Contents

Chapter XI

Virtuous Conduct

The preceding account has shown us that God -exalted be His name- invites humanity as a whole, and the Muslims in particular, to adhere to certain virtues which, if adhered to, would bring happiness to humanity and ensure for Muslims bliss in this world and the next. Among these is the virtue of applying reason in all matters: religious or secular; also the virtue of learning, which allowed the Muslims -male and female- to love all forms of knowledge, religious and secular; the virtue of justice and fairness, without which the life of no community could be sustained; the virtue of equality between all races and nations; and the virtue of tolerance among followers of all religions, divine or otherwise.

There are many other virtues which Islam enjoins, among which is the virtue of work. God Almighty tells us in Sura 9 (Al-Tawba: 105): “And say: ‘work (righteousness): soon will Allah observe your work, and His Messenger and the Believers.” Islam is thus a religion of work, urging people to exert themselves in worship to God, whether it be prayer, zakah, fasting or hajj. Islam urges people also to apply themselves to earning a livelihood, whether working in the land to till it, plant it and tend it until it gives its fruits, or elsewhere. Occupations in agriculture vary, as do professions and trades. One could be a farmer or gardener, as one could be an auto worker, a grocer, a trader or in any of countless trades and professions. The Prophet -peace be upon him- urges Muslims to work to earn their livelihoods as if it were worship. A man must have a profession or occupation from which to satisfy his needs and protect himself from dependence on others or on society. Believers are rarely mentioned in the Quran unless mention is made also of their “good works,” meaning their good deeds both in worship and other areas. The Prophet -peace be upon him- constantly warned against idleness and staying without employment. Omar ibn Al-Khattab tells the Companions: “None of you should sit back without work and say: ‘Please God, give me sustenance,’ knowing full well that the sky does not rain gold nor silver.”

God also urges respect for promises and covenants, saying in Sura 17 (Al-Isra’: 34): “And fulfil (every) engagement, for (every) engagement will be enquired into (on the Day of Reckoning).” Engagement (or covenant) in this verse includes God’s covenant (which he had made inherent in human nature) to worship Him alone and to adhere to His religion and His Shari’a. It equally covers the covenants between a Muslim and his brother, which he must respect and fulfil; similarly the covenant with a man’s wife, his parents, children and relatives. Part of fulfilment of one’s covenants is to fulfil one’s contracts, as God Almighty advises in Sura 5 (Al-Ma’ida: 1): “O ye who believe, fulfil (all) obligations.” This refers to all obligations contracted in transactions such as purchase or sale, rental of land or homes, deals of reconciliation between individuals or nations or treaties between Islamic and other states. The Prophet has warned severely against breaking promises or covenants, calling it “treachery” and saying: “For every treacherous person, there is going to be a flag on the day of judgement, raised to match his treachery.”

One virtue which God ascribed to the Muslims in their conduct with each other appears in a description of them in Sura 48 (Al-Fath: 29) as “compassionate amongst each other,” meaning that each of them shows mercy and compassion to the others, with the strong showing kindness towards the weak, the rich towards the poor and the healthy towards the sick. A Muslim cannot be harsh and hard-hearted towards his brother, but his heart fills with compassion and kindness towards him, and he will be gentle and considerate towards his brother. The Prophet -peace be upon him- requests Muslims to be extremely kind towards their servants, and commands that they should not deny the worker his wages or cheat him of part of it, nor impose on him tasks beyond his capacity.

There are also numerous hadiths urging kindness to beasts of burden, which are not to be overburdened or overworked in any manner. The Prophet warns against cruelty to animals as severely as he warns against cruelty to humans, according to a saying in Muslim’s sahih, which affirms: “A woman has been punished and went to hellfire for a cat which she imprisoned until it died, neither did she feed and water it, nor did she allow it to eat from what the earth throws out.” He also urges kindness to animals in this hadith in al-Bukhari’s sahih: “While a man was walking on the highway, he felt extremely thirsty. Then he came across a well, and went down the well and had a drink. When he emerged from the well, he saw a dog panting and eating the mud from thirst. So the man said to himself: ‘This dog must be suffering from thirst just as I had been.’ And he went back down and filled his shoe with water, held it in his mouth and climbed out and gave the dog to drink. God thanked him for this, forgave him his sins and admitted him to paradise.” This remarkable emphasis on mercy to animals, which equates it with mercy to humans, allows Islam to deserve the appellation: “the religion of mercy.”

