THE RELIGION OF HUMANITY: Islam’s Ethical and Spiritual Outlook

The teachings of the Hadith are filled with guidance on good character. According to one Hadith, the Prophet of Islam said: “I was sent only to perfect noble character” (Musnad al-Shihab al-Quda‘i, Hadith No. 1165). He also said: “The most complete in faith among the believers is the one with the best character” (Sunan Abi Dawud, Hadith No. 4682). And he said: “The most weighty thing on the scale on the Day of Judgment will be good character” (Musnad Ahmad, Hadith No. 27496). A believer is someone who lives at the level of divine awareness. That is why, in every situation, they maintain a high moral character. Their noble way of thinking remains constant, and no circumstance can lower the standard of their conduct. HAVING A GOOD OPINION OF OTHERS Once in Madinah, an incident occurred that involved mutual suspicion and mistrust. On that occasion, the Quran declared: “Why, when you heard it, did the believing men and believing women not think well of one another and say, ‘This is clearly a slander’?” (24:12) From this, we learn that Islam encourages an atmosphere of positive thinking within society. When people hear something negative about someone, not only should they avoid repeating it, but they should also avoid believing it