Prophetic Sayings on Morality

Hadiths on Commendable Character Traits

Commendable character traits encompass all qualities and behaviors that lead to positive actions, reflecting an individual’s adherence to the righteous path in interactions with themselves and others. The essence of commendable ethics can be encapsulated by embodying virtues and avoiding vices. Islam highly encourages such traits, as embodied in the words of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him): “The most complete believers in faith are those who possess the best character, and the best among you are those who are the best to their women.” There are numerous commendable traits, including benevolence, patience, generosity, and honesty, all of which are highlighted in various hadiths.

Hadiths on the Trait of Benevolence

Abdullah bin Amr (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: “Indeed, Allah has prescribed benevolence in all things. When you kill, do so in the best manner, and when you sacrifice, do so in the best manner. Let one of you sharpen his knife and give ease to his sacrifice.”
Abu Shurayh al-Adawi Khuwailid bin Amr (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) stated: “Whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day, let him do good to his neighbor. And whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day, let him honor his guest. And whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day, let him speak good or remain silent.”
Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) mentioned a man who approached the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) seeking a camel. The Prophet instructed, “Give him a better one than he requested. The best among you are those who are the best in fulfilling their debts.”
Abdullah bin Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) asked the Prophet (peace be upon him), “O Messenger of Allah, will we be held accountable for what we did in the days of ignorance?” He replied, “Whoever does well in Islam will not be held accountable for what he did in the days of ignorance, while whoever does wrong in Islam will be held accountable for both his past and present actions.”
Abdullah bin Amr (may Allah be pleased with them) reported that a man came to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and said, “I pledge allegiance to you for migration and jihad in seeking rewards from Allah.” The Prophet asked him, “Are either of your parents still alive?” He replied, “Yes, both of them.” The Prophet said, “Then seek the rewards from Allah by being dutiful to your parents.”

Hadiths on the Trait of Harmony

Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: “People are like minerals, like gold and silver. The best among them in the days of ignorance are the best among them in Islam if they attain understanding. Souls are like enlisted troops; what bonds them will unite, and what causes divergence will separate.”
Awf bin Malik al-Ashjai (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: “The best of your leaders are those whom you love and who love you, who invoke blessings upon you and you invoke blessings upon them.”

Hadiths on the Trait of Trustworthiness

Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: “When trust is lost, then await the Hour.” The companions asked, “O Messenger of Allah, how does trust get lost?” He replied: “When authority is given to those who do not deserve it, then await the Hour.”
Hudhayfah bin al-Yaman (may Allah be pleased with them) stated: “The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) gave us two pieces of information. I have seen one of them, and I am waiting for the other. He told us that trust was rooted in the hearts of men and then they learned it from the Quran and the Sunnah. He also spoke about its lifting, saying: ‘A man sleeps, and trust is taken from his heart, leaving a trace like a mark. He sleeps again, and it is lifted, leaving behind a trace like a mark left by a pot on the ground. Then people engage in transactions, and only a few fulfill their trusts. It will be said that there is one trustworthy person among the children of so-and-so.’ It is said to a man: ‘How clever and wise he is,’ while in his heart is equal to a mustard seed of faith. I remember a time when I wouldn’t mind whom I traded with, provided they were Muslims, they restored to me whatever I lent, or if they were Christian, they would return what I lent to me straight away. But today, I will only trade with so-and-so.'”
Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: “There are three signs of a hypocrite: when he speaks he lies, when he makes a promise he breaks it, and when he is entrusted with something, he betrays that trust.”
Abu Dharr al-Ghafari (may Allah be pleased with him) asked: “O Messenger of Allah, will you not employ me?” He struck my shoulder and said: “O Abu Dharr, you are weak, and it is a trust; on the Day of Resurrection, it will be a source of shame and regret unless one fulfills their rights in it.”

Hadiths on the Trait of Selflessness

Jabir bin Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with them) reported that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: “One person’s food suffices two, and two people’s food suffices four, and four people’s food suffices eight.”
Abu Musa al-Ash’ari (may Allah be pleased with him) mentioned that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: “The Ash’ari people, when they were in need during battles or when their families were lacking food in Medina, would gather what they had in one piece of cloth and then divide it among themselves in one container equally. They are of me, and I am of them.”
Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that a man came to the Prophet (peace be upon him) and asked: “O Messenger of Allah, which charity has the greatest reward?” He replied: “Charity given when you are healthy and greedy, fearing poverty and hoping for wealth, and not waiting until your death approaches, at which point you say, ‘Give to so-and-so and so-and-so,’ which was originally intended for so-and-so.”
Sahl bin Sa’d al-Sa’di (may Allah be pleased with him) mentioned that a woman came to the Prophet (peace be upon him) with a woven cloak, saying: “I made it with my hands and brought it to you to cover you.” He accepted it while in need of it, and he appeared to us wearing it. Later, it was beautified by someone who asked, “Give it to me, for how beautiful it is!” The people replied: “What a beautiful thing you have done! The Prophet wore it because he needed it, but I asked him, knowing he would not refuse me.” He replied: “By Allah, I did not ask him to wear it; rather, I asked it to be my funeral shroud,” and Sahl said: “So that was his shroud.”

