Chapter 14 - Dealings with people and good character

Hadith 260

Abu Hurayra    that the Prophet,   , said,

"By the One in whose hand my soul is, you will not enter the Garden until you submit. You will not submit until you love one another. Extend the greeting to one another and you will love one another. Beware of hatred, for it is the razor. I do not tell you that it shaves the hair, but it shaves away the Deen."

Hadith 261

'Abdullah ibn 'Amr ibn al-'As  reported that the Prophet,    said,

"The souls of two believers should meet in the course of a day even if they do not actually see each other."



Hadith 262

Ibn Abbas    said, "The favors are not recognized (family ties), the womb severed and we have not see the like of closeness of the hearts.




Hadith 263

'Umayr ibn Ishaq  said, "We used to say that the first thing to be removed from people would be friendship/affection."






Hadith 264

Anas ibn Malik   said, "The Messenger of Allah,   , came upon a group of women which included Umm Sulayman. He   said,

'Anjasha!* Be gentle when you drive the glass vessels!"

Abu Qilaba said about this, "The Prophet,   , used an expression which some of you use in jest. He   said, 'When you drive the glass vessels!'"

[*Anjasha was a singer of camel-songs who drove the camels along. 'Glass vessels' refers to the women on the camels.]

Hadith 265

Abu Hurayra  reported that the people said, "Messenger of Allah, you joke with us!" He   replied,

"But I only speak the truth."



Hadith 266

Bakr ibn 'Abdullah reported that the Companions of the Prophet,    used to throw melons at one another. He said, "If these were real, they would be men."




Hadith 267

Ibn Abi Mulayka  said, "'A'isha was joking with the Messenger of Allah,    Her mother said, 'Messenger of Allah, these are some jokes from Kinana!' The Prophet,   , said,

'Rather some of our own.'"




Hadith 268

Anas ibn Malik  said, "A man came to the Prophet,   , to ask him for a mount. He  said,

'I will give you a she-camel's foal to ride.'

He exclaimed, 'Messenger of Allah, what can I do with a she-camel's foal?' The Messenger of Allah,  

'Are camels born from anything other than she-camels?'"










Hadith 269

Anas ibn Malik  said, "The Prophet,   , used to mix with us to the extent of asking a younger brother of mine,

'Abu 'Umayr! What has happened to the little sparrow?'"




Hadith 270

Abu Hurayra  reported that the Messenger of Allah, took al-Hasan or al-Husayn by the hand and then put his feet on top of his own feet and said, "Climb up."

Hadith 270

Abu'd-Darda'  reported that the Prophet,   , said,

"There is nothing which weighs heavier in the balance than good character."



Hadith 271

'Abdullah ibn 'Amr   said, "The Prophet,    was neither coarse nor loud. He    used to say,

"The best of you is the one who has the best character."



Hadith 272

'Amr ibn Shu'ayb reported from his grandfather that the Prophet,   , said,

"Shall I tell you about who among you I love the most and the one who will be seated closest to me on the Day of Judgment?"

The people were silent, so he repeated that two or three times.

Then the people said, "Yes, Messenger of Allah." He   said,

"The one among you with the best character."



Hadith 273

Abu Hurayra   reported that the Messenger of Allah, said,

"I was sent exclusively to perfect good character."

Hadith 274

'A'isha  said, "The Messenger of Allah,   , was never given a choice between two things but that he chose the easier of the two as long as it was not a wrong action. If it was a wrong action. then he was the last person to do it. The Messenger of Allah,   , never took revenge on his own behalf. But when the respect of Allah Almighty was violated, he would take revenge on behalf of Allah Almighty."




Hadith 275

'Abdullah    said, "Allah Almighty shared out your character between you as He divided your provision between you. Allah Almighty bestows wealth on those He loves and those He does not love. He only gives faith to those He loves. Whoever is stingy about spending his wealth and fears to fight the enemy and is in terror of enduring the night should repeat frequently. 'There is no god but Allah. Glory be to Allah. Praise be to Allah, and Allah is greater."

Hadith 276

Abu Hurayra  reported that the Prophet, , said,

"Wealth does not mean having a lot of property. Wealth means having self-contentment."

Hadith 277

Anas  said, "I served the Prophet,    for ten years. He never said 'uff' to me and he never said about anything I had not done, 'Why didn't you do it?' or about something I had done. 'Why did you do that?'"



Hadith 278

Anas ibn Malik   said, "The Prophet, , was merciful. No one came to him but that he promised himself something and carried out that promise if he had anything to give. The Iqamah for the prayer had been given when a Bedouin came and took hold of his garment and stated, 'I am still not satisfied.' The Bedouin alarmed the Prophet's wives. The Prophet  went with him until the man had received what he wanted. Then he returned and prayed."

