20161014 -1st Khutba - Imam Arsalan

Khutbah: The Importance of Good Character in Islam

Alhamdulillah, we praise Him, we ask His help, we ask His forgiveness, and we ask His guidance. And we seek refuge in Allah from the evil of our souls and from the evil of our deeds. Whom Allah guides, none can misguide him, and whom He misguides, none can guide him.

And I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, alone, with no partner. And I bear witness that our master Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, his servant and his messenger, his chosen one, conveyed the message, fulfilled the trust, and advised the Ummah, and strived in the cause of Allah for the truth of his Jihad until the certainty came to him. O Allah, send blessings and peace upon our master Muhammad, and upon his pure and good family, and upon his righteous companions, and upon those who followed them in good faith until the Day of Recompense.

Indeed, the best of speech is the Book of Allah, and the best guidance is the guidance of our master Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him. And the worst of things are its innovations, and every innovation is an invention, and every invention is a misguidance, and every misguidance is in the Fire.

O you who have believed, fear Allah as He should be feared, and you will not die except as Muslims.

O people, fear your Lord, who created you from one soul, and created from it its spouse, and spread among them many men and women. And fear Allah, to whom you ask one another, and reverence the wombs. Indeed, Allah is ever watching over you.

Character Is Important

Brothers and sisters, we're going through an election season and it's been a rough election season — it's been probably, if not definitely, one of the ugliest election seasons in this country. But there is a silver lining in all of this, and as Muslims we should strive to take lessons from everything that happens around us — lessons that we can apply in our own selves. We take lessons from people that are beautiful and we take lessons from people that are ugly. We take lessons from people that are decent and honest and we take lessons from people that are oppressive and indecent and vile.

And one of the biggest lessons of this election season that we all need to take and reflect on is that character is important. Character is important. As the election date comes closer, we can see that the character of a presidential candidate can affect their success in the elections. Good character is attractive — people are drawn to good character. And bad character is repulsive — it drives people away, even when they belong to your own party.

Allah taught us that 1,400 years ago, and he taught Rasulullah, peace and blessings be upon him, 1,400 years ago as a leader for humanity, when He said to him:

He said to him, peace and blessings be upon him: it is by the grace of Allah that you are gentle with them — in the way that you behave with the people around you, even those that are your enemies or your adversaries, your opponents — even with those, you are gentle with them. لِنتَ لَهُمْ وَلَوْ كُنتَ فَظًّا غَلِيظَ الْقَلْبِ — if you were rough and harsh and hard-hearted with them, لَانفَضُّوا مِنْ حَوْلِكَ — they would have fled from you.

And the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, took those instructions from Allah and displayed the most exalted character — even to his opponents and enemies, let alone friends and relatives. And Allah testified to that in the Quran when He said:

That indeed you are upon the most exalted character.

The Prophet's Character: As Described by Ali ibn Abi Talib

Sayyidina Ali ibn Abi Talib, may Allah be pleased with him, describing the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, in what is one of the most eloquent ahadith in the Shama'il of Rasulullah, peace and blessings be upon him, said among other things about the Prophet:

(Reported in the Shama'il al-Muhammadiyya of Imam al-Tirmidhi)

That he was the most truthful in his speech — when he spoke, he didn't lie to win people over, he spoke the truth no matter what. كَانَ أَصْدَقَ النَّاسِ لَهْجَةً — even his lahjah, not just the words that came out, but the way he spoke, the lahjah with which he spoke, emanated with truthfulness. As some of the Sahaba would say: when I met the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, as a non-Muslim and I saw his face, I knew that this is not the face of a liar. Good character sometimes doesn't have to be manifested in words or actions — it shines in the face of the person and in the mannerisms with which they conduct themselves.

And Ali ibn Abi Talib also said in that hadith in which he described the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him:

(Reported in the Shama'il al-Muhammadiyya of Imam al-Tirmidhi)

That anyone — friend or enemy, Muslim or non-Muslim — anyone who got to know him at an intimate level inevitably loved him. That's how his character was, peace and blessings be upon him.

