The Importance of Good Ethics in Islam

!‫ ﺃﻣﺎ ﺑﻌﺩ‬.‫ ﻭﻋﻠﻰ ﺁﻟﻪ ﻭﺻﺣﺑﻪ ﺃﺟﻣﻌﻳﻥ‬،‫ ﻭﺍﻟﺻﻼﺓ ﻭﺍﻟﺳﻼﻡ ﻋﻠﻰ ﺳﻳﺩ ﺍﻷﻧﺑﻳﺎء ﻭﺍﻟﻣﺭﺳﻠﻳﻥ‬،‫ﺍﻟﺣﻣﺩ ﻪﻠﻟ ﺭﺏ ﺍﻟﻌﺎﻟﻣﻳﻥ‬

.‫ﻋ ِﻅ ٍﻳﻡ‬ ٍ ُ‫ َﻭﺇِﻧﱠﻙَ ﻟَﻌَﻠَ ٰﻰ ُﺧﻠ‬: ‫ﻗﺎﻝ ﷲ ﺗﻌﺎﻟﻰ‬

َ ‫ﻖ‬

(‫ “ ”ﺇﻧﻣﺎ ﺑﻌﺛﺕ ﻷﺗﻣﻡ ﺻﺎﻟﺢ ﺍﻷﺧﻼﻕ“ )ﺭﻭﺍﻩ ﺃﺣﻣﺩ‬: ‫ﻭﻗﺎﻝ ﺭﺳﻭﻝ ﷲ ﺻﻠﻰ ﷲ ﻋﻠﻳﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻡ‬
Praise be to Allah the Lord of the Worlds. Allah’s Blessing and Salutation be upon our Master
Muhammad, the Master of all Messengers, the Seal of the prophets and Allah’s Mercy to the Worlds.
Peace and blessings be upon him and his family and his all companions.

Allah (Glory be to Him) says:

“And indeed, you are of a great moral character.” (Al-Qalam 68:4)

And the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) says:

“I was sent to perfect the noble qualities of character.” (Reported by Ahmad)

Respected brothers and sisters! I would like to talk to you in this meeting on the importance of ethics and
manners in Islam.

In fact morality include too many things that cannot be talked about in one article or one sermon, it is too
vast to cover in few minutes.

What is good ethic?

Ethic in Islam includes many aspects; keeping the promise is an original Islamic value, and honesty in
speech and telling the truth are also Islamic values. Returning a deposit to its owner is also a beautiful
behavior in Islam, a good advice for everyone also has been regarded as a good behavior in Islam,
preferring others over your self is also a good behavior in Islam. All those ethical values were exemplified
by the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and his companions in their true sense.

Dealing with good manner a sort of worship

We find a lot of Muslims who did not learn Islam and its moral system differentiate between worship and
ethical acts and good behavior. When people see a person attending or praying the five daily prayers
they think he is a good person and devoted servant of Allah the Almighty. When you see a person
absorbed in reciting the Glorious Qur’an or remembrance of Allah in a lonely place, you think he is a good
person and a devoted servant of Allah the Almighty. And this is true, but the matter is same when you see
a person who behaves people with truth and kindness according to the ethical standard of Allah and His
Messenger. When a person decorates himself with the manners and morals of the Prophet Muhammad
(peace be upon him) and follows the footsteps of the esteemed companions is also a true worshipper of
Allah the Almighty and a perfect devotee of Him.

Therefore, you are required to worship Allah the Almighty with both types of worship, with the prayer,
almsgiving, fasting and pilgrimage, alongside the moral actions, good behavior, honesty in speech,
avoidance of backbiting and gossip, keeping away from the theft, deception and lying.

A Muslim as a mirror of good manners

It is noteworthy, dear brother! When you commit a bad manner with your non-Muslim friends or cheat any
of them, you represent Islam to them in a bad way and people think that Islam tells you to do so and they
become haters of Islam because of your behavior. Thus, you deserve two punishments; one for your bad
manner, and another for alienating people from Islam and its excellent message, as you kept them away
from studying Islam by your bad representation of Islamic message.

Likewise, when you treat with a good manner you deserve two rewards; one for your good ethic and
another for your good representation of Islam. Thus, you have represented Islamic message in a positive
way, and encouraged people to study Islam, a great religion that has such beautiful and sublime
principles. So, respected brother and sister! Be always careful about your manner, and be eager to
implement the Islamic ethical manners in a perfect way, especially, when you deal with non-Muslims.

How did Islam spread throughout the world?

Islam spread to the most parts of the world since the first moment of its advent through the good morals
and fine behaviors of its preachers and lovers, because the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him)
taught his companions fine ethics, good morals, honesty and sincerity in every case. When those
companions traveled to the different parts of the world carried with them the lamp of Iman and guidance
to every part of the world.

Therefore, dear brothers! Every one of you is an ambassador of Islamic message in your surrounding and
area, or any country a Muslim travels to.

Merciful manner of the Prophet (peace be upon him) to a Bedouin

Our Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) showed kindness and mercy even to those who made
some serious mistakes, but when he dealt with them with wisdom and good manner they embraced Islam
being influenced by his sublime manner.

