THE SOCIAL FACE OF ISLAM: Your Conduct Is Your ID.

The Social Face of Islam

Your Conduct Is Your ID,

Introduce Yourself

By Good Manners!

(M. Javed Naseem)

قَوْلٌ مَّعْرُوفٌ وَمَغْفِرَةٌ خَيْرٌ مِّن صَدَقَةٍ

يَتْبَعُهَآ أَذًى وَٱللَّهُ غَنِيٌّ حَلِيمٌ

“A kind word with forgiveness is better

than alms-giving followed by injury (insult).

Allah is Absolute, Clement.”

(al-Quran 2:263).

Do not under-estimate the power of touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring – all of which have the potential to turn a life around. And it’s all ‘Sadaqah’ (charity) that’ll bring you rewards in the Hereafter.

Your conduct (or manners) is your best introduction, your best impression. Be courteous and civilized! A smile is the trade-mark of a Muslim. Always put a smile on your face! It is ‘Sadaqah’ (charity) and you will get reward for that in the Hereafter. Why worry and have wrinkles when you can smile and have dimples?

Share Love & Smiles!

If you see someone without a smile, give him/her one of yours. The magic about the smile is that when you give it to others, you don’t lose yours. It’s ‘Sadaqah’ (charity), meaning you will get reward from Allah for that. And you know that smiling faces look beautiful too!

Abdullah bin Haarith reported: "I did not see anyone who smiled more than Rasool-Allah (The Prophet, s.a.w.)." – (Tirmidhi)

Narrated Anas bin Malik: The Prophet (s.a.w.) said, "Make things easy for the people, and do not make it difficult for them, and calm them (with glad tidings) and do not repulse them.” (Bukhari, Book 73, No.146)  

Narrated Abu Huraira: Allah's Apostle said, "A man used to give loans to the people and used to say to his servant, 'If the debtor is poor, forgive him, so that Allah may forgive us.' So when he met Allah (after his death), Allah forgave him." 

(Bukhari, Book 56, No.687)

The best ‘Dawah’ is done by your own conduct and manners. You are a model and ambassador of Islam. Invite people to Islam. If people dislike you, don’t give them a reason to dislike Islam! You are not perfect but Islam is.

Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.) said: "God has sent me to perfect good manners and to do good deeds”. (Sahih Bukhari & Ahmed).

And here is the confirmation from Allah:

لَّقَدْ كَانَ لَكُمْ فِى رَسُولِ ٱللَّهِ أُسْوَةٌ حَسَنَةٌ

“You have indeed in the Messenger of Allah

an excellent pattern (of conduct).”

(al-Quran 33:21)

Narrated Jarir bin Abdullah: The Prophet (s.a.w.) said, "He who is not merciful to others, will not be treated mercifully.” (Bukhari, Book 73, No.42) 

Treat Your Neighbors Well!

Your neighbors are just like your family who are always there for you in an emergency. Treat them nicely! In an Islamic society, neighbors have many rights.

Narrated Aaisha: The Prophet (s.a.w.) said "Gabriel continued to recommend me about treating the neighbors Kindly and politely so much so that I thought he would order me to make them as my heirs.” (Bukhari, Book 73, No.43)

  

Narrated Abu Shuraih: The Prophet said, "By Allah, he does not believe! By Allah, he does not believe! By Allah, he does not believe!"

It was said, "Who is that, O Allah's Apostle?"

He said, "That person whose neighbor does not feel safe from his evil."

(Bukhari, Book 73, No.45)  

Narrated Abu Huraira: Allah's Apostle said, "Anybody who believes in Allah and the Last Day should not harm his neighbor, and anybody who believes in Allah and the Last Day should entertain his guest generously and anybody who believes in Allah and the Last Day should talk what is good or keep quiet. (i.e. abstain from all kinds of evil and dirty talk). (Bukhari, Book 73, No.47)

Narrated Jabir bin Abdullah: The Prophet said, Enjoining all that is good is a Sadaqa (charity)." (Bukhari, Book 73, No.50)  

Narrated Masrouq: Abdullah bin Amr heard Allah's Apostle saying: 'The best among you are those who have the best manners and character.' (Bukhari, Book 73, No.56)

Be Strong To Control Your Anger!

Be a man and control your anger, your negative sentiments and dirty thoughts! A Muslim is required to keep his cool in every situation.

Narrated Abu Huraira: Allah's Apostle said, "The strong is not the one who overcomes the people by his strength, but the strong is the one who controls himself while in anger." 

(Bukhari, Book 73, No.135)

  

Narrated Abu Huraira: A man said to the Prophet , "Advise me!"

The Prophet said, "Do not become angry and furious."

The man asked (the same) again and again, and the Prophet said in each case, "Do not become angry and furious." (Bukhari, Book 73, No.137)  

Narrated Abdur Rahman bin Abi Bakra: Abu Bakra wrote to his son who was in Sijistan: 'Do not judge between two persons when you are angry, for I heard the Prophet saying, "A judge should not judge between two persons while he is in an angry mood."

(Bukhari, Book 89, No.272)  

Appreciate The Gifts From God!

Every breath is a gift from God. Be grateful to the Creator Whose unlimited blessings you cannot count. Learn to appreciate and thank Him. If you remember Allah, He will remember you too!

وَإِن تَعُدُّواْ نِعْمَةَ ٱللَّهِ لاَ تُحْصُوهَآ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَغَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ

“And if you would count the favors of Allah,

you cannot  reckon  it.  Lo, Allah is indeed

Forgiving, Merciful.”

(al-Quran 16:18).

