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Chapter
7:
Muslim Code of Behaviour:
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114. According to
Islamic teachings, apart from having the right belief how
important is it for a person to do good deeds?
Doing good and having the
right belief go hand in hand in Islam. In fact, doing good
in practice is the proof of having the right belief in the
heart. This is why the Holy Quran speaks of true Muslims
very often as "those who believe and do good deeds". Both
the Quran and the Holy Prophet have told Muslims that the
best among them is that person who shows the best behaviour
towards other people.
115. Please
give a list of some of the good qualities a Muslim must try
to acquire.
Below we give, in the words of
the Holy Quran and the Holy Prophet Muhammad, the chief
qualities a Muslim should display:
1.
Truthfulness:
"O you who believe! keep your
duty to Allah and speak straight, true words." (Holy
Quran 33:70)
"O you who believe, keep your duty
to Allah, and be with the truthful people."
(9:119)
"Be maintainers of justice and
bearers of true witness for Allah, even if it (the truth)
goes against your own selves or parents or relatives or
someone who is rich or poor." (4:135)
2. Sincerity:
"Serve Allah, being sincere
to Him in obedience." (39:2)
"It is most hateful in the sight of
Allah that you say things which you do not do." (61:3)
"Woe to those who pray but are
unmindful of their prayers, who do good to be seen."
(107:4-6)
3.
Unselfishness:
"You cannot attain to
righteousness unless you spend (in charity) out of those
things which you love." (3:91)
"They (the true believers) give
food, out of love for Allah, to the poor, the orphan and
the slave, saying: We feed you only for Allah's pleasure
- we desire from you neither reward nor thanks."
(76:8-9)
"Do no favour seeking gain."
(74:6)
4. Humility:
"The servants of the
Beneficent (Allah) are those who walk on the earth in
humility." (25:63)
"Do not turn your face away from
people in contempt, nor go about in the land exultingly."
(31:18)
"Do not ascribe purity to
yourselves. Allah knows best who is righteous."
(53:32)
5. Patience:
"Allah loves those who are
patient." (3:145)
"Give good news to the patient,
who, when a misfortune befalls them, say: We are Allah's
and to Him do we return." (2:155-156)
6. Forgiveness:
"Pardon (people) and overlook
(their faults). Don't you love that Allah should forgive
you." (24:22)
"(The dutiful are) . . . those who
restrain their anger and pardon people. Allah loves those
who do good to others." (3:134)
"Whenever they (true believers) are
angry they forgive." (42:37)
"The recompense of evil is
punishment like it. But whoever forgives (an evil
committed against himself) and amends (matters), his
reward is with Allah. . . . Whoever is patient and
forgives, that is a matter of great resolution." (42:40,
43)
When the Holy Prophet Muhammad
defeated his enemies in Makka and returned to that city
as its conqueror, he forgave them in the following
words:
"No reproof be against you this
day; Allah may forgive you, and He is the most Merciful
of those who show mercy." (12:92)
7. Purity and
Cleanliness:
"He indeed is successful who
purifies himself (in mind and body), and remembers the
name of his Lord, then prays." (87:14-15)
"Purify your garments and shun
uncleanness." (74:4-5)
8. Honesty:
"Don't go near the property
of an orphan, except in a goodly way, till he attains
maturity. And fulfil the promise (you make) . . .. Give
full measure when you measure out, and weigh with a true
balance." (17:34-35)
"Do not swallow up your property
among yourselves by false means, nor offer it as a bribe
to the officials so that you may swallow up other
people's property unlawfully while you know."
(2:188)
9. Goodness and
Kindness to others:
"Allah commands you to uphold
justice and to do good to others and to give to the
relatives." (16:90)
Three degrees of doing good are
mentioned here: "justice," which means returning any good
that someone has done you with equal good; "do good to
others," which means taking the initiative in doing good
to others; and "give to the relatives," which means doing
good to people instinctively and naturally just as one
does good to one's close relatives.
"Do good to others, surely Allah
loves those who do good to others." (2:195)
10. Consideration
and Respect for others:
"O you who believe! do not
enter houses other than your own until you have asked
permission and greeted the inmates . . . and if it is
said to you, 'Go back', then go back." (24:27-28)
"O you who believe! avoid most of
suspicion (against others), for surely suspicion in some
cases is sin; and do not spy (into other people's
affairs), nor let some of you backbite others."
(49:12)
"When you are greeted with a
greeting, greet with one better than it, or return it (in
the same terms at least)." (4:86)
11. Courage:
Speaking of a small number of
Muslims facing a big and powerful enemy, the Quran
relates:
"Those to whom men said: people
have gathered against you, so fear them; but this
increased their faith, and they said: Allah is sufficient
for us and He is an excellent Guardian." (3:173)
12. Moderation:
"Eat and drink, but do not be
immoderate." (7:31)
"Do not chain your hand to your
neck (so that you are mean in spending), nor stretch it
out to the utmost limit (so that you waste everything)."
(17:29)
Regarding the performance of
religious duties, the Holy Prophet has given the
following advice:
"Religion is easy, but any one who
exerts himself too much in religious devotions will get
overcome by it; so you should just act rightly, and keep
to the mean, and be of good cheer, and ask for Allah's
help morning, evening, and a part of the night."