There are many other courses of honourable conduct which God and his Prophet urge the Muslims to observe: advising them to uphold their honour and dignity, to fear none other than God and to speak up and say the truth fearing no admonition from any quarter. The Prophet -peace be upon him- was once asked: “What type of jihad (struggle in the way of God) is most worthy?” He answered: “Speaking the truth in front of an unjust ruler.” And he used to say constantly that a Muslim must not humiliate himself nor should he refrain from telling the truth for fear of anyone, for what he says will not bring him nearer his death nor deprive him from sustenance. God praises truthful men and women repeatedly and promises them great rewards in the hereafter. Truthfulness is exhibited in various forms and contexts: there is first truthfulness with God in believing in Him and believing in His angels, His revelations, His messengers and the Last Day, in addition to observing the religious obligations of prayer, zakah, fasting and hajj. There is also truthfulness with the wife in his relations with her and in honouring his duty to support and care for her, truthfulness with parents and children in fulfilling their requirements, truthfulness with relatives in assisting them and coming to their aid and truthfulness in all transactions with people and in respecting one’s obligations towards them. The Prophet -peace be upon him- says that a man who adheres to truthfulness continuously would, at some point, be counted among the saints (or the “sincere”) in the eyes of God because of this. This saying refers to the following verse in Sura 4 (An-Nisa’: 69): “All who obey Allah and the Messenger are in the company of those to whom is the Grace of Allah- of the Prophets (who teach), the Sincere (lovers of truth), the Witnesses (who testify), and the Righteous (who do good): Ah! what a beautiful Fellowship!”

God and His Prophet also urge humility towards believers, as in this verse of Sura 26 (Al-Shu’ara’: 215): “And lower thy wing to the Believers who follow thee,” meaning: treat them with gentleness and humility. The Prophet was extremely humble towards his companions. His wives and Companions relate many stories supporting this, some of which we have already narrated. He also urged Muslims to show humility, saying: “Whoever humbles himself for the sake of God, God would elevate him to a high status.” This means that whoever humbles himself to people and shows love and kindness towards them, will be amply rewarded in the hereafter. Humility towards God and His Prophet means venerating them and following their Shari’a, while humility towards men is of two kinds: a praiseworthy and acceptable form, and a blameworthy and unacceptable one. The acceptable is humility towards parents, relatives and friends, while the unacceptable form is humility towards arrogant and proud people, or towards unjust rulers.

The Prophet -peace be upon him- has always praised diffidence and the propensity to feel shame, saying that it is a branch of faith, since, like faith, it does hold a person back from committing sin. It is also one of the Prophet’s own characteristics since he was, as an authentic hadith informs us, “more bashful than a virgin girl in her chambers.” It was reported that if he encountered something that upset him, he would not mention it, and his Companions would know it only from the look on his face. One saying ascribed to him is the following, as reported in Al-Bukhari’s Sahih: “If you feel no shame, do what you will.” Meaning if you did not shy from committing sin, or feel no shame from disgrace, then do whatever occurs to you, good or bad. This, of course, is a reproach for such a person.

