Semester A 17/18, 1st December 2017
“And indeed, you are of a great moral character.” — 68:4
- In the Ayah above, Allah praises the greatest man to have ever lived for his conduct. Muhammad SAW is the example for all Muslims and had high standards of manners for every situation. It is our character which determines our reaction and understanding to something which has just happened and determines how we view situations in hindsight as well.
- Character is like the root of a tree. As the tree grows, it branches out and the branches of this tree are things like Salah, Zakat, treatment of other people and so on. It is therefore essential that we perfect our character to the standards of the Prophet SAW in order to succeed in the other aspects of Islam.
“Nothing will be heavier on the Day of Resurrection on the Scale of the believer than good manners. Allah hates one who utters foul or coarse language.” — Narrated in at-Tirmidhi
- We need to assess why it is our extinct to swear when something bad happens. This fundamentally goes back to our character and our attitudes as Muslims so we need to change this foul way of reacting.
- Someone once asked the Prophet SAW: “What good deed will lead a man to paradise?” And the prophet saw replied: “Piety and good conduct.” By simply following the Sunnah of the Prophet SAW, we will be loved by the people around us for our good conduct and loved by Allah as it shall lead us to Jannah.
- In another narration, the Prophet SAW says: “The nearest and dearest to me amongst you on the day of resurrection will be the one who is best in conduct.” This is such a simple way that we can obtain the companionship of the Prophet SAW in the hereafter which we should all aim to attain.
- As humans, we need to ask ourselves: what are morals? Even before the time of the Prophet SAW, people had believed that the things they did were morally correct yet, they, were not. For example, fornication and idol worshipping. Society will always change its morals but Islam will always remain constant in its views as it is not man-made. Rather, it is the idea of Allah which is the perfect idea.
- Islam incorporates all actions in our lives and having good conduct may be able to invite more people to Islam as they realise it is Islam which teaches us how to act in such a beautiful manner. What are we doing in this day and age to show how us Muslims behave and to remove the stigma that many have about Muslims? Surely, with good conduct and piety, we can remove this stigma and attain the companionship of the Prophet SAW in Jannah as the hadith above states.
- With this good conduct, we need to remember how also to treat out parents correctly and show them the respect and attention they deserve. We need to remember how much our parents have been through and sacrificed to raise us yet, many of us neglect them. This is not the way of Islam. With this good conduct also comes the responsibility of looking after orphans which is highly recommended by the Prophet SAW.
- Finally, we need to remember to treat everyone fairly as Islam removed inequality. The Prophet SAW in his final sermon said that an Arab is not better than a non-Arab and a non-Arab is not better than an Arab.
“And the servants of the Most Merciful are those who walk upon the earth easily, and when the ignorant address them harshly, they say words of peace” — 25:63
- We have to implement this in our lives and utter words of peace, kindness and wisdom when people are harsh to you.