Islam is a set of beliefs that must manifest themselves in a set of rituals.These rituals must have an impact on the character of the individual.The character of the individual manifests itself when we deal with other people.Therefore,it is a circle that is made of six vital components that will be discussed shortly.
If one engages in excellent Ibadah(worship),but has terrible Akhlaq(manners),then the Ibadah won't make up for the deficiency in character.However,if one has excellent Akhlaq and decent Ibadah,the excellent Akhlaq may make up for the deficiency in Ibadah.

We extract this teaching from the Hadith of the Prophet(pbuh)in which he was informed about two women.One woman prayed, fasted and performed all of her extra acts of worship,but she was extremely rude to her neighbors.The Prophet(pbuh) said that if she continues in this lifestyle,then her final abode would be the hellfire.The Hadith then mentions another woman who did not pray or fast much but only fulfilled her obligations in regards to people,like being kind to her neighbors.The Prophet(pbuh)said that if she continues in this lifestyle, then her final abode in the hereafter would be Paradise.

It is not that the earth cannot cater to our needs,but the earth cannot cater to our greed.There are a lot of resources,but there is not enough compassion.To underline this teaching,the Prophet(pbuh)said,Those of you who will be closest to me on the Day of Judgment will be those who have the best Akhlaq.
These teachings do not undermine the importance of worship,but do underline the importance of good character.The Prophet (pbuh)also said ''Due to your good character,you can attain equal position with someone who is constantly praying at night and who is constantly fasting during the day.If someone has good character,he said,he will be able to reach that rank.

What is Character?
It is said that our character is made up by our words,actions and habits.Perhaps that is why the saying goes Watch your thoughts,as your thoughts become your words.Watch your words, as your words become your actions.Watch your actions, as your actions become your habits.Watch your habits,as your habits formulate your characterand your character becomes your destiny.
The Prophet(pbuh)has warned us to control our thoughts as well.One may wonder as to how thoughts can be controlled.We are not able to control what comes into our minds, but we are able to control the thoughts we dwell on.Therefore,it is essential to be careful about which thoughts we choose to dwell on.In order to control these thoughts, it is important to know what the essential components of having a good character are. The following are the six essential components,and they all start with the letter C

Let's now analyse the six 6C's

1]Conscience
The first one is Conscience.The conscience is the innermost moral compass that Allah (swt)has given us.It is by this internal moral compass that we(sometimes)are able to distinguish right from wrong.The Prophet (pbuh)has explained this beautifully.In one hadith,we are informed that the prophet(pbuh) said[b]Righteousness is about having good character[/b].He(pbuh)then said, “As for sin, it is that which pricks into your heart and you do not want it to be exposed to people.Many times when our inner voice tries to stop us from committing sin,we ignore it. The next time it tries to do this,we are unable to hear it.It then comes to a point that we become de-synthesized and unaware of our inner voices.If we have courage,then we have what it takes to bring about a change.The Prophet(pbuh) said,A believer is not the one who eats his fill when his neighbor is hungry” [Bukhari]
The person who knows that his/her neighbor is going to bed with an empty belly and does not take action has a dead conscience.The Prophet (pbuh)would say that this person cannot really claim to be of the community of the believers.It is incumbent on us to listen to our conscience.When we cannot sleep at night because something is bothering our conscience, then at times like this,we must be our own policemen.Many times,we can be technically right but ethically wrong.If we have a living conscience,sin can be defined as something that pricks into the heart and what we would not want to expose to others.Usually,we try to hide things that we are ashamed of,so the Prophet(pbuh) said that the moment we feel this way,we must listen to our conscience.


2]Compassion
The second component of having good character is compassion.This is our ability to feel for others and with others.Today, the poverty and starvation we see in the world is not due to the lack of resources.At no time in the history of mankind was the food production as abundant as it is now.It is not that the earth cannot cater to our needs,but the earth cannot cater to our greed.There are a lot of resources,but there is not enough compassion.The three richest people in the world have more money than the 48 poorest countries in the world combined.Those who are compassionate in this world,Allah(swt)will be compassionate towards them in the hereafter.It is easy to be compassionate to those who deserve compassion,like those who are sick,poor, or needy.However,real compassion occurs when it is least expected.