God and His Prophet counsel Muslims to be patient and steadfast in adversity and misfortune. They must not panic or break down, but must control themselves and bear whatever befell them with steadfastness and fortitude, without any complaint or panic. Patience is mentioned countless times in the Quran and Muslims urged to show it in war and jihad, in restraining oneself from sinful desires or in bearing adversity with fortitude. God says in Sura 39 (Al-Zumar: 10): “Those who patiently persevere will truly receive a reward without measure!”, a promise of limitless rewards from the Almighty. God -exalted be His name- also says in Sura 2 (Al-Baqarah: 155-6): “But give glad tidings to those who patiently persevere- who say, when afflicted with calamity: ‘To Allah we belong, and to Him is our return- They are those on whom (descend) blessings from their Lord, and Mercy, and they are the ones that receive guidance.” This category of people submit all their affairs, even themselves to their Lord, to do with them what He wills, and they will return to Him on the Day of Judgement and he will award them full recompense. God is giving them good tidings that, in return for their patience in the face of the pain and ordeals they endured, He will bestow on them blessings, mercy and guidance, which are indeed great rewards.

God also counsels Muslims to show hilm, or forgiveness and self-control, checking their rage when hearing insults or words that injure them. This quality of hilm means that a Muslim is not to utter word, no matter how angered he may be, and no abusive word is to issue from him when provoked. This shows an ability to control one’s impulses and to endure abuse or provocation to the limit. Many Muslims were renowned for their hilm, chief among whom was the Prophet -peace be upon him. Whenever he heard a harsh word from an uncouth bedouin, he would only smile and not respond. He always forgave and let go.

The Prophet also urges guardians and trustees of orphans to be kind and gentle in treating their charges. They are never to take anything from their wealth except what is equivalent to a salary for someone administering similar funds. When the orphan comes of age, the guardian is to hand his wealth back to him promptly. God warns those who misappropriate the property of orphans of severe punishment.

God and the Prophet urge courteousness and kindness towards neighbour and guest. The Prophet repeatedly urges the believers to visit the sick so as to strengthen the bonds of affection with the sick person and his family. Similarly, he urges the attendance of funerals and services for the dead to strengthen bonds among Muslims.

God knows that for the good of humanity and Muslim communities, it is better to banish from the realm of acceptable conduct all evil acts and abominable pronouncements. He, therefore, outlawed in the Quran and through the words of His Prophet, a number of harmful actions and forms of behaviour, foremost among which is adultery, the greatest sin of all. God says in Sura (Al-Isra’: 32): “Nor come nigh to adultery: for it is a shameful (deed) and an evil, opening the road (to other evils).” It is an evil abomination, in view of what it leads to, including everlasting disgrace, the failure of the affected girl to find marriage and the separation of husband and wife; not to mention the heavy penalty. God also outlawed the consumption of alcohol and similar intoxicating drugs, such as opium, hashish or cocaine, since they represent a great waste of money and lead people astray. The Prophet -peace be upon him- says: “Liquor is accursed [and with it the other substances mentioned above] and so is its drinker, the person who serves it, its seller, its buyer, its carrier, the person to whom it is carried, the person who presses it, the person for whom it is pressed and the person who benefits from its sale.” Muslim scholars are unanimous that the consumption of a small amount of a substance of which causes intoxication in any amount is also outlawed. God also outlawed gambling, for the waste of money it causes and for the enmity and hate it creates between gamblers. He also outlawed usury, which is the excess charged by a lender on the principal sum borrowed when the borrower returns the money. This is extortion charged by the lender without any equivalent, and it puts an end to compassion and kind deeds between community members, thus defeating a primary purpose of Shari’a. Investing money in banks could not(1) be considered usury, since both the bank and the investor benefit from it and it involves no extortion. God also outlawed arrogance and haughtiness, since these are the antithesis of the feeling of brotherhood which Islam had enjoined on Muslims. This sense of brotherhood entails that no Muslim should regard himself as superior to his brother because of his wealth or status.

