islamic moral
Jul 13, 2008
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GOOD BEHAVIOUR
Question:
What are good moral traits?
Answer:
There are many good moral traits. We will here point towards some of them:
1-Honesty in Action and Speech:
Man should be honest in his speech and character and should not act against his belief like a person who, for the sake of hypocrisy and flattery, is courteous and pays respect to someone even though in his heart, he opposes his beliefs. Man should also be correct in his actions. This means that he should not pretend that he is going to do something, even though his intention is to do something else.
He should also be truthful in his promises, should never break his word, and should avoid pretence, like those who wear tattered clothes so that people assume that they are paupers, even though they are rich…
It is obligatory upon man that he should be trustworthy as regards to God, and should not offend him on any account. He should be reliable in his dealings, should not practice deceit, should behave in a trustworthy manner with peoples’ properties, should be dependable in regard to peoples’ honour and reputation, and should never commit any religiously prohibited act even if it be only with his eyes.
About these two virtues, truthfulness and trustworthiness very strong recommendations have come from the Holy Prophet and the members of his household… to the extent that in some of the traditions it appears that “God did not send any messenger except for that he placed truthfulness and trustworthiness in the primary position in his plans”.
The fact of the matter is that an honest and trustworthy man is loved by people and God, and is always successful in his affairs, incorrect, a liar and traitor, even though he enjoys short and transient benefits, drags his future to destruction.
3-Courage:
Man should be courageous and pioneering, and in his affairs should not let fear near him, for the coward is always at the end of the queue. This distinction is enough for courage that all messengers and reformers have been possessors of this choice characteristic. Otherwise they could never have been able to deliver society from corruption, and drive it towards progress and elevation, for encounter with people in such a way that it should be incompatible to their wishes but should actually be for their well-being is amongst the strongest kinds of courage.
4-Generosity:
In society there are always indigent and penniless people, and there are always schemes which needs help and cooperation, whose backers and supporters are people, and the groups of the disadvantaged have always glued their eyes to these centres. Therefore, it is necessary for man that, as much as possible, he should enjoy the trait of generosity and magnanimity. And if the generous person should also be rich, his generosity will not be a cause of loss for him, and if he should be of average means his lesser generosity will also be accepted. According to the popular saying “The height of generosity is to give away whatever you are”. The poet says:
“If the world has favoured you, you too with your wealth favour others and before your wealth is destroyed bestow it upon all people”.
And know that if the world favours someone, generosity shall never destroy him, and if the world forsakes someone, miserliness cannot preserve him.
5-Honour:
Honour is a condition in man by means of which he supports those things which should be protected and guarded like religion, country, chastity etc. Honour is among those virtues which if taken away from individuals or social groups, their independence and existence shall be destroyed.
Of course teachers of ethics have talked in detail about those matters which should be supported by the trait of honour, as well as those matters which are harmed by honour, but at the moment we do not plan to recall those.
6-Cooperation in Good Works:
Life is not shaped by the individual. On the contrary, individuals should cooperate as a group. The greater and more complete this cooperation and mutual assistance will be, the farther ahead will life go and the more will society progress. Cooperation is of various kinds: by thought, by money, by work, by social intercourse and by gathering and unity.
7-Effort and Joy:
Man always loves comfort, immobility and luxury. However these, if carried out to excess, will become the enemies of progress and advancement and will soon cause laziness, indolence, procrastination and remaining backward. Therefore effort and activity has become indispensable for mankind. Effort and joy is a queen which makes man gallop forward and becomes the cause of his advancement in all aspects of life. Experience has proved that any one who does not make efforts, is inactive, and does not rejoice will undoubtedly remain backward. Similarly, any nation which does not enjoy this constructive trait will go towards decline and destruction.
8-Organization:
The Leader of the Faithful, Ali says “I pledge you to God to make efforts to organize your faiths”.
Man’s time is very scarce and the duties and responsibilities that he has in relation to himself, society, the future of the world and his own afterlife are numerous. Therefore he should regularize his tasks with a lot of care and attention.
And what is better than that man should learn a lesson in this respect from the creatures of the world. Everything has a special system otherwise the world would be doomed to decay and destruction. Similarly if the governments of the world and organizations do not work on the basis of discipline their affairs would end in desolation, and society would also be destroyed.
