Prophet's Sunnah Regarding Manners and Character (1/2)

After the initial Muslim victories that liberated people from the tyranny of tribal warlords and the oppression of Roman and Persian occupation, Islam rapidly spread eastward to China, westward to Spain and deep into Africa. This phenomenon was not due to further military conquest, but to the exemplary personalities of energetic Muslims who traveled to their lands as tradesmen, workers and educators. In those early centuries of Islam, the Prophet's Sunnah was the unmistakable model of conduct which formed a Muslim's character. Often, mere contact with Muslim believers was enough to interest the local population in the remarkable religion that had produced such a high standard of justice and morality among ordinary men.

Allah granted those Muslims success as a consequence of adherence to the Sunnah in their public and private lives. This they did out of certain knowledge that it is the true means to their Lord's approval. On numerous occasions Allah's Messenger had affirmed, "The most beloved of His servants to Allah is the best of them in character.[1] There is nothing heavier on the balance than good character."[2]      

A person's character, unlike his physical appearance, is something that can be altered, and this is among the main purposes for which religion was ordained. Allah's Messenger provided warnings, encouragement and practical advice for the improvement of manners, behavior and character.   
  

One positive aspect of a believer's character is satisfaction with whatever Allah has provided and decreed, appreciation of his Lord's blessings and not being overly concerned with worldly pleasures and comforts. He can then turn more of his attention to things that will benefit him in the eternal life to come. The Prophet stated:

“Wealth is not in an abundance of goods, but it is in contentment of the soul.[3]  Eat, drink, give charity and dress without extravagance or pride.[4]  What is little and sufficient is better than what is much and distracting.[5] Look to him [whose condition is] below you and do not look to him above you, for that is more likely that you will not underestimate Allah's favor upon you.[6]

Gabriel came to me and said, "O Muhammad, live as long as you will, for indeed you will die. And love whom you will, but you will be leaving him. And do what you will, for you will be compensated for it. And know that the honor of a believer is his standing in night prayer and that his power is in freedom from dependency upon people."”[7]

A man came to the Prophet and said, "O Messenger of Allah, direct me to a deed which, when I have done it, Allah will love me and people will love me." He replied, "Be indifferent toward [pleasures of] the world and Allah will love you, and be indifferent to what is in the hands of people and people will love you."[8]

The measure of Allah's love and honor for His righteous servant of good character may be shown in unexpected ways, but it is not always apparent from his condition in the present life. Allah's Messenger explained: "Within my ummah are those who, if one of them asked Allah for Paradise, He would grant it to him; but if he asked Allah for something from this world, He would not give it to him out of regard for him."[9]    

Acquiring new qualities that build good character is possible with effort and discipline. The Prophet himself used to ask Allah to direct him to the best of manners and morals and enable him to practice them. He would say, "O Allah, guide me to the best manners; none can guide to the best of them but You. And turn away from me bad manners; none can turn them away from me but You.”[10]

The Messenger of Allah had much to offer in the way of guidance in this respect. His general advice to those who inquired was, "Say, 'I believe in Allah', and then be upright."[11] This concise answer shows that faith alone, or the claim of faith, is insufficient, and that words must be proven by deeds. A Muslim is required to be upright in all his dealings, and especially toward his Creator through careful obedience and sincere worship. Then, he must be honest, ethical and considerate with respect to all people, creatures and creations.  

 

“Whoever would like to be saved from the Fire and enter Paradise should meet death believing in Allah and the Last Day, and should do to people as he would like done to him.[12] None of you [truly] believes until he likes for his brother what he likes for himself.[13] Do not consider anything good as insignificant, even meeting your brother with a pleasant face.[14] Allah is generous and loves generosity; and He loves high morality and hates base morality.[15] The signs of a hypocrite are three: when he speaks he lies, when he promises he breaks it and when he is entrusted he betrays.”[16]

In addition to the Prophet's own words, there are hadiths in which his character was described by those who knew him. For example, a boy who served him for nine years, said, "He was the best of people, the most generous of people and the most courageous of people. He never said about anything I did, 'Why did you do that?' and he never mentioned my faults. He never even said, 'uff' to me"[17] His wife, A'ishah, replied to a man who inquired, "His manner was the Qur'an",[18] meaning that he lived according to its teachings. She also said, "The Messenger of Allah never struck anyone with his hand, not a woman nor a servant, except when fighting for the cause of Allah. And he never took revenge on anyone who had harmed him, except that when a prohibition of Allah was violated he would retaliate on behalf of Allah."[19] And he said, "Allah has revealed to me that you should be modest, so that no one shows conceit over another and no one tyrannizes another."[20]   

Consideration for others was noticeable in his day to day behavior. When leading the people in prayer he would be brief so as not to cause them hardship, although while alone he would prolong his prayer for lengthy periods, especially at night. When he heard something objectionable about someone, he would not mention his name in public, but only say, "What is the matter with people who do such and such?"[21] He expressed anxiety for his followers and for the future of the Muslims, warning them to be alert and not to fall into practices that lead to individual failure or to collective decline and downfall: "I do not fear for you from poverty, but I fear for you from competition in worldly increase. And I do not fear for you from error, but I fear for you from deliberate intent."[22] Concern for all people was evident in the way he grieved for those who refused his message of truth and justice, preferring instead the path leading to Hellfire and eternal regret.

A person of good character has been described as one who is not resentful, stingy or covetous, does not annoy people and avoids insulting and backbiting. He is modest, dignified truthful, patient and friendly. He is concerned with people but not intrusive; he strives to satisfy others, he is pleasant, appreciative, and sympathetic but not naive. He is committed, dedicated and alert, and he can be firm when necessary. This was the disposition of Allah's Messenger, whose awareness of real life situations prompted him to warn, "The believer is not bitten from the same hole twice."[23] And he advised, "Love the one you love moderately, for perhaps he will be hated by you one day. And hate the one you hate moderately, for perhaps he will be loved by you one day."[24]  In addition, he pointed Muslims in the right direction by saying, "Whoever loves for Allah and hates for Allah and gives for Allah and withholds for Allah has completed the faith."[25]  

The Prophet of Allah directed people how to recognize within themselves the signs of righteousness and wrongdoing, saying, "Righteousness is good morals, and wrongdoing is that which wavers within yourself and you would dislike people to discover."[26]

(Continued)