Part 32

the company of learned Muslims who can guide them and instruct them along the way.

Obviously, there are many details concerning the ritual acts of worship that fall beyond the scope of this work. By the grace of Allah, numerous works are now available in English that provide those details for non-Arabic speakers. Specifically, this author would recommend the following works:

The Concise Presentation of the Fiqh of the Sunnah and the Noble Book by Abdul Adheem ibn Badawi (published by the International Islamic Publishing House in Riyadh) is a good, brief introduction to all fields of Islamic law.

Minhaj al-Muslim by Abu Bakr al-Jazairi (published in two volumes by Darussalam in Riyadh) covers most of the basics of all parts of the law.

Fiqh al-Sunnah by al-Sayyid Sabiq-this five-volume work may be a bit heavy and detailed for the new Muslim. However, over time, it should become a reference well worth looking into.

There are also a number of important works concerning specific ritual acts. Al-Albaani's The Prophet's Prayer Described is the most detailed description of the prayer in English. Mamdouh Muhammad's The Hajj from A to Z and The salah from A to Z are also quite popular.

The Behavior and Social Interaction of a Believer

Allah says in the Quran, "O believers! Enter completely into Islam" (2:208). As stated earlier, Islam is a comprehensive religion. Its teachings touch upon all aspects of life. This is because in every aspect of life, the Muslim should be worshipping and serving Allah. There is no compartment of life that can ever fall outside of that general precept.

Islam, therefore, goes well beyond articles of faith and ritual acts of worship. All of a Muslim's behavior, manners, ethics and practices must reflect his belief that there is none worthy of worship except Allah. It is inconceivable that someone should claim to be worshipping Allah while at the same time he mistreats this person, cheats another person and harms yet a third. This kind of behavior would demonstrate that his claim to belief is either outright false or is very diseased.

For a new convert to Islam, this comprehensiveness may mean that there are many things that he will have to change about himself in order to be a complete and true Muslim. He may have many character flaws from his preIslamic days that he will have to work on and correct. He has no choice but to intend to change his ways. He is now stating his belief in Islam. If his belief is true, it must mean that he is willing to accept what the faith is teaching him and he is willing to do his best to implement all of the faith in his life.

As his understanding of Islam increases and as his faith strengthens, many behaviors may change "automatically," as he now has a new view on life and a correct understanding of reality. This author has witnessed such changes in new Muslims. For example, some non-Muslims get very upset when participating in sports. Any time things do not go their way or when they feel that the other team is getting some unfair advantage, this sets off an angry rage in some individuals. This rage reflects how much weight and importance they are giving to that sports activity. After becoming Muslims, some such individuals change completely. Now, all of a sudden, sports are just for fun and exercise. The new Muslim understands that sports have no long-term value to a person's real worth. This new understanding of his reality automatically-and sometimes even imperceptibly from the individual's point of view-changes the person's behavior and character. 163

The goal is to make such a transformation with respect to all interactions one has. This transformation is assisted by knowledge of how one is supposed to behave. Therefore, in this chapter, after an introductory section on the importance of behavior and character, the following interactions will be discussed:

(1) A Muslim vis-à-vis his own self. (2) A Muslim vis-à-vis his/her parents. (3) A Muslim vis-à-vis his/her spouse. (4) A Muslim vis-à-vis his/her children. (5) A Muslim vis-à-vis his/her neighbors. (6) A Muslim vis-à-vis other Muslims. (7) A Muslim vis-à-vis non-Muslims. (8) A Muslim vis-à-vis society as a whole. (9) A Muslim vis-à-vis wealth and property.

Islam's Emphasis on Proper Behavior, Manners and Etiquette

In an emphatic hadith, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) stated, "I have been sent only for the purpose of perfecting good morals."252 In this hadith, the Prophet (peace be upon him) has clearly stated that one of the important aspects of his being sent as a prophet was to show what the good morals, behavior and manners are. This is a clear sign that behavior and manners clearly fall within the scope of the teachings of Islam. A Muslim cannot escape this fact and he must adjust his behavior accordingly.

There are actually numerous statements of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) related to the importance of having good character. Here, just a few will be presented to simply highlight the importance of this topic.

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, "I am a guarantor of a house in the highest part of Paradise for the one who makes his behavior good."253 This hadith clearly shows the reward for improving and 252 Recorded by al-Haakim and others. Graded sahih by al-Albani in sahih al-Jaami al-Sagheer, number 2349. 253 Recorded by Abu Dawud. Graded hasan by al-Albani in Sahih al-Jami' al-Sagheer, number 1464. 164

perfecting one's behavior. Some people claim that their character is simply what they are born with and there is nothing they can do to change or adjust it. That is simply not true. As demonstrated earlier, much of the driving force behind one's character has to do with what one believes about God, this life, the Hereafter and so on. Thus, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, "Piety and righteousness is being of good character."254 Piety is achievable but it may take some effort. In fact, when the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) described the hypocrites, those of weak or false faith, he described them by their actions and behavior: lying while speaking, breaking one's trust and so on.255

