Islamic Character
Suppressing one’s anger is
a sign of good character
When the Prophet was once asked which action was best, he said that there was nothing better than good character. The questioner then approached him from the right and put the same question to him. Again the Prophet answered: “Good character.” Then, approaching from the left, the man once again addressed the Prophet and asked him which virtue was best. The Prophet told him for the third time that good character excelled all other actions. When the man came from behind and asked the Prophet once again which virtue was best, the Prophet replied: “How is it that you do not understand what is meant by good character? As far as you are able, you should not become angry: that is what is meant by having a good character.”
(MUHAMMAD IBN NASR AL-MARWAZI)
The actions, which will
take us to heaven
When Anas ibn Malik lay sick, he had some visitors. “Bring something for our companions, even if it be just a piece of bread,” said Anas to his maid-servant, “for I have heard the Prophet say that a good deed is something which will take one to heaven.
(AL-TABRANI)
Compassion for all creatures
The Prophet once passed by a camel that was so emaciated that there was nothing in between its belly and its back. “Fear God in your treatment of these dumb animals,” he said. “Ride them properly and feed them properly.”
(ABU DAWUD, SUNAN)
How a preacher of the
word of God should act
Hearing that a prophet had made his appearance in Makkah, Amr ibn al-Murrah al-Juhani set out for that city on his camel. On reaching Makkah he met the Prophet, who addressed him thus: “O Amr ibn al-Murrah, I am God’s messenger to all mankind. I call on all men to submit to God, 1 teach them to refrain from shedding one another’s blood, to give kinsfolk their due, to worship One God, to forsake idols, to perform a pilgrimage to the House of God and to fast during the month of Ramadan. Paradise awaits those who accept these things, while for those who reject them, there will be the punishment of Hell. Believe, O Amr, and God will save you from the torments of Hell.”
Amr ibn al Murrah was won over by the Prophet at this first meeting. “I bear witness that there is no god besides God and that you are His messenger,” he said. “I believe in all the commandments that you have brought concerning that which is lawful, or unlawful, even if they are not to the liking of the majority.” He then asked God’s Messenger to send him among his own people. “It may be that, through me, God will show them His Mercy, as He has shown me His mercy through you,” he said. The Prophet then said to him “Always be gentle and to the point in what you say. Never be severe, proud, or envious of others.” And having given him this advice, he sent him on his way to preach Islam among his people.
(KANZ AL-UMMAL)
Four important pieces of advice
Abu Dharr Gheffari recounts how, on six successive days, the Prophet informed him that he was about to be told something of the utmost importance. On the seventh day, the Prophet said: “I admonish you to fear God, both in your private and in your public life; when you sin, atone for it by doing good; do not ask anyone for anything; even if your whip has fallen to the ground, do not ask another to pick it up for you; and do not appropriate things, which have been entrusted to your safekeeping. “
(AL-TARGHEEB WA AL-TARHEEB)
Being a humanitarian
According to Abu Hurayrah, a desert Arab came and urinated in the Prophet’s mosque. People then came running to beat him. The Prophet, restraining them from doing so, said, “Pour a vessel of water over the place where he has urinated. You have been sent to make things easy for people, not to make things difficult.”
(ALBUKHARI, SAHIH)
Cheats are not true Muslims
Passing through the marketplace, the Prophet noticed a man selling from a heap of grain. The Prophet ran his fingers through the grain whereupon his fingers became wet. “How is it that your grain is wet?” he asked the owner, who said that it was because of the rain. “Then why not put the wet portion on top, so that people can see it,” said the Prophet, adding: “Those who deceive others do not belong with us.”
(AL-BUKHARI, MUSLIM)
The deeds dearest to the companions
Abdullah ibn Abbas said that he would prefer to provide sustenance for a Muslim for one month, or one week, or as long as God pleased, rather than perform pilgrimage after pilgrimage; also, he would prefer to give his brother before God a present of one penny than spend a large amount in the cause of God.
(HILYAT AL-AULIYA)
Not indulging in vain talk
or wishing anyone ill
When people came to visit Abu Dujanah as he lay on his deathbed, and saw that despite his sickness, his face was shining, they asked him how it was that his face was so radiant. Abu Dujanah replied: “I place reliance on two things more than on any others. For one, I did not indulge in vain talk; for another my heart was free from ill feeling towards Muslims.”
