The Muslim's Relationship with Himself

The second dimension of the ideal Muslim's character, in al-Hashimi's framework, is his relationship with himself — the quality of his inner life, the management of his physical and psychological health, and the cultivation of the personal virtues that Islamic ethics emphasizes. This chapter reflects the Islamic principle that before a person can fulfill his obligations to others, he must first attend to his own spiritual and physical condition.

The ideal Muslim takes care of his body as a divine trust. The hadith 'Your body has a right over you' establishes an Islamic obligation of self-care that extends to adequate sleep, balanced nutrition, regular physical activity, and medical care when needed. Islam prohibits the neglect and abuse of the body just as it prohibits the opposite extreme of bodily obsession. The moderate path — maintaining the body in good health as the vessel through which divine service is performed — is the prophetic standard.

Personal cleanliness and hygiene are given extensive treatment, as they are in the Sunnah itself. The Prophet identified cleanliness (taharah) as half of faith, and the detailed prophetic guidance on personal hygiene — dental care, bathing, trimming nails, grooming of hair and beard — creates a standard of physical self-presentation that serves both personal dignity and social consideration. The ideal Muslim's person is clean, well-groomed, and pleasantly presented without vanity or excessive self-ornamentation.

The management of the inner life — controlling emotions, cultivating positive character, and combating negative impulses — is where al-Hashimi's treatment is most valuable. He surveys the Islamic virtues systematically: truthfulness (sidq), which the Prophet identified as leading to righteousness and righteousness as leading to Paradise; patience (sabr), which the Quran associates with divine companionship; humility (tawadu'), which the Prophet modeled in his personal conduct and described as elevating the humble in Allah's sight; and gratitude (shukr), which the Quran connects to divine increase in blessings.

The vices that the ideal Muslim strives to overcome are treated with equal specificity. Pride (kibr) is identified as the quality that led Iblis to ruin and that the Prophet warned against in the most emphatic terms. Envy (hasad) is described as 'eating' the good deeds of its possessor. Anger (ghadab) is addressed through the prophetic remedy of seeking refuge from Shaytan, sitting when standing, or making wudu when experiencing strong anger. These practical remedies for emotional vices reflect the Islamic understanding that character is not fixed but can be actively shaped through consistent practice.

Al-Hashimi also addresses the intellectual dimension of the Muslim's relationship with himself: the obligation to seek knowledge, to think carefully about matters of religion and worldly responsibility, and to avoid the intellectual laziness that accepts opinions without investigation. The Quran's repeated invitations to reflect, observe, and reason are not addressed to scholars only; they are addressed to every believer as an individual responsible for his own understanding of his religion and his world.