhlāṣ. Motivating and directing movements and stillnesses should only be for the Exalted Allah.
3- Ṣidq is to resolve to act for the sake of the Exalted Allah.
4- Ṣidq is to show loyalty with resolve in overcoming all obstacles.
5- Ṣidq in actions is that outward actions do not indicate an action that is not characterized inwardly.
6- To be truthful in religious stations such as fear, hope, reverence, zuhd (asceticism), riḍā (contentment with God's decree), tawakkul (reliance upon God), and love.
On the other hand, Qāḍī Zakariyyā al-Anṣārī (may Allah have mercy on him) mentioned that there are three loci to be considered in ṣidq: “Ṣidq is a judgment that conforms to what actually occurs. The loci of ṣidq are the tongue, the heart, and actions. Each of these requires its own specific quality. The quality in the tongue is to report something as it is. The quality in the heart is to resolve without doubt. The quality in actions is to perform them with vigor and love. The reason is that the report of one characterized by this quality is trusted, and its fruit is that both Allah and the people praise him.”[2]
The common people among Muslims, when ‘ṣidq’ is mentioned, understand it as truthfulness of the tongue. However, the Saʿādat al-Ṣūfiyya (the blissful Sufis) intend by ṣidq its general meaning, encompassing not only the truthfulness of the tongue, but also the truthfulness of the heart, actions, and states.
Allāma Ibn Abī Sharīf (may Allah have mercy on him) says in his marginalia on “ʿAqāʾid”: “The Sufis have used ṣidq in the sense that the secret, the outward, the manifest, and the hidden are equal. That is, the states of the servant should not belie his actions, nor should his actions belie his states.”[2]
Ṣidq, in this sense, is such an attribute that from it arise resolve, sincerity, ascension to degrees of perfection, and distancing from blameworthy deficient attributes.
In this respect, ṣidq is the sword of the Exalted Allah in the hand of the sālik (spiritual traveler). The sālik cuts the cords of attachments and obstacles that arise on the path of spiritual journeying to the Exalted Allah with it. If there were no ṣidq, one could not ascend the degrees of advancement. Certainly, the sālik would be subject to stagnation and interruption.
Allāma Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya (may Allah have mercy on him) says: “Ṣidq is the correctness of preparation for meeting the Exalted Allah, and it is the key to all righteous actions, states of iman (faith), and the stations of those who journey to Allah. Likewise, in wakefulness, repentance, turning (to Allah), hope, fear, tafwīḍ (entrusting affairs to Allah), submission, and in the actions of limbs such as the heart, it is the key to the stations of those who walk to Allah. The key to all of these is to prepare with ṣidq and to be ready to meet the Exalted Allah. The key, however, is in the hand of the Exalted Allah, the Opener and the All-Knowing. There is no god or lord but Him.”[3]
Whenever the sālik adorns himself with ṣidq to the extent of his ability, he succeeds in taking rapid steps toward the high degrees of iman. For ṣidq is a repelling and motivating force. It is an attribute necessary for every station among the stations of spiritual journeying to the Exalted Allah.
The beginning of the stages of the journey is the ṣidq of the servant in turning to his Exalted Lord with sincere repentance. That repentance is the foundation of righteous actions and the beginning of the degrees of perfection.
Ṣidq achieves great success in freeing oneself from the diseases and desires of the nafs (the lower self) that commands evil. The qalb (the heart) is cleansed from impurities. One attains the spiritual taste of iman described at the beginning of the hadith of the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him): “Whoever tastes the sweetness of faith...”[4]
Ṣidq, in the battle against Satan and in being saved from his whisperings, is the means by which the believer is saved from his tricks and traps and finds safety from his evil. It causes Satan to lose hope in misleading and corrupting the believer.
Ṣidq (for the sālik) directs a person to a struggle that continues with truthfulness in removing the love of the world from the heart, to prefer his religious brothers over himself, and to be engaged in cooperation in the paths of goodness. Indeed, the sālik is saved from the love of the world and from the world dominating his heart.
Ṣidq leads a person to uprightness in seeking knowledge to escape from ignorance and to correct action, to perseverance, to staying awake at night for abundant share, and to enduring many hardships. For the scholars have succeeded by their ṣidq, ikhlāṣ, and ṣabr.
Ṣidq in action is the fruit and goal of knowledge. For action always causes the servant to ascend and brings about the perfection of his knowledge. However, in this, ikhlāṣ is absolutely necessary. If there is no ikhlāṣ, then certain ailments such as love of fame, sumʿa (showing off one's hidden deeds), and attention to the nafs may enter upon the spiritual traveler and prevent him from his aim…
Ikhlāṣ in ṣidq removes the impurities in the path of striving toward the goal. That goal is the riḍā (contentment with God's decree), maʿrifa (gnosis, experiential knowledge of God), and love of the Exalted Allah.
