The Book of Good Manners
كتاب الأدب
Chapter 1: Exaltation of Modesty
Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Shyness does not bring anything except good."[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].In a narration of Muslim: Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "All of shyness is good."
Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was even shier than a virgin behind her veil. When he saw something which he disliked, we could perceive it on his face.[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].
Chapter 2: Secrecy of Private Matters (Guarding Secrets)
My father 'Umar (May Allah be pleased with him) said: When (his daughter) Hafsah (May Allah be pleased with her) became a widow, I met 'Uthman bin 'Affan (May Allah be pleased with him) and offered Hafsah for marriage to him. 'Uthman said: "I shall think over the matter." I waited for a few days and then 'Uthman met me and said: "It occurred to me that I should not marry at present." Then I met Abu Bakr (May Allah be pleased with him) and said to him: "If you are willing, I shall marry my daughter Hafsah to you." Abu Bakr (May Allah be pleased with him) remained silent and did not utter any word to me in reply. I grew more angry with him than with 'Uthman. I had waited for only a few days when Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) asked for her hand in marriage and I married her to him. Thereafter, I met Abu Bakr (May Allah be pleased with him) who said, "Perhaps you were angry with me when you offered Hafsah to me and I said nothing in reply." I said, "Yes, that is so." He said, "Nothing stopped me to respond to your offer except that I knew that Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) had mentioned her and I could not disclose the secret of Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). Had Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) left her, I would have accepted her."[Al-Bukhari].
Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "The most evil of the people to Allah on the Day of Resurrection will be the man who consorts with his wife and then publicizes her secret."[Muslim].
Chapter 1: Exaltation of Modesty
Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Iman has sixty odd or seventy odd branches. The uppermost of all these is the Testimony of Faith: 'La ilaha illallah' (there is no true god except Allah) while the least of them is the removal of harmful object from the road. And shyness is a branch of Iman."[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].
[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].
Chapter 3: Fulfillment of Promises
The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Four are the qualities which, when found in a person, make him a sheer hypocrite, and one who possesses one of them, possesses one characteristic of hypocrisy until he abandons it. These are: When he is entrusted with something, he betrays trust; when he speaks, he lies; when he promises, he acts treacherously; and when he argues, he behaves in a very imprudent, insulting manner."[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].
Chapter 5: Excellence of Meeting with a Smiling Countenance and Politeness in Speech
Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Guard yourselves against the Fire (of Hell) even if it be only with half a date-fruit (given in charity); and if you cannot afford even that, you should at least say a good word."[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].
It is part of a narration that has preceded in its entirety.
Chapter 8: Brevity in Preaching
Ibn Mas'ud (May Allah be pleased with him) used to preach to us once every Thursday. A man said to him: "O Abu 'Abdur-Rahman, we love your talk and we wish that you preach us every day." He said: "There is nothing to prevent me from doing so, but I don't lest I bore you. I follow the same method in preaching to you that Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) adopted in preaching to us for fear of boredom."[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].
While I was in Salat with Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), a man in the congregation sneezed and I responded with: 'Yarhamuk-Allah (Allah have mercy on you).' The people stared at me with disapproving looks. So I said: "May my mother lose me. Why are you staring at me?" Thereupon, they began to strike their thighs with their hands. When I saw them urging to me to remain silent, I became angry but restrained myself. When Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) concluded his Salat. I have never before seen an instructor who gave better instruction than he, may my father and mother be sacrificed for him. He neither remonstrated me, nor beat me, nor abused me. He simply said,"It is not permissible to talk during Salat because it consists of glorifying Allah, declaring His Greatness as well as recitation of the Qur'an," or he said words to that effect." I said: "O Allah's Messenger, I have but recently accepted Islam, and Allah has favoured us with Islam. There are still some people among us who go to consult soothsayers." He said, "Do not consult them." Then I said: "There are some of us who are guided by omens." He said, "These things which come to their minds. They should not be influenced by them."(Muslim).
Chapter 10: Excellence of Walking Solemnly (Towards the Mosque) to Perform As-Salat (The Prayer) and Other Religious Duties
I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) saying, "When the Iqamah are pronounced, do not come to it running, you should walk calmly with tranquillity to join the congregation. Then join in what you catch for and complete what you miss."[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].In Muslim it is added: Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "For when one of you is walking for Salat, he is, in fact, engaged in Salat."