Once again, the example par excellence for the behavior of a Muslim is found in the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). By the grace and mercy of Allah, Allah sent the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), a human being who was a husband, father, member of society, leader of society and so forth, to exemplify for the believers who one should behave in a manner that is pleasing to Allah.256 He demonstrated how the Quran is to be applied in practical, daily life. Thus, Aishah, his wife, said about him, "His character was that of the Quran."257 Thus, one finds that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was sincere, honest, grateful and straightforward. He was humble, patient, calm and forgiving. He would not lie, backbite or slander others. He had a cheerful disposition and would treat all classes of society with proper respect. This is all part and parcel of what it means to behave like a believer.

From an Islamic perspective, character and manners are also comprehensive. In other words, one must have the proper behavior and actions with respect to his Creator, with respect to his own soul, with respect to the others 254 Recorded by Muslim. 255 Found in a hadith recorded by al-Bukhari. 256 This author has written elsewhere: "This is an aspect that many people today seem to overlook. There is a lot of talk about following the Sunnah but the Sunnah is not simply the number of prayers in a day, fasts in a month, length of one's clothing or style of dress. The Sunnah is much more than that. As was noted earlier, the Prophet (peace be upon him) was sent with the most excellent morals and behavior. This is an outstanding and necessary part of his mission. This is an extremely important part of his Sunnah that everyone should try to emulate." Commentary on the Forty Hadith of al-Nawawi. 257 Recorded by Muslim. 165

he interacts with, with respect to the other beings on earth and with respect to all parts of creation. (Some of these categories will be discussed further in this chapter.)

The most important category is behavior with respect to the Creator, as that will influence all of the other categories. This embodies having the proper relationship with Allah and submitting to Him in a sincere fashion with a correct attitude. Aspects of this relationship have been touched upon throughout this work.

The last two categories stated above imply good behavior toward all other living creatures on earth as well as all that Allah has placed within this cosmos. A Muslim is not free to behave in any way he wishes with respect to animals or inanimate objects. Indeed, he will be answerable to Allah concerning his behavior towards all things. Everything in this creation that has been put at the disposal of humankind is nothing more than a trust from God. There are, for example, numerous hadith that touch upon how Muslims should treat animals. For example, even with respect to slaughtering an animal for consumption, which Allah has permitted humans, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, "Verily, Allah has prescribed excellence in all things. Thus, if you kill, kill in a good manner. If you slaughter, slaughter in a good manner. Each of you should sharpen his blade and spare suffering to the animal he is slaughtering."258 This fact was not lost on the early Muslims as can be seen in the statement of al-Fudail ibn Iyaad, "By Allah, it is not allowed for you to harm a dog or a pig without just cause, how then can you harm a Muslim?"259

(1) A Muslim vis-à-vis His Own Self

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) explained that a person's own self has a right over him.260 Indeed, an individual has very important responsibilities with respect to his own self. Logically speaking, a person's

258 Recorded by Muslim. 259 Quoted in Muhammad al-Dhahabi, Siyar A'laam al-Nubala (Beirut: Mu'assasah al-Risaalah, 1990), vol. 8, p. 427. 260 As found in the lengthy hadith of Salmaan, recorded by al-Bukhari and al-Tirmidhi. 166

self has a right and duty to do what is best for it. It is only reasonable that a person should do what he can to keep his soul from being destroyed.

Furthermore, every human must realize that he did not create himself. He is not his own lord. He cannot even claim for himself the right to use his own self or body in any way that he wills, although this is something that one hears often nowadays. Islam teaches that humans have been created by an All-Knowing, All-Merciful God. Thus, even with respect to his own self, the human must obey its Creator and Lord. In turn, the Creator has actually commanded the human only to do what is best for its own self.

Actually, the Creator has shown him the way to save himself. This is achieved by exerting oneself to accept wholeheartedly what Allah has revealed and to do what is pleasing to the Lord. In the long-run, in reality, all of the guidance that has come from Allah-the religion of Islam itself-is simply for the benefit of the individual himself. Allah is neither benefited by being worshipped nor harmed by being belied. Thus, in numerous places in the Quran, Allah makes it clear that all of this merciful guidance is simply at the disposal of the humans for their own benefit: "Verily We have revealed the book to you in truth, for (instructing) mankind. He, then, who receives guidance benefits his own soul. But he who strays injures his own soul. Nor are you [O Muhammad] set over them to dispose of their affairs" (39:41; see also, for example, 6:104 and 41:46); "Who receives guidance, receives it for his own benefit. Who goes astray does so to his own loss. No bearer of burdens can bear the burden of another nor would We visit with Our wrath until We had sent a messenger (to give warning)" (Al-Isra 17:15); "And whoever purifies himself does so for the benefit of his own soul; and the destination (of all) is to Allah" (35:18).