Moral Attributes

The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) was the most perfect among people in terms of morals, and he surpassed everyone in all good manners and traits, like good speech, doing good, putting on a smiling face, and refraining from harming others and bearing harm from them.

1. The Hadīth illustrates the perfect moral character of the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him).
2. The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) is the perfect role model in good manners.
3. We are urged to follow the Prophet's example in terms of his good manners.

صحيح البخاري (8/ 45) (6203). صحيح مسلم (4/ 1805) (2310). بهجة الناظرين شرح رياض الصالحين، لسليم الهلالي (1/ 670). نزهة المتقين شرح رياض الصالحين، لمصطفى الخِن وغيره (1/ 524). كنوز رياض الصالحين، لمجموعة من الباحثين (9/ 57). شرح رياض الصالحين، لابن عثيمين (3/ 556).

The mother of the believers' Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) was asked about the Prophet's character, and she replied with one comprehensive sentence, referring the questioner to the noble Qur'an, which comprises all attributes of perfection. She said that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) possessed the morals of the Qur'an. Whatever the Qur'an commanded him to do or prohibited him from doing, he would comply. So, his character was to act upon the Qur'an, observe its limits, assume its ethics, and take lessons from its parables and stories.

1. The Hadīth urges us to follow the Prophet's example in adopting the morals of the Qur’an.
2. It praises the Prophet's manners and describes them as emanating from divine revelation.
3. The Qur’an is a source of all noble manners.
4. Morals in Islam pertain to the entire religion, by observing its commands and prohibitions.

صحيح مسلم (1/ 512) (746). بهجة الناظرين شرح رياض الصالحين، لسليم الهلالي (3/ 308). شرح رياض الصالحين، لابن عثيمين (6/ 660). نزهة المتقين شرح رياض الصالحين، لمصطفى الخن وغيره (2/ 1253). كنوز رياض الصالحين، لمجموعة من الباحثين (21/ 556).

The Prophet (ﷺ) supplicated, saying: O Allah, I am only human. I become angry as humans do. So, any believer whom I have harmed, insulted, reviled, cursed, prayed to be expelled from Your mercy, or flogged and struck, make that a source of purification, a means of nearness to You, an expiation, and a mercy by which You show him mercy.

1. The noble character of the Prophet (ﷺ).
2. Ibn Hajar said: This Hadīth indicates the perfection of his compassion (ﷺ) for his Ummah, his beautiful character, and his noble nature, as he intended to compensate for what occurred from him with reparation and honor.
3. An-Nawawi said: If it is asked: How could he (the Prophet) supplicate against someone who does not deserve it, or insult him, or curse him, and so forth? The answer is what the scholars have provided, summarized in two points: 1. The intended meaning is that the person is not deserving of that in the sight of Allah Almighty and in the unseen reality of the matter. However, based on outward appearances, he was deserving of it. An indication according to Shariah made it apparent to the Prophet (ﷺ) that the person deserved that, while in the unseen reality, he was not truly deserving. The Prophet (ﷺ) was commanded to judge by outward appearances, and hidden aspects are entrusted to Allah. 2. The insults, curses, and the like that occurred were not intended for their literal meaning. Rather, they were phrases that had become customary in Arabic speech to connect sentences without specific intent, such as saying: May your right hand be covered with dust, ‘Aqra Halqa (expressions of exasperation), and in this Hadīth: May you not grow old!" And in the Hadīth of Mu‘āwiyah: May Allah not fill your stomach, and similar phrases. They did not intend the literal meaning of the supplication in any of these instances. The Prophet (ﷺ) feared that any of these might coincidentally be answered (by Allah), so he asked his Lord, the Majestic and Exalted, and beseeched Him to make that a mercy, an expiation, a means of drawing near (to Allah), a purification, and a reward for the person. But this only occurred from him rarely and on exceptional occasions, and the Prophet (ﷺ) was neither indecent nor one who intentionally used foul language, nor was he someone who cursed others or sought revenge for himself.

صحيح البخاري (8/ 77) (6361). صحيح مسلم (4/ 2007) (2601). عمدة القاري شرح صحيح البخاري (22/ 310). إرشاد الساري لشرح صحيح البخاري (9/ 207).