I Am At Your Service

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum

Dear Friends

I pray that you are well.

Islam has rules and etiquettes that apply to all. Proper manners are not general values but they are specific guidance from the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace.

Adab is the right way of doing something and putting things in their right places. Everything we do has an adab of doing it. This adab comes from the Prophetic examples, the one who is most praised for his character. His character is the most distinguished aspect of his outward person.

Character is an inward disposition that causes one to exhibit praiseworthy traits and act in ways that are praiseworthy. It is the right way of expression. The way one is, is the the way one acts. The basis of good character is seeking Divine pleasure and Divine Mercy. One way that is expressed is striving to please Allah such that our conduct is seeking Divine Mercy.

Adab has many benefits. It teaches us restraint. Restraint is a means of taqwa. Proper manners will remind you of Allah and awakens your heart to Allah. It is also an expression of excellence and beauty. Allah has decreed excellence in all things. Allah is beautiful and loves beauty. This excellence and beauty is both beloved to Allah and to people. When you act with proper manners with people, people feel safe, honored and comfortable, and it strengthens bonds between people.

The character of the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, is defined as tremendous.

وَإِنَّكَ لَعَلَىٰ خُلُقٍ عَظِيمٍ ﴿٤

And verily, you (O Muhammad SAW) are on an exalted (standard of) character. (4)

[Qur'an Al-Qalam 68:4]

The Prophet's character was the Qur'an.

Sa’ad, Allah be pleased with him, reported:

Once I went to Aisha and her father, Allah be pleased with them both, and asked them about the character and conduct of the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, to which Aisha, Allah be pleased with her, replied: Don't you read the Qur'an? I said: Yes. She said: The character of the Messenger of Allah is the Qur'an.

That is the adab of the Qur'an. Observe what Allah tells us in the Qur'an about praiseworthy conduct--how the Prophet dealt with people, with difficult people, etc.

With that we should learn the Qur'an properly and read the Qur'an attentively because the Qur'an details the character of the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace.

The basis in terms of proper manners is gentleness with people and honoring people. Striving to uphold gentleness returns to mercy. The one who is merciful is granted mercy from Allah.

Once Aisha, the mother of the believers, may Allah be pleased with her, was asked how was the Prophet's character and she recited the first 10 verses of Surah al-Mukminun.

قَدْ أَفْلَحَ ٱلْمُؤْمِنُونَ ﴿١﴾ ٱلَّذِينَ هُمْ فِى صَلَاتِهِمْ خَـٰشِعُونَ ﴿٢﴾ وَٱلَّذِينَ هُمْ عَنِ ٱللَّغْوِ مُعْرِضُونَ ﴿٣﴾ وَٱلَّذِينَ هُمْ لِلزَّكَوٰةِ فَـٰعِلُونَ ﴿٤﴾ وَٱلَّذِينَ هُمْ لِفُرُوجِهِمْ حَـٰفِظُونَ ﴿٥﴾ إِلَّا عَلَىٰٓ أَزْوَٰجِهِمْ أَوْ مَا مَلَكَتْ أَيْمَـٰنُهُمْ فَإِنَّهُمْ غَيْرُ مَلُومِينَ ﴿٦﴾ فَمَنِ ٱبْتَغَىٰ وَرَآءَ ذَٰلِكَ فَأُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلْعَادُونَ ﴿٧﴾ وَٱلَّذِينَ هُمْ لِأَمَـٰنَـٰتِهِمْ وَعَهْدِهِمْ رَٰعُونَ ﴿٨﴾ وَٱلَّذِينَ هُمْ عَلَىٰ صَلَوَٰتِهِمْ يُحَافِظُونَ ﴿٩﴾ أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلْوَٰرِثُونَ ﴿١٠﴾ ٱلَّذِينَ يَرِثُونَ ٱلْفِرْدَوْسَ هُمْ فِيهَا خَـٰلِدُونَ

Certainly will the believers have succeeded: (1) They who are during their prayer humbly submissive (2) And they who turn away from ill speech (3) And they who are observant of zakah (4) And they who guard their private parts (5) Except from their wives or those their right hands possess, for indeed, they will not be blamed - (6) But whoever seeks beyond that, then those are the transgressors - (7) And they who are to their trusts and their promises attentive (8) And they who carefully maintain their prayers - (9) Those are the inheritors (10) Who will inherit al-Firdaus. They will abide therein eternally. (11)

[Qur'an Al-Mu'minun 23:1-10]

She also told us that no one had better manners than the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and grant him peace; No one of his Companions or his family members would call him to something except that he answered "labbayk" ("I am at your service")

The beauty of the conduct of the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, is not expressed in a person whose mind is not illumined with the light of Allah. He is the beloved of Allah. He had no other concern except for Allah. His sole motive was Allah and what moved him was Allah. Even in the littlest thing he manifested them in excellence and beauty. This excellence and beauty is summarized in this verse of the Qur'an,

خُذِ ٱلْعَفْوَ وَأْمُرْ بِٱلْعُرْفِ وَأَعْرِضْ عَنِ ٱلْجَـٰهِلِينَ ﴿١٩٩

Show forgiveness, enjoin what is good, and turn away from the ignorant ones. (199)

[Qur'an 'Araf 7:199]

Teach your children to love the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace): it is the key to every good and the means for all virtue. Every Muslim household should connect the hearts of those in it to their Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace), directing the attention of the upcoming generation to their Messenger (Allah bless him and grant him peace); indeed, this grounds and strengthens the secret of emulation and comportment in them, and raises them to a high rank in attaining the contentment of the Lord. -Habib Umar

رَبَّنَا هَبْ لَنَا مِنْ أَزْوَٰجِنَا وَذُرِّيَّـٰتِنَا قُرَّةَ أَعْيُنٍ وَٱجْعَلْنَا لِلْمُتَّقِينَ إِمَامًا ...

...Our Lord, grant us from our spouses and our offspring comfort of our eyes and make us leaders for the righteous. [Qur'an 25:74]

We ask Allah to help us remove our blameworthy traits and grant us good character.

Ameen.

Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.

And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam