Pearls from the Prophet's Sayings

an-nawwas bin sam’aan reported that prophet muhammad said:

“righteousness is good character, and sin is whatever bothers you and you do not want people to know.” (saheeh muslim)

an-nawwas bin sam’aan is a famous companion of prophet muhammad.  he belonged to the arab tribe of kallaab and settled in syria after the death of the prophet.

his report is collected by a scholar of hadeeth named muslim bin hajjaj, who was born in 817 ce in the city of naishapur, in north-eastern iran, and died there at the age of 58, in 875 ce.  muslim began studying the science of prophetic hadeeth at the age of 15 and traveled to iraq, hijaz (western saudi arabia), syria, and egypt to study under great hadeeth masters like al-bukhari, ahmad ibn hanbal, and others.  he compiled a book containing some 9,200 hadeeths which is known as saheeh muslim.  muslim scholars consider it to be the most authentic compilation of prophetic hadeeths after saheeh al-bukhari.

this narration is important in that it sheds light on some of the more subtle aspects of righteousness and sin, helping to define them both.  since islam gives so much importance to the belief in and worship of one god, one may incorrectly think that this alone is enough to be righteous.  this hadeeth, however, shows that one of the main consequences of correct and true belief is good character, and that it is an intrinsic aspect of the meaning of righteousness.  it emphasizes some of the meanings found in the saying of god which mentions that righteousness, as well as a being a combination of correct belief and prescribed worship, is also proper conduct in human relations:

“righteousness is not that you turn your faces to the east and the west [in prayer].  but righteous is the one who believes in god, the last day, the angels, the scripture and the prophets; who gives his wealth in spite of love for it to kinsfolk, orphans, the poor, the wayfarer, to those who ask and to set slaves free.  and (righteous are) those who pray, pay alms, honor their agreements, and are patient in (times of) poverty, ailment and during conflict.  such are the people of truth.  and they are the god-fearing.” (quran 2:177)

rather than being an end in itself, one of the main purposes of worship is to bring about traits beneficial to the self and society.  god says about the salah (prayer):

“surely, the salah prevents lewd acts and bad deeds…” (quran 29:45)

hence one can say without any qualms that islam as a whole came to perfect good manners, as did the prophet himself:

“indeed i was only sent to complete the most noble character traits.” (saheeh muslim)

as islam is not a mere religion but a complete way of life, incorporating all of its various facets and aspects, good manners is actually regarded as a means of worship by which one may achieve the same reward of doing other more obvious voluntary acts of worship.  the prophet, may the mercy and blessings of god be upon him, stated:

“through his manners and good conduct, the believer can attain the status of a person who frequently fasts and prays at night.” (abu dawud)

rather, the prophet even stated it to be one of the best forms of worship, second to none but the obligatory mandates of islam:

“on the day of resurrection, nothing will be heavier in the scale (of good deeds) of the believer than good conduct.  god hates the one who swears and hurls obscenities.” (abu dawud, al-tirmidhi)

through maintaining good conduct, one becomes one of the beloved servants of god.  the prophet said:

“the most beloved slaves of god to god are those who have the best manners.” (al-hakim)

when one realizes the importance of good character and its essentiality in defining righteousness, an aspect which is the goal of islam, this exhorts muslims to fulfill this aspect of faith as well, since one can not become “righteous” through mere belief and devotion to god in themselves without good character.

but what is regarded as good character?  we find that the quran and sunnah in various texts define it to be any trait that is beneficial to humans, both to oneself as well as to others, at the same time not being generally or specifically prohibited by islam.  for example, god says:

“those who suppress their anger, and forgive other people – assuredly, god loves those who do good.” (quran 3:134)

righteousness is dealing fairly, justly and politely with one’s family.  the prophet said:

“the believers with the most perfect faith are those with the most perfect conduct and manners.  and the best ones amongst you are those who are best to their families.” (al-tirmidhi)

truthfulness is an essential aspect of good character which leads to paradise.  the prophet said:

“indeed truthfulness is righteousness, and indeed righteousness leads to paradise.” (saheeh muslim)

these are but a few examples of the numerous texts which define and exhort muslims to excel in their character and manner.  although righteousness is those deeds which are naturally pleasing to the conscience of humans, religion plays a vital role in defining what it is.  for example, anything of which its harm is greater than its good cannot be defined as righteousness, even if it may be otherwise regarded as goodness and righteousness.  the prophet said:

“it is not righteousness that you fast during travel.” (saheeh al-bukhari)

although fasting is one of the most meritorious of deeds, here it is not considered righteousness due to the harm it may incur to the individual and his comrades during a journey.  also, to steal from the rich in order to give to the poor may not be regarded as righteousness, as stealing has been specifically prohibited in the religion.

