Introduction


Bad-Morals-to-Stay-Away-From-(part-1-of-2).jpgAs we know there are many reports from Prophet Muhammad, may the mercy and blessings of Allah be upon him, stressing the excellence of having good manners.  Part of good manners is knowing and giving up bad morals like:

1.   Cheating


Cheating and deception are despicable characteristics that are beneath a decent person.  The Prophet said:

“Whoever bears arms against us is not one of us, and whoever cheats us is not one of us.”[1]

Islam views cheating and deception as heinous sins; they are considered a source of shame to the one guilty of committing them, both in this world and in the next.  The Prophet did not merely denounce them by excluding them from the Muslim community in this world; he also announced that on the Day of Judgment:

“Every traitor will have a banner on the Day of Resurrection and it will be said: This is the betrayer of so-and-so.”[2]

2.   Bribery


Bribery means giving money to someone through whom a person takes something that he has no right to.  For example, bribing a judge to get a verdict in your favor, or bribing an official to give you preference over others or to get other favors like allotment of a contract etc.

Bribery is a big sin in Islam.  Allah, the Exalted, says:

“And eat up not one another’s property unjustly, nor give bribery to the rulers that you may knowingly eat up a part of the property of others sinfully.” (Quran 2:188)

Allah’s Messenger cursed the one who bribes and the one who takes bribe.[3]

3.   Jealousy


Jealousy is among the most destructive emotions which a man may have towards his fellow human being.  It causes him to wish evil for others and to be happy when misfortune befalls them.  The Prophet warned against envy by comparing it to fire that completely burns wood.

Jealousy is a disease and it causes impurity to the heart.  When Allah’s Messenger was asked: “Who are the best of people?” He replied: “The one with a clean heart and truthful tongue.” They asked: “We understand a truthful tongue, but what does a clean heart mean?“ He answered: “It is the heart of one that is pious, pure, and is free of sin, transgressions, hatred and jealousy.”[4]

4.   Backbiting and slander


Allah says:

“And spy not, neither backbite one another.  Would one of you like to eat the flesh of his dead brother? You would hate it (so hate backbiting).” (Quran 49:12)

Abu Dharr, may Allah be pleased with him, once asked Prophet Muhammad, “O Messenger of Allah, what is backbiting?” He replied,  “It is to mention about your brother that which he detests.” Abu Dharr said, “O Messenger of Allah, what if what is mentioned is a trait that he possesses?” He replied, “Know that when you mention that which is in him, you have backbitten him, and when you mention that which is not in him, then you have slandered him.”

5.   Gossiping


Gossip is dangerous and harmful; it can destroy the fabric and morality of a society.  People spread gossip for many reasons such as to feel superior (they feel better if someone is worse off than they are), out of jealousy, to fit in the group, for attention (they become center of attention for a few moments), out of revenge and even out of sheer boredom (an idle mind is a devil’s workshop).

We need to remind ourselves repeatedly that we are accountable for our deeds before Allah.  Allah says:

“O you who believe, if there comes to you a disobedient one with information, investigate, lest you harm a people out of ignorance and become, over what you have done, regretful.” (Quran 49:6)

6.   Lying


Lying is so abhorrent that all human beings reject it.  The Prophet said:

“A person lies and lies, until he is written with God as a habitual liar.”[5]

The Prophet’s closest friend and immediate successor, Abu Bakr as-Siddiq, may Allah be pleased with him, said:

“Beware of lying, for lying opposes (true) faith.”[6]

And the daughter of Abu Bakr, Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, who was the beloved wife of the Prophet, mentioned that:

“There was no trait more abhorrent to the Messenger of God, may the mercy and blessings of God be upon him, than lying.”[7]

7.   Being suspicious


“Beware of suspicion, for suspicion is the greatest falsehood.  Do not try to find fault with one another, do not spy on one another, do not vie with one another, do not envy one another, do not be angry with one another, do not turn away from one another, and be servants of Allah, brothers to one another, as you have been commanded.”[8]

Evils such as suspicion, faultfinding, envy and abandonment are evils that destroy a community with harms greater than any enemy could inflict.

8.   Finding fault in others


Some people have an argumentative personality.  “I object”, “It’s your fault” and “You are to blame” are some of their favorite phrases.

One of the greatest behavioral weaknesses of man is the ignorance of his own faults.  Many a time we tend to focus our efforts in finding faults in others, but we forget our own self.  The Prophet said,

“A believer is not a fault-finder and is not abusive, obscene, or course.”[9]

9.   Verbally or physically harming others


The Prophet defined the true Muslim as one who avoids harming other Muslims with his tongue (words) and hand (actions).  A Companion said,

‘I asked the Messenger of Allah: “Who is the most excellent among the Muslims?” He said, “One from whose tongue and hands the other Muslims are secure.”‘[10]

As a general rule, Muslims should not harm other people.  The Prophet Muhammad said,

“There should be neither harming nor reciprocating harm”.[11]

We should be particularly careful to protect those within our own community, but the principle is not restricted only to Muslims.  Rather, it applies to all humanity and even the animals.

10.    Being boastful


The Prophet said: “Allah has revealed to me that you are all to be humble towards each other such that no one transgresses against or exalts himself above another.”[12]

Unfortunately, we now consider it a mark of confidence to boast about ourselves.  Whatever you have, is because Allah gave it to you or allowed you to have it; whether it is intelligence, looks, wealth, lineage, faith, character or anything else.

