Reports on good character and the dislike of obscenity

Sayyiduna Usamah bin Sharik (may Allah be pleased with him) said that a man asked: "O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)! What is the best thing a servant has been given?" He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Good character."

Sayyiduna Usamah bin Sharik (may Allah be pleased with him) said that the people asked: "O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)! What is the most excellent thing a Muslim has been granted?" He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Good character."

Sayyiduna Jabir bin Samurah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: I was in a gathering in which the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was present, and my father Samurah was sitting in front of me. Then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Indeed, bad character and foul speech have no share whatsoever in Islam, and the person among people who is best in Islam is the one who is best among them in character."

Masruq said that Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Amr (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was neither of bad character nor one who used foul speech, and he used to say: "Indeed, the best people among you are those who have good character."

Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) said that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The most complete of people in faith and the most excellent of the believers in faith are those who are best among them in character. And the best of you are those who are good to their wives."

Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The most complete of the believers in faith is the one who is best of them all in character and most kind to his family."

Sayyiduna Abu Tha'labah al-Khushani (may Allah be pleased with him) said that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Indeed, the one nearest to me and most beloved to me on the Day of Resurrection will be the one among you who is best in character. And indeed, the one farthest from me and most hated will be the one among you who has bad character, who babbles, who speaks with affected eloquence, and who is arrogant."

Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) said that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The most complete of the believers in faith are those who are good in character among them."

Sayyiduna Harithah bin Wahb (may Allah be pleased with him) said that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The jawwaz and the ja'zari will not enter Paradise. The jawwaz means the harsh, coarse person."

Sayyiduna Abu al-Darda (may Allah be pleased with him) said that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Nothing will be heavier on the Scale than good character."

Maymun bin Abi Shabib said that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "O Mu'adh" (and Waki' said on another occasion: "O Abu Dharr"), "follow an evil deed with a good deed; this good deed will wipe it out. And treat people with good character."

Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Indeed, the worst of people on the Day of Resurrection will be those who are avoided out of fear of their obscene speech."

Abu al-Ahwas said that Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The basest trait of a believer is obscene speech.

Hakim bin Jabir said that one man said to another: "Give me some advice." That person said: "Follow an evil deed with a good deed; this good deed will wipe that evil out. And treat people with good character."

Thabit bin Ubayd said: Sayyiduna Zayd bin Thabit (may Allah be pleased with him) was the most good-humoured of people when he was alone with his family, and the most dignified and sparing of speech when he sat with people.

Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to me: "O Aishah, do not become foul-spoken."

Abu Abdullah al-Jadali said: I asked Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her): "What was the character of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) like?" She said: "He (peace and blessings be upon him) was the best of people in character. He was neither of bad conduct nor foul-spoken, nor one who raised his voice in the market."

A man from the tribe of Juhaynah said that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The best thing a believer has been given is good character, and the worst thing a man has been given is an evil heart in a handsome face."

Sayyiduna Hani' bin Shurayh (may Allah be pleased with him) said: I said: "O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)! Tell me of something that will make Paradise certain for me." He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Hold fast to fine speech and to feeding others."

Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) said that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "You will never be able to reach all people with your wealth, so let a cheerful face and good character from you reach them."

Imam al-Sha'bi said that Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: A man's noble standing is his religion, his manly virtue is his character, and his root is his intellect.

Sayyiduna al-Nawwas bin Sam'an al-Ansari (may Allah be pleased with him) said: I asked the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) about righteousness and sin. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Righteousness is good character, and sin is what pricks your heart and you dislike people coming to know of it."

Sayyiduna Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) said that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) had the best character of all people.

Maymun bin Mihran said: I asked Sayyidah Umm al-Darda (may Allah be pleased with her): "Did you hear any hadith from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)?" She said: "Yes! I came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) while he (peace and blessings be upon him) was sitting", or she said that he (peace and blessings be upon him) was in the mosque, or she mentioned something else. "And I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) saying: 'The first thing to be placed on the Scale will be good character.'"

Hisham bin Urwah said that his father Urwah said: It is written in the Torah as follows: Let your face be cheerful and your word pure; then you will be more beloved to people than those who bestow gifts upon them.