The Radiant Path of Faith and Morality

Islam is a religion of morality, virtue, and wisdom. It is threaded with good morals in every aspect and from every perspective. Morals and religion are two inseparable elements. Both aim to develop and nurture people into perfected individuals who have achieved inner peace, possess good morals and manners, improve themselves and contribute to society.

The Arabic word for morals, “akhlaq,” is plural, derived from the word “khulq,” meaning ‘temperament, character, nature, habit.’ Just as every person has unique physical characteristics, they also have unique inner characteristics. Hence, “khalq” is used for external features and attributes, while “khulq” denotes internal aspects concerning one’s inner world.

A believer’s guiding principles

Islamic morals are a system of behaviors specified by Allah (subhanahu wa ta'ala) through revelations to our Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam). The source of the morals and etiquette that Islam requires believers to uphold is the principles and guidelines it prescribes in its principal sources. The Holy Qur’an, the hadiths, the companions of our Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), and all Islamic elders’ and betters’ exemplary characters are great guides for us on the subject of good morals.

The goal of Islam is to teach people to have good morals and have them achieve happiness in this world and the hereafter. It is said in the Holy Qur’an:

“(They) who restrain anger and forgive people; for Allah loves the doers of good.” (Ali Imran, 134)

Islam aims to establish an environment of love and respect between people. Our Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said in a hadith:

“You will not enter Jannah until you believe, and you shall not believe until you love one another.” (Muslim, Abu Dawud).

Since people live in societies, they need to be respectful towards and tolerant of one another. One needs to follow a balanced path and refrain from extremism and negligence in this regard. Tolerance does not mean turning a blind eye to evil, injustice, and uncouth, offensive behaviors. There is a need to distinguish between acts done with intent and ill will and those done rashly and in ignorance.

Morals and religion

Islam is a religion of morality, virtue, and wisdom. It is threaded with good morals in every aspect and from every perspective. Morals and religion are two inseparable elements. Both aim to develop and nurture people into perfected individuals who have achieved inner peace, possess good morals and manners, improve themselves and contribute to society.

Our Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) stated:

“I was sent to complete good manners (etiquette)” (Malik, Ahmad b. Hanbal), expressing that the core mission of prophecy is to build a system on a foundation of good morals.

Allah (subhanahu wa ta'ala) tells us in the Qur’an about our Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), “You are of a great character (morals and etiquette)” (Al-Qalam, 4). To understand the value Islam places on good morals, looking into the ayahs within the Holy Qur’an and the life of our Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) would be more than sufficient.

What does Islam command?

A person can change their instinctive bad habits via different methods of treatment and education. Islam commands and advises everything needed to attain good manners and forbids any and all evil and unbecoming acts. We must all refrain from harming others and doing injustice.

Islam commands us as a society and as individuals to:

- keep our words, and abide by our promises.

- be honest in all our actions

- stay true to justice, fairness, and truthfulness

- refrain from lying

- be easy to get along with

- rid ourselves of pretentious behavior

- maintain good intentions in all our affairs

- keep not just our physical bodies, but our inner world clean as well

- want good for others and not just ourselves.

Islam also requires us to be virtuous, patient, resolute, brave, humble, and stay far from evil and unbecoming acts.

Islam reminds us that for each good or evil act, big or small, we will be accounted for in the hereafter. Good acts carry us to unending happiness in the afterlife while evil acts lead us down a dark path to unending misery. Every little act, good or evil, will be accounted for and paid for.

Muadh bin Jabal (radiyallahu anh) narrated: “When I set my foot on the stirrup to begin my journey towards Yemen as its governor, our Prophet’s (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) last advice to me was: ‘O Muadh! Be of good character towards the people’” (Malik; Ahmad b. Hanbal; Hakim)

What does Allah love most?

 A man came to the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) and asked, “What is religion?”

The Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) replied, “to be of good character.”

Then the man approached him from the right and asked the same question, and the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) again replied, “to be of good character.”

The man then approached him from the left and asked: “What is the religion of the Messenger of Allah?” and the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) again replied, “to be of good character.”

Finally, the man approached him from behind and asked the same question, and the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said, “Why do you not understand? Religion is to not be angry with anyone.” (Munziri, at-Targhib wa’t-Tarhib, 3/405)

Morals and the Afterlife

Our Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) prayed, “My Allah! As you created my outer appearance beautiful, make my morals so,” (Ahmad b. Hanbal, Bayhaki) on many occasions. One of the great companions, Abu’d-Darda once stayed up through the night praying and begging, “My Allah! As you created my outer appearance beautiful, make my morals so,” until the morning. In the morning his wife Ummu’d-Darda asked: “Abu Derda! The whole night your prayer and wishes were about good morals. Why did you pray this way until the morning?” Abu’d-Darda (radiyallahu anh) said: “Ummu’d-Darda! The Muslim perfects his character until his good character enters him into Paradise or taints his character until his bad character enters him into Hellfire.” (Bukhari, Bayhaki)

The faith-related aspect of morals

Morals are directly related to faith. They are inseparable. It is a requirement of faith that one submits to the commandments in the Holy Qur’an. By submitting to these commandments valuable good morals are obtained. Good morals are a sign of complete and mature faith. As a matter of fact, the hadith, “the most perfect believer in his faith is the one who has good morals and the best of you are those who are best to their wives” (Tirmidhi, Ahmad b Hanbal) states this clearly. As good morals are a sign of mature faith, corrupt morals are a sign of lacking faith.

Relationship between morals and actions

In Islam, the notion of iman transcends a mere passive belief and instead demands an active embodiment of virtuous behavior. The Qur'an, as the divine source of guidance, has repeatedly stressed the importance of good conduct as an integral component of iman. The verses, "By Al-Asr. Verily, man is in loss. Except those who believe and do righteous deeds, and advise each other for truth, and advise each other for patience," (Al-Asr, 1-3) serve as a beacon of light for those seeking to tread on the path of righteousness. It is an undeniable truth that on the Day of Judgment, when each person's actions are weighed, the most prized possession will be one’s good moral character. It is for this reason that every act of worship and devotion is intended to inculcate noble conduct in a believer's heart and soul. The daily prayers, fasting, zakat, and sadaqah were all commanded to us to help us mature and obtain perfect morals. For Allah (subhanahu wa ta'ala) has no need for our salah (daily prayers), fasting, zakat, and sadaqah. In the Qur’an, the ayah, “Recite (O Prophet) what is revealed to you of the Book (Quran), and establish salah. Surely salah restrains one from shameful and evil acts…” (Al-Ankabut, 45) emphasizes that these prayers and acts of worship are the requirements of attaining good morals and purifying one’s nafs. Abu Shurayh (radiyallahu anh) narrated: “Our Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) once vowed three times back to back, ‘By Allah, he is not a believer! By Allah, he is not a believer! By Allah, he is not a believer.’ It was asked, ‘Who is that, O Messenger of Allah?’ He said, ‘One whose neighbor does not feel safe from his evil’” (Bukhari).

All of this and so much more, which can be seen in the words and lives of Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), his companions, and the following generation of pious believers, establish incontrovertibly that Islam is composed of good manners. A believer who is rigorous with his daily prayers but is negligent in and even disdainful of morals, coarse, callous, unjust, and is a liar and a hypocrite is unthinkable. It is impossible to cause harm to Allah’s creatures and comply with His commandments at the same time. We must subject ourselves to introspection and self-evaluation in this regard.

Siraceddin Önlüer