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shall give account thereof in the day of judgement.' And in Eph. iv. 29, it
is written: 'Let no corrupt speech proceed out of your mouth, but such as is
good for edifying as the need may be, that it may give grace to them that hear.'
And David says: 'Thou1 shalt destroy them that speak lies: the LORD
abhorreth the bloodthirsty and deceitful man.' And it is clear how great is the
guilt and how fearful the punishment of liars, for it is there written: 'But,2
for the fearful, and unbelieving, and abominable, and murderers, and
fornicators, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, their part shall be in
the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone; which is the second death.' It is
evident therefore that what some people say and what the 'Ulama of the Shi'ah
party admit to be in accordance with their traditions, that is, that 'pious
fraud'
(تقية) or 'concealment of one's religion'
(كتمان
الدين) in circumstances of danger
and difficulty is permissible and lawful, is not true, for to act thus is to
speak falsehood, and that is contrary to the word of God. It should be known
that concealment of one's faith under any such circumstances is the result of
mere want of trust in God and of unbelief. For, if any one have attained to such
a degree of faith and trust that he knows that God is such a guardian to him
that nothing can befall him without God's permission,
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it is evident that he will not have recourse to 'pious fraud' and lying, in
order by this means to save himself or another from difficulty or loss or
trouble. For he will feel certain that, if God wishes to preserve him, He will
find some remedy, and that God has no need of a man's lying: and, if God does
not remedy the matter, it is certain that that difficulty, trouble or loss is in
accordance with the will of God and is for the man's good. Hence the man of
faith is content and patient.
In short, whoever wishes to become acquainted with the commands and
prohibitions of holy Scripture must either read themas every God-fearing man
should door, if he cannot do this, he should turn once more to the Balance
of Truth, for there he will find them explained (see Balance of Truth,
revised edition, part ii, chapter i). It would take too long for us to state all
these matters here also in detail.
Sin is committed not only by openly doing some evil deed but, still more, in
the heart by means of evil thoughts and desires. Just as a man has both body and
spirit, an outward and an inward part, so his conduct too is composed of an
outward and an inward part, in such a way that the outward deeds have as their
root the inward act from which they proceed. It is clear, therefore, that the
inward act is not less than the outward, but on the contrary is equal to or even
more important than it, for the outward is but its offshoot and its fruit, and
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