(Bukhari.)
13.
Cheerfulness:
"Be of good cheer." (Holy
Prophet in Bukhari.)
"It is an act of charity to meet
your fellow with a cheerful face." (Holy Prophet in
Mishkat.)
Finally, we give a verse of the
Holy Quran mentioning a number of qualities a Muslim, man
or woman, should try to acquire:
"The truthful men and the truthful
women, the patient men and the patient women, the humble
men and the humble women, the charitable men and the
charitable women, the fasting men and the fasting women,
the men who guard their chastity and the women who guard
their chastity, the men who remember Allah much and the
women who remember Allah much - for all these Allah has
prepared forgiveness and a great reward." (33:35)
116. How
does Islam require a Muslim to treat the people around
him?
The Holy Quran and the Hadith
mention various categories of people that one has to deal
with, and give a great deal of guidance on how to behave
towards them.
1. Parents and the
Elderly:
"Your Lord has commanded that
you worship none but Him, and do good to parents. If one
or both of them reach old age with you, do not say 'Fie'
to them, nor chide them, but speak to them a generous
word . . . and say, My Lord, have mercy on them as they
brought me up when I was little." (17:23-24).
"The Holy Prophet said, It is one
of the greatest sins that a man should curse his parents.
Someone said, How can a man curse his own parents? He
said, If a man abuses the father of another, that person
will abuse his parents (in return)." (Report in
Bukhari.)
2. Other Near
Relatives:
"Do good to the near
relatives." (4:36)
"Give to the near relative his due,
and also to the needy and to the traveller (in need of
help). (17:26).
3. Children:
"Do not kill your children
for fear of poverty - We (Allah) provide for them and for
you." (17:31)
"A man came to the Holy Prophet and
said, `You kiss children but we do not kiss them'. The
Holy Prophet said, `Do I have any control over you if
Allah has taken away mercy from your heart'." (Report in
Bukhari.)
4. Orphans and
Destitute Children:
"Maintain the orphans out of
their property and clothe them and give them a good
education. Test them when they reach the age of majority,
and if you find them to be mature, hand over their
property to them." (4:5-6)
"I and the man who brings up an
orphan will be in paradise like this," said the Holy
Prophet, putting together his forefinger and middle
finger. (Report in Bukhari.)
5. Poor and
Needy:
"Righteous is he who . . .
gives away wealth out of love for Him to the near of kin
and the orphans and the needy and the wayfarer and to
those who ask and to set slaves free." (2:177)
"What will make you understand what
the uphill road (to success) is? (It is) to free a slave,
or feed at a time of hunger an orphan who is a relative
or the poor man lying in the dust." (90:11-16)
"Have you seen him who goes against
religion? That is the one who is rough to the orphan and
does not urge the feeding of the needy."
(107:1-3)
"(The true believers are those) in
whose wealth there is a known right for the beggar and
the destitute." (70:24-25)
"The person who manages things for
the widow and the poor is like the one who strives hard
in the way of Allah." (Holy Prophet in
Bukhari.)
6. Neighbours:
"Be good to . . . the
neighbour belonging to your people and the alien
neighbour." (4:36)
"He is not a believer who fills his
stomach while his neighbour is hungry." (Holy Prophet in
Hadith.)
"The angel Gabriel continued to
enjoin upon me good treatment of the neighbour, so much
so that I thought he would make him heir to one's
property." (Holy Prophet in Bukhari.)
7. Wives /
Husbands:
"They (your wives) are a
garment for you, and you are a garment for them."
(2:187)
"Of His (Allah's) signs is that He
created spouses for you from yourselves so that you might
find quiet of mind in them, and He put between you love
and compassion." (30:21)
"The best of you are those who are
kindest to their wives." (Holy Prophet in Tirmizi.)
A man related:
"I asked Aishah (Holy Prophet's
wife): What did the Prophet do when in his house? She
said, `He served his wife', meaning that he did work for
his wife." (Report in Bukhari.)
8. Employers /
Employees:
"(The true believers) are
those who are keepers of their trusts and covenants."
(23:8)
"Trusts" include the duties and the
other things with which an employee is entrusted by his
employer; "covenants" include the contract by which both
the employer and the employee are bound.
"Allah says: There are three
persons whose opponents I shall be on the Day of Judgment
. . . (the third is) the person who employs a servant and
receives fully the labour due from him, but does not pay
his wages." (Holy Prophet in Bukhari.)
Ans, a companion of the Holy
Prophet, related:
"I served the Holy Prophet for ten
years, and he never said to me, `Fie', nor did he ever
say `Why have you done this', or `Why have you not done
that'." (Report in Bukhari.)
9. Animals:
"There is no animal in the
earth, nor a bird flying on its two wings, but they are
communities like yourselves (O people)." (6:38)
Someone asked the Holy Prophet, "Is
there a reward for us (from Allah) for doing good to
beasts?" He replied:
"In every animal having a liver
fresh with life there is a reward." (Holy Prophet in
Mishkat.)