Once,Ibn Umar(ra)went to the market and someone picked his pocket.When people in the market realized that his money was stolen,they started to make dua to destroy the person that robbed Ibn Umar(ra).At this moment,Ibn Umar (ra)raised his hands and said,O Allah,if this person took it because he was in need,O Allah,bless this money for him.O Allah,if he is a professional thief,O Allah,then make this one the last of his sins.
Now,that is compassion!Another example of real compassion is the moment of the conquest of Makkah.After all of the evil things that the people of Makkah did to the Prophet(pbuh)and despite him having the power now,he chose to let everyone go free.Indeed,he was the most compassionate human being.Having good character also means that you are able to feel for others. When the Prophet’s (pbuh)son died and he was crying,he said, “It is the mercy that Allah places in the heart of the believers.” We are also reminded of the incident when the Prophet (pbuh)was kissing his young grandchildren,Hassan and Hussayn,a bedouin said with arrogance,“I have ten children and I have not kissed a single one of them.” The Prophet (pbuh)said,“What can I do to you if mercy has been snatched away from your heart?” Muslims are to follow the example of the Prophet(pbuh)and be compassionate to everyone.

3]Consideration
What does it mean to be considerate? It means to be deliberate and to think before you speak in regards to the following questions:How are my actions and my words going to impact others? Is my behavior going to crush their spirits? Or is it going to please them? Therefore,being considerate is the ability to think before you take action.The biography of the Prophet (pbuh)again gives us the best examples in this regard.
One day,the Prophet (pbuh)was sitting with his companions and he told them that Ikrimah (the son of Abū Jahl,the worst enemy of Islam)is coming to accept Islam. The Prophet (pbuh)cautioned his companions to not mention anything ill about his father Abū Jahl.He said that cursing those who are dead only affects those who are alive as the dead cannot hear you.In other words,he told them to be considerate of Ikrimah’s feelings.Being considerate means respecting the feelings of others.
For example,the Prophet (pbuh)said that if there are three people present,then two people should not be whispering to one another. Why? The reason for this is that this behavior would hurt the third person who is present.The Prophet (pbuh)also said that when you lead people in SOLAT,be considerate of them by shortening your prayers.The Prophet (pbuh)would be leading the prayers,and when he heard a child crying,the Prophet expedited the SOLAT in a very noticeable way.When asked after the SOLAT about why he was in such a hurry,he said,“I heard a child crying and I knew that His mother would want to attend to him.So,I wanted to finish the SOLAT as soon as possible.Are we as considerate in our masājid today? What would we do if a child started crying in the SOLAT? The parent would be told not to bring their children to the prayer.In Islam, we are urged to be sensitive and it covers all aspects of life.Do we ever reflect on the fact that sometimes we make people hate the Sunnah or the Deen because of our actions? In the name of Islam,how can we be rude? In the name of Islam,how can we yell at people,demoralize people,crush the spirits of people? A Muslim is supposed to be considerate.In every way that we do things,it displays our character.Constantly, we are displaying our character.The Prophet (pbuh)would tell his companions to avoid eating garlic or onions before they plan on going to the Masjid.This is to make sure that our presence brings joy to others. Be considerate.Have a conscience.Be compassionate.

4]Courage
Courage is about being able to stand up for what we believe in.It is about the ability to stand up for the principles and the values that we hold.An individual is a person of courage when he/she is challenged and stands up for beliefs,principles and values. It may be noticed that whenever Prophet Musa(pbuh)is mentioned in the Quran,it is always in situations involving fear.His stick turned into a serpent so he was afraid to pick it up.He was told to go to Pharaoh and was afraid.Nevertheless,Prophet Musa (pbuh)was not a coward because courage is not the absence of fear.Courage is doing what is right despite the existence of fear.

Our beloved Prophet (pbuh)was afraid,but his fear did not stop him from doing what is right.Courage is needed especially when we must challenge the social status quo. The Arabs did not allow women to inherit; it took social courage for the Prophet (pbuh)to come and address such an issue.People would say our forefathers never did this, but it took courage to speak the truth to the people in power.If we have courage, then we have what it takes to bring about a change.


