Good character protects others' rights
“He made people fall in love with his character first.”
Adab (Islamic manners) and good character are the essence of the deen and the very means by which Islam spread, and because even the smallest violation of another person's rights will be accounted for on the Day of Judgment, we must embody the Prophet's character and make sincere, structured tawbah.
The khutbah in 8 steps
- The decline of adab today: parents, teachers, and elders disrespected, basic manners abandoned
- Quranic command on etiquette with the Prophet and Umar's whispering example of adab
- Youth are ill-mannered out of ignorance, not intent; adab must be the essence of all work including dawah
- The Prophet's universal noble character: titled al-Siddiq al-Amin, enemies entrusted him their valuables, Ali returned the trusts after the Hijrah
- Character as the reason people embraced Islam: 40 years of trust before the call on Mount Safa
- Warning on violating others' rights: the hadith of the bankrupt (muflis) in Sahih Muslim; small sins like white lies and unreturned change count
- Stories of scrupulousness: Ibrahim ibn Adham's apple, Wahb ibn Munabbih's toothpick, 700 salah owed for 3 paisa; Qut al-Qulub on hellfire from others' sins
- Recap of the PRAN method of tawbah (Past, Remorse, Allah's sake, Never again) and invitation to Saturday Qanzul Huda gatherings
In the khateeb's words
“many Muslims of today especially the youth they are not ill-mannered because of intentionally failing to abide by basic manners but because they are truly ignorant to find out what Islamic manners truly are”
“he waited 40 years he made people fall in love with his character first”
“we may think that these are minor issues we may think that these are very minor issues but these are major violation of sharia”
“if you can cry then cry if you cannot cry then make the face of a crying person”
For the dinner table
Today's khutbah was about adab, the beautiful manners and character that Islam asks of us in every part of life. The imam reminded us that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was so honest that even his enemies in Mecca left their valuables with him, and that people first fell in love with his character before accepting his message. He warned us that hurting others or taking their rights, even something as small as a white lie, unreturned change, or a fruit tasted without permission, is counted as serious on the Day of Judgment, where our good deeds can be handed over to the people we wronged. He taught us a simple way to repent called PRAN: the sin is in the Past, we feel true Remorse, we repent only for Allah's sake, and we resolve Never to do it again. The Prophet himself sought forgiveness seventy times a day, so we should make tawbah a daily habit too.
- What is one small thing, like a white lie or borrowed item, you could make right this week?
- Why do you think the Prophet's enemies still trusted him with their valuables?
- Which letter of PRAN (Past, Remorse, Allah's sake, Never again) do you think is the hardest, and why?
More on Character & conduct
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