The Sin of Cheating and the Virtue of Honesty — A Powerful Islamic Reminder on Trust, Business Ethics, and Accountability
- Muiz As-Siddeeqi
- May 8
- 8 min read
The Sin of Cheating and the Virtue of Honesty — A Powerful Islamic Reminder on Trust, Business Ethics, and Accountability
Shaykh Ibn Baz said:
In the Name of Allāh, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate
All praise is due to Allāh, the Lord of all the worlds. May peace and blessings be upon His servant and Messenger, our Prophet Muḥammad, and upon his family, his companions, and those who follow them with excellence until the Day of Judgment.
To proceed:
Dear noble listener,
My talk with you today is about cheating and the warning against it.
It has been authentically reported from the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ in the sound ḥadīths that he said:
"Whoever cheats us is not from us."
And it is authentically reported that he ﷺ once passed by a pile of food in the market. He put his hand into it, and his fingers felt moisture. He said:
"What is this, O owner of the food?"
The man replied: "It was affected by rain, O Messenger of Allāh."
The Prophet ﷺ then said:
"Why did you not place it on top of the food so that people could see it? Whoever cheats is not from me."
This authentic ḥadīth—and others with similar meaning—guide us to the fact that it is obligatory upon the believer to be sincere toward his Muslim brother, to fulfill trusts, and to love good for him just as he loves it for himself.
Part of that sincerity is not to cheat him in dealings or deceive him in transactions.
For such behavior goes against what Allāh has obligated upon him. Rather, he is required to clarify the reality, and to deal with him in complete transparency regarding the product—so that the buyer either purchases it with clear understanding or leaves it with clear understanding.
So if there is a defect in the item and the seller hides it, or if the goods are of mixed quality and he places the inferior ones at the bottom and the good ones on top—deceiving people in this way—then this is deception, cheating, and betrayal, which Allāh has forbidden upon the Muslims.
This is because some people may not notice what lies beneath the surface, and the defect may not be apparent to them—so they are deceived and end up paying a high price for something that is only worth a little, thinking the product is in perfect condition and free from flaws.
And for this very reason, the noble Prophet ﷺ said:
"Whoever cheats us is not from us."
Indeed, betrayal and cheating are traits of the hypocrites, the rebellious, and those driven by greed and selfish desire.
As for the true believer, his qualities include trustworthiness, sincerity, and love of good for his fellow Muslims. He refrains from harming others or causing them loss by taking away their rightful dues.
There is no doubt that concealing defects harms the Muslim and deprives him of his rightful claim.
Thus, it is obligatory upon the Muslim to conduct his dealings with clarity and transparency towards his brothers—so that he does not cheat them, does not deceive them, and does not take their wealth unjustly.
In the authentic ḥadīth, the noble Prophet ﷺ said:
"The buyer and the seller have the option [to cancel the deal] as long as they have not separated. If they are truthful and clear, there will be blessing in their transaction. But if they conceal and lie, the blessing of their sale will be erased."
The Messenger ﷺ clarified that sincerity, clarity, and truthfulness are among the reasons for blessing in trade, for growth, goodness, and a praiseworthy outcome.
And he ﷺ also made it clear that lying, betrayal, and cheating in business are causes for the removal of blessing, and that these are also among the causes of Allāh’s anger and of punishment in both this world and the Hereafter.
So it is truly upon you, O my Muslim brother, to fear Allāh in your dealings, to not cheat your fellow Muslims, and to love for your brother what you love for yourself—just as our Prophet ﷺ said:
“None of you truly believes until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself.”
This is what the Chosen One ﷺ stated.
So ask yourself, O my brother:
Would you be pleased if people cheated you?
Would you accept it if your brother lied to you, saying, "This item was offered to me for such-and-such," while he was lying?
Or if he claimed, “I bought it for such-and-such,” and he was lying?
Certainly not—you would not be pleased with that, because it harms you.
In the same way, do not be pleased with such things for your brothers.
So do not say the item cost you 100 when in reality it cost you only 80 or 50.
Do not say it was offered for 100 when you know that is false—because that is cheating your fellow Muslims.
That is why the Prophet ﷺ said:
“There are three whom Allāh will neither speak to, nor look at on the Day of Resurrection, nor purify—and for them is a painful punishment:
1. A man who has surplus water in a desert but withholds it from a traveler;
2. A man who sells a product to another after ‘ʿAṣr by swearing by Allāh that he was offered such-and-such for it, and the buyer believes him, while it is not true;
3. A man who gives allegiance to a leader only for worldly gain—if he gets from it, he is loyal; if he does not, he breaks it.”
These three have been given a tremendous warning:
That Allāh ﷻ will not speak to them, not look at them, not purify them, and that for them is a painful punishment.
The first of them:
Is the one who is in a remote desert and has surplus water, yet he withholds it from travelers—not because they seek to harm him, but due to his own greed, stinginess, injustice, and aggression.
The second:
Is the one who sells goods to his Muslim brothers but lies to them, claiming,
“I was offered such-and-such for it,”
“I bought it for such-and-such,”
“It was appraised at such-and-such,”
while he is lying—doing so to deceive them and make them buy it for more than its actual value.