God also outlawed false testimony, and the Prophet -peace be upon him- equated it with the gravest of sins, which is worshipping other deities beside God, thus signifying that it merits the most severe punishment from God. Injustice in all its forms was also outlawed by God, who says in Sura 14 (Ibrahim: 42-43): “Think not that Allah doth not heed the deeds of the unjust. He but giveth them respite against a Day when the eyes will fixedly stare in horror. They are running forward with necks outstretched, their heads uplifted, their gaze returning not towards them, and their hearts a (gaping) void!” God is here telling us that He is not unaware of what the unjust and wrongdoers are perpetrating, but He is deferring their judgement until the Day of Reckoning, when the eyes will fixedly stare, not batting an eyelid from terror. On that day, the unjust will come rushing along their heads bowed in humiliation,(2) while their eyelids are frozen with fear and their hearts empty and devoid of comprehension in terror of the punishment awaiting them.

God and His Prophet outlawed lying whether this be lying in the name of God, by outlawing what He had permitted or permitting what He had outlawed, or lying in the name of His Prophet, by fabricating false reports and ascribing these to him, or lying to people in word or deed. Some people become accustomed to lying, and it is an ugly habit indeed, causing a person to become contemptible in the eyes of people. The Prophet was asked once: “Could a believer be a coward?” He answered: “Yes.” The questioner then asked: “Could he be a niggard?” He answered: “Yes.” The questioner then asked: “Could he be a liar?” He answered: “No.” God and his Prophet have emphasised the prohibition on false oath, which the Prophet counted among the gravest sins. The Prophet also prohibited the swearing in the name of anything other than God. People often swear by the life of their father, or his grave, but this is considered forbidden. A person is not, however, accountable for spontaneous phrases where oaths are habitually pronounced without any solemn intention.

God also outlawed envy, because it is as if the envious person is made unhappy by the blessings God has bestowed on another, and wishes for them to be taken away. He remains forever disturbed and pained, without rest. God and His Prophet also outlaw deceit and fraud, including dissimulation and deception in sales by hiding the defects of goods being sold. The Prophet -peace be upon him- says: “Whoever tries to deceive us is not one of us.”

The Prophet has warned severely against cursing or abusing another Muslim, and regarded this a grave sin. He also prohibited the cursing of animals. In Sura 49 (Al-Hujurat: 11), God enumerates a series of prohibited acts which damage relations of love between Muslims, saying: “O ye who believe! Let not some men among you laugh at others: it may be that the (latter) are better than the (former): nor let some women laugh at others: it may be that the (latter) are better than the (former): nor defame nor be sarcastic to each other.” God Almighty says: “O ye who believe! avoid suspicion as much (as possible): for suspicion in some cases is a sin: and spy not on each other, nor speak ill of each other behind their backs. Would any of you like to eat the flesh of his dead brother? Nay, ye would abhor it” (Al-Hujurat: 12). God advises Muslims here not to think ill of each other, as may happen when they hear a word from someone which they misinterpret. They should, on the contrary, always put the best possible interpretation on the matter. As God warns against spying the Prophet -peace be upon him- spoke against spying or trying to find fault with Muslims, saying: “Whoever refrains from publicising the faults of a believer is like someone who brings a girl who had been buried alive back to life.” Likening backbiting and slander to eating the flesh of a dead brother is an indication of how disgusting this crime is, and how serious. The punishment for it is as severe as that for making fun of people, suspicion and spying. God also banned the spreading of stories and fomenting trouble that way. The Prophet -peace be upon him- said: “A stirrer will never enter paradise.” God and His Prophet also warned against gloating over the misfortune of other Muslims, for it is the duty of a Muslim to be compassionate towards his brother in his ordeal and to assist him until his crisis is over. The misfortune of a person might pass, and a similar ordeal strike the person who gloated over it.

We conclude our discussion by mentioning a number of codes of conduct prescribed by God for Muslims, among which is the code of conduct for meeting places, about which God says: “O ye who believe! When you are asked to make room in the assemblies, (spread out and ) make room: (ample) room will Allah provide for you” (Al-Mujadalah: 11). God here commands Muslims who are seated in a meeting place to make room for newcomers from among their brothers, whether the gathering is a preaching meeting or a learning circle. The Prophet -peace be upon him- says: “No man should cause a man to give up his seat for him, but make room and spread out.” This is because making room shows consideration and tact. Part of the etiquette of gatherings is that late-comers should not try to push their way to the front in order to occupy the centre of the circle or a prominent place in it. The Prophet also strictly warned against rising up by anybody for a new arrival, no matter who he may be. If someone addresses his brother, the latter is required to be attentive and listen without any interruption.

