Abu Hurayra that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant himpeace, said, "By the One in whose hand my soul is, you will not enter theGarden until you submit. You will not submit until you love one another.Extend the greeting to one another and you will love one another. Bewareof hatred, for it is the razor. I do not tell you that it shaves the hair,but it shaves away the deen."
'Abdullah ibn 'Amr ibn al-'As reported that the Prophet, may Allahbless him and grant him peace, said, "The souls of two believers shouldmeet in the course of a day even if they do not actually see each other."
Ibn `Abbas said:
The favors are not recognized, (the familial ties of) the womb are severed, and we have not seen the like of the closeness of the hearts.
'Umayr ibn Ishaq said, "We used to say that the first thing tobe removed from people would be friendship."
Anas ibn Malik said, "The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless himand grant him peace, came upon a group of women which included Umm Sulayman.He said, 'Anjasha!* Be gentle when you drive the glass vessels!"
Abu Hurayra reported that the people said, "Messenger of Allah,you joke with us!" He replied, "But I only speak the truth."
Bakr ibn 'Abdullah reported that the Companions of the Prophet,may Allah bless him and grant him peace, used to throw melons at one another.He said, "If these were real, they would be men."
Ibn Abi Mulayka said, "'A'isha was joking with the Messenger ofAllah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. Her slavegirl said, 'Messengerof Allah, some of the women who make jokers in this quarter are from Kinana!'The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, 'Rather someof our jokesters in this quarter.'"
Anas ibn Malik said, "A man came to the Prophet, may Allah blesshim and grant him peace, to ask him for a mount. He said, 'I will giveyou a she-camel's foal to ride.' He exclaimed, 'Messenger of Allah, whatcan I do with a she-camel's foal?' The Messenger of Allah, may Allah blesshim and grant him peace, said, 'Are camels born from anything other thanshe-camels?'"
Anas ibn Malik said, "The Prophet, may Allah bless him and granthim peace, used to mix with us to the extent of asking a younger brotherof mine, 'Abu 'Umayr! What has happened to the little sparrow?'"
Abu Hurayra reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah blesshim and grant him peace, took al-Hasan or al-Husayn by the hand and thenput his feet on top of his own feet and said, "Climb up."
'Abdullah ibn 'Amr said, "The Prophet, may Allah bless him andgrant him peace, was neither coarse nor loud. He used to say, "The bestof you is the one who has the best character."
'Amr ibn Shu'ayb reported from his grandfather that the Prophet,may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Shall I tell you aboutwho among you I love the most and the one who will be seated closest tome on the Day of Rising?" The people were silent, so he repeated that twoor three times. Then the people said, "Yes, Messenger of Allah." He said,"The one among you with the best character."
Abu Hurayra reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah blesshim and grant him peace, said, "I was sent to perfect good character."
'A'isha said, "The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him andgrant him peace, was never given a choice between two things but that hechose the easier of the two as long as it was not a wrong action. If itwas a wrong action. then he was the last person to do it. The Messengerof Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, never took revenge onhis own behalf. But when the respect of Allah Almighty was violated, hewould take revenge on behalf of Allah Almighty."
'Abdullah said, "Allah Almighty shared out your character betweenyou as He divided your provision between you. Allah Almighty bestows wealthon those He loves and those He does not love. He only gives faith to thoseHe loves. Whoever is stingy about spending his wealth and fears to fightthe enemy and is in terror of enduring the night should repeat frequently.'There is no god but Allah. Glory be to Allah. Praise be to Allah, andAllah is greater."
Abu Hurayra reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him andgrant him peace, said, "Wealth does not mean having a lot of property.Wealth means having self-contentment."
Anas said, "I served the Prophet, may Allah bless him and granthim peace, for ten years. He never said 'uff' to me and he never saidabout anything I had not done, 'Why didn't you do it?' or about somethingI had done. 'Why did you do that?'"
Anas ibn Malik said, "The Prophet, may Allah bless him and granthim peace, was merciful. No one came to him but that he promised himselfsomething and carried out that promise if he had anything to give. Theiqama for the prayer had been given when a bedouin came and took hold ofhis garment and stated, 'I am still not satisfied.' The Bedouin alarmedthe Prophet's wives. The Prophet went with him until the man had receivedwhat he wanted. Then he returned and prayed."
Jabir said, "The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace,was never asked for anything to which he said, 'No.'"
'Abdullah ibn az-Zubayr said, "I have never seen two women moregenerous than 'A'isha and Asma'. Their generosity was different. 'A'ishaused to gather things and after they had been collected together, she wouldshare them out. Asma' would not keep anything for the next day."
Abu Hurayra reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah blesshim and grant him peace, said, "The dust of the path of Allah and the smokeof Hellfire are never joined together in the heart of a slave. Belief andavarice are never joined together in the heart of a slave."