5]Control
We must have a conscience,compassion, consideration,courage and also control.A person of character is a person of control.It is the ability to control our desires and anger,the ability to control and be able to abstain and hold back,that defines this characteristic.Many times,we want to express ourselves in a negative way.The Prophet(pbuh)said The strong is not the one who overcomes the people by his strength,but the strong is the one who controls himself while in anger[Bukhari].Strength is not determined by the ability to wrestle people down to the ground.A strong person is the one who is able to take hold of himself/herself when the anger is powerful.The Prophet (pbuh)said that if you are able to this,then you are a strong person.Sometimes we have rage and we want to steal or do something wrong,but then there is that conscience,that control, and that power to hold us back.This idea of control should be in charge of our desires and not the other way around.

Interesting brother, may Allah reward you for sharing...waiting for the sixth C

6]Confidence
We have discussed the conscience, compassion,consideration,courage,control and now the last one is confidence.What do we need to have confidence in? Oftentimes, we know what is right,but we cannot see the results immediately and therefore have doubts.We need to do the right thing at all times,whether we reap the benefit or not. We need to be confident that the right thing needs to be done all the time with no exceptions.Then,if we see the results, Alhamudulilah and if we do not see the results,then it was actually to begin doing the right thing that was the most important.

In conclusion,remember your reputation is what people think about you but your character is who you really are.People can destroy or tarnish one's reputation but not character,you are the architect of your character,people can't destroy that only you can destroy your character.Remember,have a conscience along with compassion,consideration,courage,control and confidence to attain a high standard of character.....Peace

Ma shaa Allah, a very nice writing bro, good character is very essential, a lot can be achieved with good character.

Personally, i see Muslim youth lacking in most of these six Cs, especially confidence, most of us are not cofident about our person not to talk of our religion and one easy way out is to aquire knowledge, we need to learn more about our deen and make use of these knowledge we get so as to always act on the right thing in the right way.

Our father's have said it well, when they say: "iwa le esin, esin ni iwa"

sino: Ma shaa Allah, a very nice writing bro, good character is very essential,a lot can be achieved with good character.

Personally, i see Muslim youth lacking in most of these six Cs, especially confidence, most of us are not cofident about our person not to talk of our religion and one easy way out is to aquire knowledge, we need to learn more about our deen and make use of these knowledge we get so as to always act on the right thing in the right way.

Our father's have said it well, when they say: "iwa le esin, esin ni iwa"

You have said it all bro,some muslim brothers I know are even afraid of telling people they are muslims talkless of inviting them to Islam.They are interested in keeping friends with non muslims than learning about the Deen.The prophet(pbuh) said that seeking knowledge is incumbent on every muslim.The more knowledge you have,the more the keys you hold and the more you can unlock many things.....Peace

^Very nice write-up, May Allah reward you got it.

There is a paragraph in your second post where you used the word 'de-synthesized', I am sure you meant 'desensitised'.

maclatunji: ^Very nice write-up, May Allah reward you got it.

There is a paragraph in your second post where you used the word 'de-synthesized', I am sure you meant 'desensitised'.

Thanks for the observation bro

pllllsss wat dis dis post mean
So as to not been banned....

digested! may ALLAH(swt) continue to increase you in knowledge and iman and also to we the readers...ameen

And why is dis on FP if I won't be able to express my mind?

Very interesting and pompous article about character,indeed character is a very vital asset not only to that who posseses it but it will also go along way in showing the beauty of islam by his character!! May Allah meks it easy 4 us to possess all these 6 qualities that made up character and may Allah reward the OP

Good

very nice write up on Character.

sino: Ma shaa Allah, a very nice writing bro, good character is very essential, a lot can be achieved with good character.

Personally, i see Muslim youth lacking in most of these six Cs, especially confidence, most of us are not cofident about our person not to talk of our religion and one easy way out is to aquire knowledge, we need to learn more about our deen and make use of these knowledge we get so as to always act on the right thing in the right way.

