The holy prophet said: ((He who does not leave a false word and the working according to it, God Has no need of him to leave his food and drinks (i.e. his fast is not accepted by Al’lah))) [agreed on it.] .
Leave: Avoid totally.
False word: it is a speech that contradicts the truth, it is derived from lie and invention.
To leave his food and drinks: it is the fast (Al-Seyaam) in Ramadan month.
The explanation of the hadith:
The holy Prophet (cpth) prohibits man totally from saying things that are not true. You see the holy Prophet (cpth) is warning and explaining the consequences of all what can reduce man’s value and position before his Provider. Such illness as a false word which is to tell lies which endangers and harms others.
Now, let us know in detail what a false word is: Firstly, it is all speeches that man adopts and speaks without making sure of their reliability and ascertains their truth, like a false witness before the court against someone. That is one of the worst types of falseness, because it is very harmful to the one whom the witness (testifier) give his witness against without knowing the truth of the crime.
A second example of a false word is; when someone tells something about another by either praising or dispraising him in spite of not knowing him, and he who tells lies and invents stories about himself or about others which are not based on truth. Although, the following statement is the worst false word, that is to invent lies against the Envoy of Al’lah (cpth) like anyone who says that the holy prophet (cpth) said so and so of which he never said such words or speech and it has appeared to be against (contradicts) the holy Qur’an. Its punishment is so severe due to its great negative effects on society. People will follow it thinking that the saying was told by the holy Prophet (cpth), but in fact it was not, and it is against the holy Qur’an. So, all what does not agree with the holy Qur’an and practiced by the society will lead to the illness and destruction of the society. Vice versa, we see that the holy prophet (cpth) built up a good and strong society through practicing the rules and the laws of the holy Qur’an. Any word or speech that is against the holy Qur’an is a false word and it will return within its harmful results on whom he has fabricated it, the holy prophet (cpth) absolutely said nothing which are not from the holy Book of God the most High, because the holy Qur’an doesn’t omit any matter, issue or thing. God says:))...We omit nothing in the Book…)) [Fortress Al Anam Verse 38.] And it is the explanation and the solution to everything ((every issue and every matter in this life)). God says: ((And We have sent down to you the Book (the Qur’an) as an exposition of everything, a guidance, a mercy, and glad tidings for those who have submitted themselves (to Al’lah as Muslims).)) ,[ Fortress Al Nahl, Verse 89.] The holy Prophet used to follow only the Book of God. God says: ((I only follow that which is revealed unto me. Verily, I fear if I were to disobey my Provider, the torment of the Great Day (i.e. the Day of Resurrection.)) [ Fortress Younus Verse 15. ] So, there is everything in the Book of God the most High, It contains an exposition and a solution of everything. The Envoy of God (cpth) used to follow only this Godly revelation and invented nothing, but he was the most devoted human totally to follow and Practice what he brought from his Provider and he elucidates that, he feared if he were to disobey his Provider he would face torment of the Great Day. So, after this clear explanation, how can we accept a report that the Prophet said it in spite of its being against the holy Qur’an! Truly this is a false word and the Prophet is innocent of saying such reports. The holy prophet passed a serious warning through many of his sayings about this great matter, that is owing to its danger, he warned those people of the severe hell fire on the day of judgment saying: ((Anyone who narrates falsely sayings of me which actually I never said, he will occupy his seat in the Hell fire)) [agreed on it.]
Thus, false word is all what you are not sure of its truth and you transmit it as if it were true. The sin which is due to it increases as its harm increases onto people. Someone may say only some words about an innocent person and they cause him a great harm, and these words are of a great sin before God.
But for his saying (cpth): ((God has no need of him to leave his food and drinks (i.e. his fast is not accepted by Al’lah))). This is what part two of the holy Hadith is explaining about some groups of people who fast knowing nothing about fast except abstaining from taking food and drinks from the Dawn till the Sun-set, it is only one of the acts of worshiping Al’lah and it is compulsory to all Muslims. You see that many of them lie using their tongues falsely while they are fasting! The statement: ((God has no need of him to...)), means that man has not benefited from his fasting?. Many people today fast without praying! They fast and lie at the same time! Fast and cheat! Fast and gaze on women! Or a woman fasts and gazes and meets men! Then a Divine saying ((Hadith Qudsi)) tells us: ((Indeed, the Look (the Look means: gazing lustfully on foreign women i.e. any woman except the very linked relatives such as mother, grandma, aunt ((mother’s sister or father’s sister)), sister…this is the explanation of the word ( look ((for man and it is the same for woman; ((look)) means; gazing lustfully on men who are not very linked relatives such as father, granddad, uncle, brother and his sons…)is one of the poisonous arrows of Iblis (Satan), anyone who avoids it fearing Me (seeking My content) I exchange it with a rank of belief in Me, which he gets its sweetness by his heart)) .)).[ Al Hakim fi mostadrakaho] So, how can man be fasting and he is affected by a poisonous arrow which kindles his Hell Fire? How can a true fasting one be the one who lies, slanders and acts according to the interpolated sayings? Those disobedient persons never think about the Godly wisdom of fasting to know why God makes fasting compulsory, had they thought they would have understood. God also says in a Divine saying ((Hadith Qudsi)) ((All the work of the offspring of Adam (every human being) is for him except Fasting, it is mine and I give the reward of [agreed on it.]. All the good deeds that man does, their benefit and goodness return onto him, even the fasting, its benefit returns onto him. So God is self Sufficient in no need of all worlds, He absolutely never needs anything from any creature. You have already understood this meaning within the explanation of Fortress Al-Ikhlas, the meaning of the word: ((Al’lah is The Self-Sufficient Master))
The Self-Sufficient Master: is the Steadfast, Higher Who needs nothing from any one and never depends on others. So, as the creature (humane being) is present in this life, he/she is in need of the Creator who creates him/her and nurses him/her, in his/her life is in need of the life Giver to keep him/her living and saving his/her life and in his/her strength is in need of the Mighty to give him/her power, but when these Godly provisions are stopped for a moment his/her power disappears, and his/her life ends, his/her present vanishes and he /she loses all talents of him/her and all his/her qualities. Otherwise, God the Al-Mighty does not need any provision from any one, He does not depend on any one but He Himself is The Self-Sufficient Master, and He in every good Names of Him is Self- Sufficient Master. He the Almighty is not in need of us and of all acts we perform worshiping Him.
So, what is the meaning of the statement: ((except Fasting it is mine)) ? In fact the word (mine) which is mentioned in the holy Hadith, means that, His aim of his commanding you to fast Ramadan month is to link you to His High Excellency, make you taste His Mercy, show you a part of His Majesty and Beauty and to enlighten your heart with His sublime Light that you can act and behave within it in your life, then you will never go astray along your life. There, you acquire this valuable life, never fall into prohibited things and you will never stop doing good deeds till the end of your life. Finally, when you die leaving this life, you have the everlasting happiness and the dwelling in the Heavens of your Merciful Provider. Thus the word (mine) means Fasting communicates your spirit with Me (God). Anyone who does not stop false word, persist in telling lies, and commit sins and wrong will never benefit from his fasting and will never get the content of God the Al-Mighty.
We will see in the next lesson how the eminent scholar M. A. Sheikho – his soul has been sanctified by Al’lah- refused to bear false witness against one Christian when he was a military commander. Despite the fact that he was at a very difficult situation when the command came from the higher military leader, then God the Al-Mighty rescued him, exalted him and raised his rank. On the other hand, we will see the shaming result of the person who bore false witness seeking his lowly desires and seeking the content of people to be pleased with him.