WHO ARE THE TRUTHFUL ONES

Surah al-Taubah Ayah 119 states, “Believers, have fear of Allah and always be friend with the truthful Ones.” In the world, it is noticed that opposite and contrast exist in things like day and night, hot and cold, truthful and liars etc. Allah has given examples of truthfulness in the Glorious Qur'an as detailed below:

Surah al-Imran Ayah 61 states, “If any one disputes after knowledge has come to you, say, let us summon our sons and you summon your sons, and we summon our women and you summon your women, and we summon our selves and you summon your selves and then let us invoke and lay the curse of Allah on the liars.”

After the Noble Messenger (s.a.w.a.s.) brought Imam Ali (a.s.), Sayyida Fatima Zahra (s.a.), Imam Hasan (a.s.) and Imam Husayn (a.s.) in the field to Curse the “Liars”, the priests of Najran declined to go ahead with Mubahela thereby accepting that the “Panjetan” were truthful. Consequently, whoever confronts these truthful ones in future cannot be truthful!

Surah al-Hujurat Ayah 15 which states, “The believers are those who believe in Allah and His Messenger, who did not change their belief into doubt, and who strive hard for the cause of Allah with their properties and righteousness persons. They are the truthful ones.”

Surah al-Hashr Ayah 8 states, “The poor immigrants who were deprived of their homes and property, who seek favors and pleasures from Allah, and who help Him and his Messenger will also have a share in the said property. These people are the truthful ones.”

Surah al-Baqarah Ayah 177 which says, “It is not righteous that you turn your faces towards the East and the West, righteousness is rather one who believes in Allah and the Last Day and the angels and the Book, and apostles, and gives his wealth out love for Him to the kindred and the orphans and the poor and the wayfarer and the needy and for those in And established prayer ; And those who fulfill their promise when they make a promise and the patient ones in distress and affliction and in the time of war these are they who are Truthful and these they who are pious.”

All the traits of the righteous ones in this Ayah are distinctly found in the Noble Messenger (s.a.w.a.s.) and the Commander of the Faithful Imam Ali (a.s.). The Muslim world as a whole knows and acknowledge that Imam Ali (a.s.) had earned the title of Mazharul Aja'ib i.e. the Manifestation of Wonders.

The Ayah starts with the direction to have fear of Allah and become “Muttaqi”. Imam Ali (a.s.) is the Commander of the faithful or “Imam -al-Muttaqeen”

Saleem bin Qays narrates in Tafsir Burhan volume 2 page 170, “Can you swear on Allah and know that when the Ayah 119 of Surah al-Tauba was revealed, then Salman inquired from the Noble Messenger (s.a.w.a.s.) if this Ayah addressed favoring a common man, to which he (s.a.w.a.s.) replied, “It was addressed to all believers but the word “Truthful Ones” is specifically reserved for my brother Ali and his pure vicegerents (Imams) till the Day of Judgment.”

It is clear that the truthful ones must be infallible as Allah will never order the believers to be with fallible committing sins and errors!

Moreover, the Ayah confirms that as long as Islam and the Glorious Qur'an is present in the world, there must be an Infallible Truthful Imam present either visible or invisible like Imam Mahdi (a.s.).

Sources used:

The Glorious Qur'an (English translation) by Ayatollah Agha H.M.M. Pooya Yazdi

The Glorious Qur'an – Tfsir-e-Namoona (Urdu Translation) by Ayatollah Nasir Makrem Shirazi