The Story of Thumama ibn Uthal

And we have so many examples of that from his life. There is a story of a man by the name of Thumama ibn Uthal. The story is mentioned in the authentic collections of hadith. He belonged to a tribe that was at war with the Muslims at the time of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him. And the companions one day, when they were out, found Thumama hiding somewhere and they caught him and they brought him to the masjid, tied up, and they presented him to the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him.

The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, recognized that this man belonged to the tribe that was out there essentially to kill him, and so when he recognized Thumama, he said to the companions: go and tie him to one of the pillars inside al-Masjid al-Nabawi. So they did that — they tied him inside the masjid of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him.

And he remained there, and he had no choice but to get to know the Muslims, because he had no place to go. He was there inside the masjid, standing tied to the pillar, watching the Muslims converse and learn and teach and pray and worship. He had no choice but to observe the mannerisms of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, didn't talk to him much — he would come out of his home, lead the salah, go back home, and from time to time he would look at Thumama and say in other words: what's going on, Thumama? How's it going? What do you have to say, Thumama?

And then Thumama would reply and he would say: I'm okay, I'm all right, Muhammad. Look — if you want to kill me, you're going to kill somebody that has a lot of blood. And if you want to be gracious to me, you're going to be gracious to someone who is very grateful — in other words, you're going to see me pay you back if you're gracious to me. And if it is wealth that you want — ransom for my sake — then just ask, just name your price.

And the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, would leave him and not entertain him much. But as the days passed by, one day the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, suddenly said to the companions: let him go free — untie him and let him go. This is a man who was plotting to kill the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, and he tells them: let him go free, untie him.

So when they untied him, he left the masjid and disappeared. But then moments later, he came back. He came back and he went straight to the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him. People, if they were just given the opportunity to be in the presence of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, they inevitably loved him — except if their hearts were sealed by Allah.

He came back and said: I testify that there is no god except Allah, and I testify that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah. O Muhammad! I swear by Allah, there is no face on this earth that was more hateful to me than your face — and now today, your face is the most beloved of all faces to me. O Muhammad! I swear by Allah, there is no deen on this earth that was more hateful to me than your deen — and today your deen is the most beloved of all deens to me. I swear by Allah, there is no town that was more despicable in my eyes than your town — and today this town is the most beloved of all towns to me.

What changed Thumama? What attracted him so much to the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him? It was that character of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, that he was able to witness firsthand when he was tied inside the masjid of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him.

The Inner Image: Khuluq

Character is very important, brothers and sisters. But oftentimes we Muslims neglect the importance of character. Even those among us who strive to be religious people — we put emphasis on the outward forms and appearances that are important in our deen, yes, no doubt — but we neglect this aspect that is often not as obvious, is more hidden, and only comes out on certain occasions with certain people.

Imam al-Ghazali, may Allah have mercy on him, said the words khalq and khuluq are related. Khuluq is the word for character in the Arabic language, and khalq is the word for the outer appearance. Imam al-Ghazali said: khalq is your outer image and khuluq is your inner image. Khalq is my outer form, my outer image, the way I look to you, to your eyes. But khuluq is your inner image.

And that is why the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, when he would look in the mirror, one of the du'as that he would make was:

O Allah, just as You have beautified my outer image — my khalq — please beautify my khuluq, my inner image.

This inner image is mostly hidden, and it is only exposed to those people who are closest to us — unless, of course, somebody secretly records a conversation and makes it public. Usually this character is only exposed to people in privacy, those who are close to us. That is our inner image. And it is also exposed during a moment of trial, a moment of intensity, of difficulty — like when we're having a debate with somebody. The inner image comes out.

What we have to ask ourselves, brothers and sisters, is: what is my inner image like? How do I behave during a disagreement or a conflict? How do I behave with those that are closest to me — my family members at home, with my children, with my spouse? How do I behave when an Islamophobe or a hate-monger or a bigot provokes me on the street, or addresses me with speech that is hurtful or hateful? These are the types of moments when our true character comes out, when our inner image is exposed.

