Building a Muslim Character

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

Assalaamu alaykum

Dear Friends

I pray that you are well.

The Muslim character is one that is sound and upright; in terms of its principles, fundamentals and etiquette it is based on submission and adherence to the teachings of Islam, in obedience to Allah and His Messenger (Allah bless him and grant him peace). It has to adhere to that which the righteous predecessors adhered, namely affirmation of the Oneness of Allah (tawheed) and sound commitment and loyalty to the religion of Allah, as well as complete disavowal of the enemies of Allah and their beliefs and principles, whilst adhering to the sublime conduct that Islam promotes.

The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and grant him peace) said: “I was only sent to perfect good manners and attitude.” Narrated by Ahmad (8729); classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Jaami‘ (2349).

From the morals and manners of the righteous predecessors was that they would constantly search their souls to breed in them the characteristics of the believers, and to discard the characteristics of the hypocrites. One is the opposite of the other. A summary of the believer characteristics is mentioned in His great Book saying,

التَّائِبُونَ الْعَابِدُونَ الْحَامِدُونَ السَّائِحُونَ الرَّ‌اكِعُونَ السَّاجِدُونَ الْآمِرُ‌ونَ بِالْمَعْرُ‌وفِ وَالنَّاهُونَ عَنِ الْمُنكَرِ‌ وَالْحَافِظُونَ لِحُدُودِ اللَّـهِ ۗ وَبَشِّرِ‌ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ ﴿١١٢

[Such believers are] the repentant, the worshipers, the praisers [of Allah], the travelers [for His cause], those who bow and prostrate [in prayer], those who enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong, and those who observe the limits [set by] Allah. And give good tidings to the believers. (112)

[Qur'an, At-Tawbah 9:112]

Also,

قَدْ أَفْلَحَ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ ﴿١﴾ الَّذِينَ هُمْ فِي صَلَاتِهِمْ خَاشِعُونَ ﴿٢﴾ وَالَّذِينَ هُمْ عَنِ اللَّغْوِ مُعْرِ‌ضُونَ ﴿٣﴾ وَالَّذِينَ هُمْ لِلزَّكَاةِ فَاعِلُونَ ﴿٤﴾ وَالَّذِينَ هُمْ لِفُرُ‌وجِهِمْ حَافِظُونَ ﴿٥﴾ إِلَّا عَلَىٰ أَزْوَاجِهِمْ أَوْ مَا مَلَكَتْ أَيْمَانُهُمْ فَإِنَّهُمْ غَيْرُ‌ مَلُومِينَ ﴿٦﴾ فَمَنِ ابْتَغَىٰ وَرَ‌اءَ ذَٰلِكَ فَأُولَـٰئِكَ هُمُ الْعَادُونَ ﴿٧﴾ وَالَّذِينَ هُمْ لِأَمَانَاتِهِمْ وَعَهْدِهِمْ رَ‌اعُونَ ﴿٨﴾ وَالَّذِينَ هُمْ عَلَىٰ صَلَوَاتِهِمْ يُحَافِظُونَ ﴿٩﴾ أُولَـٰئِكَ هُمُ الْوَارِ‌ثُونَ ﴿١٠﴾ الَّذِينَ يَرِ‌ثُونَ الْفِرْ‌دَوْسَ هُمْ فِيهَا خَالِدُونَ ﴿١١

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'minin 23:1-11]

The Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) said, "None of you truly believes until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself." [Bukhari]

He (Allah bless him and grant him peace) also said, "By Allah! He does not believe. By Allah! He does not believe. By Allah! He does not believe." He was asked, "Who, O Messenger of Allah?" He, sallallahu `alaihi wa sallam, said: "Whoever does not safeguard his neighbor from his harms." [Bukhari and Muslim. Muslim's version reads: He will not enter Paradise if he does not spare his neighbor from his harms.]

Yahya ibn Muadh (rahimahullah) gathered the characteristics of the believers in one of his essays as follows, "It is to be full of modesty, and to be harmless too. To be full of goodness and not to be corrupt. For the tongue to be truthful, for the words to be little and to be plentiful in good action. To have little slip-ups and not to be excessive. To be good to one's relatives, building closeness between them. To be dignified and grateful. To be full of contentment if Allah restricted some provision. To be forbearing and friendly to his brothers. To be compassionate and chaste. Not to curse, swear, insult, backbite, nor to gossip. Not to be hasty, envious, hateful, arrogant nor vain. Not to lean towards worldliness, nor to extend long hopes and wishes. Not to sleep too much nor to be absent-minded, nor to show-off nor be hypocritical. Not to be selfish, but to be soft and cheerful, not servile. Loving for the sake of Allah, being pleased for His sake and being angry only for His sake. His provision is taqwa (reverential fear of Allah). His worries are what will happen to him in the Afterlife. His friends remind him. His beloved is His Protector and Master. His struggle is for the Afterlife."

Fudayl ibn `Iyad (rahimahullah) said, "A believer plants a palm tree and fears that thorns will grow. The hypocrites plant thorns expecting ripe dates to grow!"

Search yourself carefully before your death. Weep over your soul if you find in it the morals of the hypocrites. Increase in seeking your Lord's forgiveness.

May Allah save us from hypocrisy and grant us the characteristics of the believers and make us of those who constantly repentant and purify themselves. Ameen.

And Allah knows best and He alone grant success.

Allahumma salli 'ala Muhammad wa 'ala aalihi wa sahbihi wassallam.

Wassalaam