One of the important teachings of Islam is to be truthful. It is no doubt

relevant when dealing with people/society. However does it apply equally in the realm of our psychology & subsconscious mind? In Psychology, it is a well known fact that one can change oneself through positive self-affirmation & visualisation .It is believed that the self-affirmations to the subconscious mind is best done in an “already achieved mode”. For example, a student who is weak in mathematics and wish to improve on it should say the self-affirmations as “I am excellent at mathematics” & also visualize himself as ALREADY being good at Maths repeatedly. Or a person who is a coward could reprogram his mind by saying to himself,” I am brave”,etc. This is so that the subconscious mind is set with the positive intended goal and thus will program the whole body with the message. But the question is that such self-affirmation is not the truth (or not the truth yet). When he is telling himself that he is ALREADY being good at Maths, he is actually “lying “to himself. Is it acceptable in Islam? In surah al-anfaal verse 43 & 44 describes how Allah makes the Muslims see the enemy as small in number whereas they are actually LARGER than the Muslims. So it seems it is allowable to “lie” to oneself in a positive way? Also the concept of “husnul zann” of giving “70 excuses” when dealing with Muslims show that we prefer to see the positive aspects rather than the real truth?

The great sage and scholar of Islam, Ibn al-Qayyim, said: “Truthfulness is the greatest of stations, from it sprout all the various stations of those traversing the path to God; and from it sprouts the upright path which if not trodden, perdition is that person’s fate. Through it is the hypocrite distinguished from the believer and the inhabitant of Paradise from the denizen of Hell. It is the sword of God in His earth: it is not placed on anything except that it cuts it; it does not face falsehood expect that it hunts it and vanquishes it; whoever fights with it will not be defeated; and whoever speaks it, his word will be made supreme over his opponent. It is the very essence of deeds and the well spring of spiritual states, it allows the person to embark boldly into dangerous situations, and it is the door through which one enters the presence of the One possessing Majesty. It is the foundation of the building of Islam, the central pillar of the edifice of certainty and the next level in ranking after the level of prophethood.”[1]

By practicing truthfulness, a person betters himself, his life is made upright and due to it, he is elevated to praiseworthy heights and raised in ranks in the sight of God as well as the people. As the Prophet Muhammad, may the mercy and blessings of God be upon him, related:

“I order you to be truthful, for indeed truthfulness leads to righteousness, and indeed righteousness leads to Paradise. A man continues to be truthful and strives for truthfulness until he is written as a truthful person with God. And beware of falsehood, for indeed falsehood leads to sinning, and indeed sinning leads to the Fire. A man continues to tell lies and strives upon falsehood until he is written as a liar with God.” (Saheeh Muslim)

So, truthfulness is something which is to be cultivated till it becomes implanted in a person’s soul and disposition and therefore reflected throughout the person’s character. Ali b. Abi Talib, the cousin and son-in-law of the Prophet Muhammad, mentioned the positive reciprocal effect of behaving truthfully with people in this worldly life:

“Whoever does three things with regards to people, they will necessitate three things from him: whenever he speaks to them he is truthful; whenever they entrust him with something he does not betray them; and whenever he promises them something he fulfils it. If he does this, their hearts will love him; their tongues will praise him; and they will come to his aid.”[2]

As for the Next Life, through God’s Grace and Mercy, the obedient ones - practitioners of truthfulness - will reach a station in Paradise alongside those most fortunate of souls mentioned in the revelation.

“And whosoever obeys God and His Messenger, such will be in the company of those whom God has blessed: the Prophets, the truthful ones, the martyrs, and the righteous. And how excellent a company are such people!” (Quran 4:69)

In fact, truthfulness is an essential attribute of every single prophet who graced the earth. We are told in the Quran:

“And mention in the Book, Abraham: surely he was a most truthful Prophet.” (Quran 19:41)

“And mention in the Book, Ishmael: surely, he was a man true to his word, and he was a Messenger, a Prophet.” (Quran 19:54)

“And mention in the Book, Enoch: surely he was a most truthful Prophet.” (Quran 19:56)

We also read in the Quran how a man incarcerated alongside the Prophet Joseph addressed him with the words:

“Joseph! O most truthful one!...” (Quran 12:46)

…and that Mary, the mother of Jesus, was also declared truthful in the Words of God:

“The Messiah (Jesus), son of Mary, was no more than a Messenger; many were the Messengers that passed away before him. His mother (Mary) was a truthful one, a Believer….” (Quran 5:75)

… and the Companions of God’s Messenger, the “believers” mentioned time and time again in the Quran, also reached the lofty ranks of the truthful ones:

“The believers are but those people who believed in God and His Messenger without ever feeling doubt thereafter, and strove with their souls and possessions in the way of God; those are the ones who are the truthful.” (Quran 49:15)

Hence, to tread the path of truthfulness is to tread the path of the most righteous of God’s creation. And as for ways and means to engender this most noble of virtues into our daily lives, then we have been left an ocean of teachings from God’s Final Messenger to humanity, the Prophet Muhammad, detailing and describing precisely what the virtue, nay!, the injunction of truthfulness requires. One from among these vast and numerous sayings of God’s Messenger is his plea:

“Guarantee for me six things and I will guarantee Paradise for you: tell the truth when you speak, fulfill your promises, be faithful when you are trusted, safeguard your private parts, lower your gaze, and withhold your hands (from harming others).”[3]

And God confirmed the truthfulness of these words of His Beloved Messenger with His Own True Word:

“For Muslim men and women, for believing men and women, for devout men and women, for truthful men and women, for patient men and women, for humble men and women, for charitable men and women, for fasting men and women, for men and women who guard their chastity, and for men and women who engage much in God’s praise: for them has God prepared forgiveness and a great reward.” (Quran 33:35)

this is the answer from expert.
search from : islamreligion

by expert : 1] Madarij as-Salikeen.

[2] Ibn Muflih, Adaab ash-Shari’a.

[3] Reported by Ubaadah, in As-Saheehah.

In Islam, honesty and truthfulness are considered important virtues and are emphasized in various teachings. However, the question of whether these principles apply in the realm of our psychology and subconscious mind is subjective and open to interpretation.

In psychology, positive self-affirmation and visualization techniques are commonly used to bring about self-improvement and personal growth. These techniques involve consciously affirming positive qualities or outcomes to oneself and visualizing them as if they have already been achieved. The purpose is to program the subconscious mind with a positive intended goal and create a mindset conducive to achieving it.

While positive self-affirmation techniques may involve temporarily "lying" to oneself in the sense of visualizing a desired outcome as already achieved, it is important to note that this is not meant to deceive others or manipulate the truth in external interactions. It is a personal exercise focused on self-improvement and mindset development.

Regarding the example from Surah Al-Anfal (Quran, 8:43-44), it describes how Allah made the Muslims perceive the enemy as fewer in number than they actually were, which boosted their morale in battle. This was a specific event in history and cannot be generalized as a validation for all forms of self-deception. The context here is different, as it pertains to a specific situation and the divine intervention of Allah.

The concept of "husnul zann" (having a positive assumption or thinking well of others) in dealing with fellow Muslims is encouraged in Islam. It suggests giving others the benefit of the doubt and assuming positive intentions, rather than jumping to negative conclusions. However, this does not mean distorting or manipulating the truth. It is about maintaining a positive perspective and approach in our interactions.

In conclusion, while honesty and truthfulness are important principles in Islam, the use of positive self-affirmation techniques in psychology can be seen as a separate personal practice focused on shaping one's mindset. It is essential to differentiate between internal processes aimed at personal growth and external interactions where honesty and truthfulness remain paramount.