Our father's have said it well, when they say: "iwa le esin, esin ni iwa"

@OP and Sino, Jazakumllahu khairan my Brothers

lanrexlan: Islam is a set of beliefs that must manifest themselves in a set of rituals.These rituals must have an impact on the character of the individual.The character of the individual manifests itself when we deal with other people.Therefore,it is a circle that is made of six vital components that will be discussed shortly.
If one engages in excellent Ibadah(worship),but has terrible Akhlaq(manners),then the Ibadah won't make up for the deficiency in character.However,if one has excellent Akhlaq and decent Ibadah,the excellent Akhlaq may make up for the deficiency in Ibadah.

We extract this teaching from the Hadith of the Prophet(pbuh)in which he was informed about two women.One woman prayed, fasted and performed all of her extra acts of worship,but she was extremely rude to her neighbors.The Prophet(pbuh) said that if she continues in this lifestyle,then her final abode would be the hellfire.The Hadith then mentions another woman who did not pray or fast much but only fulfilled her obligations in regards to people,like being kind to her neighbors.The Prophet(pbuh)said that if she continues in this lifestyle, then her final abode in the hereafter would be Paradise.

It is not that the earth cannot cater to our needs,but the earth cannot cater to our greed.There are a lot of resources,but there is not enough compassion.To underline this teaching,the Prophet(pbuh)said,Those of you who will be closest to me on the Day of Judgment will be those who have the best Akhlaq.
These teachings do not undermine the importance of worship,but do underline the importance of good character.The Prophet (pbuh)also said ''Due to your good character,you can attain equal position with someone who is constantly praying at night and who is constantly fasting during the day.If someone has good character,he said,he will be able to reach that rank.

What is Character?
It is said that our character is made up by our words,actions and habits.Perhaps that is why the saying goes Watch your thoughts,as your thoughts become your words.Watch your words, as your words become your actions.Watch your actions, as your actions become your habits.Watch your habits,as your habits formulate your characterand your character becomes your destiny.
The Prophet(pbuh)has warned us to control our thoughts as well.One may wonder as to how thoughts can be controlled.We are not able to control what comes into our minds, but we are able to control the thoughts we dwell on.Therefore,it is essential to be careful about which thoughts we choose to dwell on.In order to control these thoughts, it is important to know what the essential components of having a good character are. The following are the six essential components,and they all start with the letter C

it can easily be inferred from this and many other verses in the Quran and Hadith that the real essence of worship is to become a better person and not to gain paradise. having a good character is what makes one righteous and righteousness is what is profound in the Quran. worshiping along with good character is going to be a plus but one with sound character is already a friend of God.

i always try to buttress this "character stuff" whenever am opportune to have a discus with the scholars that emphasis should be on character and not worship but its always the other way round which is why the world is going to much to the negative side cos we make so much noise about physical attribute which is worship and forget the spirituality aspect which is character

@op may God reward you for this wonderful write-up

Heard any good act done with the aim of seeking for Allah's pleasure and neglecting d way d prophet did it has no full reward? How true?

Even though am a CHRISTIAN but I think this is a WONDERFUL humanitarian teaching. Thanks @OP!

Bookmarked it exceptionally exhumes the topical teachings of the humble Rasululah

I like your style of synchronizing the hierarchical concepts with harmonious simplification.

May Allah increase you in knowledge.

However,Muslims should ve d courage to stand for Islam positively...

For instance having a calm character and staying humble helps turn your supposed enemies to friends

Jazakalahu khairan

Great post.. Enjoyed reading it.

JazakAllahu Khair

Eeja Nla01: Heard any good act done with the aim of seeking for Allah's pleasure and neglecting d way d prophet did it has no full reward? How true?

Well, 'good acts' need some form of guidance. If you decide to four rakats for magrib out of the urge to do extra worship then even though you sre trying to please Allah, you are not doing it, the right way.

Quite educative

hegelian:
it can easily be inferred from this and many other verses in the Quran and Hadith that the real essence of worship is to become a better person and not to gain paradise. having a good character is what makes one righteous and righteousness is what is profound in the Quran. worshiping along with good character is going to be a plus but one with sound character is already a friend of God.

i always try to buttress this "character stuff" whenever am opportune to have a discus with the scholars that emphasis should be on character and not worship but its always the other way round which is why the world is going to much to the negative side cos we make so much noise about physical attribute which is worship and forget the spirituality aspect which is character

@op may God reward you for this wonderful write-up

Dear brother, your post sounds like worhsip and character are two different things. In fact, good character IS A FORM of worship. In islam, worship is defined as obeying Allahs command (doing the do's and staying away from the dont's)

for the benefit of the readers, we could also say that everything you do, like reading this post, going to the market is actually worship if we do them correctly and with the right intentions.

