Virtues and Manners

‘Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said to me: "Say: O Allah, guide me and make me adhere to the straight path, and when asking for Huda (guidance), think of your being guided to the right path, and Sadād (adherence to the straight path) is the straightness of the arrow."

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The most despicable name in the sight of Allah is that of a man named the King of kings. There is no king but Allah." In another version: "The most wretched and most malicious person in the sight of Allah on the Day of Resurrection and the one who will incur His wrath most will be the person who used to be called the King of kings, for there is no king but Allah." Sufyān said: “Like Shahenshah (meaning: the King of kings).”

Khawlah bint Hakīm (may Allah be pleased with her) reported: I heard the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) say: "Whoever alights somewhere and then says: '‘A‘ūdhu bi kalimātillāh at-tāmmāti min sharri ma khalaq (I seek refuge in the perfect words of Allah from the evil of what He has created)', nothing will harm him until he leaves that place."

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: I heard the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) say: "An oath is a means for selling a commodity and a means for destroying the profit."

‘Abdullāh ibn Sarjis (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: When the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) traveled, he would seek refuge [in Allah] from the hardships of the journey, from having a change of heart, adverse conditions replacing good ones, the prayer of an oppressed person, and from seeing a misfortune occurring to his family and wealth.

‘Abdullāh ibn ‘Amr Ibn al-‘Ās (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: “The lonely rider is a devil, two riders are two devils and three are a traveling team.”

Ibn Mas‘ūd (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Shall I tell you what '‘ada' is? It is calumny which is committed among the people."

Abu Tha‘labah al-Khushani (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: Whenever the people encamped during a journey, they would disperse in the mountain passes and valleys. When the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) noticed this he said: "Your scattering about in the mountain passes and valleys is indeed from the devil." After that they kept close together whenever they set up camp.

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Wretched is the slave of the dinar! Wretched is the slave of the dirham! Wretched is the slave of Khamīsah (a kind of fine garments)! Wretched is the slave of velvet! If given, he is pleased, but if not, he is displeased. May he be wretched and may he relapse, and if he is pierced with a thorn, may he not find anyone to take it out for him. Tūba (a tree in Paradise) is for a slave who holds the reins of his horse to strive in Allah's cause, with his hair unkempt and feet covered with dust: if he is appointed as a guard, he accepts his post with satisfaction, and if he is appointed in the vanguard, he accepts his post with satisfaction; (he is so simple and humble that) if he asks for permission, he is not permitted, and if he intercedes, his intercession is not accepted."

Abu Mūsa al-Ash‘ari (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah, ‎peace be upon him, said: "Three will not enter Paradise: the habitual drinker of alcohol, the one who severs the ties of kinship, and the one who believes in sorcery. ‎" ‎

Salmān al-Fārisi (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "There are three to whom Allah will not speak on the Day of Judgment, nor will He purify them, and they will incur a painful punishment: an aged person who commits adultery, a poor person who is arrogant, and a man whom Allah has given a commodity, yet he does not sell except by swearing an oath, nor buy except by swearing an oath."

Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: "None of you truly believes until I become dearer to him than his father, his children, and all people."

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: When you travel through green lush land, give the camels their share from the ground, and when you travel through dry barren land, make them walk quickly before their strength falters. When you encamp at night, keep away from the roads, because they are the paths of animals and the resorts of insects at nighttime.

Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Travel during the night, for indeed, the land is folded up at night.”

Abu Qatādah al-Ansāri (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: When the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) encamped to sleep at night during a journey, he would lie down on his right side, and when he wanted to sleep before dawn, he would extend his forearm and place his head on his palm.

Abu Sa‘īd and Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with both of them) reported that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "When three people set out on a journey, they should appoint one of them as their leader."

Jābir ibn ‘Abdullāh (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) used to stick to the rear while traveling, urging the weak to walk quickly, letting some ride behind him, and making supplication for them.

’Ubayy ibn Ka‘b (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Do not curse the wind. If you see what you dislike, then say: Allāhumma inna nas’aluka min khayri hādhihi ar-rīh wa khayri ma fīha wa khayri ma ’umirat bih, wa na’ūdhu bika min sharri hādhihi ar-rīh wa sharri ma fīha wa sharri ma ’umirat bih (O Allah, we ask you for the good of this wind, the good that is in it, and the good that it has been commanded to bring; and we seek refuge with You from the evil of this wind, the evil that is in it, and the evil it has been commanded to bring)."

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "None of you should say: O Allah, forgive me if You will, have mercy on me if You will, and grant me sustenance if You will. Let him be determined in his request, for indeed, He does what He wills; none can compel Him.".

‘Abdullāh ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: Whenever the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) mounted his camel while setting out on a journey, he would say Takbīr three times and then say: "Glory be to the One who subdued this (ride) for us and we were not ourselves powerful enough to use it as a ride, and to our Lord we shall, indeed, return. O Allah, we ask You during this journey of ours for righteousness, piety, and such deeds that are pleasing to You. O Allah, make easy for us this journey of ours and make the distance short for us. O Allah, You are the Companion during the journey and the Guardian of the family and the property in our absence. O Allah, I seek refuge in You from the hardships of traveling, unhappiness connected with ghastly scenes, and the evil turns in property and family." On returning, he would recite this supplication, while adding these words: "We are those who return; those who repent; those who worship; and those who praise our Lord." In another narration: “Whenever the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) returned from Hajj or ‘Umrah and ascended a height or hill, he would say Takbīr three times and say: there is no god but Allah, who has no partner; to Him belongs the sovereignty and due to Him is all praise; and He is omnipotent over all things. We are those who return; those who repent; those who worship; those who prostrate; and those who praise our Lord. Allah has fulfilled His promise, granted His slave victory, and vanquished the confederates alone." In a different wording: “Whenever he returned from battles, Hajj or ‘Umrah.”