Etiquettes of Social Life

There are five branches of Deen: Aqaaid (Belief), Ibaadat (Worship and Devotion), Muamalaat (Transaction and Business), Husn Akhlaaq (good character) and Mua’asharat (Etiquettes of social life).

Good character is an aspect of society which is greatly neglected yet it is one of the most important features of a good and complete Muslim. We should live in a way that does not cause difficulty to anyone around us, not even a little. There is even a Hadith which mentions that we should not help other people if it means we are going to inconvenience them. Another Hadith states that when the Prophet (SAW) used to come home at night, he conveyed Salaam in such a manner that only those awake would hear, yet the sleeping ones were not disturbed.

Whole chapters of Ahadith Kitaabs have been dedicated to etiquettes and how we must behave in society. As members of the Prophet (SAW)’s Ummah, it is the duty of every single one of us to act upon them, unlike earlier European societies who had to create a set of manners for the rich to adopt and which were then filtered down throughout the lower classes. We have even been advised not to enter the Masjid if we have just been eating dishes containing onion or garlic; this is so that the smell does not inconvenience other worshippers.

If only we adhered to the lifestyle of the Prophet (SAW), then even non-Muslims would want enquire about Islam and because of our good behavior they would be attracted to Islam.

The religion of Islam has rules of etiquette and manners covering every aspect of life. These are applicable for the whole society, old and young, women and men. Theses manners even cover entering and exiting the house and posture a person must maintain when in the bathroom.

 Abdullah ibn Mubarak (RA) said:                                                                                                         “Mukhlid ibn Al-Hussain once said to me, we are more in need of acquiring adab than learning Hadith”.

If this statement was true several centuries ago then it is truer now. Merely acquiring knowledge is insufficient to build a sound and balanced Islamic personality.

It has been mentioned in Bukhari, that the Prophet (SAW) has said:                                   

 “I have been sent as a Messenger, for the perfection of morals”

The more dignified the manners, the more stable and vibrant the social fabric of society. But sadly, we live in times where adab is lacking at all levels of society. We live in an ‘adab’less’ society where parents are disrespected, teachers are not treated with due honour, elders not given their due rights and the basic manners of eating, drinking, visiting, appearance and conversation are not observed. So sad is the predicament that books have to be written and lectures having to be delivered in order to teach adab. Traditionally adab was not something that was taught; it was acquired and embodied in the very interaction between people. The importance of manners is such that though they may seem trivial but the actions of a believer may be rendered null and void if manners are lacking.

In the Quran, A—h says:  http://quran.com/49/2                                                                               

"Oh you who believe, raise not your voices above the voice of the Prophet, nor speak aloud to him talk, as you speak aloud to one another, lest your deeds may be rendered while you perceive not.” (49:2)

When the Prophet (SAW) attained Prophethood, the first and foremost action that he (SAW) taught was good manners!! This was a time when there was no moral condition in society. Tribes were at war with each other for hundreds of years over one dispute. So the Prophet (SAW) began by uniting the different tribes and clans, he (SAW) taught them how to live with one another in a peaceful way, how to get on and even how to speak to one another.

It is a well known fact from the manners of the Prophet (SAW) that he never ate anything which produced a bad smell. The Prophet (SAW) wore simple but clean garments, he (SAW) would brush his teeth many times a day (if you do miswaak whenever you make whudu, not only will you be acting upon a Sunnat, but you will also have a very healthy mouth), nor did anyone ever smell a bad odor from him. This level of hospitality was not only confined to the Muslims, but also Jews, Christians and Infidels. Seeing others made the Prophet (SAW) restless to the extent that to him the service of humanity was the highest act of devotion.

Even as a youngster, the Prophet (SAW) stayed away from idle activities and entertainment, the greatness of his character had no equal and will still have no equal. Even before Prophethood, the Prophet (SAW) was given the title of As Saqid (The Truthful) and Al Amin (The Trustworthy), where as nowadays the Ummah of the Prophet (SAW) prefer to follow the lifestyle of people who bring no benefit to them whatsoever.

May the Almighty give us the ability to act upon the Sunnah of the Prophet (SAW) and embody his manners and etiquette in order for our characters to be perfected..Ameen.