Hadiths on the Trait of Patience

Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them) reported that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said to Ashajj, “You possess two qualities that Allah loves: forbearance and patience.”
Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) said the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “The supplication of any of you is responded to as long as he does not hasten, saying: ‘I have made supplication, but I have not received a response.'”
Jarir bin Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: “Whoever is deprived of gentleness is deprived of goodness, and whoever is deprived of gentleness is deprived of goodness.”
Aisha, the Mother of the Believers (may Allah be pleased with her) said the Prophet (peace be upon him) remarked: “Gentleness is not found in anything unless it beautifies it, and it is not removed from anything unless it disgraces it.”

Hadiths on Generosity and Almsgiving

Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: “Every day the servants of Allah wake up, and two angels descend. One of them says: ‘O Allah, reward the generous one with good,’ while the other says: ‘O Allah, cause the miser to perish.’
Talhah bin Ubaydullah and Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them) stated that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: “Indeed, Allah is Generous and loves generosity, He loves high morals and dislikes lowly conduct.”
Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (peace be upon him) was the best of people, the bravest of people, and the most generous of people.
Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) stated that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: “Whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day, let him honor his neighbor. And whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day, let him honor his guest.”

Hadiths on Disgraceful Character Traits

Disgraceful character traits are those that arise from rejecting virtues and engaging in wrongful and despicable acts. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) admonished and prohibited them, stating: “The most loathed among you and the furthest from me on the Day of Judgment will be those with the worst character.” Just as commendable traits are abundant and diverse, the same is true for disgraceful traits; for every virtuous quality, there exists a corresponding negative trait. Examples of disgraceful traits include envy, stinginess, cowardice, and lying.

Hadiths on Envy

Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: “Do not harbor hatred against one another, nor envy one another, nor turn your backs on one another. Rather, be servants of Allah as brothers. It is not permissible for a Muslim to forsake his brother for more than three days.”

Hadiths on Stinginess and Greed

Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) said that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) would say: “O Allah, I seek refuge in You from worry and sorrow, from incapacity and laziness, from cowardice and stinginess, from the burden of debt, and from the domination of men.”
Abdullah bin Amr (may Allah be pleased with them) reported that the Prophet (peace be upon him) warned, “Beware of stinginess, for those before you were destroyed due to their stinginess which compelled them to engage in wrongful acts and to sever their ties.”
Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) compared the miser and the charitable one to two individuals clad in iron suits. Their arms are locked to their chests and throats: the charitable one, when he donates, will loosen and allow his hands to expand until he is fully covered. The greedy one finds his hands tightening as he intends to donate, making his iron suit retract on him.

Hadiths on Contention and Dispute

Abu Umamah al-Bahili (may Allah be pleased with him) stated that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: “A people do not go astray after guidance that they trusted except to be given to contention.” Then he recited this verse: “They did not strike it for you with any argument but as an argument; rather, these are a contentious people.”
Abu Umamah al-Bahili (may Allah be pleased with him) also reported that the Prophet (peace be upon him) stated: “I guarantee a house in the outskirts of Paradise for those who abandon argument even if they are right, and a house in the middle of Paradise for those who abandon lying even if joking, and a house at the highest level of Paradise for those who improve their character.”

Hadiths on False Accusations and Defamation

Wathilah bin al-Asqa’ (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: “The most grievous lies are to claim someone is not his father’s child, to claim with one’s eyes that which has not been seen, or to attribute to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) what he did not say.”
Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) said that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) asked: “Do you know what backbiting is?” The companions replied: “Allah and His Messenger know best.” The Prophet explained: “Mentioning your brother in a way that he dislikes.” They asked, “What if my brother possesses what I claimed?” He responded, “If he possesses it, you have backbitten him, and if he does not possess it, then you have slandered him.”

Hadiths on Suspicion

Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: “Beware of suspicion, for suspicion is the most untruthful of statements. Do not seek out one another’s faults, do not spy on one another, do not harbor hatred against one another, and be brothers in servitude to Allah.”

Hadiths on Lying

Abdullah bin Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: “Truthfulness leads to righteousness, and righteousness leads to Paradise, and a person continues to tell the truth until he is recorded as a truthful one. And lying leads to wickedness, and wickedness leads to Hellfire, and a person continues to lie until he is recorded as a liar.”
Abdullah bin Amr (may Allah be pleased with them) narrated that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “There are four characteristics that, if possessed, render a person a complete hypocrite, and whoever has one of them has a characteristic of hypocrisy until he abandons it: when he speaks, he lies; when he makes a promise, he breaks it; when he is entrusted, he betrays it; and when he disputes, he acts immorally.”