فَٱذْكُرُونِيۤ أَذْكُرْكُمْ وَٱشْكُرُواْ لِى وَلاَ تَكْفُرُونِ

“Therefore remember me, I will

remember you. Give thanks to Me,

and reject not Me.”

(al-Quran 2:152).

Be Humble And Modest!

Be humble, modest and down to earth! A branch of tree bearing fruit bends down. Arrogance is cursed while modestly is considered a virtue.

إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لاَ يُحِبُّ مَن كَانَ مُخْتَالاً فَخُوراً

“Lo, Allah loves not such as are

proud and boastful.”

(al-Quran 4:36)

وَلاَ تَمْشِ فِى ٱلأَرْضِ مَرَحاً إِنَّكَ لَن

تَخْرِقَ ٱلأَرْضَ وَلَن تَبْلُغَ ٱلْجِبَالَ طُولاً

“And walk not in the earth exultant.

Lo, you cannot rend the earth, nor can

you stretch to the  heights of the hills.”

(al-Quran 17:37).

Live a modest and simple life. All the pomp and show cannot raise your status but your modesty and righteousness will do. There is beauty in simplicity.  Allah says:

 

وَٱقْصِدْ فِى مَشْيِكَ وَٱغْضُضْ مِن صَوْتِكَ

إِنَّ أَنكَرَ ٱلأَصْوَاتِ لَصَوْتُ ٱلْحَمِيرِ

“Be modest in your bearing and subdue

your voice. Lo, the harshest of all voices

is the voice of the donkey.”

(al-Quran 31:19)

Help Others To Be Helped!

Be ready to give service. What we do for others counts most in life. You do something for somebody today and somebody will do something for you tomorrow.

Narrated Sahl bin Saad: The Prophet (s.a.w.) said, "I and the person who looks after an orphan and provides for him, will be in Paradise like this, putting his index and middle fingers together.” (Bukhari, Book 73, No.34)

Narrated Safwan bin Salim: The Prophet (s.a.w.) said "The one who looks after and works for a widow and for a poor person, is like a warrior fighting for Allah's cause or like a person who fasts during the day and prays all the night."

Abu Huraira also narrated the same Hadith as above. (Bukhari, Book 73, No.35)  

Narrated Anas bin Malik: The Prophet (s.a.w.) said, "If any Muslim plants any plant/tree and a human being or an animal eats of it, he will be rewarded as if he had given that much in charity." (Bukhari, Book 73, No.41) 

Live In Truth, By Truth!

Live in truth, by truth and with truth! Truth is divine and will always lead you out of misery. The Bible says: “The truth shall set you free”. It saves you from troubles. Honesty is the best policy, we all know that. Allah says:

وَلاَ تَلْبِسُواْ ٱلْحَقَّ بِٱلْبَاطِلِ وَتَكْتُمُواْ ٱلْحَقَّ وَأَنْتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ

“Confound not truth with falsehood,

nor knowingly conceal the truth.”

(al-Quran 2:42)

Narrated Abu Huraira: The Prophet said, "The worst people in the Sight of Allah on the Day of Resurrection will be the double faced people who appear to some people with one face and to other people with another face." (Bukhari, Book 73, No.84)

Narrated Abdullah: The Prophet said, "Truthfulness leads to righteousness, and righteousness leads to Paradise. And a man keeps on telling the truth until he becomes a truthful person. Falsehood leads to Al-Fajur (i.e. wickedness, evil-doing), and Al-Fajur (wickedness) leads to the (Hell) Fire, and a man may keep on telling lies till he is written before Allah, a liar." (Bukhari, Book 73, No.116) 

Love Other People With A Clean Heart!

Become a “people’s person”. Be genuinely interested in people. If you try, you can like everybody and everybody will like you. It helps in fulfilling the obligations towards others (‘Haqooq-ul-Ibaad’). And again you will get reward for that in the Hereafter.

Narrated Abu Huraira: The Prophet (s.a.w.) said, "Beware of suspicion, for suspicion is the worst of false tales; and do not look for the others' faults and do not spy, and do not be jealous of one another, and do not desert (cut your relation with) one another, and do not hate one another; and O Allah's worshipers! Be brothers (as Allah has ordered you)! (Bukhari, Book 73, No.90)  

Always Think Positive! There’s Wisdom In Everything:

Allah has blessed humans with intelligence. Keep thinking positive.  Life ends when you stop thinking. Hope ends when you stop believing. Love ends when you stop caring. And friendship ends when you stop sharing. Positive thinking, believing, caring and sharing – all parts of the character of a Muslim – will also bring you rewards in the Hereafter.

Every adversity, every suffering, every situation, every issue, every pain and every concern has a positive side. Find it and bring it to life. There is a lesson for us in each one of them and that should be considered a blessing. Remember, every dark cloud has a silver lining. Allah says: 

يُرِيدُ ٱللَّهُ أَن يُخَفِّفَ عَنْكُمْ وَخُلِقَ ٱلإِنسَانُ ضَعِيفاً

“Allah would make the burden light for

you, for man was created weak.”

(al-Quran 4:28).

Be Nice And Humane!

Be humane and treat others the way you want to be treated yourself. Everything you do to others, will come back to you one day. That’s the law of Nature. Don’t forget:

وَٱللَّهُ يُحِبُّ ٱلْمُحْسِنِينَ

“Allah loves those whose deeds are good.”

(al-Quran 3:148)

 Narrated Anas: “I served the Prophet (s.a.w.) for ten years, and he never said to me, ‘uff’ (a minor harsh word denoting impatience) and never blamed me by saying, "Why did you do so or why didn't you do that?" (Bukhari, Book 73, No.64) 

***********