In Part I of this series I touched on the pursuit of salvation and entering Paradise, highlighting Perfect Ethics and Good Morals as cornerstone for such. In Part II I will shed more light on examples of good ethics, taking the character of Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, as a super role model to elaborate on many plausible manners.
In Part I of this series I touched on the pursuit of salvation and entering Paradise, highlighting Perfect Ethics and Good Morals as cornerstone for such. In Part II I will shed more light on examples of good ethics, taking the character of Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, as a super role model to elaborate on many plausible manners
Many of the good morals we now lack are inherent in the Human Fitra (instinct), and were present even before the advent of Islam in several spots of land, including Arabia, despite the fact that the Arabian Peninsula before the coming of Islam was indeed sunk in all kinds of barbarism and ill manners. But some human behaviors were just natural for people to embrace and adhere to in almost all fields of life. Then came Islam to perfect such good morals and root out all kinds of misbehavior.
Generation after the other, human civilisations invented and renewed a whole set of ethical boundaries and kinds of good morals, some of which became deeply rooted as inherited traditions, and some of which gained further support with the coming of Divine Prophets sent by Almighty Allah, those who came to assert the importance of abiding by good morals and shun what’s not befitting the human grace and dignity, as set and defined by Allah. And bit by bit, good morals became more in shape and took more accepted forms as years passed till the arrival of Prophet Muhammad, the concluding Messenger who was sent to perfect good morals, complete the Message of Monothesim, and define the moral frame that should bound humanity to what is best for it and most fulfilling for it needs and aspirations in a way that’s most suitable of the human Fitra.
And as we browse through the noble teachings of Islam, the supreme guidance and the illuminative light for humanity in its pursuit for salvation, we’ve got to highlight this beautiful Hadith of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) wherein he praises righteousness saying that whenever it’s added to a matter, beautifies it and adds value to it, whereas if expelled from a matter, defames and deforms it.
Also there’s this famous Hadith that summarizes the noble teachings of Islam in three simple words: “Islam is good morals- Al Din Al Moamala”. Although it comprises of three simple words, this Hadith expounds the essence of Islam and its nobility as presented and detailed in the Quran and Sunnah, which both comprise the all-encompassing Islamic Shariah.
In another Hadith, our beloved Muhammad states that bashfulness is one basic characteristic of Islam. Prophet Muhammad once said that “There is Akhlaaq (moral, virtue, ethics, manners) for every Deen and the Akhlaaq of Islam is Haya (bashfulness).”
It’s noteworthy that bashfulness is not exclusive for women, but it involves both, male and female attitudes, which individuals of both genders use as a shield against misbehaviors and bad morals, and as an alert reminder in case of any deviation from the straight path Muslims are guided to follow.
And in other instances Prophet Muhammad advices that even removing obstacles off the road is another characteristic of Islam and a good deed for which Muslims are greatly rewarded.
This is just to list a few of a wealth of Islamic good morals we, Muslims, are highly enocuraged to follow, given their plausible social and personal impacts that take various forms and define the straight path Allah has guided us to follow, one that is void of all sorts of ill manners and injustices.
By: Hassan Youssuf Omar
Check PART I and PART III of the Series Here:
– Stairway to Paradise PART I
– Stairway to Paradise PART III
Posted on: July 3, 2011