Truthfulness means honesty but in reality it is beyond that.

Truthfulness means honesty but in reality it is beyond that. Truthfulness is the opposite of lying but it is the opposite of treachery as well. Indeed, truthfulness [ sidq ] and treachery [ khiyānah ] are diametrically in opposition to one another.[496] In this sense, truthfulness is synonymous with trust [ amānah ]. Hence, truthfulness in politics means veracity, being honest with the people, abiding by contracts and promises, and trustworthiness.

The truthful statesman is he who moves in the direction of truth and righteousness, for truthfulness [ sidq ] means concordance and harmony with the truth.[497] The truthful statesman is true to his commitments, shows himself to the people as he really is, and refrains from any sort of deceit. Anyone who nourishes this moral quality and attribute in his self never exploits the people’s confidence in him and is not afraid of acknowledging his mistakes.

He views this [acknowledgment] not as a sign of weakness but as the result of self-confidence. The concept of truthfulness [ sidq ] itself embodies the meanings of uprightness, perseverance, tenacity, and power, and it is far higher than mere honesty. After a precise analysis of this term, Tuchihiko Izutsu says: The term truthfulness [ sidq ] takes the implicit meanings of sincerity, perseverance, uprightness, and trust.

As such, we encounter so many cases of the real function of the term sidq in the Glorious Qur’an as well as in other places all of which can never satisfactorily be substituted by the word ‘truthfulness’.[498] The broader meaning of the word, sādiq , in the lexicon of the Qur’an is such that at times it is used in contradistinction to the words munāfiq [hypocrite] and kāfir [disbeliever].[499] Well, the truthfulness that is discussed in politics is this general meaning of the term.

Therefore, the truthful politician should possess all these qualities in order to be deemed ethical. In the practical aspect this truthfulness goes to the extent of the politician regarding himself as the servant of the people—not their administrator—and wherever he commits a mistake, he fearlessly and courageously expresses it. So, if we had committed a mistake before, then we should explicitly say that we erred.