Thursday, March 15, 2007
Every muslims are encourage to have good akhlaq as it is a very important topic in Islam.
Consider that the Prophet s.a.w. once said that "The only reason I have been sent is to perfect good manners.""
In the Holy Quran, Surah Al-Qalam, Allah revealed that "And indeed, you are upon a noble conduct, an exemplary manner (Al-Qalam 68/4).
This exemplary manner is high akhlaq. One of the things that Allah s.w.t praised the Prophet s.a.w for was that he had good akhlaq (good manners) . This shows the importance of good akhlaq.
Allah s.w.t describes the Ibaad-ar-Rahman, the servants of Allah, as those who lives life with humility and humbleness. These people are not arrogant. Such are the characteristics of the believers. Allah hates arrogance in all of its forms. Allah hates kibr and pride in all of its forms.
Good akhlaq is part of the advice that the Prophet s.a.w. would give as quote from a hadith that he said to Muaz r.a. : "Fear Allah wherever you are, follow up an evil deed with a good deed, and meet with the people, interact with the people, with good akhlaq."
In another hadith a person had came up to the Prophet s.a.w and asked him for some advice. The Prophet s.a.w responded: "Be firm, be perseverant, be straight in your following of Sirat al Mustaqim. Let your akhlaq be good to the people."
The Prophet s.a.w. also said: "The best blessing that a person can be given in this life is akhlaq."
Good akhlaq is far greater than any wealth, status, family and children, found in this world.
In another hadith he said: "Mankind has not been given anything better than good akhlaq."
Who amongst us fasts every single day and prays every single night? Nobody. Yet, if we have good akhlaq we can reach the level of the person who does this.
In another hadith the Prophet s.a.w. mentioned that the reward for one who is a musaddat, a person who is always trying to fill in the gaps between other Muslims by being social, friendly, and having good akhlaq will reaches the darjat as-sawwam al-qawwam."
Sawwam is the one who continually fasts and the qawwam is the one who continually stands in prayer. So the Muslim who is very social, has good akhlaq, and is fulfilling the rights of his brothers reaches the level of the one who continually fasts and prays just because of his good akhlak. This is the way that we can earn extra thawwab.
Also in another hadith, the prophet s.a.w. says "The people (or the Mu'mins) who have perfected their iman most perfectly, are those who are best in akhlaq."
And in another narration: "The best of the Mu'minin are the ones who are best in their akhlaq."
In one hadith, the Prophet s.a.w. said: "Allah is beautiful and loves beauty, and He loves noble akhlaq (ma'ali akhlaq) and He hates, he despises lowly characteristics."
That is why the opposite is also true. When a person becomes of a coarse heart, of a vulgar nature, always criticizing, always arrogant, always being sarcastic, always looking down at people, a person does not wish to be around him. These are the people whom Allah s.w.t hates, no matter what they call themselves, no matter how much they fast and pray.
So for us who wants to be near to Allah and His Prophet, remember this saying from our Prophet s.a.w. :
"Those of you who will be closest to me on the Day of Judgment will be those who have the best akhlaq."
Cultivating good akhlaq is easy and difficult at the same time. On the one hand it is easy because you do not have to spend a lot of time and money, but on the other hand, it is difficulty because you have to control yourself; keep yourself in check and guard yourself.
In finding this middle path to good akhlaq, it is very important to avoid two extremes. Some people, and alhamdulillah this is very rare amongst the Muslims, but common amongst the non-Muslims and other religious movements, emphasize akhlaq more than their worship of Allah. You will find that the Christians say, "Oh, as long as I'm good to them, as long as I show peace and harmony to society and culture and nature, then it doesn't matter, even if I commit major sins or shirk, as long as I'm good to everyone else."
So this person has taken the akhlaq of mankind and given that in preference to the worship of Allah. If a person leaves the wajib, for example the five prayers, then do not think this person is going to enter Jannah just because he smiled at his brother. The fact that he left the prayer is a major sin and in fact it might be a type of kufr to leave the prayers. Yet, a person might trivialize it on the pretext of, "Oh, I'm being good to other people and that is what's most important." No, you must perform the wajib that is required of each and every muslims.
It does not matter what they say or what labels they put on themselves. If a person has bad akhlaq, if he is arrogant, vulgar, and foul-mouthed, then this is not a person with strong iman. If people do not want to be around him, and he is always criticizing everybody else, then this person is not a person with strong iman. This is the other extreme. You have to avoid both of these two extremes. The middle path is that we worship Allah, the way that He deserves to be worshiped and also to have good akhlaq with all the Muslims.
That is why it is important to have akhlaq along with knowledge, because knowledge tells you what to do and when to do it. Without knowledge, a person will not know how to act in every single situation. Accordingly, the Prophet s.a.w. said:
“The best of you in Islam, the best of you that have converted to Islam, are the best of you in akhlaaq as long as they have knowledge.”
Without knowledge, akhlaq is not that powerful. But when a person combines knowledge and akhlaq, then this is the height of iman. Wassalam
Yand will you fufill my dream this summer?
6:53 AM