at the same time, a deed which may sometimes be seen as harsh may also be considered good character at times, such as striking a child at certain age as a means of education.  the prophet said:

“command your children to pray when they are seven, and strike them [if they do not] when they are ten…” (abu dawud)

for this reason, we look to divine guidance in order to define for us good manners and character, exemplified by the prophet, as god said:

“surely, you (o muhammad) are upon a high standard of moral character.” (quran 68:4)

god also said:

“indeed in the messenger of god you have a beautiful example of conduct to follow…” (quran 33:21)

aisha, the wife of the noble prophet, was asked about his character.  she replied:

“his character was that of the quran.” (saheeh muslim, abu dawud)

in the second part of this narration, the prophet mentioned another subtle aspect of sin, which is that sin is anything which bothers a righteous person’s conscience and which a person seeks to hide from others.  an array of actions comes into a person’s mind once they hear these words.

god has inspired within each soul the ability, although limited, to recognize truth from falsehood.

“he inspired it (the soul) to know its sin and its piety.” (quran 91:8)

as long as a person seeks righteousness, they will know when they have done something wrong through their conscience, even though they might find numerous ways to excuse themselves for what they are doing.  they would never like anyone to come to know of that thing, for they are ashamed of it; their religion is enriched with shyness, shame and bashfulness.  the prophet said:

“shame and bashfulness is from the perfection of faith.” (saheeh al-bukhari)

shame is something which can prevent a person from committing evil.  the prophet said:

“if you have no shame, then do as you please.” (saheeh al-bukhari)

shame, the highest level being shameful in front of god from committing sins, is a key factor is avoiding sin, and this standard may also be used to judge whether or not an act is a sin.

these sentiments of conscience and shame are a natural consequence to true belief and faith, and this is what the religion of islam seeks to create within an individual, an islamic conscience which guides humans through their lives.

this inner conscience is what tells the state of the heart of the individual, whether it is alive seeking the truth, or dead, filled with the desires of this worldly life.  lack of religiosity and indulging in sin caused a person to lose one’s conscience, and it can no longer be used as a source of guidance.

“…why then did they not believe with humility?  but their hearts became hardened, and satan made fair seeming to them that which they used to do.” (quran 6:43)

“have they not traversed through the land, and have they heart with which they perceive, or ears with which they hear?  indeed it is not the sight which is blinded, but rather what is blinded is the hearts which are in the breasts.” (quran 22:46)

the heart can be used as a guide, in conjunction with the intellect and revelation, in order to ease the search for the truth.  the heart of one who is searching for the truth is indeed one which is alive, for it is this life and yearning which causes them to search for it.  this type of person will never find peace at heart in any other religion except the religion which god ordained for humanity, and as long as their yearning for the truth exists, their conscience will continue to bother them until they find the true religion of god.  indeed if the person is sincere, god will guide them to the truth:

“and those who desire guidance, he (god) will increase them in guidance, and inspire them with [the way to] piety.” (quran 47:17)

narrated 'aisha (radi-allahu 'anha):

whenever the prophet (sallallahu 'alaihi wa sallam) went to bed every night, he used to cup his hands together and blow over it after reciting surat al-ikhlas, surat al-falaq and surat an-nas, and then rub his hands over whatever parts of his body he was able to rub, starting with his head,


face and front of his body. he used to do that three times.

bukhari vol. 6 : no. 536


the prophet (sallallahu 'alaihi wa sallam) said, "the example of him (a believer) who recites the qur'an is like that of a citron which tastes good and smells good. and he (a believer) who does not recite the qur'an is like a date which is good in taste but has no smell. and the example of a dissolute wicked person who recites the qur'an is like the raihana (sweet


basil) which smells good but tastes bitter. and the example of a dissolute wicked person who does not recite the qur'an is like the colocynth which tastes bitter and has no smell."

bukhari vol. 6 : no. 538

narrated 'abdullah bin 'umar (radi-allahu 'anhu):

allah's apostle (sallallahu 'alaihi wa sallam) said, "do not wish to be except like two men. a man whom allah has given the knowledge of the book


and he recites it during the hours of the night, and a man whom allah has given wealth, and he spends it in charity during the night and the hours of the day."


narrated 'uthman (radi-allahu 'anhu):

the prophet (sallallahu 'alaihi wa sallam) said, "the best among you (muslims) are those who learn the qur'an and teach it."

