The Dua for Good Character | Hidden Treasures Episode 23 | Mufti Sultan Mohiuddin

The Du'a for Good Character

Hidden Treasures — Episode 23

The first treasure that I would like to share with you all today is a very beautiful story that Imam Bukhari rahimahullah brings in his Adab al-Mufrad, wherein he narrates from Abu al-Darda' rahimahullah and his wife, Umm al-Darda' rahimahullah. She says that Abu al-Darda' one night stood up the whole entire night praying tahajjud, and in his tahajjud he was crying:

"Oh Allah, just as You have beautified my exterior, please beautify my interior as well."

A du'a that you normally just read when you look into the mirror — she found it a little bit odd that the whole night he's crying and he's just making a du'a that you're just supposed to say in front of the mirror once. This unusual practice of his led her to ask him: why is it that the whole night you found nothing —

— you never found anything to ask your Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala except for good character? That's all you could ask Allah for?

So he explained to her, he said:

(Imam Bukhari, Al-Adab al-Mufrad, Hadith 289)

"O Umm al-Darda', a believing servant of Allah continues to work on and beautify, embellish their character until not the good character — because no one can ever claim that they have good character or that they've perfected their character, like Allah claims about the Prophet Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wasallam very beautifully:"

"You, O Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wasallam, have the most lofty of character."

No one could actually claim that for themselves. But he says that a person continues to work on themselves and beautify their character until that pursuit — that pursuit of beautification of their character — enters them into Jannah, serves as their ticket to Jannah. But then he says the opposite is true as well. What's the opposite?

(Imam Bukhari, Al-Adab al-Mufrad, Hadith 289)

That a person continues to let their character just sit there — stale, stagnant — not work on it, until it deteriorates, it rusts, and that rusty character, may Allah save us and protect us, lands them into the pits of hell.

The Lesson: Beauty on the Inside

May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala give us the ability — in this world, in this environment where everybody's just really focused on the aesthetic of everything. Everyone's just focused on: well, the camera's gotta be right — it's pretty ironic saying this in front of a camera — but the camera's gotta be right, the lighting has to be right, you gotta make sure you capture my best angle, you gotta make sure I look good. SubhanAllah, this man wants to look good inside, and he's not proclaiming that he's attained that level — rather he's telling Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala: "Oh Allah, I can't get this good character until I cry and beg You for it."

So may Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala make husnul khuluq — good character, beauty on the inside — a primary focus of ours, until it becomes an actual desire of ours to acquire. And insha'Allah that desire — may Allah allow it to enter us into Jannatul Firdaus as well.