‘Isa al Masih (pbuh) teaches his followers that it is always better to speak with honesty and integrity than it is to make vows. Read this story from the Holy Injil (al-kitab.org) beginning in Matthew 5:33.

Matthew 5:33-37

³³[‘Isa said] “Again you have heard that it was said to them of old time, ‘You shall not make false vows, but shall perform to the Lord your vows,’ [Taurat, Leviticus 19:12 and Numbers 30:3] ³⁴but I tell you, do not swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is the throne of Allah; ³⁵nor by the earth, for it is the footstool of his feet; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. ³⁶Neither shall you swear by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. ³⁷But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes’ and your ‘No’ be ‘No.’ Whatever is more than these is of the evil one.

Study the Story

Do you have a friend with you now?  If so, then tell each other this message in your own words and help each other remember the complete teaching.  If you are alone, then please take a moment to retell the message to yourself in your own words.  Also, think of a friend you can share this teaching with later on.

As you study this message, what does it teach you about ‘Isa al Masih (pbuh)?  (Think about this before reading more.)

Key Points

‘Isa (pbuh) confronts the common practice of deception in this teaching. Bani Israel knew that if they made a vow by Allah that they must not break it. So, instead of vowing by Allah, they would vow by heaven or earth or Jerusalem or their own hair. They thought they could wiggle out of their vow and not offend Allah if they did not specifically name him in their vow. ‘Isa (pbuh) points out how foolish they were. Everything they could swear by belongs to Allah; so, they were making their vow by Allah even if they didn’t say his name.

Pressing deeper, ‘Isa (pbuh) confronts the root of their sin. Their problem wasn’t just that they were trying to play word games with their vows. Their problem was that they were being deceitful. If they were always honest, then there would be no need to make a vow to convince others that they were speaking the truth. Vows are only necessary when deceit is common. That is why he commanded them to simply let their ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes’ and their ‘No’ be ‘No’.

Allah does not lie, and he hates deception. ‘Isa (pbuh) implies that deception is of Al-Shaitan when he says, “Whatever is more than these is of the evil one.” He knows that deception can open us up to attack from evil jinn (see Chain Breaking Mercy) and make us vulnerable to the evil eye. If Al-Shaitan is the deceiver, then speaking lies means we are aligning with him and opposing Allah. That is why ‘Isa (pbuh) speaks so strongly against deception. Like Bani Israel, we may try to justify a little deception and wiggle away from the truth, but ‘Isa (pbuh) warns us that there is nothing little about the lie, and when we move away from the truth, we move away from Allah himself because he is truth.

One of the reasons that Allah hates deception is that it destroys relationships. Two brothers cannot build their relationship on lies. A husband and wife cannot build their marriage with deception. Real relationship requires truth so that we can truly know and be known; so that we can trust one another without betrayal. In the same way, our relationship with Allah must be based on truth. May he reveal his truth to us, and may we always be honest with him. May we grow in trust of the one who will never betray us.

Dua

Do you desire greater honesty and integrity in your life? If you would like to, say a dua like this:

Oh Allah, you are most merciful and compassionate. Forgive me for speaking deceitfully and aligning myself with Al-Shaitan by my lies. Forgive me for saying ________ to ________ . I want to be aligned with you. Reveal your truth to me. Give me the courage to speak with honesty and integrity – always. Help me demonstrate my trust in you by choosing to speak truthfully. I want to grow closer to you. You are the truthful one. You are the faithful one. There is no other like you.