"Be careful of your duty to Allah
in the matter of dumb animals; ride them while they are
in a fit condition, and eat them while they are in a fit
condition." (Holy Prophet in Abu Dawud.)
"Whoever tills a field, and birds
and beasts eat from it, it is an act of charity." (Holy
Prophet in Musnad of Ahmad.)
10.
Authorities:
Regarding electing and
appointing people to positions of authority, the Quran
says:
"Allah commands you to make over
trusts (or positions of trust and authority) to those
worthy of them." (4:58)
Some other principles are as
follows:
"Obey Allah and obey the Messenger
and those in authority from among you; then if you
quarrel about anything (with your authorities) refer it
to Allah and the Messenger" (4:59), i.e. settle the
disagreement by means of the Holy Quran and the Holy
Prophet's example.
"Obedience (of authority) is due
only in good matters", i.e., orders to do wrong must not
be obeyed. (Holy Prophet in Bukhari.)
The first head of state of the
Muslims after the Holy Prophet, the famous Hazrat Abu
Bakr, said in a speech after his election:
"Help me if I am in the right.
Correct me if I am in the wrong. Obey me as long as I
obey Allah and His Messenger; in case I disobey Allah and
His Messenger, I have no right to obedience from
you."
"The most excellent jihad is to
speak the truth in the face of an unjust ruler." (Holy
Prophet in Mishkat.)
11. Muslims:
"Hold fast by the covenant of
Allah all together and be not disunited. And remember
Allah's favour to you when you were enemies, then He
united your hearts, so by His favour you became
brethren." (3:103)
"The believers are brethren, so
make peace between your brethren . . . Do not find fault
with your own people, nor call one another by (bad)
nicknames." (49:10-12)
"Help one another in good and
righteous works, and do not help one another in sin and
aggression." (5:2)
"Do not hate one another and do not
be jealous of one another and do not boycott one another,
and be servants of Allah, as brothers; and it is not
lawful for a Muslim to sever his relations with his
brother for more than three days." (Holy Prophet in
Bukhari.)
"You will see the believers in
their having mercy for one another, and in their love for
one another, and in their kindness towards one another,
like the human body: when one limb is ailing, the whole
body feels it, one part calling out the other with
sleeplessness and fever." (Holy Prophet in
Bukhari.)
"None of you has faith until he
loves for his brother what he loves for himself." (Holy
Prophet in Bukhari.)
12. Those who Abuse
Muslims:
"Bear patiently what they
(abusers) say." (20:130)
"Disregard their annoying talk."
(33:48)
"When you hear Allah's messages
disbelieved in and mocked at, sit not with them until
they enter into some other talk." (4:140)
"And if you invite them to
guidance, they hear not; and you see them looking towards
you, yet they see not. Take to forgiveness and enjoin
good and turn away from the ignorant." (7:198-199)
"The Messenger of Allah and his
Companions used to forgive the idolaters and the
followers of the book (Jews and Christians), as Allah had
commanded them, and they used to show patience on hearing
hurtful words." (Report in Bukhari.)
13. Enemies:
"Repel evil with what is
best, when lo! he between whom and you there is enmity
will be like a warm friend." (41:34)
"Many of the people of the book
wish that they could turn you back into disbelievers
after you have believed, out of envy from themselves. .
.. But pardon and forgive." (2:109)
"And you will always find treachery
in them, except a few of them. So pardon them and
forgive. Surely Allah loves those who do good to others."
(5:13)
14.
Non-Muslims:
"Allah does not forbid you
concerning those people who do not fight you because of
your religion, nor expel you from your homes, that you
show them kindness and deal with them justly.. . . Allah
forbids you only concerning those people who fight you
for your religion, and drive you from your homes and help
others to expel you, that you make friends of them." (60:
8,9)
"Whatever good they (people of
other religions) do, they will not be denied it (by
Allah), and Allah knows who the righteous are."
(3:115)
"O you who believe, be upright for
Allah, bearers of witness with justice; and do not let
the hatred of a people incite you not to act with
justice. Be just; that is nearer to observance of duty."
(5:8)
"Call (others) to the way of your
Lord with wisdom and goodly exhortation, and argue with
them in the best manner." (16:125)
"Argue not with the people of the
Book (Jews, Christians, and other people having
scriptures) except by the best (means), save those of
them who act unjustly. But say: We believe in that which
has been revealed to us and revealed to you, and our God
and your God is One, and to Him we submit."
(29:46)
A companion of the Holy Prophet
relates:
"A funeral procession passed by the
Holy Prophet, and he stood up for it. People said to him:
It was the funeral of a Jew. He said: Was it not a human
life?" (Report in Bukhari.)
15. Mankind
Generally:
"Mankind is a single nation."
(2:213)
"O mankind! We have created you
from a male and a female, and made you into races and
families so that you may know each other. The most
honoured of you in Allah's sight are those who best keep
their duty." (49:13)
"We (Allah) have not sent you (O
Muhammad) except as a mercy to the nations."
(21:107)
"Speak good words to all people."
(2:83)
"Allah commands you that . . . when
you judge between people (i.e., of any race, religion,
family, class, etc.), you judge with justice."
(4:58)
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