Anas Ibn Malik, may Allah be pleased with him, said: “Whilst we were in the Mosque with the Messenger
of Allah (peace be upon him) a Bedouin came and stood urinating in the Mosque. The Companions of the
Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said, ‘Stop it! Stop it!’ and were about to attack him. But the
Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said, ‘Do not interrupt him; leave him alone.’ So they left him
until he had finished urinating, then the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) called him and said to
him, ‘In these Mosques it is not right to do anything like urinating or defecating; they are only for
remembering Allah, praying and reading Qur’an,’ or words to that effect. Then he commanded a man who
was there to bring a bucket of water and throw it over the (urine), and he did so.” (Reported by Al-
Bukhari)

How sublime was his manner! How lofty was his behavior! How merciful was his nature!

The essence of basic worships in Islam

We should bear in our mind that the basic acts of worship in Islam, such as praying, fasting, Hajj, Zakat
are in their essences practical training on good manners and good ethics. Allah the almighty says about
the prayer:

(45:26: ‫)ﺍﻟﻌﻧﻛﺑﻭﺕ‬. ‫ﻋ ِﻥ ْﺍﻟﻔَﺣْ ﺷَﺎءِ َﻭ ْﺍﻟ ُﻣﻧﻛ َِﺭ‬

َ ‫ﺻ َﻼﺓَ ﺗَ ْﻧ َﻬ ٰﻰ‬ ‫َﻭﺃَﻗِ ِﻡ ﺍﻟ ﱠ‬
‫ ﺇِ ﱠﻥ ﺍﻟ ﱠ‬، َ‫ﺻ َﻼﺓ‬
(And establish prayer. Indeed, prayer prohibits immorality and wrongdoing.)(Al-`Ankabut26:45)

This blessed verse says that the prayer is intended to keep you away from vice and evil acts.

And the Prophet (peace be upon him) says about the fasting:

(‫)ﻣﻥ ﻟﻡ ﻳﺩﻉ ﻗﻭﻝ ﺍﻟﺯﻭﺭ ﻭﺍﻟﻌﻣﻝ ﺑﻪ ﻓﻠﻳﺱ ﻪﻠﻟ ﺣﺎﺟﺔ ﻓﻲ ﺃﻥ ﻳﺩﻉ ﻁﻌﺎﻣﻪ ﻭﺷﺭﺍﺑﻪ ( )ﺃﺧﺭﺟﻪ ﺃﺣﻣﺩ ﻓﻲ ﻣﺳﻧﺩﻩ‬
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Whosoever does not leave bad words and bad actions, Allah
does not care if he leaves his food and drink. ”(Reported by Ahmad)
Fasting is not just avoiding food and drink. Fasting is to learn how to avoid bad words and bad deeds. In
fact, the fasting intends to improve your moral consciousness and ethical awareness.

As for the Hajj (pilgrimage), Allah the almighty says:

(197 :2‫)ﺍﻟﺑﻘﺭﺓ‬.‫ﺍﻟﺣﺞ ﺃﺷﻬﺭ ﻣﻌﻠﻭﻣﺎﺕ ﻓﻣﻥ ﻓﺭﺽ ﻓﻳﻬﻥ ﺍﻟﺣﺞ ﻓﻼ ﺭﻓﺙ ﻭﻻ ﻓﺳﻭﻕ ﻭﻻ ﺟﺩﺍﻝ ﻓﻲ ﺍﻟﺣﺞ‬
“So whoever has made Hajj obligatory upon himself therein [by entering the state of ihram], there is [to be
for him] no sexual relations and no disobedience and no disputing during Hajj.“
It is clear from the verse that a pilgrim should avoid harsh language, quarreling with the people and
disobedience of Allah the Almighty and other immoral acts.

And Allah (Glory be to Him) says:

(103:9:‫” )ﺍﻟﺗﻭﺑﺔ‬.‫“ﺧﺫ ﻣﻥ ﺃﻣﻭﺍﻟﻬﻡ ﺻﺩﻗﺔ ﺗﻁﻬﺭﻫﻡ ﻭﺗﺯﻛﻳﻬﻡ ﺑﻬﺎ‬

“Take, [O, Muhammad], from their wealth a charity by which you purify them and cause them increase.”

This verse indicates that charity and almsgiving purify you of avarice, greed and cruelty to the poor and
the helpless and many other vices and psychological diseases and defects. Thus, charity raises the moral
and ethical awareness in a practical way and the giver enjoys blessings and happiness in this world and
the Hereafter.

Good manner as a part of faith

It has become clear that the manifestations of the basic acts of worship in Islam have educational part
and ethical dimension. And this reveals the importance of ethics in Islam, and not only that, but good
manner is a part of the faith itself; if you are perfect in morality, you are perfect in the faith but if you are
imperfect in ethics you are imperfect in your faith.

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) says:

‫ﺃﻛﻣﻝ ﺍﻟﻧﺎﺱ ﺇﻳﻣﺎﻧﺎ ﺃﺣﺳﻧﻬﻡ ﺃﺧﻼﻗﺎ‬

“The believers most perfect in faith are those best in character.” (Tirmidhi).

May Allah beautify our manner as He has beautified our appearance. (Ameen)