Hadith 279

Jabir  said, "The Prophet,   , was never asked for anything to which he said, 'No.'"

Hadith 280  

'Abdullah ibn az-Zubayr said, "I have never seen two women more generous than 'A'isha and Asma'. (Radhi Allahu Anhuma) Their generosity was different. 'A'isha    used to gather things and after they had been collected together, she would share them out. Asma'   would not keep anything for the next day."






Hadith 281

Abu Hurayra   reported that the Messenger of Allah,   said,

"The dust of the path of Allah and the smoke of Hellfire are never joined together in the heart of a slave. Belief and avarice/miserliness are never joined together in the heart of a slave."




Hadith 282

Abu Sa'id al-Khudri reported that the Prophet, : , said,

"Two qualities are not found together in a believer: miserliness and ill-temper."

Hadith 283

'Abdullah ibn Rabi'a    said, "We used to sit with 'Abdullah    and they mentioned a man together with aspects of his character.

'Abdullah    said, 'What would you think if you cut off his head? Would you be able to put it back on again?'

'No,' they replied.

He said, 'And his hand?' 'No,' they said. 'And his foot?' they said. 'No,' he said.

He said, 'You cannot change his character until you change his physical form. The drop remains in the womb for forty nights and then the blood congeals and then it becomes a blood clot and then a lump of flesh and then Allah sends an Angel and he records his provision, his character, and whether or not he will be happy or miserable (in the Next World).'"







Hadith 284

Abu Hurayra    reported that the Messenger of Allah, said,

"A man who is known for his good character has the same degree as someone who stands at night in prayer."



Hadith 285

Abu Hurayra   said, "I heard Abu'l-Qasim    say,

'The best of you in Islam is the best of you in character when they possess understanding (of the Deen)."

Hadith 286

Thabit ibn 'Ubayd said, "I have not seen anyone more serious when he sits with the people nor more jocular in his house than Zayd ibn Thabit ."



Hadith 287

Ibn 'Abbas said, "The Prophet, , was asked, 'Which religion does Allah Almighty love the most?'

He replied, 'The simple Hanifiyya (monotheism) one.'"




Hadith 288

'Abdullah ibn 'Amr said, "There are four qualities such that if you were to be given them, you will not be harmed even if the world were to be taken away from you. They are: good character, eating from lawful earnings, truthful words, and upholding a trust."




Hadith 289

Abu Hurayra reported that the Prophet, , said,

"Do you know what it is that makes most people enter the Fire?"

"Allah and His Messenger know best," they said. He said,

"The two empty ones: the genitals and the mouth. Do you know what it is that makes most people enter the Garden? Taqwa of Allah and good character."

Hadith 290

Umm ad-Darda'     said, "Abu'd-Darda'    stood up in the night to pray. He was weeping and said, 'O Allah! You made my physical form good, so make my character good!' until morning. I said, 'Abu'd-Darda', your only supplication for the entire night was for good character!'

He   replied, 'Umm ad-Darda', the Muslim makes his character good with the result that his good character takes him into the Garden. He makes his character bad with the result that his bad character takes him into the Fire. The Muslim is forgiven while he is asleep.'

I asked, 'Abu'd-Darda', how can be forgiven while he is asleep?'

He   said, 'His brother arises in the night and performs the night prayers and makes supplication to Allah Almighty and is answered. He makes supplication for Muslim brother and his request is answered.'"




Hadith 291

Usama ibn Sharik  said, "I was with the Prophet, , when some Bedouins came. There were many people on all sides. The people were silent and no one spoke except them. They said, 'Messenger of Allah! We experience difficulty in such-and-such and such and-such' and it was in things which are not harmful to people.

He  said, 'Servants of Allah! Allah has removed difficulty except in a case where a man slanders someone unjustly that is the one who is in difficulty and destroyed.'

They said, 'Messenger of Allah, can we make use of medical treatment?'

'Yes, servants of Allah,' he  replied, 'you can make use of medical treatment. Allah Almighty did not create an illness but that He made a cure for it except for one disease.'

They asked, 'And what is that, Messenger of Allah?'

'Old age,' he  replied.

They said, 'Messenger of Allah, what is the best thing that a man can be given?'

'Good character,' he   replied.'"

Hadith 292

Ibn 'Abbas  said, "The Messenger of Allah,   , was the most generous of people in giving charity. He was even more generous in Ramadan when Jibril,   , used to meet him. Every night of Ramadan Jibril    used to come to him and the Messenger of Allah,   , would read the Qur'an to him. When Jibril came to him, the Messenger of Allah,   , was more generous in giving charity than the blowing wind."