Thus, the importance of ṣidq and the greatness of its effects have become manifest. Abū’l-Qāsim al-Qushayrī (may Allah have mercy on him) says: “Ṣidq is the foundation, completion, and order of every affair. It follows the degree of prophethood. The Exalted Allah says in Sūrat al-Nisāʾ, verse 69:
‘Whoever obeys Allah and the Messenger, they will be with those whom Allah has blessed: the prophets, the utterly truthful, the martyrs, and the righteous. What excellent companions they are!’
For this reason, the Exalted Allah commanded the believers to keep company with the people of ṣidq, to benefit from their states, and to take advantage of their ṣidq. The Exalted Allah says in Sūrat al-Tawba, verse 119:
‘O you who believe! Be conscious of Allah and be with the truthful!’
The Exalted Allah, describing that the truthful are few and that they are a select group among the believers, says in Sūrat al-Aḥzāb, verse 23:
‘Among the believers are men who have been true to their covenant with Allah.’
Maʿrūf al-Karkhī (may Allah have mercy on him), pointing to the scarcity of the truthful, said: “How many are the righteous, but how few are the truthful among the righteous.”[6]
The Exalted Allah reproached the hypocrites who were not truthful in their faith in Him and in their covenants with the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) in Sūrat Muḥammad, verse 21:
‘If they had been true to Allah in what they promised Him, it would have been better for them.’
The Exalted Allah informed that a servant will reap the fruits of his ṣidq on the Day of Resurrection, and that it will be a cause for his benefit and salvation, in Sūrat al-Māʾida, verse 119:
‘This is the Day when the truthful will benefit from their truthfulness.’
The Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) considered ṣidq as a path that leads a servant to all virtues and perfections and makes him worthy of entering Paradise. He made being constantly characterized by ṣidq a key to attaining the rank of ṣiddīqiyya (utter truthfulness).”
The Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Verily, truthfulness leads to pure goodness, and pure goodness leads to Paradise. A man continues to speak the truth until he is written with Allah as a ṣiddīq (utterly truthful). Verily, lying leads to wickedness, and wickedness leads to the Fire. A man continues to lie until he is written with Allah as a liar.”[7]
Indeed, the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) explained that ṣidq brings tranquility, peace, and ease of mind to the heart. Lying, on the other hand, causes anxiety, restlessness, doubt, and instability. Ḥasan b. ʿAlī (may Allah be pleased with them both) said: I memorized from the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him): “Leave what makes you doubt for what does not make you doubt. For ṣidq is tranquility, and lying is that which causes doubt.”[8]
The truthful are not all on the same level. Above the station of the ṣādiq (truthful) is the station of the ṣiddīq (utterly truthful). Abū’l-Qāsim al-Qushayrī (may Allah have mercy on him) said: “The minimum of ṣidq is that the inner and the outer are equal. The ṣādiq is one who is truthful in his speech, while the ṣiddīq is one who is truthful in all his speech, actions, and states.”[9] The degrees of ṣiddīqiyya differ among themselves; some are higher than others. The Exalted Allah testified that Abū Bakr al-Ṣiddīq (may Allah be pleased with him) attained the highest summit of the station of ṣiddīq in Sūrat al-Zumar, verse 33:
‘And the one who brings the truth and [those who] confirm it—those are the God-conscious.’
Above the station of ṣiddīqiyya is only the station of prophethood. The station of ṣiddīqiyya is the highest caliphate and the greatest walāya (friendship with God). In this station, spiritual openings follow one another, manifestations increase, and witnessing and unveilings are completed for the maturation and purification of the nafs.
Summary
Whoever repairs his inner self (bāṭin) with ṣidq and ikhlāṣ, his movements and stillnesses will flow according to what is in his heart. For this reason, ṣidq becomes manifest in his states, words, and actions. For whoever conceals a secret, the Exalted Allah clothes him in the garment of that secret.
Allāma al-Qurṭubī (may Allah have mercy on him) says: “If a person comprehends and understands a secret of the Exalted Allah, it is incumbent upon him to persist in ṣidq in his words, ikhlāṣ in his actions, and purity and cleanliness in his states. Whoever is in this state reaches the righteous (abrār), is counted among them, and attains the pleasure of the All-Forgiving.”[10]
O murīd! Do not abandon being truthful in your words! For lying is a trait of the hypocrites. The Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “The signs of a hypocrite are three: When he speaks, he lies; when he makes a promise, he breaks it; and when he is entrusted, he betrays.”[11]
When you desire to attain the Exalted Allah, be truthful. Loftiness and attaining the intended goals are not achieved by mere desire. For this reason, it is said: “He who merely wishes for union in his heart will not attain union. Rather, he who strives with seriousness and struggle will attain it.”
