The foundation of a good character in Islam is good manners. In Islam, the crown belongs to the person whose manners are good and who treats others with kindness. It is the Holy Prophet Muhammad himself who epitomizes impeccable manners. His companions, neighbours, and even non-Muslims had the highest regard for him. There was never a hurtful word uttered by his sweet tongue.
Taking his life as an example and fixing where we are wrong should be our goal. In other words, the scales are heavier in favor of those with good manners on the Day of Judgment, and we will have a closer relationship with Allah SWT if we have good manners.
How His ﷺ Companions Respected Him?
Amr ibn al-Aas (R.A) said: “there was none dearer to me than the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and none was more sublime in my eyes than He. Never could I pluck courage to catch a full glimpse of his face due to its splendour. So, if I am asked to describe his features, I cannot do that for I have not eyed him fully.”
And on the day of Hudaibiyyah (peace treaty), Urwah ibn Mas’ud (R.A), when describing the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ to the Quraish said: “By Allah I have never seen any king respected by his courtiers as much as Muhammad is respected by his companions. By Allah, if he spat, the spittle would fall in the hand of one of them (i.e. the Prophet’s companions) who would rub it on his face and skin; if he ordered them, they would carry out his order immediately; if he performed ablution, they would struggle to take the remaining water; and when they spoke, they would lower their voices and would not look at his face constantly out of respect.”
Prophet’s ﷺ Manners with Allah
Abdullah ibn ash-Shikhkhir (R.A) narrates: “we said: You are our lord (sayyid). To this He ﷺ replied: The lord is Allah, the Blessed and Exalted. Then we said: you are most endowed with excellence and superiority from among us. To this he replied: Say what you have to say, or part of what you have to say, and do not let the devil get you carried away.”
Courage of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ
Ali ibn Abi Talib (R.A) said: “when the fighting intensified and the two sides met in battle, we sought shelter with the Messenger of Allah ﷺand no one was closer to the enemy than him.”
His ﷺ Fear of Allah
The Prophet ﷺ said: “By Allah, I am more submissive to Allah and more afraid of Him than you.”
How He ﷺ Treated His Family
The Prophet ﷺ said: “The best of you is the one who is best to his wife, and I am the best of you to my wives.”
As narrated by Al-Aswad (R.A): “I asked A’isha (R.A), what the Prophet ﷺ used to do at home? She replied, “He used to keep himself busy serving his family and when it was time for the prayer, he would get up for prayer.”
His ﷺ Shyness
Regarding the shyness and modesty, Abu Sa’id (R.A) said, “The Prophet ﷺ had more modesty than a virgin in her tent. When he saw something he disliked, we noticed it in his face.”
Pick the easiest option
A’isha (R.A) said: “Whenever the Prophet ﷺ was given an option between two things, he used to select the easier of the two as long as it was not sinful; but if it was sinful, he would remain far from it.”
No Revenge for Himself
A’isha (R.A) said: “By Allah, he ﷺ never took revenge for himself concerning any matter that was presented to him, but when Allah’s Limits were transgressed, he would take revenge for Allah’s Sake.”
His Humility
‘Uqbah ibn ‘Amir (R.A) said: “A man came to the Prophet ﷺ and his voice trembled out of awe as he spoke to him. The Prophet ﷺ said to him, “Be calm, for I am not a king. Verily, I am only the son of a woman who ate dried meat.”
Never Faulted Food
A’isha (R.A) said: “The Messenger of Allahﷺ never expressed disapproval of food; if he desired it, he ate it, and if he disliked it, he left it alone.
Accepted Gifts
A’isha (R.A) narrated: “The Prophet ﷺ would accept gifts and He would give something in return.”
Never Accepted Sadaqah
The Prophet ﷺsaid: “The family of Muhammad ﷺ does not eat from sadaqah.”
