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MORAL CONDUCT
November 13, 2006 — morals and ethics H.Prophet (s.a.w) Say’s: “You cannot treat
people by means of your wealth; hence, you should treat them by means of your
moral conduct” Moral conduct
is a mood arousing good behavior with others by showing happy mien, nice wording, and
kind manners. As he was asked about the limit of moral conduct, Imam as-Sadiq (a)
answered: “It is to
be modest, speak honorably, and meet your brother cheerfully.” One of the
expectations that every judicious individual exerts efforts for achieving is to
have an attractive personality. It is surely a noble aim that cannot be
attained by everyone except the virtuous and those who are characterized by
knowledgeability, liberality, courage, and the like good traits.All virtues,
however, cannot be true matters of admiration unless they are connected to
moral conduct. On that account, moral conduct is the core and pivot of virtues.
The The Ahl ul-Bayt (a) used a variety of instructive methods in favor of
glorifying the moral conduct so remarkably: The
Prophet (s) said: “The best of you are the most
well-mannered and generous ones who go on intimate terms with people and people
go on intimate terms with them, and whose places of residence are frequently
trodden on by guests.” “He who has a good nature will have the reward of those who observe fasting
in days and keep awake praying at nights.” “You cannot treat people by means of your wealth; hence, you should treat
them by means of your moral conduct.” Imam
al-Baqir (a) said: “The most perfect believers, in
the sight of faith, are the most well-mannered.” Imam
as-Sadiq (a) said: “After the fulfillment of the
obligatory religious duties, the most favorable thing that a servant offers to Allah is to extend the
moral conducts over people.” “Allah gives a servant for his moral conduct the same reward that He gives
to the mujahid.” “The moral conduct dissolves sins in the same way as the sun dissolves
snow.” “Piety and moral conduct construct the countries and prolong the ages.” “If you want to
be respected, you should be lenient, and if you want to be disrespected, you
may be severe.” God did not send
any messenger to people before He had adorned him with moral conduct, which is,
then, the symbol of the prophets’ virtues and the title of their personalities. The Prophet
Mohammed (s) was the ideal example of moral conduct, as well as the other high
moral standards. By means of his ideal moralities, he could seize the hearts,
and deserved, worthily, the praise of God: “Most surely, you conform yourself to sublime morality. (68:4)” Imam Ali (a),
describing the moralities of the holy Prophet (s), said: “He was
the most generous, the bravest, the most truthful and the most faithful, and in
terms of temper, the most lenient and in terms of association, the most
honorable. Any one seeing him for the first time is filled with awe, and any
one associating with him loves him. I have never seen his like before and after
him.” As a picture of the
Prophet’s moral conduct, it is sufficient to refer to his story with people of
Koreish who allied each other against him and showed him various sorts of
bitterness that obliged him to flee his hometown. When God gave him victory
against them, they were quite sure he would revenge himself upon them. He said
nothing to them but, ‘what do you think I am going to do with you?’ ‘Only the
good, for you are a noble brother and the son of a noble brother,’ answered
they. He said: ‘I will repeat the same wording of my brother Joseph the
prophet: (Today, you are not condemned.) Go, you are released.’ Anas narrated: I was with the
Prophet who was putting a garment of a tough margin when a Bedouin pulled him so
violently that the margin of his garment left an effect on his neck.
‘Mohammed,’ said the Bedouin, ‘load on my two camels with the fortune of God
that is in your possession, because it is neither yours nor your father’s.’ The Prophet (s)
kept silent for a while before he said, ‘The fortune is Allah’s, and I am His
servant.’ He then added, ‘Do you, Bedouin, not think you will be retaliated for
you deed?’ ‘No, I do not,’
answered the Bedouin. ‘Why?’ asked the
Prophet. The Bedouin
said, ‘Because you do not set evil for an evil.’ The Prophet
laughed and ordered to load on the back of the Bedouin’s camel with barley and
wheat. Amir ul-Mu’minin (a)
narrated: The Prophet (s)
told the very rich Jew
whom he had owed a few dinars that he had nothing to pay him back at that time.
The Jew decided not to leave the Prophet before he would pay him. The Prophet
therefore sat with him. In the same place, he offered the Dhuhr, Asr, Maghrib,
Eshaa, and Fajr
prayers. As he noticed that his companions were threatening that Jew, the
Prophet (s) looked at them and said, ‘What are you doing?’ ‘God’s Messenger,’
said they, ‘he is detaining you.’ The Prophet answered, ‘Allah has not sent me
to wrong any person, including the followers of other religions.’ As soon as the
day broke, the Jew declared, ‘I declare there in no god but Allah and that
Mohamed is His servant and messenger. I will dedicate half of my fortune to the
cause of God. By God I swear, I only did so to notice the conformity of your
descriptions to these that are mentioned in the Torah. I have seen your
characteristics in the Torah: Mohammed son of Abdullah,
the born inMecca, will emigrate to Teeba. He is neither rude nor coarse nor
abusive nor adorned with obscenity. I declare there is no god but Allah and you
are surely the messenger of God. This is my fortune: I offer it to you so that
you will apply to it the rules that God has revealed.’ Thus were the
sinless Imams with regard to the excellence of moralities:Imam Abu Mohammed
al-Askari (a) related: Amir ul-Mu’minin
(a), once, received the two faithful men who visited him so warmly, honored
them, and asked them to sit in the head of his session. They were a father and
his son. After they had finished the meal that the Imam served to them, Qanbar
–his servant— brought a washtub, a wooden pitcher, and a handkerchief. Amir
ul-Mu’minin (a) took the pitcher to pour water on the hands of the guest. The
man refused so intensely, but Amir ul-Mu’minin insisted on pouring water on his
hand and asked him to behave as if it was Qanbar who would do so to him. The
man did. Amir ul-Mu’minin, then, handed the pitcher to his son Mohammed ibn
al-Hanafiyya and said, ‘son, if that son had visited me alone without his
father, I myself would have poured water on his hand. Allah does not accept to
put fathers and sons on the same level when they are in the same place. Since
the father poured on the hands of the father, theson then should pour on the
hands of the son.” Hence, Mohammed
poured on the hands of the son. On this event, Imam
al-Askari (a) commented: “He who copies Ali in this deed is the
true Shiite.” It is related
that Imams al-Hasan
and al-Hussein once noticed an old man performing the ritual ablution incorrectly.
