ISLAMIC VIRTUES
To Emulate
FOR centuries the lives of the Prophet and his Companions have served as models of a truly God-fearing existence for all humankind, and will continue to do so. Hence God’s preservation of this page of history with such exactitude that anyone, who is sincere about learning from their example can know, even today, every detail of how they lived and died. The following are a few of the examples worth emulating.
The Quran is for Admonition, not just for Recital
Aishah, hearing of certain individuals who read the Quran all night,
reading it right through once, or even twice in a night, remarked, “What
is there in mere recitation?” "I used to stay up all night with the Prophet
and, in his recitations of the chapters entitled ‘Cow’, ‘Family of Imran’,
and ‘Women’, whenever he came to a verse which contained a warning,
he would pray to God and seek refuge with Him, and whenever he came
to a verse bearing good tidings, he would pray to God and express his
longing for what was mentioned in the verse".
Bear Hardship with Patience
Abu Bakr once recited this verse of the Quran before the Prophet: “He
that does evil shall be requited with it. There shall be none to protect
or help him.” (4: 123) “How,” he asked, “can things now turn out well for
us, since we shall have to pay for the evil that we do?” “May God forgive
you, Abu Bakr,” the Prophet said, “don’t you ever become ill, or feel
fatigue or distress? Aren’t you sometimes afflicted with hardship? Don’t
you fall into error now and then?” Abu Bakr said that he did indeed.
“This then is the requital of your sins in this world,” said the Prophet.
Encouraging Criticism
The Caliph Umar once came to the drinking place of the Bani Harithah
where he came upon Muhammad ibn Maslamah. “How do you find
me?” he asked Muhammad ibn Maslamah. “By God, I find you just as I
would like you to be and just as it would please any well-wisher to see
you. You are good at accumulating wealth, I see, but you keep your
hands clean of it yourself, distributing it equitably".
“But,” went on Muhammad ibn Maslamah, “If you adopt a crooked course, we will straighten you, just as we straighten swords by placing them in a vice.” At these words, Umar, the second Muslim Caliph, exclaimed: “Praise be to God, who has put me among a people who will straighten me when I become crooked.”
Rising above Love and Hate
When the Prophet emigrated from Makkah to Madinah, the keys of the
House of God in Makkah were in the custody of one Uthman ibn Abu
Talhah, they having remained in the keeping of his family for several
generations. One day, the Prophet asked Uthman for the keys, but the
latter refused to hand them over, and spoke rudely to him. The Prophet
heard him out but all he said finally was: “Uthman, perhaps you will live
to see the day when I shall have these keys in my hands. I shall then be
in a position to give them unto whom I will.” “It will be a day of disgrace
and woe for the Quraysh when the keys of the Kabah are in the hands
of one such as you”, replied Uthman.
After the conquest of Makkah, God’s Messenger reigned supreme there, and asked for the keys of the Kabah to be handed over to him. When the keys were actually in his hands, his own cousin and son-inlaw, Ali ibn Abi Talib, arose and asked for them to be given to him. The Prophet, however, did not respond, Instead, he summoned Uthman ibn Talhah. When he stood before him, the Prophet handed him the keys, saying, “Here are your keys, Uthman. This is a day of righteousness and fulfillment of promises.”
Receiving Praise, not with Conceit, but with Humility
According to Naafi someone launching into extravagant eulogies to
Abdullah ibn Umar, addressed him as “most noble of men, son of the
most noble".“Neither am I the most noble of men, nor am I the son of
the most noble,” replied Ibn Umar. “I am just one of God’s servants;
in Him do I have hope, and Him do I fear. By God, you are bent on
destroying a man with such praise.”
An honest person cannot afford
to live as an indifferent member
of society