AbdH:
You have two questions in one post.

1) What does being a better Muslim mean to you?

2) Is your life itself da'wah?

Being a better Muslim is when you strive to achieve or improve on what Allah has made a condition for you to be admitted in Jannah and following the sunnah of the prophet (SAW) as much as you can.

Is my life itself da'wah? I don't really know.

tbaba1234:
Assalamu aleikum,

The salat is certainly an important part of becoming better but it has to be quality consistently. The salat has the potential of helping us improve ourselves. It can transform your heart.

Getting better is a life-long process. Humans are like onions, the more bad things you get rid of, the more things you see that you have to improve on. The moment , you think you are a great muslim, you have begun to go astray.

And yes, it goes beyond, wearing the khimar or keeping a beard. Even though that is important.

Sometimes, we find that Muslims only keep the shell of the religion but the heart is missing. This applies to bearded muslim and hijabis. The key is to have both.


May Allah make it easy.

Sissie:


True the importance of salat can't be over-emphasized.

Being a good Muslim is a life long process, and one has to keep striving.

@bolded what are the other? You said to have both.

Sissie:


Can you give some examples of the conditions?

Sissie:
What does being a better Muslim mean to you?

Many times we think praying Five daily salat, wearing the hijab, keeping the beard etc is the basis of being a good Muslim, while I do not disagree to it the question is, is that all? Is that were many of us end it? Isn't it wider than this. Afteral we all agree Islam is a way of life, is your life itself dawah?

What does being a good Muslim mean to you?

AlBaqir:


May Allah keep our heart aright, refine our deeds and guide us towards His perfection. Amin

Peace be on Muhammad and his purified household.

Wa salam alaykum

AbdH:


Let me pick out a place;

O you who have believed, let not a people ridicule [another] people; perhaps they may be better than them; nor let women ridicule [other] women; perhaps they may be better than them. And do not insult one another and do not call each other by [offensive] nicknames. Wretched is the name of disobedience after [one's] faith. And whoever does not repent - then it is those who are the wrongdoers.

O you who have believed, avoid much [negative] assumption. Indeed, some assumption is sin. And do not spy or backbite each other. Would one of you like to eat the flesh of his brother when dead? You would detest it. And fear Allah ; indeed, Allah is Accepting of repentance and Merciful. (Al-hujurat: 11-12)

These verses contain admonitions we Muslims do not hear everyday. While many Muslims tend to emphasize on the 5 pillars of Islam, keep their beard or wear the hijab, they still fail in following the instructions above.

When we improve on and beyond the pillars of Islam and start following other instructions of Allah and the sunnah of the prophet (SAW), then we are becoming better Muslims.

Wizeboy:




Being a good Muslim is not all about performing solat, though we can never relegate solat as it is the one of the most important pillar of ISLAM. Infact, some Hadith clearly stated that “what distinguishes between Muslim and Non-Muslim is Solat”. However, doing good and having the right belief go hand in hand in Islam. In fact, doing good in practice is the proof of having the right belief in the heart. This is why the Holy Quran speaks of true Muslims very often as “THOSE WHO BELIEVE AND DO GOOD DEEDS”.

Holy Quran and Prophet Muhammad have however lists some of the chief qualities a good Muslim should display, but I will list the most important 18 qualities a good Muslim must possess with Quran verse that backed them up:

1. Truthfulness:
"O you who believe! keep your duty to Allah and speak straight, true words." (Quran 33:70)
"Be maintainers of justice and bearers of true witness for Allah, even if it (the truth) goes against your own selves or parents or relatives or someone who is rich or poor." (Quran 4:135)

2. Tolerance
"Bear patiently what they (abusers) say." (Quran 20:130)
"Disregard their annoying talk." (Quran 33:48)
"When you hear Allah's messages disbelieved in and mocked at, sit not with them until they enter into some other talk." (Quran 4:140)
"And if you invite them to guidance, they hear not; and you see them looking towards you, yet they see not. Take to forgiveness and enjoin good and turn away from the ignorant." (Quran 7:198 – 199)
"The Messenger of Allah and his Companions used to forgive the idolaters and the followers of the book, as Allah had commanded them, and they used to show patience on hearing hurtful words." (Bukhari.)

3. Unselfishness:
"You cannot attain to righteousness unless you spend (in charity) out of those things which you love." (Quran 3 : 91)
"They (the true believers) give food, out of love for Allah, to the poor, the orphan and the slave, saying: We feed you only for Allah's pleasure – we desire from you neither reward nor thanks." (Quran 76 : 8 – 9)
"Do not favour seeking gain." (Quran 74 : 6)

4. Humility:
"The servants of the Beneficent (Allah) are those who walk on the earth in humility." (Quran 25:63)
"Do not turn your face away from people in contempt, nor go about in the land exultingly." (Quran 31:18)
"Do not ascribe purity to yourselves. Allah knows best who is righteous." (Quran 53:32)

5. Patience:
"Allah loves those who are patient." (Quran 3:145)
"Give good news to the patient, who, when a misfortune befalls them, say: We are Allah's and to Him do we return." (Quran 2:155 – 156)

6. Forgiveness:
"Pardon (people) and overlook (their faults). Don't you love that Allah should forgive you." (Quran 24:22)
"(The dutiful are) . . . those who restrain their anger and pardon people. Allah loves those who do good to others." (Quran 3:134)
When the Holy Prophet Muhammad defeated his enemies in Makka and returned to that city as its conqueror, he forgave them in the following words: "No reproof be against you this day; Allah may forgive you, and He is the most Merciful of those who show mercy." (Quran 12:92)