Chapter 12: Excellence of Conveying Glad Tidings and Congratulations
One day, I performed my Wudu' in my house and then set forth with the determination that I would stick to Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and spend the whole day with him. I came to the mosque and asked about him. The Companions told that he (ﷺ) had gone in a certain direction. Abu Musa added: I followed him inquiring until I came to Bi'r Aris (a well in the suburb of Al-Madinah). (There) I sat down at the door till he (ﷺ) had relieved himself and performed Wudu'. Then I went to him and saw him sitting on the platform of the well with his shanks uncovered and his legs dangling in the well. I greeted him and returned to the door of the garden, saying to myself, "I will be the doorkeeper of the Messenger of Allah today." Abu Bakr (May Allah be pleased with him) came and knocked at the door. I said; "Who is that?" He said: "Abu Bakr." I said, "Wait a moment." Then I went to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and said, "O Messenger of Allah! Abu Bakr is at the door seeking permission to enter." He said, "Admit him and give him the glad tidings of Jannah." I returned and said to Abu Bakr (May Allah be pleased with him): "You may enter and Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) has given you the glad tidings of (entering) Jannah." Abu Bakr (May Allah be pleased with him) came in and sat down on the right side of Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and suspended his legs into the well and uncovered his shanks, as the Messenger of Allah had done. I returned to the door and sat down. I had left my brother at home while he was performing Wudu' and intending to join me. I said to myself: "If Allah intends good for him (i.e., to be blessed to come at this time and receive the glad tidings of entering Jannah), He will bring him here." Someone knocked at the door and I said, "Who is it?" He said, "Umar bin Al-Khattab." I said, "Wait a moment." Then I proceeded towards Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). I greeted him and said, "Umar is at the door, seeking permission to enter. He said, "Let him in and give him the glad tidings of entering Jannah." I went back to 'Umar (May Allah be pleased with him) and said to him, "Messenger of Allah has given you permission as well as glad tidings of entering Jannah." He entered and sat down with Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) on his left side and dangled his feet into the well. I returned to the door and sat down and said to myself: "If Allah intends good for my brother, He will bring him here." Someone knocked at the door and I said, "Who is it?" He said, "Uthman bin 'Affan." I said, "Wait a moment." I went to Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and informed him about his arrival. He said, "Let him in and give him glad tidings of entering Jannah together with a tribulation which he will have to face." I came back to him and said, "You may enter; and Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) gives you the glad tidings of entering Jannah together with a tribulation that will afflict you." He got in and saw that the elevated platform round the well was fully occupied. So he sat on opposite side. Sa'id bin Al- Musaiyab (May Allah be pleased with him) a subnarrator has reported: The order in which they sat down indicated the places of their burial.[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].Another narration adds: Abu Musa Al-Ash'ari (May Allah be pleased with him) said: The Prophet (ﷺ) ordered me to guard the door. When 'Uthman was told (about the misfortune) he praised Allah then said: "Allahu Musta'an (His help is to be sought)."(The interpretation of Sa'id bin Al-Musaiyab is that the graves of Abu Bakr and 'Umar (May Allah be pleased with them) are by the side of the Prophet (ﷺ), in the same position they took when they sat next to the Prophet (ﷺ) while the grave of 'Uthman is away from their graves, in the public graveyard of Al-Madinah known as Baqi' Al-Gharqad).
We were sitting in the company of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), and Abu Bakr and 'Umar (May Allah be pleased with them) were also present. All of a sudden the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) got up and left us. When he was late to return to us we began to worry lest he should meet with trouble in our absence. I was the first to be alarmed and set out in search of him until I came to a garden belonging to Banu-Najjar (a section of the Ansar). I went round it looking for an entrance, but failed to find one. However, I saw a stream of water flowing into the garden from a well outside. I drew myself together like a fox and slinked into the place and reached the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). He said, "Is it Abu Hurairah?" I replied in the affirmative. He asked, "What is the matter with you?" I replied, "You were sitting with us and then you left us and delayed for a time. Fearing you had met with some adversities we got alarmed. I was the first to be alarmed. So when I came to this garden, I squeezed myself like a fox and these people are coming behind me." He (the Prophet (ﷺ)) gave me his sandals and said, "O Abu Hurairah! Take these sandals of mine, and whoever you meet outside this garden testifying that La ilaha illallah (There is no true god except Allah), being assured of it in his heart, give him the glad tidings that he will enter Jannah." (Abu Hurairah then narrated the Hadith in full).[Muslim].
Chapter 13: Bidding Farewell and Advising on the Eve of Departure for a Journey or Other Things
Al-Bukhari added in a version of his "And pray as you have seen me pray."
When a man was to set out on a journey, 'Abdullah bin 'Umar (May Allah be pleased with them) would say to him: "Draw near so that I may bid farewell to you as Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to bid farewell to us. (The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to say: "'Astaudi'ullaha dinaka, wa amanataka, wa khawatima 'amalika' (I entrust Allah with your Deen, your trust and your last deeds)."[At-Tirmidhi].
When Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) intended to bid farewell to his army he would say: "Astau-di'ullaha dinakaum, wa amanatakum, wa khawatima 'amalikum (I entrust Allah with your Deen, your trust and your last deeds)."[Abu Dawud].
Chapter 16: Excellence of Using the Right Hand for Performing Various Good Acts
Messenger of Allah was used to using his right hand for performing Wudu' and for eating his food whereas he was used to using his left hand in his toilet and for other similar purposes.[Abu Dawud]
Chapter 3: Fulfillment of Promises
Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Three are the signs of a hypocrite: When he speaks, he lies; when he makes a promise, he breaks it; and when he is trusted, he betrays his trust."[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].Another narration adds the words: "Even if he observes Saum (fasts), performs Salat (prayer) and claims to be a Muslim."