The fine sensitivity taught by Islam
Abdullah ibn Abbas relates how a man laid a goat on its side preparatory to slaughtering it, then started sharpening his knife. Noticing this, the Prophet asked, “Are you bent on prolonging its agony? You should have sharpened your knife first, before you laid it down on its side.”
(AL-TABARANI)
Pardoning a servant
A desert Arab once came before the Prophet and asked how many times a day he should pardon his servant. “Seventy times,” replied the Prophet.
(AL-TIRMIDHI, ABU DAWUD)
Barbaric behaviour is to
be abhorred at all times
Suhayl ibn Amr was one of those taken captive by the Muslims at the Battle of Badr. A famous orator of the Quraysh he had been wont to make vehement attacks on the Prophet. Umar asked the Prophet for permission to break Suhayl’s front teeth so that in future he would be deterred from making such speeches. This the Prophet refused, saying: “I will not disfigure him; if I were to do so, God would disfigure me, even though I am His messenger.”
(AKHLAQ AN-NABI)
Never delay the payment of wages
Abdullah ibn Umar records the Prophet as saying, “Pay a labourer his wages before his sweat is dried.”
(IBN MAJAH, SUNAN)
Praying for wrong-doers
A drunkard was once brought before the Prophet, who gave orders that he should be whipped. When the man had left,” some of those present fell to cursing him and praying that God should lay him low. “Do not give voice to such sentiments,” said the Prophet. “Do not join forces with Satan against your brother. You should rather say: ‘Lord, forgive him; Lord guide, him.’ ”
(IBN JARIR)
To curse a Muslim is a great sin
Salmah ibn Akwah says that in the days of the Prophet, if anyone was heard cursing his Muslim brethren, he would be considered to have entered one of the gates of mortal sin.
(AL-TABARANI)
To look down on another Muslim is to place Islam in jeopardy
Urwah recounts how, while on a pilgrimage, the Prophet was waiting for one Usamah ibn Zayd, who happened to be black and flat-nosed. When he arrived, some Yemenese who were with the Prophet at the time, remarked scoffingly, “Just look at what sort of person we were detained for!” According to Urwah, the mass apostasy that took place in Yemen during the caliphate of Abu Bakr could be traced to this comment.
(IBN SA‘D, TABAQAT)
A man’s greatest weakness
is his offspring
The Prophet once picked up his grandson, Hasan ibn Ali, held him in his arms and kissed him. Looking towards his companions, he said: “It is children who make misers, fools and cowards of us.”
(AL-HAYTHAMI)
In Tabarani’ s account these words are added:
“May God destroy the devil,” said Abdullah ibn Umar. “Children are a sore trial for man.”
The role of the head
of a household
Umar ibn Khattab having asked for the hand of Ali’s daughter, Umm Kulthum, who was considerably his junior, Ali instructed his sons, Hasan and Husayn, to make arrangements for their sister’s marriage to their uncle Umar. “She is a woman no different from others,” they replied, “She can look after her own affairs.” At this, Ali became angry and was about to walk out, but Hasan caught hold of his cloak. “Father,” he said, “we could not bear it if you left us.” Hasan and Husayn then made the arrangements for their sister’s marriage to Umar.
(KANZ AL-UMMAL)
No Muslim should ever consider
another Muslim inferior
Hasan, the son of Ali ibn Abi Talib, tells of how, once, when a group of Muslims came to Abu Musa Ash’ari, who was governor during caliphate of Umar, he distributed largesse to those who were Arabs, but gave nothing to those who were not. On learning of this, Caliph Umar wrote to Abu Musa Ash’ari, “Why did you not make an equal distribution between Arabs and non-Arabs? When a man considers certain of his Muslim brethren to be inferior, that is proof enough of his being evil.”
Alarming a Muslim brother is
a serious fault
A desert Arab, who once came and prayed along with the Prophet, had his horn taken away from him while he was at prayer. The prayer over, he was alarmed to discover that his horn had disappeared. When he asked what had happened to it, the Prophet spoke warningly to his companions: “One who believes in God and Last Day should never give another Muslim cause for alarm.”
