The Most Truthful and Honest

Abu Sufiyan . For most part of 23
years, he had opposed Islam and had waged bitter wars against
the Prophet ﷺ. Once he went
onto a business trip to Syria. He found himself at the court
of Heraclius, who asked him about the Prophet Muhammadﷺ
Heraclius asked: “Have you ever accused him of telling
lies before his claim (to be a Prophetﷺ)?” abu Sufiyan replied,
“No.” Heraclius then asked: “Does he break his promises?”
And Abu Sufiyan replied, “No.”
Commenting on Abu Sufiyan’s reply, Heraclius said: “If
he does not lie to people, then certainly he will not lie about
God… such is the practice of the Prophets that they do not
deceive others.” In fact, the Prophet ﷺ was known for his
truthfulness and honesty among his people that even his most
bitter enemies would entrust their valuables and belongings
to him as they knew that there was no one more truthful and
trustworthy than him. The Jewish Rabbi ¢Abd All¥h b. Salam,
when he first saw the Prophet a, noted: “When I looked at the
face of the Messenger of God, I realised that his face was not
the face of a liar.”1