Abu Sa'id al-Khudri reported that the Prophet, may Allah blesshim and grant him peace, said, "Two qualities are not found together ina believer:
miserliness and ill-temper."
'Abdullah ibn Rabi'a said:
"We used to sit with 'Abdullah and they mentioned a man together with aspects of his character. 'Abdullah said,
'What would you think if you cut off his head? Would you be able to put
it back on again?' 'No,' they replied. He said, 'And his hand?' 'No,' they
said. 'And his foot?' they said. 'No,' he said. He said, 'You cannot change
his character until you change his physical form. The drop remains in the
womb for forty nights and then the blood congeals and then it becomes a
blood clot and then a lump of flesh and then Allah sends an angel and
he records his provision, his character, and whether or not he will be
happy or miserable (in the Next World).'"
Abu Hurayra reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah blesshim and grant him peace, said, "A man who is known for his good characterhas the same degree as someone who stands at night in prayer."
Abu Hurayra said, "I heard Abu'l-Qasim say, 'The best of you inIslam is the best of you in character when they possess understanding (ofthe deen)."
Thabit ibn 'Ubayd said, "I have not seen anyone more serious whenhe sits with the people nor more jocular in his house than Zayd ibn Thabit."
Ibn 'Abbas said, "The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant himpeace, was asked, 'Which religion does Allah Almighty love the most?' Hereplied, 'The simple Hanifiyya one.'"
'Abdullah ibn 'Amr said, "There are four qualities such that ifyou were to be given them, you will not be harmed even if the world wereto be taken away from you. They are:
good character, restraint in food,truthful words, and upholding a trust."
Abu Hurayra reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him andgrant him peace, said, "Do you know what it is that makes most people enterthe Fire?" "Allah and His Messenger know best," they said. He said, "Thetwo empty ones:
the genitals and the mouth. Do you know what it is thatmakes most people enter the Garden? Taqwa of Allah and good character."
Umm ad-Darda' said, "Abu'd-Darda' stood up in the night to pray.He was weeping and said, 'O Allah! You made my physical form good, so makemy character good!' until morning. I said, 'Abu'd-Darda', your only supplicationfor the entire night was for good character!' He replied, 'Umm ad-Darda',the Muslim makes his character good with the result that his good charactertakes him into the Garden. He makes his character bad with the result thathis bad character takes him into the Fire. The Muslim is forgiven whilehe is asleep.' I asked, 'Abu'd-Darda', how can be forgiven while he isasleep?' He said, 'His brother arises in the night and performs the nightprayers and makes supplication to Allah Almighty and is answered. He makessupplication for Muslim brother and his request is answered.'"
Usama ibn Sharik said, "I was with the Prophet, may Allah blesshim and grant him peace, when some bedouins came. There were many peopleon all sides. The people were silent and no one spoke except them. Theysaid, 'Messenger of Allah! We experience difficulty in such-and-such andsuch-and-such' and it was in things which are not harmful to people. Hesaid, 'Servants of Allah! Allah has removed difficulty except in a casewhere a man slanders someone unjustly - that is the one who is in difficultyand destroyed.' They said, 'Messenger of Allah, can we make use of medicaltreatment?' 'Yes, servants of Allah,' he replied, 'you can make use ofmedical treatment. Allah Almighty did not create an illness but that Hemade a cure for it - except for one disease.' They asked, 'And whatis that, Messenger of Allah?' 'Old age,' he replied. They said, 'Messengerof Allah, what is the best thing that a man can be given?' 'Good character,'he replied.'"
Ibn 'Abbas said, "The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him andgrant him peace, was the most generous of people in giving charity. Hewas even more generous in Ramadan when Jibril, may Allah bless him andgrant him peace, used to meet him. Every night of Ramadan Jibril used tocome to him and the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant himpeace, would read the Qur'an to him. When Jibril came to him, the Messengerof Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was more generous ingiving charity than the blowing wind."
Abu Mas'ud al-Ansari reported that the Messenger of Allah, mayAllah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Before your time a man wascalled to account and it was found that the only good thing he had donewas that he was easy in his business dealings with people. He used to orderhis slaves to go easy with people who were in difficulty. Allah Almightysaid, 'We are more entitled to do that than he is, so forgive him.'"
Abu Hurayra reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah blesshim and grant him peace, said, "What is the most frequent reason for someoneentering the Garden?" He said, "Taqwa and good character. He was asked,"What is the most frequent reason for people entering the Fire?" He replied,"The two empty ones:
the mouth and the genitals."