Repair your heart with ṣidq! Then, in your journey to the Exalted Allah, zeal and vigor will gush forth.
In a poem:
“You, be truthful and earnest in your saying ‘O Allah’,
Turning to Allah with ṣidq is accepted.”
Be truthful in your covenant with your murshid (spiritual guide) and your proof to Allah. Indeed, this will help you to ascend and reach swiftly.
Be truthful in conforming to the commands and prohibitions of your Lord and in following the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him), so that your servitude to the Exalted Allah may be realized. Servitude is the desire and aspiration in all the stations and ranks of those who journey to their Lord.
Notes
- Risāla-i Qushayriyya, p. 97
- Sharḥ Riyāḍ al-Ṣāliḥīn by Ibn ʿAllān al-Ṣiddīqī, vol. 1, p. 282
- Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya, Ṭarīq al-Hijratayn, p. 223. Ibn Qayyim died in the year 751 AH.
- The Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Whoever believes that Allah is his Lord, that the religion is Islam, and that Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) is the Prophet, will taste the sweetness of faith.” This hadith is narrated by Muslim in Kitāb al-Īmān from Abū Hurayra (may Allah be pleased with him), and by Aḥmad and Tirmidhī from ʿAbbās b. ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib (may Allah be pleased with him).
- Risāla-i Qushayriyya, p. 97
- al-Sulamī, Ṭabaqāt al-Ṣūfiyya, p. 87
- Narrated by al-Bukhārī in al-Ṣaḥīḥ, Kitāb al-Adab, and by Muslim in Kitāb al-Birr, from Ibn Masʿūd (may Allah be pleased with them both).
- This hadith is narrated by Tirmidhī in Kitāb Ṣifat al-Qiyāma, who said it is ḥasan and ṣaḥīḥ.
- Risāla-i Qushayriyya, p. 97
- Ibn ʿAllān, Sharḥ Riyāḍ al-Ṣāliḥīn, vol. 1, p. 284
- Narrated by al-Bukhārī in al-Ṣaḥīḥ, Kitāb al-Īmān, and by Muslim in Kitāb al-Īmān, from Abū Hurayra (may Allah be pleased with him). In the commentary on this hadith, al-Munāwī said: “Hypocrisy is of two types. The first is legal (sharʿī): to conceal disbelief and display faith. The second is customary: for the inner not to match the outer. The hypocrisy meant here is the latter.” Fayḍ al-Qadīr Sharḥ al-Jāmiʿ al-Ṣaghīr, vol. 1, p. 63
- Risāla-i Qushayriyya, pp. 95–96.
- Risāla-i Qushayriyya, pp. 95–96.
- Risāla-i Qushayriyya, pp. 95–96.
- Risāla-i Qushayriyya, pp. 95–96.
- Risāla-i Qushayriyya, pp. 95–96.
From the Erginli Dictionary
Sign of ṣidq; ṣidq in actions; ṣidq of resolve/ṣidq in resolve; ṣidq in speech/ṣidq of the tongue; ṣidq in the stations of religion; ṣidq in intention and will.
I said: Can ṣidq (truthfulness) and hawā (whim, desire) come together in a righteous action? He answered: Allah is able to subjugate hawā to ṣidq. Even so, this is rare. Among people, those who know this rarity are few, while those who do not know are many. For the will of the action comes before the action, while hawā and shahwa (passion) come after. Intention and ṣidq come after both. (Ādāb, 135)
Ṣidq and intention are two names. Their essential characteristic is a truthful will. (Ādāb, 140)
The sign of ṣidq is to desire action and speech solely for Allah, to abandon embellishing (one’s deeds), to love the goodness of creatures, and to be truthful in speech. (Ādāb, 147)
What is ṣidq? Ṣidq is to show loyalty to a covenant.
In my view, ṣidq is to love solitude and to engage in munājāt (intimate supplication) to the Lord. It is for what the tongue utters openly to conform with what is in the heart. It is to be occupied with oneself after striving, without regard for people. It is to learn knowledge and to correct (fulfill in a proper manner) matters of eating, drinking, clothing, and provision.
Source: Zafer Erginli (ed.), Dictionary of Sufi Terms with Texts.