If someone thinks that they worked hard and achieved something by their own merit, they should look at all those who also work hard but do not reach their goals.  If you studied hard and excelled, who made it possible for you to have the time to study and excel?

1.   Doubting the intention of others


Allah, the Exalted, says,

“O you who believe! Avoid much suspicion, for some suspicion is a Bad Morals to Stay Away From (part 2 of 2).jpggrave sin.” (Quran 49:12)

As a Muslim, we give people the benefit of the doubt and assume the best intentions.  When you give people the benefit of the doubt and assume they have the best intentions, you will be rewarded with a healthier outlook and more positive and productive interactions.

Suspicion could ruin relations between people, particularly when it is based on flimsy evidence or hearsay.  When we doubt the intention of others on no firm basis, we soon become guilty of a worse offense, which is suspicion without evidence.

2.   Taking undue advantage of others


Taking advantage of others is a result of betraying the trust.  Carrying out one’s duties to public office is a trust and taking advantage by taking bribe is forbidden.  Trust demands that if a man is appointed to a certain high office that he should not use it for self-aggrandizement or for the benefit of his relatives, for the use of public funds for personal purposes is a crime.  Not performing one’s duty for which one is paid is also taking undue advantage of others.  The Prophet, may the mercy and blessings of Allah be upon him, said,

“There will be a flag near the head of every deceiver which he will raise in proportion to his deceit.  Undoubtedly, the worst deceiver is an Ameer who deceives the public.”[1]

3.   Being deceptive and treacherous


Betrayal or treachery is the opposite of trustworthiness and loyalty.  If trustworthiness and loyalty are the qualities of faith and piety, then betrayal and treachery are the qualities of hypocrisy and evil. 

The Messenger of Allah said: “There are four characteristics, whoever has them all is a pure hypocrite: when he speaks he lies, when he makes a promise he breaks it, when he makes a covenant he betrays it, and when he disputes he resorts to obscene speech.  Whoever has one of them has one of the characteristics of hypocrisy, until he gives it up.” [2]

4.   Envy


Envy refers to the desire that a person feels for the destruction or removal of a blessing that another person has.  Allah orders the believers to seek refuge from the evil of the envious person and envy in general. Allah, the Exalted, says: "And from the evil of the envier when he envies." (Quran 113:5)

The Messenger of Allah also said:

“Indeed envy eats up good deeds just as fire consumes firewood.”[3]

There are many stories in the Quran that highlight the dangers and evils of envy like the story of Prophet Yusuf (Joseph) in Chapter 12 and the story of Cain and Abel in Chapter 5.

5.   Being cold and unfriendly


Friendship and companionship are important in Islam.  Humans are social creatures by nature; they are in need of friends and companions.  The success of a community depends upon interaction with others.  Strong individuals are the core of a strong community, which is something that Muslims should always strive to achieve.

A good friend is one who accepts your shortcomings, but at the same time guides and supports you.  Believers must never embarrass or publicly harass one another.  They must never expose each other’s faults.  Kindness and mercy must be evident in all dealings.  At the same time, while Muslims must be caring to everyone, one should not develop a close friendship with someone of the opposite gender or get into a relationship.  That type of close proximity is reserved for spouses.

6.   Uncaring and unhelpful


One of the central principles of Islam is helping others.  The Quran and especially the Sunnah highlight how helping another human being is a fundamental aspect of Islam.  A Muslim’s primary goal is to worship Allah; this is not only achieved through rituals like prayer and fasting but also through the treatment of other people.  Allah loves it so much when we help others that He forgives us our sins.

7.   Miserliness


Miserliness is a relative term.  If one pays all of his monetary dues according to Islam, and at the same time he leads a very simple life, then this is a case of simple living and not a case of miserliness.  On the other hand, if one fails to pay his monetary dues and lives the life of a miser, this form of behavior is unwanted in Islam.  It is tantamount to selfishness, and selfishness according to Islam, is an abhorrent, prohibited behavior.

8.   Being unjust and unfair


There are three broad types of injustice:

1.     To be unjust towards Allah.  This is the most heinous type and can be in the form of disbelief, polytheism, or hypocrisy.  Allah says: 

“Indeed, the curse of Allah is upon the unjust.” (Quran 11:18)

2.     To be unjust towards other people.  Allah says:

“Blame falls only on those who wrong men and transgress on this earth without justification, such will have a painful punishment.” (Quran 42:42)

3.     To be unjust towards oneself.  Allah says:

“Then we caused to inherit the Book those We have chosen of Our servants; and among them is he who wrongs himself.” (Quran 35:32)

9.   Intolerance


Tolerance is an important trait of a Muslim’s good character.  Muslims should be kind and gentle, patient with people, forgiving of bad character, and lenient whenever possible.  The Prophet commanded the Muslims to avoid causing unnecessary difficulty and hardship in people’s lives and to inspire people with graceful speech,

“Make things easy and do not make things difficult.  Give glad tidings and do not repel people.  Cooperate with each other and do not become divided.”[4]

Intolerance and harshness repels hearts and promotes disunity.  Intolerance breeds hatred and can lead to killing and violence.

10.    Being arrogant and proud


Prophet Muhammad warned that a person having even an iota of it in his heart will not enter Paradise.

An arrogant individual is abhorred by all; whereas, one who is humble, polite, and easy to talk to is beloved.  We love people who give us respect and honor.  Thus if we follow the principle of treating others the way we like to be treated, most of the problems that ail our communities would be solved.