Hadith 293

Abu Mas'ud al-Ansari   reported that the Messenger of Allah,   said,

"Before your time a man was called to account and it was found that the only good thing he had done was that he was easy in his business dealings with people. He used to order his slaves to go easy with people who were in difficulty. Allah Almighty said, 'We are more entitled to do that than he is, so forgive him.'"

Hadith 294

Abu Hurayra   reported that the Messenger of Allah,   said,

"What is the most frequent reason for someone entering the Garden?" He  said, "Taqwa and good character.

He   was asked, "What is the most frequent reason for people entering the Fire?" He   replied,

"The two empty ones: the mouth and the genitals."

Hadith 295

It is reported Nawwas ibn Sam'an   asked the Messenger of Allah,   , about dutifulness and wrong action. He   said, "Dutifulness is good character and wrong action is that which works on yourself and which you dislike for other people to become aware of."







Hadith 296

Jabir  reported that the Messenger of Allah,   , said,

"Who is your master, Banu Salama?"

Jabir  said, "We replied, 'Judd ibn Qays, although we think that he is a miser.'

He   said, 'What illness is worse than miserliness? Your master is 'Amr ibn al-Jamuh.'"

'Amr had been in charge of their idols during the Jahiliyya. He gave a wedding feast for the Messenger of Allah,    when he got married.




Hadith 297

Warrad, the scribe of al-Mughira ibn Shu'ba,  said, "Mu'awiya wrote to al-Mughira ibn Shu'ba, saying, 'Write down for me something which you heard the Messenger of Allah,   and grant him peace.'

Al-Mughira  wrote to him, ' The Messenger of Allah,   , used to forbid gossip, wasting money, asking too many questions, refusing to give, disobedience to parents and burying daughters alive."

Hadith 298

Jabir  said, "The Prophet,   , was never asked for anything to which he  said, 'No,'"







Hadith 299

'Amr ibn al-'As  said, "The Prophet,   , sent for me. He   commanded me to put on my clothes and arms and come to him. I did that and came to him while he was doing Wudhu'. He  looked at me and then lowered his eyes. then he  said,

''Amr, I want to put you in charge of an army and Allah will give you booty. I will give you a correct portion of the spoils.'

I said,'I did not become Muslim out of the desire for property. I became Muslim out of the desire for Islam and so that I would be with the Messenger of Allah,   '

He   said, ''Amr! Sound property is very excellent for a sound man!'"









Hadith 300

Mihsan al-Ansari  reported that the Prophet,   , said,

"When someone is secure in his property, healthy in his body and has his food for the day, it is as if he owned the entire world."

Hadith 301

Mu'adh ibn 'Abdullah ibn Khubayb al-Juhani related from his father that his uncle said that the Messenger of Allah, , came out to them with the traces of ghusl on him. He was cheerful. We thought that he was with his wives. We said, 'Messenger of Allah, we see that you are cheerful.' He said,

'Yes, and praise be to Allah!'

Then wealth was mentioned that the Messenger of Allah, , said,

'There is no harm in wealth for someone who has taqwa, but health for the person who has taqwa is even better than wealth. Cheerfulness is a blessing.'"



Hadith 302

An-Nawwas ibn Sam'an al-Ansari reported that he asked the Messenger of Allah, about dutifulness and wrong action. He said,

"Dutifulness is good character and wrong action is what works on yourself and which you dislike for other people to become aware of."

Hadith 303

Anas   reported that the Prophet,   , was the best of people, the most generous of people and most courageous of people. One night the people of Madinah were alarmed by a noise and the people went towards its source. The Prophet,   met them, having already reached the source of the noise before them and he  was saying,

"Do not be alarmed. Do not be alarmed."

He  was riding a horse belonging to Abu Talha  without a saddle and a sword was hung around his neck. He said, "I found it (the horse) like a great river" or it was a great river (meaning its speed).

Hadith 304

Jabir    reported that the Messenger of Allah,   , said,

"Every act of kindness is sadaqah. Part of kindness is that you offer your brother a cheerful face and you pour some of your bucket into his water vessel."








Hadith 305

Abu Dharr reported that the Prophet, was asked,

"Which is the best action?" He replied,

"Belief in Allah and jihad in His Way."

He was asked, "Which slaves are best?" He replied,

"The highest in price and the most precious to their people."

He was asked, "What do you think I should do if I am unable to fight?" He said,

"Help someone in trouble or work for someone who does not work."

He was asked, "What do you think that I should do if I am too weak (to act accordingly)?" He said,

"Spare people your evil. That is a sadaqah which you bestow on yourself."