Of the codes of conduct obligatory on all Muslims is to ask for permission before entering a home. God Almighty says: “O ye who believe! enter not houses other than your own, until ye have asked permission and saluted those in them” (An-Nur: 27). This means that people must ask permission to enter, whether the occupants be relatives or not, so that the occupant may have time to prepare to receive them, as there may be something in the home the occupants do not like the visitors to see. Even if the visit is to a lady who need not cover herself to receive the visitor, being a close relative, she may need to change or something. There are many situations which could embarrass a person were he to receive visitors without being announced. This is therefore a remarkable and commendable piece of advice from God to visitors. There is an authentic hadith of the Prophet -peace be upon him- in which he said: “You ask for permission three times. Either permission is given, or the visitor should turn back.” He taught his Companions the formula for asking permission, which to say: “Peace be upon you. May I come in?” He admonished those who answer when asked “Who is it ?” by saying: “It is me,” without giving one's name. One story gives an indication of the Prophet's considerate attitude when it came to announcing himself when visiting someone. It is reported that he had once arrived at Madinah after one of his expeditions during the day, but asked his party to remain outside the city and not enter until the evening, saying to them: “Be slow and wait so that we may enter Madinah in the evening, and so that the dishevelled lady would comb her hair and the lady whose husband had been away would do her make up.” This is a touching show of consideration and courtesy from the Prophet, stopping, as he did, outside the city with his soldiers to give the women the time to be prepared to receive their men folks.

Among the codes of conduct imperative on the Muslim is to greet his brother by wishing him peace when they meet and to shake his hand. One of the Companions asked the Prophet: “O Messenger of God, if one of us meets his brother, should he bow to him?” The Prophet said: “No.” The man asked: “Should he shake his hand?” He said: “Yes.” God says in Sura 4 (An-Nisa': 86): “When a (courteous) greeting is offered to you, meet it with a greeting still more courteous, or (at least) of equal courtesy.” God thus makes it a duty upon a Muslim to return a greeting either with the same greeting or a better one. The greeting formula in Islam is: “Peace be upon you.” And the reply is: “And peace be upon you too, and the Mercy of God.” For a fuller response, one could say: “And peace be upon you too, and the Mercy of God and His Blessings.” If the person offering the greeting says: “Peace be upon you and the Mercy of God,” then the reply should be with addition of “and His Blessings.” But if someone offered the full greeting to start with, then the reply should be the same.

It is clear that this greeting formula of peace, used by Muslims in their daily encounters, is a call for the spreading of peace on earth for all people, since a Muslim is required to greet Muslims and non-Muslims with the same greeting of peace. He is also required to repeat this same greeting several times a day in his daily prayers. With this daily greeting, Islam has been the first caller for peace on earth, urging men to peace for fourteen centuries or more. God has named paradise "the abode of peace," which is another incentive for men to seek peace on earth. He also mentioned that the inhabitants of paradise greet each other with the greeting of peace, and said in Sura 13 (Al-Ra'd: 23-24): “And angels shall enter unto them from every gate (with the salutation): ‘Peace be unto you.’” Thus the angels greet the believers who have been successful in entering paradise with the same greeting of peace which Islam has propagated. God also made Peace one of His divine Sublime Names. All this represents an Islamic divine call for peace to prevail throughout the earth between Muslims and all nations on earth, so that all people will feel that the whole of earth is home to them, and live in it as loving brothers.

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1) It is the author’s point of view. The point is, however, controversial.

2. The author is here giving an interpretation of the term muqni’i ru’usihim which is the opposite of that given by Yusuf Ali above. He renders it as “their heads bowed”, as opposed to “their necks outstretched.” The author's rendering appears closer to the correct meaning.

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