(AL-HAYTHAMI)
A marriage without invitations
When Abd ar-Rahman ibn Auf emigrated to Madinah, the Prophet made him the brother of Saad ibn Rabi Ansari. Saad confided to Abd ar-Rahman that he was the richest man in Madinah: “You can see what I have and take half of it for yourself. I have two wives; whichever of the two you like, I will divorce and you can marry her.” Abd ar-Rahman replied by praying for God’s blessings on Saad ibn Rabi’s family and property, and then asked to be shown the way to the market place. ‘There he began trading and made a considerable sum of money. A few days later, Abd ar-Rahman ibn Auf came to see the Prophet. Noticing a trace of saffron on his clothes, the Prophet asked him in Yemenese dialect how it came to be there. “I have married,” replied Abd ar-Rahman ibn Auf. “What dowry did you settle?” asked the Prophet, to which Abd ar-Rahman replied, “The weight of a date’s kernel in gold.” The Prophet then told him to hold a marriage feast, even if it were with just one goat.
(AHMAD, MUSNAD)
Caring for one’s household is no less important than the holy struggle
A woman once came before the Prophet, saying that she had come on behalf of certain other women. “Each one of us, whether known to you or not wishes to ask you this selfsame question. Both men and women have the same God, and you are God’s Prophet to both men and women. For men, God has ordained the holy struggle, and if they are successful in it, they will have their reward; if they are slain, they will be raised up in God’s presence, where they will be abundantly provided for. But what has been ordained for us women?” The Prophet replied: “For you, obedience to your husbands and acknowledgement of their rights are equal to the holy struggle. But those of you who do this are few in number.”
(AL-TARGHEEB WA AL-TARHEEB)
Refraining from subjecting
people to inconvenience
During a pilgrimage, Umar ibn Khattab saw a leprous woman going round the Ka’bah. “Maiden of God,” he said, “it would be better if you were to sit at home; people would not be troubled by your presence” (Malik). The woman did as she was bade, and sat at home. After some time, a passerby told her of the death of Umar, who had been the one to advice her to stay at home. “Now,” said the man, “You can go out.” The woman replied, “I did not obey him while he was alive only to disobey him now that he is dead.”
(KANZ AL-UMMAL)
The polite way of seeking
permission to enter a house
Safinah relates how he was with the Prophet one day when Ali came and asked if he might enter. He knocked very quietly at the door and the Prophet asked for the door to be opened to him. On another occasion Saad ibn Ubadah came to see the Prophet, and, after asking permission to enter, he stood in front of the door so that he could see right inside. The Prophet signed to him to stand to one side, then, after a suitable interval, invited him to come in. “The actual reason for asking permission to enter is to avoid seeing inside the house,” said the Prophet.
(AL-TABARANI)
Who should be invited to share food
Abdullah ibn Umar was never in the habit of inviting any man of status who happened to be passing to join him in eating the food he had prepared but his son and nephew did exactly that. Abdullah ibn Umar, on the contrary, would invite any poor man who passed by while his son and nephew would not. “They invite those who are in no need of the food,” commented Abdullah ibn Umar, “but not those who are.”
(IBN SA‘D, TABAQAT)
Doing one’s family bidding
is no mark of faith
Jabir ibn Abdullah had just bought one dirham’s worth of meat and was taking it home, when he met Umar ibn Khattab. The latter asked him what he was carrying and Jabir told him, “Something that my family want very badly; I have bought them a dirham’s worth of meat.” Umar went on repeating the words. “Something that my family want very badly,” so often that Jabir wished he had lost the dirham before buying the meat, or else that he had not met Umar. According to another tradition, Umar said: “What, whenever they want something, do you buy it for them? Have you forgotten this verse: ‘You squandered away your precious things in your earthly life and took your fill of pleasure.’” (46:20)
(AL-BAYHAQI, ALSUNAN AL-KUBRA)
A Muslim must suppress his desires
Hasan ibn Ali recounts how, once, when Umar entered his son’s house, he found some meat there and asked how it came to be there. His son, Abdullah said that he had felt an urge to eat some meat that day. “So, everything that you have an urge for, you eat, do you?” asked Umar. Then admonishing his son, he said, “A man has to do no more than partake of everything he desires to be counted among the extravagant.”
(KANZ AL-UMMAL)
For one Muslim to sever relations with another
Muslim is as bad as killing him
Abu Kharash Al-Sulami heard this saying of the Prophet: “To severe relations with one’s Muslim brother for a whole year is as bad as spilling his blood.”
(ABU DAWUD, SUNAN)
