Honor Yourself with Good Character and Ethics

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

Assalaamu alaykum

Dear Friends

I pray that you are well.

The Qur’an explicitly states that the Children of Adam are honored.

Allah Almighty says,

وَلَقَدْ كَرَّ‌مْنَا بَنِىٓ ءَادَمَ وَحَمَلْنَـٰهُمْ فِى ٱلْبَرِّ‌ وَٱلْبَحْرِ‌ وَرَ‌زَقْنَـٰهُم مِّنَ ٱلطَّيِّبَـٰتِ وَفَضَّلْنَـٰهُمْ عَلَىٰ كَثِيرٍ‌ۢ مِّمَّنْ خَلَقْنَا تَفْضِيلًا ﴿٧٠

And We have certainly honored the children of Adam and carried them on the land and sea and provided for them of the good things and preferred them over much of what We have created, with [definite] preference. (70)

[Qur'an, Al-Isra' 17:70]

Human beings are the noblest and most favored of creatures. This we can gauge by Allah repeating the story of the creation of Adam at various places in the Qur'an and of Iblees not showing any respect for this special creation of His.

فَإِذَا سَوَّيْتُهُۥ وَنَفَخْتُ فِيهِ مِن رُّ‌وحِى فَقَعُوا۟ لَهُۥ سَـٰجِدِينَ ﴿٧٢﴾ فَسَجَدَ ٱلْمَلَـٰٓئِكَةُ كُلُّهُمْ أَجْمَعُونَ ﴿٧٣﴾ إِلَّآ إِبْلِيسَ ٱسْتَكْبَرَ‌ وَكَانَ مِنَ ٱلْكَـٰفِرِ‌ينَ ﴿٧٤﴾ قَالَ يَـٰٓإِبْلِيسُ مَا مَنَعَكَ أَن تَسْجُدَ لِمَا خَلَقْتُ بِيَدَىَّ ۖ أَسْتَكْبَرْ‌تَ أَمْ كُنتَ مِنَ ٱلْعَالِينَ ﴿٧٥

So when I have proportioned him and breathed into him of My [created] soul, then fall down to him in prostration." (72) So the angels prostrated - all of them entirely. (73) Except Iblees; he was arrogant and became among the disbelievers. (74) [Allah] said, "O Iblees, what prevented you from prostrating to that which I created with My hands? Were you arrogant [then], or were you [already] among the haughty?" (75)

[Qur'an, Sad 38:72-75]

One of Allah's special creations, ruh (spirit, soul), is blown into the human being and that's what honors us. It is huge aspect of guidance for us to honor ourselves.

Iblees didn’t acknowledge the ruh and want you to ignore the ruh. Shaytan want you to humiliate yourself and not acknowledge your soul.

قَالَ أَنَا۠ خَيْرٌ‌ۭ مِّنْهُ ۖ خَلَقْتَنِى مِن نَّارٍ‌ۢ وَخَلَقْتَهُۥ مِن طِينٍ ﴿٧٦

He said, "I am better than him. You created me from fire and created him from clay." (76)

[Qur’an, Sad 38:76]

The deny of the ruh is simply the degradation of human being. Once you degrade yourself and compare yourself to animals or behave like animals, then that's how we are finding ourselves in. You will find your behavior justifiable because you are modeling yourself after animals.

The dignity of the Children of Adam is a constituent element of the Islamic belief system, and it is strongly linked to religious beliefs, good character and ethics. A lack of respect to those deserving of respect is rooted in arrogance and/or shirk, and probably a slew of other diseases of the heart (pride, ostentation, envy, jealousy, pride, enmity, anger, prejudice, etc).

Human beings are the creatures Allah endowed with free will and reason. They are the ones to whom He subjected what is in the heavens and on Earth.

Allah Almighty says,

وَسَخَّرَ‌ لَكُم مَّا فِى ٱلسَّمَـٰوَ‌ٰتِ وَمَا فِى ٱلْأَرْ‌ضِ جَمِيعًا مِّنْهُ ۚ إِنَّ فِى ذَ‌ٰلِكَ لَءَايَـٰتٍ لِّقَوْمٍ يَتَفَكَّرُ‌ونَ ﴿١٣

And He has subjected to you whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth - all from Him. Indeed in that are signs for a people who give thought. (13)

[Qur'an, al-Jāthiyah 45:13]

The Qur’an teaches that the only real criterion by which people surpass each other is that of piety and the performance of righteous deeds that result from it.

Allah Almighty says,

يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلنَّاسُ إِنَّا خَلَقْنَـٰكُم مِّن ذَكَرٍ‌ۢ وَأُنثَىٰ وَجَعَلْنَـٰكُمْ شُعُوبًا وَقَبَآئِلَ لِتَعَارَ‌فُوٓا۟ ۚ إِنَّ أَكْرَ‌مَكُمْ عِندَ ٱللَّهِ أَتْقَىٰكُمْ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ عَلِيمٌ خَبِيرٌ‌ۭ ﴿١٣

O mankind, indeed We have created you from male and female and made you peoples and tribes that you may know one another. Indeed, the most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you. Indeed, Allah is Knowing and Acquainted. (13)

[Qur'an, al-Hujurāt 49:13]

May Allah purify our hearts, grant us taqwa and noble character, and bring back honor to the Muslims. Ameen.

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

And Allah knows best and He alone grant success.

Wassalaam