Ignorant did not bother him
Allah’s Messenger ﷺ said, “Does it not astonish you how Allah protects me from the Quraish’s abusing and cursing? They abuse Mudhammam and curse Mudhammam while I am Muhammad (and not Mudhammam).”
His Honesty
The Holy Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was honest and truthful, not only for Muslims but for Non-Muslims as well. That is why he was well renowned as Al-Saadiq (The Truthful) and Al-Ameen (The Trusted).
Manners with Servants
Anas (R.A) narrated: “I served Allah’s messenger for ten years, and he never said ‘Uff’ (an expression of disapproval) to me. He never said, ‘why did you do that?’ for something I had done, nor did he ever say, ‘why did you not do such and such’ for something I had not done.”
Companions Never Saw Him as an Outlier
Anas bin Malik (R.A) said: “While we were sitting in the Masjid, a man came on a camel and made it kneel in the Masjid, then he tied it and said to us: ‘Which of you is Muhammad?’ The Messenger ﷺ of Allah was reclining amid his Companions, and we said to him: This white man who is reclining.’
The man said to him: ‘O son of ‘Abdul-Muttalib.’
The Messenger of Allah said: ‘I have answered you.’
The man said; ‘O Muhammad, I am going to ask you questions, and I will be harsh in asking; do not get upset. I adjure you by your Lord and the Lord of those who came before you, has Allah sent you to all the people?’
The Messenger of Allah said: ‘By Allah, yes.’
He said; ‘I adjure you by Allah, has Allah commanded you to offer five prayers each day and night?’
The Messenger of Allah said: ‘By Allah, yes.’
He said: ‘I adjure you by Allah, has Allah commanded you to fast this month each year?
The Messenger of Allah said: ‘By Allah, yes.’
He said: ‘I adjure you by Allah, has Allah commanded you to take this charity from our rich and distribute it among our poor?’
The Messenger of Allah said. ‘By Allah, yes.’
The man said: ‘I believe in that which you have brought, and I am the envoy of my people who are coming after me. I am Dimam bin Tha’labah, the brother of Banu Sa’ad bin Bakr.”
His Bread
A’isha (R.A) reported: “The family of Muhammad ﷺ did not have fill of bread made of barley for two consecutive days until Allah’s Messenger died.”
Abstinence From The Worldly Life
Allah’s Messenger ﷺ said, “I would not like to have gold equal to this mountain of Uhud, unless nothing of it – not even a single Dinar of it – remains with me for more than three days, except something that I would keep for repaying debts. I would have spent all of it (distributed it) amongst Allah’s Slaves like this, and like this, and like this.”
Never cursed
A’isha (R.A) said: “It was not the nature of Allah’s messenger ﷺ to talk indecently, nor did he engage himself in the use of obscene language. Nor did he shout and talk in the bazaars (which is against dignity). He did not avenge a bad deed with a bad one, but forgave it, and thereafter did not even mention it.”
How He ﷺ Lived
Umar bin Khattab (R.A) said: “I entered upon the Messenger of Allah ﷺ when he was (sitting) on a reed mat. I sat down and (saw that) he was wearing a waist wrap, and there was no other barrier between him and the mat but his waist wrap, and the reed mat had made marks on his side. And I saw a handful of barley, nearly a Sa’, and some acacia leaves, in a corner of the room, and a skin hanging up. My eyes flowed with tears, and he said: ‘Why are you weeping, O son of Khattab?’
I said: ‘O Prophet of Allah, why should I not weep? This mat has made marks on your side, and this is all you have accumulated, I cannot see anything other than what I see (here), while Chosroes and Caesar live among fruits and rivers. You are the Prophet of Allah and His Chosen One, and this is what you have accumulated.’
He said: ‘O son of Khattab, does it not please you (to know) that (these things) are for us in the hereafter and for them in this world?’ I said: ‘Yes.’
Enroll in our free Islamic course (with certificate) on Comprehensive Biography of Holy Prophet
