When you practice the hadith’s first two components of God-consciousness and following the bad deed with a good one, you will end up with the third component of good character. Good character is a true test of religiosity. Many times, people are outwardly religious, but their manners are terrible. They engage in religious matters with enthusiasm, but when it comes to business, they mistreat their employees. It is not just about what is legal; that is not what our standard of goodness is. The Prophet (sas) was sent and confirmed by Allah to have a very high level of morals and to be very strict in his ethics. We have to hold ourselves to the highest ethical standards and be morally rigorous, because it is part of what it means to bear witness to the world around us and carry the message of Islam. The Prophet (sas) was asked, “What will enter the greatest amount of people into Paradise?” His response was, “Taqwa of Allah and dealing with people in a nice and beautiful way.”
In another hadith narrated by Bukhari, the Prophet (sas) said the one who has good manners may attain the same level of merit as those who fast and pray frequently. When you stand in the night and you fast during the long days, you’re struggling with yourself against yourself. But when you strive to have good manners, you are struggling with yourself while amongst others. It is a higher level of interaction, and it can actually be more difficult than praying in the night and fasting during the day.