It is reported Nawwas ibn Sam'an asked the Messenger of Allah,may Allah bless him and grant him peace, about dutifulness and wrong action.He said, "Dutifulness is good character and wrong action is that whichworks on yourself and which you dislike for other people to become awareof."
Jabir reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless himand grant him peace, said, "Who is your master, Banu Salama?" Jabir said,"We replied, 'Judd ibn Qays, although we think that he is a miser.' Hesaid, 'What illness is worse than miserliness? Your master is 'Amr ibnal-Jamuh.'"
Warrad, the scribe of al-Mughira ibn Shu'ba, said, "Mu'awiya wroteto al-Mughira ibn Shu'ba, saying, 'Write down for me something which youheard the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace.'Al-Mughira wrote to him, ' The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless himand grant him peace, used to forbid gossip, wasting money, asking too manyquestions, refusing to give, disobedience to parents and burying daughtersalive."
Jabir said, "The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace,was never asked for anything to which he said, 'No,'"
'Amr ibn al-'As said, "The Prophet, may Allah bless him and granthim peace, sent for me. He commanded me to put on my clothes and arms andcome to him. I did that and came to him while he was doing wudu'. He lookedat me and then lowered his eyes. then he said, ''Amr, I want to put youin charge of an army and Allah will give you booty. I will give you a correctportion of the spoils.' I said, 'I did not become Muslim out of the desirefor property. I became Muslim out of the desire for Islam and so that Iwould be with the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant himpeace.' He said, ''Amr! Sound property is very excellent for a sound man!'"
Mihsan al-Ansari reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless himand grant him peace, said, "When someone is secure in his property, healthyin his body and has his food for the day, it is as if he owned the entireworld."
Mu'adh ibn 'Abdullah ibn Khubayb al-Juhani related from his fatherthat his uncle said that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him andgrant him peace, came out to them with the traces of ghusl on him. He wascheerful. We thought that he was with his wives. We said, 'Messenger ofAllah, we see that you are cheerful.' He said, 'Yes, and praise be to Allah!'Then wealth was mentioned that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah blesshim and grant him peace, said, 'There is no harm in wealth for someonewho has taqwa, but health for the person who has taqwa is even better thanwealth. Cheerfulness is a blessing.'"
An-Nawwas ibn Sam'an al-Ansari reported that he asked the Messengerof Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, about dutifulness andwrong action. He said, "Dutifulness is good character and wrong actionis what works on yourself and which you dislike for other people to becomeaware of."
Anas reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant himpeace, was the best of people, the most generous of people and most courageousof people. One night the people of Madina were alarmed by a noise and thepeople went towards its source. The Prophet, may Allah bless him and granthim peace, met them, having already reached the source of the noise beforethem and he was saying, "Do not be alarmed. Do not be alarmed." He wasriding a horse belonging to Abu Talha without a saddle and a sword washung around his neck. He said, "I found it (the horse) like a great river"or it was a great river (meaning its speed).
Jabir reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless himand grant him peace, said, "Every act of kindness is sadaqa. Part of kindnessis that you offer your brother a cheerful face and you pour some of yourbucket into his water vessel."
Abu Dharr reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and granthim peace, was asked, "Which is the best action?" He replied, "Belief inAllah and jihad in His Way." He was asked, "Which slaves are best?" Hereplied, "The highest in price and the most precious to their people."He said, "What do you think I should do if I am unable to fight?" He said,"Help someone in trouble or work for someone who does not work." He said,"What do you think that I should do if I am too weak (to act accordingly)?"He said, "Spare people your evil. That is a sadaqa which you bestow onyourself."
Sa'id ibn Abi Burda related from his grandfather that the Prophet,may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Every Muslim owes sadaqa."He said, "What do you think he should do if he cannot find anything togive?" He replied, "He should find work and thus benefit himself and beable to give sadaqa." He said, "What do you think he should do if he cannotor does not do that?" He said, "He should help someone with a great need."He said, "What do you think he should do if he cannot or does not do that?"He replied, "He should command the good." He asked, "What do you thinkhe should do if he cannot or does not do that?" He replied, "He shouldrefrain from evil. That is sadaqa for him."
'Abdullah ibn 'Amr reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allahbless him and grant him peace, used to supplicate, "Oh Allah, I ask Youfor health, restraint, trustworthiness, good character and contentmentwith the decree."
Yazid ibn Yabnus said, "We went to 'A'isha and said, 'Umm al-Mu'minin,what was the character of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him andgrant him peace, like?' She replied, 'His character was the Qur'an. Canyou recite the sura entitled "The Believers"?' She said, 'Recite:
"It isthe believers who are successful: those who are humble in their prayer;those who turn away from worthless talk; those who actively pay zakat;those who guard their private parts." (23:1-5)' She said, 'That was thecharacter of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant himpeace.'"