While every speech and action matters to some people, everything goes in the case of others, especially the unrighteous. Qur’an and the life of the Prophet (SAW) are full of guidance for the man. Qur’an 17: 36, for instance, reminds believers that “…For every act of hearing, or of seeing, or of (feeling in) the heart will be enquired into (on the Day of Reckoning)”.
Allah also affirms in Qur’an 36:65 saying, “That Day shall We set a seal on their mouths, their hands will speak to us, and their feet (shall) bear witness to all that they did”. For this, everything a believer does should matter to him; shunning that which Allah has forbidden including betrayal.
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Men and women of today betray all kinds of trust including those reposed in them by Allah, let alone those by fellow human beings, and by the system from which they earn their living. The evil act of betrayal is one of the three basic traits of a hypocrite. The Prophet (SAW) mentions in a hadith related on the authority of Abi Hurayrah (RA) that, a hypocrite is known by three (traits): he lies when he speaks; he fulfils not when he makes a promise; and he betrays when entrusted. Only the hypocrites, therefore, live in the world of betrayers.
The worst betrayal is that against the Creator of the heavens and earth. A rebellion against Allah’s commandments is a betrayal of Allah’s trust. Although man was created in the most honourable form and blessed with the highest sense of reason, he remains by his own actions the most ungrateful animal among the creatures of Allah (SWT) “except those who have faith and do righteous deeds”. Usually, betrayal sprouts from ingratitude and discontentment. With ingratitude, man falls lower than beasts in reasoning. Some people’s submission to Allah (SWT) only lasts for as long as they suffer from a predicament. They betray themselves soon after they’re out of trouble. Allah (SWT) explains in Qur’an 10:12 “When trouble touches a man, he cries unto us (in all postures), lying down on his sides, or sitting or standing. But when we have solved his trouble, he passes on his way as if he had never cried to us for a trouble that touched him! Thus, do the deeds of transgressors seem fair in their eyes!”.
When a person is tried by Allah (SWT) and thus falls ill, he calls on Allah in the most submissive manner and with a pathetic voice as if he would never commit a sin again in his life. But, as soon as he gets back on his feet, he betrays his own resolve. So, if man in his hypocritical nature would betray Allah after benefiting from His mercy, guidance and benevolence, he would see nothing wrong in betraying fellow individuals. As huge as the consequences of this sinful act are in the sight of Allah, betrayal appears to be the new ‘pandemic’ among contemporary men and women to the extent it is becoming a means of survival for some people. We say, “Inna li-llahi Wa Inna Ilayhi Raj’un”.
Many people, these days, are not sincere in the relationship they keep with their kindred, friends, and colleagues. Such people believe that bonds should be determined and dependent upon the material gains that accrue from them. That’s why it’s common in modern times to find a beneficiary of a relation turning his back against his one-time associate, supporter, underwriter, or in the least, a well-wisher. The Nupe in one of their wise sayings would say, “(Betrayers) do not use the same rope and bucket with which they dug a well when they want to fetch water from the well”.
It would be the height of betrayal when a child abandons his parents especially in their old age even though their selfless sacrifices laid the foundation for whatever he, afterwards, became in life. It’s a terrible betrayal for a student to snub his former teachers. Scholars opine that a person’s teacher is his spiritual father whose efforts complemented those of his biological father, which could otherwise have remained underdeveloped. What more when even the society, too, has little regard for teachers?
The betrayal is awful when a woman betrays her husband’s sacrifices by refusing to respect and care for him and his property. It’s more appalling when a husband fails to be kind to his wife and her parents. It is the height of betrayal for either of a couple to cheat on the other. It’s a grave betrayal of the state and of one’s conscience when a judge becomes partial in his judgement of the cases brought before him. It amounts to professional infidelity and fraud when a teacher awards marks to the ‘highest bidder’ from among those who deserve to fail in an exam or test or assignment just as it is a betrayal of the system and a gross act of irresponsibility when candidates who deserve to excel are denied the scores they are justified to earn.
A trader who cheats customers in the quality or size of his product when he or she is selling or buying is a betrayer. Allah affirms in Qur’an 83:1-3 that His wrath awaits those who when they have to receive by measure exact full measure but give less than due when they have to give by measure or weight. A medical doctor who reveals the medical details of a patient to unauthorized persons is a betrayer. A finance officer, cahier, accountant or CEO who adds zero(s) to defraud any or all parties in a transaction or contract is a betrayer.
Let us be guided by our conscience in whatever we do and say. Let us avoid anything that will amount to a betrayal of not only Allah’s trust reposed in us but also that of our fellow individuals lest we become hypocrites. May Allah (SWT) guide us against becoming betrayers of any trust reposed in us, amin.
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