And there are many like this masterpiece of them...

And there are many like this masterpiece of them: “Lying is not suitable in seriousness and in joke, even that one promises his child, then he does not keep it!” As for the meaning to which the first half of this Allaywiyan masterpiece refer, it was the subject of much dispute among philosophers of ethics, especially the Europeans. In fact those agreed unanimously that truthfulness is a life, lying is a death. But they disputed about whether it is allowable to lie in case of necessity or not?

Some of them agree, some others disagree. And every party has their evidence. However, Ali bin Abi Talib takes a decisive position towards which his phrase arouses, a decisive position which is in harmony with his great code in morals, this faith which we recur to remind the reader that it is resulted from what Ali has sensed and realized, out of the comprehensive justice of the cosmos, so he says without hesitation: “The evidence of faith is you should prefer truth when it harms you to falsehood when it benefits you; and that your speech should not be more than your action.” It is clear that Ibn Abi Talib does not see in lying what benefits, and in truthfulness what may harm, so he speaks to people in a range of the scope of their conception so that his speech to them leaves on them an intelligent effect.

To ascertain that he says: “Keep to truthfulness in all your concerns”. He too says: “Be on your guard against falsehood since a truthful person is on the edge of salvation and dignity, while the liar is on the edge of ignominy and degradation.” As for the meaning that the second half of the phrae mentions: “Nor one promises his child, then he does not keep it”, it is a great attention to an educational truth which life itself determines, as well as the psychological sources upon which man grows up and progress.

It is sufficient that it refers that child is brought up by practical example not by advice, and this view is the pivot of Jean Jack Rousseau’s educational philosophy.