Responding to Conflict with Beautiful Character

And so when we are faced with a situation of conflict — where somebody is disagreeing with us, where somebody, and it might be a friend, it might be a relative, it might be a brother or sister, but they are saying something maybe ignorantly or maybe arrogantly, they're disagreeing with me and maybe even being abusive — Allah tells us how to behave. Allah tells us the sign of beautiful character in that moment. He says:

Say to My servants: say that which is most beautiful. Do not retort back ugliness with ugliness — retort back with that which is more beautiful. إِنَّ الشَّيْطَانَ يَنزَغُ بَيْنَهُمْ — because the Shaitan is there between you, going around between you. إِنَّ الشَّيْطَانَ كَانَ لِلْإِنسَانِ عَدُوًّا مُّبِينًا — indeed, Shaitan is a plain and manifest enemy to human beings.

How do we behave when somebody addresses us with speech that is hateful? When somebody provokes us? Allah teaches us again what amounts to beautiful character in that moment, when He says about عِبَادُ الرَّحْمَانِ:

That when the ignorant address them, they say: peace. They say: peace. I am not going to have this type of conversation with you. If you're going to go low, I am not going to go low with you. I will take the high road and say peace and walk away.

Allah also tells us:

Repel evil — not with evil. Repel evil with that which is most beautiful. نَحْنُ أَعْلَمُ بِمَا يَصِفُونَ — We know what they're saying. Don't think Allah doesn't know the provocation when it comes to you. He knows what's being said. But He's telling us: ادْفَعْ بِالَّتِي هِيَ أَحْسَنُ — repel with that which is most beautiful.

How We Treat Those Closest to Us

How do we respond to situations at home — with our family, with our spouse, with our children, with our close friends? The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, taught us how to respond, how to behave, because there are times when we are tested and our character is tested. How do we treat the women in our lives? Do we treat them with respect and dignity, or do we treat them in ways that people of vile character treat them?

The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said:

(Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 1162; also reported in Sunan Abi Dawud, Hadith 4682)

Look at this — the test of beautiful character, the test of noble character, is how you treat women. He said, peace and blessings be upon him: the more perfect your character, the more complete your faith will be. And the best of you are those who display the best character to their women.

May Allah help us refine our character. May Allah make us among those who listen to the words of admonition and follow the best of them.

The Second Part of the Khutbah: The Mission of the Prophet

Brothers and sisters, the importance of good character cannot be overemphasized. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, when describing his mission as a prophet — when he described his entire mission — he summarized it in one phrase when he said:

(Musnad al-Bazzar; also reported by al-Bayhaqi in Shu'ab al-Iman, Hadith 7601)

I was only sent to perfect people's character, to beautify people's character, to complete the best character that people have.

And he also said that on the Day of Judgment, nothing will be heavier on the scales than beautiful character.

Indeed, he said: Allah hates the one who has no shame and uses profanity. The way we talk — whether it's online, commenting on a status on Facebook, or retweeting, or sending an email or a text message, or whether it's on the phone or in person — what kind of language do I use when I'm having a disagreement with someone? Allah hates the one who has no shame and uses profanity. And it doesn't matter whether people are looking or not. It doesn't matter whether I'm just hanging out with my friend away from the eyes of people. It doesn't matter whether somebody's recording or not, or whether it's going to go on the news or not. The fact is, the angels are recording it, and it will be publicized one day — except for the one whom Allah chooses to show mercy to.

And he also said: the most beloved of you to me, and those who will be seated closest to me on the Day of Judgment, are those who have the most beautiful character. And the most hated of you to me, and those who will be seated farthest from me, are those who talk excessively, boastfully, and arrogantly.

We may have a long beard. We may wear a high thobe. We may carry a siwak in our pockets. We may be in the first row in the masjid every day. But how do we talk with each other? How do we deal with each other? How do we deal with our spouses and our children? What is our behavior like with people that are closest to us? What is my inner appearance like — what is my inner image like?

That is the question. The question is not which candidate is going to win — because I think now that question has become very clear. The question is: will I win on the Day of Judgment with Allah and His Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him? Will I strive to refine my own character? Or do I have the same type of vile and ugly character brewing inside of me that I see on the TV in these presidential debates?