Compass of Prophethood: A Shared Foundation of Religions Put to the Test of Truth

Monotheistic religions, despite their diversity of laws, are bound together by a shared moral essence of sincerity, a principle that has been the true measure of religiosity and the starting point of the prophets' mission.

Missionary - Education Service: In the history of thought and philosophy of religion, this fundamental question has always been raised, what is the common thread and the ruling spirit of the teachings of the chain of divine prophets. When we look at the difference between times, climates and religious laws, the transformation of the rulings according to the needs of the age is evident, but there is a stable and universal element on which all the revelation texts and missions are based. This foundation stone is nothing but honesty, transparency and truth. At a time when today's world is suffering from post-modernity and the post-truth era, words have lost their credibility in the whirlwind of economic interests and political games, and the phenomenon of fake news has worn out the fabric of social bonds, returning to this monotheistic essence becomes doubly important. If truth is removed from human relations, no social contract or spiritual claim will remain.

Sociologists of religion and thinkers such as Max Weber in explaining charismatic and prophetic legitimacy show that before any miracle or instruction, the social capital of the prophets was based on the reliability of their personality and the truth of their words in the field of everyday life. Humans recognized the messengers not only by outward rituals or passionate words, but also by the unceasingness of their speech and the adaptation of their inner and outer surfaces. In the view of Tawheed, truthfulness is not a marginal recommendation or a moral tactic to gain prestige, but a condition for entering the climate of humanity and Tawheed. Lies in any form, whether selfish expediency or hypocritical rhetoric, create a deep gap between reality and its representation; A gap that has been the root of all oppressions, deceptions and exploitations in the history of mankind.

From the point of view of moral psychology, a person achieves inner peace and health when he lowers the masks of duality. Immanuel Kant, the famous philosopher, considers honesty an absolute duty that the rational credibility of society depends on; Because if lies are allowed, the concept of trust and communication will be destroyed forever. The authentic texts of the prophets centuries before these ideas, founded their da'wah on avoiding hypocrisy and pure honesty. They emphasized that the appearance of worship without connecting with truth is an illusion of faith. There are many rituals that are formed out of habit, pretense and interests, but the real quality of a person is revealed when telling the truth becomes expensive and protecting interests is tied to crossing the line of truth.

Prophetic tradition and Ahl al-Bayt have confirmed this organic connection between sincerity and mission. In this intellectual system, no prophet or messenger was sent unless he carried out his mission based on honesty and trustworthiness. Almighty God sent the prophets not to impose soulless faces, but to breathe the spirit of truth into the bodies of souls. In this living view, prayer and prostration, if not accompanied by honest language and faithful commitment, are a shell without a brain. The history of the prophets shows that before making any invitation, they themselves were known to be upright so that their speech would be a polished mirror of the truth and carry the burden of the message safely to its intended destination.

The ancient and solid Shia traditions have focused attention on this fundamental principle with admirable elegance and have reminded that religiosity is not measured by outward claims or gestures, but it should be tested on the scale of truthfulness of speech and faithfulness to trusts:

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) says in a brilliant speech about the common nature of all divine messengers:

"Indeed, Allah, the Exalted and the Exalted, did not send a prophet except with the truthfulness of the hadith and the faithfulness to Al-Albar and the Fajr."

God, the Exalted and Exalted, did not send any prophet except to tell the truth in speech and restore trust to the good and the bad.

Address: Al-Kafi, Thiqa al-Islam Klini, Volume 2, The Book of Faith and Disbelief, Chapter Al-Saqduk and Performance of Trust, Hadith 1, page 104

Also, in a deep warning about not being deceived by habitual appearances and the need to pay attention to the moral depth of people, it has been narrated from Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him):

"Don't look at the length of the bowing of the legs and the prostration, because that is something that is a habit, and it is a waste of love for that, but look at the truth of the hadith and the performance of your trust."

Don't look at the length of a man's bowing and prostration; Because this is something that he is used to and if he leaves it, he will be terrified, but look at the truth of his speech and his trustworthiness.