Sublime Character

SUBLIME CHARACTER T he Quran describes the Prophet Muhammad as a “sublime character.”22 Here are two sayings of the Prophet which throw light on what this “sublime character” consists of: Never debase your character by saying that if people treat you well, you will treat them well, and if they harm you, then you will do worse to them. Instead, become accustomed to being good to those who are good to you and not wronging those who harm you.23 Join hands with those who break away from you, forgive those who wrong you, and be good to those who harm you.24 The sublime character described here was displayed in its noblest form by the Prophet himself. Of course, ordinary Muslims require such character as an accessory, but with the Prophet, it was an essential requisite. There are two levels of character, an ordinary and a superior level. A common character is based on the principle: do as you have been done by. Such a character might be termed a “knee-jerk character,” for those possessed of such a character offer only reflex responses to treatment by others,