7. Purity and cleanliness:
"He indeed is successful who purifies himself (in mind and body), and remembers the name of his Lord, then prays." (Quran 87 : 14 – 15)
"Purify your garments and shun uncleanness." (74 : 4 – 5)

8. Honesty:
"Do not swallow up your property among yourselves by false means, nor offer it as a bribe to the officials so that you may swallow up other people's property unlawfully while you know." (Quran 2:188)

9. Goodness and kindness to others:
"Do good to others, surely Allah loves those who do good to others." (2:195)

10. Respect for other People Affairs:
"O you who believe! do not enter houses other than your own until you have asked permission and greeted the inmates . . . and if it is said to you, 'Go back', then go back." (Quran 24: 27 – 28)
"O you who believe! avoid most of suspicion (against others), for surely suspicion in some cases is sin; and do not spy (into other people's affairs), nor let some of you backbite others." (Quran 49:12)

11. Moderation:
"Eat and drink, but do not be immoderate." (Quran 7:31)
"Do not chain your hand to your neck (so that you are mean in spending), nor stretch it out to the utmost limit (so that you waste everything)." (Quran 17:29)

12. Respect your Parents and the elderly:
"Your Lord has commanded that you worship none but Him, and do good to parents. If one or both of them reach old age with you, do not say 'Fie' to them, nor chide them, but speak to them a generous word . . . and say, My Lord, have mercy on them as they brought me up when I was little." (Quran 17: 23 – 24).

13. Help the Poor and needy:
"Righteous is he who . . . gives away wealth out of love for Him to the near of kin and the orphans and the needy and the wayfarer and to those who ask and to set slaves free." (Quran 2:177)
"What will make you understand what the uphill road (to success) is? (It is) to free a slave, or feed at a time of hunger an orphan who is a relative or the poor man lying in the dust." (Quran 90:11 – 16)

14. Do Good to your Neighbours:
"Be good to the neighbour belonging to your people and the alien neighbour." (Quran 4:36)
"He is not a believer who fills his stomach while his neighbour is hungry." (Hadith)
"The angel Gabriel continued to enjoin upon me good treatment of the neighbour, so much so that I thought he would make him heir to one's property." (Bukhari.)

15. Respect and do good to your Wives/Husbands:
"Of His (Allah's) signs is that He created spouses for you from yourselves so that you might find quiet of mind in them, and He put between you love and compassion." (Quran 30:21)
"The best of you are those who are kindest to their wives." (Tirmizi.)
A man related:
"I asked Aishah (Holy Prophet's wife): What did the Prophet do when in his house? She said, `He served his wife', meaning that he did work for his wife." (Report in Bukhari.)

16. Forgive your Enemies:
"Repel evil with what is best, when lo! he between whom and you there is enmity will be like a warm friend." (Quran 41:34)
"Many of the people of the book wish that they could turn you back into disbelievers after you have believed, out of envy from themselves. . .. But pardon and forgive." (Quran 2:109)
"And you will always find treachery in them, except a few of them. So pardon them and forgive. Surely Allah loves those who do good to others." (Quran 5:13)

17. Treatment of Non-Muslims:
"Whatever good they (people of other religions) do, they will not be denied it (by Allah), and Allah knows who the righteous are." (3:115)
"O you who believe, be upright for Allah, bearers of witness with justice; and do not let the hatred of a people incite you not to act with justice. Be just; that is nearer to observance of duty." (Quran 5 :
"Call (others) to the way of your Lord with wisdom and goodly exhortation, and argue with them in the best manner." (Quran 16:125)
"Argue not with the people of the Book (Jews, Christians, and other people having scriptures) except by the best (means), save those of them who act unjustly. But say: We believe in that which has been revealed to us and revealed to you, and our God and your God is One, and to Him we submit." (Quran 29:46)
A companion of the Holy Prophet relates:
"A funeral procession passed by the Holy Prophet, and he stood up for it. People said to him: It was the funeral of a Jew. He said: Was it not a human life?" (Bukhari.)

18. Kindness to Mankind generally
"Mankind is a single nation." (2:213)
"O mankind! We have created you from a male and a female, and made you into races and families so that you may know each other. The most honoured of you in Allah's sight are those who best keep their duty." (49:13)
"We (Allah) have not sent you (O Muhammad) except as a mercy to the nations." (21:107)
"Speak good words to all people." (2:83)
"Allah commands you that . . . when you judge between people (i.e., of any race, religion, family, class, etc.), you judge with justice." (4:58)

baba11:
Being a good Muslim is to uphold what Allah has commanded us to do and abstain from what He doesn't like from us from doing whilst @ the same time,you are striving to hit the pinnacle of your religion.....May Allah makes us a better Muslim..

Amin

Empiree:
Hayubee, see if you can get motivation here

Empiree:
Hayubee, see if you can get motivation here

hayubee:


Maash Allah I read it nd I like it, I'm about to go and read sollat! One last ting! Can I get from u a manual or something to help me understand d quran better!

Empiree:
I am sure you can free copy of translated Quran in your area.

hayubee:


Maash Allah I read it nd I like it, I'm about to go and read sollat! One last ting! Can I get from u a manual or something to help me understand d quran better!

Wizeboy:
Shukran jaxeelan wa Jaxaakallahu khairan ya WIZEBOY min zaikon ilaika