They avoided stating to him directly; hence, they agreed on making him the
arbiter who should rule of the most accurate ablution. As they performed the
ablution before him, the old man said, “Sirs! You both have performed the very
accurate ablution, but it seems that the old man can master nothing. He now
declares his repentance out of your blessing and mercy to the members of your
grandfather’s community” It is also
related that, once, a servant of Imam al-Hussein (a) committed a mistake that
caused him to be punished. The Imam therefore gave the orders of beating him. “Sir,” said the
servant, “(Remember God’s saying) those who refrain the anger.” The Imam, hence,
ordered to release him. “Sir,” said the
servant, “(Remember God’s saying) and those who forgive people.” The Imam, hence,
forgave him. “Sir,” said the
servant, “(Remember God’s saying) and Allah loves those who do good.” The Imam said,
“Go, you are free for the sake of Allah. I will also double your payment” As-Sawli narrated
the following: A disagreement
occurred between al-Hussein and Mohammed ibn al-Hanafiyya who wrote to his
brother: “So then, brother! Your and my father is the same. You are not
preferred to me and I am not preferred to you in this point. Regarding your
mother Fatima the daughter of the Messenger of God, if my mother possesses gold
that is filling the earth, she will never reach the standing of your mother. If
you read this missive, you may visit me so that I will please you. You are
surely worthier of virtue than I am. Peace and God’s grace and blessings be
upon you.” Al-Hussein did,
and they were no longer engaged in any disagreement. Mohammed ibn Ja’far
and others narrated the following: A kinsman of Ali ibn
al-Hussein (a) stood in front of him and insulted. The Imam, however, did not
reply. When the man went away, the Imam said to his companions: “You have heard
what that man had said. I want you to come with me so that you may hear my
reply.” “We will,” we
replied, “we, however, wanted you to answer him.” The Imam took
his shoes and went reciting (God’s saying): (Those who refrain from anger and
those who forgive the people. Allah loves those who do good.) We understood
that he would not say anything to that man. When the Imam
was in front of that man’s house, he shouted (at the servants), “Tell him that
it is Ali ibn al-Hussein.” The man rushed
out towards us with evil intent. He had no doubt that the purpose of the Imam’s
attendance had been to repay him for some of his evil deeds. “Brother,” said
Ali ibn al-Hussein, “you stood proudly over me and overspoke. If you have said
what is really in my character, I then seek Allah’s forgiveness. If you have
said what is not in my character, Allah may forgive you!” The man kissed
the Imam between the eyes and confessed: “I said what was not in your
character. In fact, I am worthier of seeking God’s forgiveness.” Ali ibn
al-Hussein (a) narrated: Amir ul-Mu’minin (a) went for facing the three
individuals who had sworn by Lat and Uzza and took upon themselves the pledge
of killing the Prophet (s)… He could kill one and capture the others. When he
carried out the Prophet’s order of advancing one of them before him, the
Prophet (s) asked him to declare that there is no god but Allah and that he is
His messenger. The man answered: “To move the unshakable Mount Abu Qubays is
easier for me than uttering this statement.” Hence, the Prophet (s) asked Amir
ul-Mu’minin (a) to behead him. The same thing was said to the other man whose
answer was, “attach me to the previous.” The Prophet (s), also, asked Amir
ul-Mu’minin (a) to attach him to the previous. In this very time, the Archangel
Gabriel descended and said to the Prophet (s): “Mohammed, your Lordsends His
salaams to you and asks you not to kill this one, because he was well-mannered
and openhanded with his people.” The Prophet (s) shouted at Amir ul-Mu’minin:
“Ali, stop it. The messenger of my Lord has just told me that this man was
well-mannered and openhanded with his people.” As he heard the Prophet’s
statement, the man who was under the edge of the sword wondered: “Was it the
messenger of your Lord who told you of this?” The Prophet (s) said: “Yes, it
was.” The man said:
“By God I swear, I have never possessed a single dirham while a brother of mine
does not have it. I also have never frowned my face in warfare. I now declare
that there is no god but Allah and you are surely the messenger of God.” The Prophet (s)
commented: “This is a man whose moral conduct and openhandedness have
drawn him to the gardens of bliss” http://moralsandethics.wordpress.com/ |
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