9-Reform:
The world automatically moves towards ruin. Time makes every modern obsolete and destroys anything that has been built. Tyrants draw cities to vices, exploit people and make them their slaves… Therefore, it is obligatory upon man to rise like a reformer and, to the extent that he has powers, make the world habitable, educate people and cleanse and purify them, pay attention to society and introduce it to ways of progress and elevation, and reform the corrupt conditions which have either themselves become inclined to deterioration or tyrants have pulled them to perversion.
10-Cleanliness:
The Holy Prophet states that cleanliness is a part of faith.
Cleanliness is of four kinds:
Cleanliness in speech i.e. man’s speech should be free of and unblemished by idle talk, meaningless utterances, gossip, lies, sarcasm and vain talk etc.
Cleanliness in character i.e. not performing any debasing and evil deeds.
Cleanliness in body and its needs, which are fulfilled by washing, cleansing of dirt and grime, and perfuming.
And cleanliness of food, drink etc.
11- Moderation:
One of the essential and constructive things is moderation in all affairs relating to man. For excess and over-indulgence cause fatigue and consequently destruction. Wastage also creates retardation. God in Quran states:
“Thus we have made you a moderate nation.(2:143)
For example if the speed tolerance of a car be 100 kms per hour, the speed of 150 kms per hour is excess, and the speed of 50 kms per hour is wastage.
12-Justice:
In all his dealings, whether individual, family or social, man should make justice his reference point, be he a judge or a manager, or even if he is neither of the two, for justice is needed in all aspects of life. For every man, God Almighty has placed a means of measurement and identification concealed within him, by means of which he separates justice from injustice, and recognizes it. This is one of the greatest virtues and exalted qualities, by means of which man can reach the highest levels of spirituality and excellence.
13-Complete Awareness:
By this quality man can organize affairs according to wisdom and correctness. This trait forces man to pay careful attention to all matters relating to him and his affairs i.e. how to give and receive, how to train his children, how to socialize with people, and if he is the manager of an organization or establishment, how to act upon management conditions and fulfil their requirements. And similarly in all affairs whether individual or general, religious or worldly etc.
14-Hospitality or Pleasant Conduct:
He behaves well with people, whether they be his family or relatives, neighbours, the party to a deal or other people. A pleasant conduct is made possible by speaking good words, by appearing with a pleasant face, by acquiring friendship through the interchange of visits, gifts and doing favours, by participating in the happiness and sorrows of people, by forgiveness, and by pardoning and accepting the apologies of others.
15-Piety:
Man should fear God and in all circumstances and conditions should not do anything which is against the consent or approval of the creator, and at last death will come seeking him too, and after death the pious shall receive the reward of piety and the wrongdoers shall be punished.
In addition to this, virtue and piety are one of the strongest elements in the progress of man and society in this world.
16-Knowledge:
Knowledge is neither little nor limited; on the contrary, just as the Holy Prophet has stated “Knowledge is from the cradle to the grave”, because learning and knowledge become the cause of elevation of the level and status of man near God. Just as God himself states in the Quran:
“Allah will exalt those of you who believe, and those who are given knowledge, in high degrees”.(58:11)
The Leader of the Faithful, Ali also says: “The worth of a person is the same as what he knows”.
17-Fondness and Friendship:
Man has been created social, and the more his friendship and companionship with his fellow creatures increases, the more his own hidden merits and those of the society that has enfolded him become apparent…because the inner hidden potentials of man become apparent at the time of friendship, gathering together, and fondness of people with one another. Therefore the Holy Prophet says that “A true faithful becomes fond of others and others also become fond of him, and there is no good or benefit in that person who neither becomes accustomed to others nor do others grow used to him”.
18-Ambition:
It has always been high ambitions which have led man to the level of the great ones.
The poet in praise of the Prophet says:
“He has ambitions so high there is no end to them;
and his lower ambition is greater than eternity!”
19-Perseverance:
Man is perpetually confronted with problems and difficulties, particularly if he be a pioneering and progressive person, who works for the betterment of social conditions. Therein, if he stands up against problems and difficulties and continues his work he will undoubtedly succeed, otherwise he will fail. God states:
“verily, those who say “Our Lord is Allah”, and then they stand fast, on them the angels will descend (saying): “Fear not, nor grieve”” .(41:30)
20-Observance of Other Moral Virtues:
Like humility and lack of arrogance, forbearance and not to be put out of patience, being patient and not becoming tired, doing good to people, not restraining oneself from service to other…
There are many other virtues that scholars of ethics have mentioned in more detailed books, and have reached us through the Quran and the Hadeeth.
Written by: Ayatollah al-Odhmaa Shirazi
