Commentary on
The Iron Rules

by Pir Zia Inayat Khan

Iron Rule 1
The first of the Iron Rules is: My conscientious self, make no false claims. Well, that sounds very easy. None of us would like to think that we make false claims, and probably consciously we don’t. But if one were to apply that criterion to everything that one says, I think that one’s depth of awareness of one’s speech would grow dramatically, and one would see that there are shades of truthfulness in our speech. There are things that we say that our full will is behind and we are transparent at that moment, and that gives the speech great power. And there are other things that we say where there is no transparency; there is just the opposite, opacity and a tendency to project a certain image for the sake of some particular contrivance, to obtain some satisfaction. And yet, the satisfaction that is actually obtained cannot possibly compare to the purity of the state that is lost in so doing, and the joy and peace that is the natural consequence of that purity.

In connection with this, one could refer to the chapter from The Art of Personality on “Word of Honor.” I won’t read the full chapter, but just share with you some highlights: “What is the word? Word is one’s expression, the expression of one’s soul. The one upon whose words one can rely, that one is dependable. No wealth of this world can be compared with one’s word of honor. The person who says what he or she means, proves, by this virtue, spirituality. To a real person, to go back on one’s word is worse than death, for it is going backward instead of going forward.” Murshid refers to the story of Haris Chandra and other heroes and saints who suffered great sacrifices to uphold the word of honor. Afterward, he was asked a question, what happens if you find yourself in a situation where you have perhaps carelessly given your word of honor and now to uphold your word of honor it means doing something that in the present situation seems more harmful than beneficial? In such a case, is it not too extreme to stand on this principle in the face of a situation which is so different from what one might have supposed? Murshid answers, very tactfully, “I think, that no principle should be taken to extreme and made absolute.” There is danger of excess in everything. However, if one does develop the tendency of compromising one’s word of honor because the situation has changed, the effect is that one becomes all the more likely to continue to casually make promises knowing that one will later allow oneself to deviate from the promise. So, insofar as we remain firm in our dedication to the word of honor, to such a degree will we be profoundly careful in exercising our use of our promise, of our word of honor.

If one studies one’s life, one may find that there may be relatively few occasions when you sign on the dotted line or make a vow or pledge or declaration. But very frequently, casually, in conversation one commits to something; one accepts responsibility for something; one projects into the future: I will do this; I will be there. Very often we do so with the latitude of feeling that, after all, circumstances are changeable and I reserve the right to change my mind. But to such a degree as we do so, our word loses the sacred power that is possible in the pledge of the knight, which is incredibly powerful. So, although there superficially may be benefit, and sometimes very tangible, very tempting, extremely tempting advantage in deviating from one’s promise, if you contemplate the moments when you have given your word, in apparently large or apparently small matters, and when, for one reason or another, you have not followed through, perhaps in doing so you gained some temporary advantage, you succumbed to temptation and you benefited. But now looking back years later, the benefit that you accrued at that time, can it be compared to the sense of loss that one now feels? So if one continues to practice this kind of introspection, this kind of muhasabah, one need not become mired in the guilt of the past. It is another day and we have new choices before us. But we will have learned to be extremely judicious in giving our word.