bukhari vol. 6 : no. 545


narrated sahl bin sad (radi-allahu 'anhu):

a lady came to the prophet (sallallahu 'alaihi wa sallam) and declared that she had decided to offer herself to allah and his apostle (sallallahu 'alaihi wa sallam). the prophet (sallallahu 'alaihi wa sallam) said, "i am not in need of women." a man said to the prophet (sallallahu 'alaihi wa


sallam), "please marry her to me." the prophet (sallallahu 'alaihi wa sallam) said (to him), "give her a garment." the man said, "i cannot afford


it." the prophet (sallallahu 'alaihi wa sallam) said, "give her anything, even if it were an iron ring." the man apologised again. the prophet (sallallahu 'alaihi wa sallam) then asked him, "what do you know by heart of the qur'an?" he replied, "i know such-and-such portion of the qur'an (by heart)." the prophet (sallallahu 'alaihi wa sallam) said, "then i marry her to you for that much of the qur'an which you know by heart."

bukhari vol. 6 : no. 547


narrated ibn umar (radi-allahu 'anhu):

allah's apostle (sallallahu 'alaihi wa sallam) said, "the example of the person who knows the qur'an by heart is like the owner of tied camels. if he keeps them tied, he will control them, but if he releases them, they will run away."

bukhari vol. 6 : no. 549


narrated aisha (radi-allahu 'anha):

allah's apostle (sallallahu 'alaihi wa sallam) heard a man reciting the qur'an at night, and said, "may allah bestow his mercy on him, as he has reminded me of such-and-such verses of such-and-such suras, which i was caused to forget."

bukhari vol. 6 : no. 558


narrated abu mas'ud al-ansari (radi-allahu 'anhu):

the prophet (sallallahu 'alaihi wa sallam) said, "if one recites the last two verses of surat-al-baqara at night, it is sufficient for him (for that night)."

bukhari vol. 6 : no. 560


narrated umar bin khattab (radi-allahu 'anhu):

i heard hisham bin hakim bin hizam reciting surat-al-furqan during the lifetime of allah's apostle (sallallahu 'alaihi wa sallam), and i listened to his recitation and noticed that he recited it in several ways which allah's apostle (sallallahu 'alaihi wa sallam) had not taught me. so i was on the point of attacking him in the prayer, but i waited till he finished his prayer, and then i seized him by the collar and said, "who taught you this surah which i have heard you reciting?" he replied, "allah's apostle taught it to me." i said, "you are telling a lie; by allah! allah's apostle taught me (in a different way) this very surah which i have heard you reciting." so i took him, leading him to allah's apostle (sallallahu 'alaihi wa sallam) and said, "o allah's apostle! i heard this person reciting surat-al-furqan in a way that you did not teach me, and you have taught me surat-al-furqan." the prophet (sallallahu 'alaihi wa sallam) said, "o hisham, recite!" so he recited in the same way as i heard him recite it before. on that allah's apostle (sallallahu 'alaihi wa sallam) said, "it was revealed to be recited in this way." then allah's apostle (sallallahu 'alaihi wa sallam) said, "recite, o 'umar!" so i recited it as he had taught me. allah's apostle (sallallahu 'alaihi wa sallam) then said, "it was revealed to be recited in this way." allah's apostle (sallallahu 'alaihi wa sallam) added, "the quran has been revealed to be recited in several different ways, so recite of it that which is easier for you."

bukhari vol. 6 : no. 561


narrated abdullah bin mas'ud (radi-allahu 'anhu):

the prophet (sallallahu 'alaihi wa sallam) said to me, "recite (the quran) to me." i said, "o allah's apostle shall i recite (the qur'an) to you while


it has been revealed to you?" he said, "yes." so i recited surat-an-nisa' (the women), but when i recited the verse:

'how (will it be) then when we bring from each nation a witness and we bring you (o muhammad) as a witness against these people.' (4.41)

he (sallallahu 'alaihi wa sallam) said, "enough for the present," i looked at him and behold! his eyes were overflowing with tears.

bukhari vol. 6 : no. 570


narrated 'abdullah bin 'amr (radi-allahu 'anhu):

allah's apostle (sallallahu 'alaihi wa sallam) said to me, "recite the whole qur'an in one month's time." i said, "but i have power (to do more than that)." allah's apostle (sallallahu 'alaihi wa sallam) said, "then finish the recitation of the qur'an in seven days, and do not finish it in less than this period."

bukhari vol. 6 : no. 574


narrated abu huraira (radi-allahu 'anhu):

the prophet (sallallahu 'alaihi wa sallam) said, "allah said: 'the son of adam tells a lie against me, though he hasn't the right to do so. he abuses


me though he hasn't the right to do so. as for his telling a lie against me, it is his saying that i will not recreate him as i created him for the first time. in fact, the first creation was not easier for me than new creation. as for his abusing me, it is his saying that allah has begotten children, while i am the one, the self-sufficient master whom all creatures


need, i beget not, nor was i begotten, and there is none like unto me."

bukhari vol. 6 : no. 498