All praise is due to Allah who created the universe and taught. His greatest Prophet Muhammad (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) (peace be upon Him) the best good manners, purified his character and conduct and adopted him as His friend. He gives grace to follow the Holy Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) to one who wishes to make his character and conduct beautiful. He deprives one to follow whom he wishes to destroy. Open good conduct is the fountain of secret good conduct. The movements of the bodily limbs are the results of thoughts of mind and the external actions are the result of character and conduct. To make efforts in recognizing Allah and the acquisition of wonderful secret powers are the fountains of actions.

The light of this secret power is expressed outwardly and makes the body beautiful and gives rise to good attributes after removing evils. The man who has got, not fear in mind, has got not fear expressed in his bodily limbs. The beauty of the conduct of prophethood is not expressed in a man whose mind is not illumined with the light of Allah. I intended to gather together in this chapter the ways of the life of his ways in the first and second parts of this book. I do not wish to repeat them here.

Holy Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam)’s Learning Through the Quran

The Holy Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) used to invoke and pray to the Almighty Allah to grant him good manners and good treatment with the people and to adorn him with good character and conduct. He use to say in his invocation: “O Allah, make my constitution and conduct good. He used to pray: O Allah, save me from bad character and conduct. Acceptance of his prayer is seen in the following verse. Invoke me, I will respond to you 2:186.  Allah revealed the Quran on him and through it He taught him good manners. His character is the Quran.  Sa’ad  (Radihiallaho Anho) reported: Once I went to Ayesha (Radihiallaho Anha) and her father and asked them about the character and conduct of the Holy Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) to which Ayesha (Radihiallaho Anho)  replied: Don’t you read the Quran? I said: Yes. She said: The character of the Messenger of Allah is the Quran. His conduct is expressed in the following verse:

Take to pardon, enjoin good and turn away from the illiterate.

Allah says: Allah enjoins justice, kindness, giving charity to the relatives and prohibits indecencies, evils and rebellion -16:90.

Have patience at the disasters that befall on you. It is a difficult task. It is difficult to have patience and to forgive.

Allah says: Pardon and forgive them. Allah loves the doers of good. Allah says: Don’t you like that Allah should forgive you?

Allah says: Remove evil with what is good, as a result the enmity that exists between you and him will be removed and he will become your friend.

Allah says: Those who appease their wrath, those who pardon people, Allah loves the doers of good.

Allah says: Give up conjectures in most cases, as some conjecture is sin. Don’t spy and don’t back-bite one another.

In the battle of Uhud, when the cover of the head of the Prophet fell down and he became separated from his companions, blood was oozing out from his face and he said wiping his blood: How will the people get salvation who dyed the face of the Holy Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) with blood while he calls them towards their Lord?  Then Allah revealed this verse:

“‘You have got no hand in the matter. This was only for teaching him good manners.

The verse concerning the teaching of good manners to the Holy Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) are many in the Quran. It was the first object of Allah to teach the Prophet good manners and good character and conduct. For this reason, the Holy Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) said: I have been sent to completed good conduct. Allah praised the character of the Holy Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) by saying! You are surely on sublime character. The Holy Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) explained it to the people: Allah loves good character, hates bad character.

Ali (Radhiallahho Anho) said: I wonder for a Muslim who does not do benefit to his brother Muslim who stands in need of it. If he hopes for rewards and fears punishment, he should hasten towards good conduct as it shows the path of salvation.

A man asked  Ali (Radhiallahho Anho): Have you heard it from the Holy Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam)? He said: Yes, I have heard better advice from him. When the prisoners of the tribe of Hatem Tai were brought to him, a girl came to him out of them and said: O Muhammad, if you wish, release me, but don’t dishonour me before the tribe of the Arabs. I am the daughter of the leader of my people and my father was the caretaker of my people. He used to set free the captives, feed the hungry, spread peace and did never return any beggar at the time of his need. I am the daughter of Hatem Tai. The Holy Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) said: O girl, what you have mentioned about his qualities are the attributes of a believer. The Holy Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) said to his companions. Let her be free as her father lewd good character and conduct.

Abu Burdah-b-Niyar stood up and said: O Messenger of Allah, does Allah love good conduct? The Holy Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) replied: By One in whose hand there is my life, None shall enter paradise except one who has got good conduct.

The Holy Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) said: Allah adorned Islam with good character and beautiful actions. Good company, good manners, modest talk, doing good to others, feeding, spreading peace, visiting the ill pious or sinner, following the bier of a Muslim, treating good with a neighbour believer or non-believer, showing honour to a Muslim having honour to accept invitation, to forgive, to set disputes among the people, to give charity, to greet first, to pardon the faults of the people, to give up songs, instrument of songs and jests which Islam prohibited not to backbite, to speak truth, to give up miserliness, greed, deceit, to give up bad treatment with enemy, not to cut off blood tie, to give up bad conduct, pride, glory, haughtiness, indecencies, hatred rebellion, enmity, oppression, etc., all these are the attributes of a believer.

Anas (Radhiallahho Anho) reported that the Holy Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) did not give up good advice and enjoined us to stick to it. He used to warn us from backbiting and prohibited it. The following verse is sufficient to prove it: Allah loves justice and doing good to others.  Muaz (Radihiallaho Anho) said: The Holy Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) advised me thus: O Muaz, I advise you: fear Allah, speak the truth, fulfil promise, pay up trust, give up breach of trust, save your neighbour, show kindness to orphans, be modest in talk, spread peace, do good deeds, hope less, stick to fifth earn knowledge about the Quran, love the next world, fear rendering of accounts and lower your aim. O Muaz, I forbid you: Don’t tell a truthful man lair, don’t follow any sin, don’t disobey any judge, don’t be a leader, don’t disobey a just judge, and don’t create disorder in land. I give you instruction: Fear Allah while passing by each stone, tree, and heaps of earth. Make repentance anew after committing any sin. Repent secretly for secret sin and openly for open sin.

Further Recommended Reading:

Prophet Muhammad’s Character and Conduct
Prophet Muhammad’s Good Manners
Prophet Muhammad’s Words and Laughter
Prophet Muhammad’s Manners in Eating
Prophet Muhammad’s Manners in Dress
Prophet Muhammad’s Pardon
Prophet Muhammad’s Objects of Dislike
Prophet Muhammad’s Generosity
Prophet Muhammad’s Bravery and Heroism
Prophet Muhammad’s Modesty and Humility
Prophet Muhammad’s Figure and Constitution
Prophet Muhammad’s Miracles

Character and Conduct of Holy Prophet Muhammad(Sallallaho alaihe wasallam)

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