Good character : O brothers: God has made good manners the weightiest thing on the scale of the believer’s actions on the day of judgement, and made the closest people in proximity to the Messenger of God r on the day of judgment the best of them in character, the Messenger of God r said: “truly the most beloved of you to me and the closest of you in proximity to me on the day of judgment are the best of you in character”.
Verily an exemplary society is that which is made up of individuals who exemplify good manners in their conduct, by good manners security and peace prevail, along with ease, stability and strong societal bonds, families and countries, and the servants of God are given success, it has been said: the person of good manners has taken the good of this world and the next.
If good character is of such importance how does one gain it? O servants of God, good character is of two types, some are natural to man’s disposition, some are gained through man’s perseverance, as for the type which is through God’s generosity then you should thank God for it, as for the second it can be gained by man training himself and embodying that particular character until it becomes natural to him, through keeping company with people of good character, and studying the biographies of those who proceeded us.
O Muslims: Good character is a form of conduct and devotion which our faith calls us to, the Muslim is called to act in accordance with good character, this begins even before starting a family, for a man is obliged to choose his wife well, for the Prophet r said: “A woman is married for four things: her wealth, her lineage, her beauty or her faith, take the one possessing good faith and your hands will prosper”.
Modern science has proven that the foetus is affected by the conduct of its mother even before birth; the upbringing of the child continues even from the moment of birth, the Messenger of God r established the practice of making the call to prayer in the child’s right ear and this is a practical act to ward away the devil. When the child becomes of age Islam calls us to instil good character in the child, on the narration of Amr bin Abi Salama y who said: “I was sitting on the lap of the Messenger of God r and my hand was moving around the plate and he r said to me: “O young man invoke the name of God, eat with your right hand, and eat what is nearest to you”.
The Messenger of God r enjoined us to teach our children the faith and said: “enjoin your children to pray at the age of seven”. The role of the parents becomes apparent in instilling good character in their children, for the family home is the most important place in which children learn good character through being lead by example and emulation, each of the spouses should meet his moral obligation to the other, this brings stability to the family and its cohesion, the next place in which children learn good character is in school, the teacher leads by example, and the pupils learn from and act on his instruction, and are effected by his character, Harun al-Rashid told his son’s educator: “teach him the Quran, let him know the traditions, and narrate poetry to him, teach him the Prophetic traditions, and how to speak, let him desist from laughter except when it is befitting, and let not an hour pass without you finding something of benefit to pass unto him”.
O servants of God: the role of the media in disseminating good character is immense, through what it transmits through its channels of what will call people to good conduct, it is the duty of the fathers and mothers to choose what their children hear and watch of what will refine their character and purify their soul.
Moral responsibility is not limited to what we mentioned but extends to the behaviour of the whole society, your upholding of the law - and the law was only laid down to protect people’s interests and lives - is itself sublime character, and being sensitive to other people’s feelings comes from being refined and civilized. I ask God to give us good character which will be a means to His love and the love of His creatures towards us, may He give us success in obeying him and those He commanded us to obey, in accordance with His revelation: ۩O ye who believe! Obey Allah, and obey the Messenger, and those charged with authority among you.۩.