And if this occurs after ‘ʿAṣr—at the end of the day—then the sin is even greater and more severe, because a believer is expected to end his day with goodness: glorifying Allāh, saying Lā ilāha illa Allāh, seeking forgiveness, repenting, and avoiding the prohibitions of Allāh ﷻ.
But this person ends his day with lying, betrayal, and cheating his Muslim brothers—claiming that the item was offered to him for such-and-such a price while he is lying.
The third:
Is a person who gives allegiance to the Muslim leader,
not for the sake of Allāh,
not to fulfill the obligation of hearing and obeying—
but for worldly gain and greed.
So, if he receives from the world what he wants, he fulfills his allegiance and listens.
But if he is not given what he desires, he breaks the pledge, opens the door to fitnah, stirs up evil, and calls for division, rebellion, and revolt.
This person is in the worst of states and is exposing himself to the wrath of Allāh and the severe punishment that Allāh has promised these three categories of people.
O Muslim,
Betrayal, cheating, and deception are among the traits of the hypocrites—those who conceal disbelief while outwardly claiming Islam.
They are enemies of the Muslims: they deceive them, harm them, cheat them, and betray them—out of hatred and enmity based on falsehood.
So beware—do not resemble the enemies of Allāh, the hypocrites, in their deception and betrayal.
Do not be content with this filthy wealth earned through ḥarām, through cheating, lying, treachery, and fraud.
For such wealth will harm you in both this world and the Hereafter.
It is among the causes of the removal of blessing, until your wealth becomes a curse upon you—even if it is abundant—its end will be ruin.
And that very wealth will become fuel for the Fire, because you disobeyed your Lord through it, and followed your own desires and whims.
As for the believer:
He fears Allāh, watches over his dealings before Allāh, and fulfills trusts, just as Allāh ﷻ said:
“Indeed, Allāh commands you to render trusts to whom they are due.”
(Surah al-Nisāʾ, 4:58)
And He said about the people of Paradise:
“And those who are true to their trusts and covenants.”
(Surah al-Muʾminūn, 23:8)
The believer honors his covenants—he does not break them, nor does he act treacherously.
The believer guards the trust—he does not betray, deceive, or cheat his Muslim brother.
Rather, he fulfills the trust, speaks with honesty, acts with sincerity, and deals with truthfulness.
He stays far away from cheating in all things.
Many among us, unfortunately, fall into betrayal in many aspects of life.
You find the contractor making an agreement with the owner of a building, a house, a shop, or a factory—agreeing on terms and responsibilities.
But then he seeks to cheat and betray in order to save himself some money.
He does not fulfill the obligation.
He does not honor the terms.
He shortchanges the work and cuts corners just to pocket money that earns Allāh’s anger, causes the blessing to be removed from his wealth, and places him among the ranks of the betrayers, cheaters, and deceivers.
And there is no power nor might except with Allāh.
You find the agent or middleman—whether in construction, purchasing items, or anything else—becoming used to betrayal, lying, and cheating.
Why?
Just to collect more money.
So he takes a large amount from the one who entrusted him and spends only a small portion of it.
Why?
Because of his desire to gain, by wronging the one who deserves the full amount, and cheating him of his right.
So fear Allāh, O servant of Allāh.
Fear Allāh, O Muslim man and O Muslim woman.
Each of us must fear Allāh in what is under our responsibility.
Let the man fear Allāh.
Let the woman fear Allāh.
It is not allowed for anyone to betray, cheat, or deceive.
Rather, it is obligatory on every person—whether man or woman, believer or believing woman—to:
Fulfill the trust,
Beware of betrayal,
And stay far away from cheating, covering up faults, and deceiving—in all dealings.
Not with the husband,
Not with the wife,
Not with the people.
Only with this will our conditions improve, our affairs become upright, and every believer will receive their full and complete right.
He will eat from ḥalāl,
He will give from ḥalāl,
He will please his Lord,
He will anger his Shayṭān,
And people will assume good about him.
Dealings with him will be honest and upright.
When the believer fulfills trusts, is truthful, and acts with sincerity—and this becomes known among the people—they begin to prefer dealing with him and compete to do business with him.
As a result, he gains immense goodness, benefit, and profit.
He earns from ḥalāl, remains safe from ḥarām, and achieves blessings beyond what he ever imagined.
All of this comes because of his honesty, his fulfillment of trust, his truthfulness, and his distance from betrayal and all evil traits.
And Allāh ﷻ is the One who grants success.
But it is upon the Muslim to strive, to pursue the means of goodness, to avoid the paths of evil, and to constantly seek his Lord’s help, guidance, and support.
For He ﷻ is truly the Best of Protectors and Helpers.
And He ﷻ says:
“And whoever fears Allāh – He will make his matters easy for him.”
(Surah al-Ṭalāq, 65:4)
And He ﷻ also says:
“And those who strive in Our cause – We will surely guide them to Our paths. And indeed, Allāh is with the doers of good.”
(Surah al-ʿAnkabūt, 29:69)
And may peace and mercy and blessings of Allāh be upon you.