“I guarantee a house in Paradise for a man who avoids quarrelling even if he were in the right, who avoids lying even if he were joking, and...” According to the hadith above, will there be people who will wrong others in Paradise?

“I guarantee a house in Paradise for a man who avoids quarrelling even if he were in the right, who avoids lying even if he were joking, and who made his character good.” According to the hadith above, will there be people who will wrong others in Paradise?

Dear Brother / Sister,

The translation of the hadith is as follows:

"I guarantee a house in the surroundings of Paradise for a man who avoids quarrelling even if he were in the right, a house in the middle of Paradise for a man who avoids lying even if he were joking, and a house in the upper part of Paradise for a man who made his character good." (Abu Dawud, Adab 7; Tirmidhi, Birr 158; Nasai, Jihad 19; Ibn Majah, Muqaddima 7)

Another hadith regarding the issue is as follows:

“Guarantee for me six things from yourself and I will guarantee for you Paradise: Tell the truth when you speak. Keep a promise when you make it. When entrusted fulfill the trust. Protect you private parts. Lower your gaze. Guard your hand (from hitting people)." (Musnad, 5/323)

Testing will end with death; therefore, there is no testing in the hereafter. There will be no feelings, thoughts, words and deeds that are regarded ugly and bad in Paradise. This issue is also mentioned in verses. Therefore, the hadith in the question mentions the deeds done in the world, not the hereafter.   

The summary of the hadith is as follows: “If a person avoids quarrelling even if he is right, avoids lying even while joking and has exemplary ethics, I guarantee a mansion in the gardens of Paradise, upper part of Paradise and lower part of Paradise for him.”

The Islamic World can be saved from the disease of discord when it follows the guidance of the Prophet (pbuh) related to those issues. For, forgiving and tolerance seem to be an effective drug for the division and discord seen in the community. Tolerance and forgiving is a magic elixir that will bring together the individuals that have broken off. The following is stated in the Quran:

“…And fall into no disputes, lest ye lose heart and your power depart…” (al-Anfal, 8/46)

Therefore, the Prophet (pbuh) said, “I guarantee a house in the surroundings of Paradise for a man who avoids quarrelling even if he were in the right.” As it is seen, when people do not tolerate and forgive each other, their unity is broken and they fall off. This is contrary to the life philosophy that the Prophet (pbuh) represented.

Truthfulness, which is one of the indispensable qualities of prophets, is one of the most important aspects of the Prophet’s personality.

When we view the Prophet’s approach to truthfulness, we see that this attitude is beyond saving the tongue from a weakness; it forms an environment of inner peace and tranquility, and protects the individual from inner conflicts, contributing to personal integrity.  

“Truthfulness is inner peace and tranquility; lying is indecision.” (Musnad, 1/200)

Thus, the Prophet (pbuh) explains the effects of being truthful and telling lies on a person.

The words of his wife, who knew him closely, uttered in order to console him when he received the first revelation, introduces him as follows:

“By Allah, Allah will never disgrace you. You keep good relations with your kith and kin, help the poor and the destitute, serve your guests generously and assist the deserving calamity-afflicted ones.” (Bukhari, Bad’ul-Wahy, 3; Muslim, Iman, 253)

The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) states that he is a person who is away from telling lies as follows:

“I swear by Allah who holds my spirit in His hand that nothing but truth comes out of my mouth.” (Abu Dawud, Ilim, 3)

When his Companions said to him, “You sometimes make jokes”, he said, “I always tell the truth even when I joke.” (Tirmidhi, Birr, 57). When we analyze his jokes, we see that they do not include any lies. He sometimes addressed Anas b. Malik “The one with two ears” (Tirmidhi, Birr, 80); once, he said to Umm Ayman, “Are you not the wife of the man who has whiteness in his eyes?” She said her husband did not have whiteness in his eyes. The Prophet (pbuh) said, "There is nobody who does not have whiteness in his eyes.” (Tirmidhi, Birr, 57)

When somebody asked a mount from him, he said, “I will make you mount the young of a camel.” The man said, “What shall I do with a young camel?” The Prophet said, “Every camel was certainly born by a she-camel.” (Abu Dawud, Adab, 92) Signs of joking are noticed in those statements but none of them includes a lie.

The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) never exceeded the principle of being loyal to the truth when he was happy and sad, when he spoke to his friends and enemies, when he was well off and when he was in hardship, when he had nothing but water in his house and when he pawned his armor to find food. (see Kazancı, Peygamber Efendimiz’in Hitabeti, p.79)
The importance he gave to saving the tongue from telling lies caused him to warn those who used it in a wrong way. As a matter of fact, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) states the following regarding the issue:

“Woe on him who tells lies in order to make people laugh! Woe on him! Woe on him!" (Abu Dawud, Adab, 88; Tirmidhi, Zuhd, 10)

According to the Messenger of Allah (pbuh), telling lies is a sign of hypocrisy. (Musnad, 3/447; Abu Dawud, Adab, 80) The existence of various bad traits in a believer is possible but it is impossible to think that a believer tells lies. The following is reported from the Prophet (pbuh) regarding the issue:

The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) states the following in a narration from Safwan bin Sulaym:

Somebody asked, “O Messenger of Allah! Can a believer be cowardly?” He said, “It is possible.” He was asked, “Can a believer be stingy?” He said, “It is possible.” He was asked, “Can a believer be a liar?” He said, “No, never!” (Malik b. Anas, Muwatta’, Kalam, 7, 19)

It is certain that cowardice and stinginess are not traits that are nice and accepted but it is stated that telling lies is a worse trait than them.

Abdullah b. Amr states the following:

“Once, the Messenger of Allah was in our house; my mother called me and said, ‘Come here! I will give you something.’ The Messenger of Allah asked my mother what she would give me. My mother said, ‘Some dates’. Then, the Messenger of Allah said, ‘If you did not give him anything, it would be written as a lie against you.’” (Abu Dawud, Adab, 88; Musnad, 2/452)

The Prophet (pbuh) himself always told the truth and advised the people who followed him to tell the truth all the time. He guaranteed Paradise to the people who promised him that they would always tell the truth. (Musnad, 5/323)

We learn from the statements of the Prophet (pbuh) that it is absolute goodness not to abandon truthfulness under any circumstances. Telling the truth might seem to be against a person in some cases but the one who tells the truth is always the winner. For, when he tells the truth, he improves his personality. We will listen to the results of the truthfulness and falsehood from the Prophet (pbuh) and his advice regarding the issue; we end this issue with his glad tiding and warning:

“Do not abandon truthfulness.  Truthfulness leads you to righteousness, and righteousness leads you to Paradise. If a person keeps on telling the truth and seeks the truth, he will be recorded as a truthful person in the presence of Allah.

"Avoid lies/falsehood.  Falsehood leads man to fujur (sins), and fujur leads man to Hell. If a person keeps on telling lies and seeks falsehood, he will be recorded as a liar in the presence of Allah.” (Bukhari, Adab, 69; Muslim, Birr, 105; Abu Dawud, Adab, 80)

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