Perhaps, you are separating the acts of worship which constitute the Pillars; like SALAT, FASTING etc.

As for your statement, emphasis should be on character not worship, the truth is that if you conduct the SALAT, FASTING etc correctly, these will automatically build your character and raise the consciousness of Allah in you. Numerous verses in the Quran have pointed to this fact.

All-in-all though I agree with your argument that people need to extend their Islam outside of the Mosques and let it rub on people they meet in the streets, their househlods etc through character...read below

NB:
1. The prophet (SAW) was asked what will take people to paradise the Most and he said, the consciousness of Allah (Taqwah) and good character (Husnul khuluq)
2. The verse in Surah Baqarah v 177 emphasized that not only prayer constitutes, goodness and infact places Salat much down the list....
"It is not Al-birr (piety, righteousness, and each and every act of obedience to Allah, etc.) that you turn your faces towards east and (or) west (in prayers); but Al-birr is (the quality of) the one who believes in Allah, the Last Day, the Angels, the Book, the Prophets and gives his wealth, in spite of love for it, to the kinsfolk, to the orphans, and to Al-Masakin (the poor), and to the wayfarer, and to those who ask, and to set slaves free, performs As-Salat (Iqamat-as-Salat ), and gives the Zakat, and who fulfil their covenant when they make it, and who are patient in extreme poverty and ailment (disease) and at the time of fighting (during the battles). Such are the people of the truth and they are Al-Muttaqun (the pious)" - {translation: Mohsin Khan}

Good read. I pray every muslim practice the six C's im sure the world and our country will be much peaceful.

Eeja Nla01: Heard any good act done with the aim of seeking for Allah's pleasure and neglecting d way d prophet did it has no full reward? How true?

Sure bro,Allah said in many places in the glorious Quran that obey Allah and obey the messenger.So For a good deed to be accepted,it must be totally For Allah's sake and in accordance to the sunnah of the last and final messenger prophet muhammed(pbuh).It's very important to hold tight to the Quran and prophet's sunnahs and shun new innovations.....Peace

Excellent writeup! op keep it up!

jazakallahu khairan! Well said brother. Many a times we joke with what is very serious,how unfortunate? In one of the Ahadith, Rasoolullah(SAW) asked, who is the most bankrupt person? Some of the sahabas replied,one is poor or has no money among us.the Prophet(SAW) said:the most bankrupt person is one who will come on the day of qiyyama with lots of good deeds bt his bad manners and characters catch up with him. Bcoz, aside coming with lots of goods he also came with bad manners(Akhlaq).coz of his bad manners, he has hit this one,insulted that one,backbite that one,slander that one and so on.so he begins to pay with his good deeds, when his good deeds become exhausted,he begins to take from their bad deeds and in the END, he is thrown into the HELLFIRE.Wa hiyazubillah! So it cannot be that Aklaq is very Important.Look at this,where is it happening?at the GATE of PARADISE,obviously one is not allowed to enter Paradise having Issues with his brother or sister. U can Imagine all the tests passed to get to this stage?like the questions of the Grave, resurrection,standing in front of Allah,sirat etc.then At the gate of jannah his bads manners catches up. May Allah makes us not from among the BANKRUPTED,May he guide us onto the right path,Ameeen!Akhlaq is very Important! as beautifully summarized by the OP. As salamu alaikum.

lanrexlan: Sure bro,Allah said in many places in the glorious Quran that obey Allah and obey the messenger.So For a good deed to be accepted,it must be totally For Allah's sake and in accordance to the sunnah of the last and final messenger prophet muhammed(pbuh).It's very important to hold tight to the Quran and prophet's sunnahs and shun new innovations.....Peace

Jazakhalah sir.

tbaba1234:

Well, 'good acts' need some form of guidance. If you decide to four rakats for magrib out of the urge to do extra worship then even though you sre trying to please Allah, you are not doing it, the right way.

Jazakhalah The Ameer of this section