Tag: Ahlak

Praise be to Allah.Firstly:
Part of the practice of the Muslim that Allah, may He be exalted, and His Messenger taught him is the importance of brotherhood among the believers, as Allah, may He be glorified, says (interpretation of the meaning): “The believers are but brothers” [al-Hujuraat 49:10].
There is no contradiction between the verse (interpretation of the meaning) “So for this let the competitors compete” [al-Mutaffifeen 83:26] and what is proven from the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), that he said: “No one of you truly believes until he loves for his brother – or for his neighbour – what he loves for himself.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari (13) and Muslim (45).
The scholars have several views with regard to dispelling this apparent contradiction:
1- That the hadith has to do with matters of this world and the verse has to do with matters of the hereafter. See: Saheeh Muslim bi Sharh al-Abi wa’s-Sanoosi (1/244).
2- It was said that what is meant by that is loving good in general terms, but not in a specific or detailed way such as a person may seek for himself. Ibn al-Jawzi (may Allah be pleased with him) said: If it is said: How can this be imagined when everyone wants to be ahead of others with regard to what he chooses for himself, and he loves to surpass others in virtues, and ‘Umar competed with Abu Bakr? The answer is: that what is meant is to wish for good for them in general terms and wish that evil be warded off from them in general terms. The individual should love that for his brother as he loves it for himself. As for excelling in some specific virtue and attaining a high level of some specific characteristic, there is nothing wrong with the individual wanting to surpass others in that regard.
End quote from Kashf al-Mushkil min Hadith as-Saheehayn (3/222). See also: al-Qabas Sharh al-Muwatta’ by Ibn al-‘Arabi (929) and al-Masaalik Sharh al-Muwatta’ (6/406-417).
3- This is a command to compete in doing more acts of worship, which will prompt others to join him and compete in doing good and righteous deeds. However, the hadith is general in meaning and includes matters of both this world and the hereafter. Hence the believer does not dislike others to join him in that; rather he loves for all people to join him in that competition and urges them to do so. This is a sign that he is very sincere towards people of faith.
Ibn Rajab said in Jaami‘ al-‘Uloom wa’l-Hikam (1/327-335):
The point is that this is one of the characteristics of faith that one is obliged to have: the individual should love for his believing brother what he loves for himself, and hate for him what he hates for himself. If he fails to attain that, then his faith is undermined.
All of this can only be achieved if one’s heart is sound and free of rancour, insincerity and envy, for envy makes the envier hate to see anyone excel him in any good characteristic, or even equal him in it, because he wants to stand out among the people in his virtues, and be distinct from them. But faith requires the opposite of that, which is that all believers should share in what Allah has granted him of good, without that detracting from what he has.
In general, the believer should love for the believers what he loves for himself, and hate for them what he hates for himself. If he sees any shortcoming in his brother in terms of religious commitment, he should strive to advise him.
Nevertheless, the believer should feel sad if he misses out on any religious virtue. Therefore he is instructed, with regard to issues of religious commitment, to look at those who are above him and to strive to compete in increasing in that as much as he can, as Allah, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):  “So for this let the competitors compete” [al-Mutaffifeen 83:26]. He should not resent it if anyone shares his virtues with him; rather he should like all people to compete in that, and should urge them to do so. This is a sign that he has attained perfect sincerity towards his brothers.
Al-Fudayl said: If you love for people to be like you, then you are not being sincere towards your brother. So how about if you want them to be inferior to you in that regard?
This indicates that being sincere towards all believers means that you like them to be better than you. This is a high level and lofty degree of sincerity, but that is not obligatory. Rather what is enjoined in Islamic teachings is that you should love for them to be like you, yet if someone surpasses you in some religious virtue, you should strive to catch up with him and feel sad for falling short or falling behind those who have surpassed you – not out of envy for what Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, has given them by His grace , but because you are competing with them, and because you wish to attain what they have attained, without any ill-feeling towards them, and because you feel sad because of your falling behind and failing to attain the same level as those who have surpassed you.
The believer should always think of himself as falling short and not attaining high ranks. He will benefit from that in two important ways: striving to attain those virtues and increase in that, and regarding himself with dissatisfaction. That will result in him loving for the believers to be better than him, because he does not want them to be just like him. He will also be discontent with himself as he is, and will strive to better himself. Muhammad ibn Waasi‘ said to his son: As for your father, may Allah not increase his ilk among the Muslims.
If someone is not content with himself as he is, how can he wish for the Muslims to be like him, if he is sincere towards them? Rather he should love for the Muslims to be better than him, and he should love for himself to be better than he is.
End quote. See also: Fath al-Baari by Ibn Rajab (1/45).
See also the answer to question no. 305135 .
And Allah knows best.

Praise be to Allah.The greatest goal a believer can pursue is seeking the pleasure of the Lord of the Worlds.
Allah says (interpretation of the meaning): “Allah has promised the believing men and believing women gardens beneath which rivers flow, wherein they abide eternally, and pleasant dwellings in gardens of perpetual residence; but approval from Allah is greater. It is that which is the great attainment” [at-Tawbah 9:72].
It was narrated by al-Bukhaari in his Saheeh (6549) and by Muslim in his Saheeh (2829) that Abu Sa‘eed al-Khudri said: The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Allah, may He be blessed and exalted, will say to the people of Paradise: ‘O people of Paradise!’ They will say: ‘Here we are at Your service, our Lord.’ He will say: ‘Are you pleased?’ They will say: ‘How could we not be pleased, O Lord, when You have given us that which You have not given to anyone else among Your creation?’ He will say: ‘Shall I not give you something even better than that?’ They will say: ‘O Lord, what can be better than that?’ He will say: ‘I bestow My pleasure upon you and I will never be angry with you after that.’”
The main goal of the believer’s life is that he seeks the pleasure of Allah alone, with no partner or associate, even if that displeases people. The sign of the hypocrites is that they are keen to please people, even if that angers the Lord of the Worlds.
Allah says regarding the hypocrites (interpretation of the meaning): “They swear by Allah to you [Muslims] to satisfy you. But Allah and His Messenger are more worthy for them to satisfy, if they should be believers” [at-Tawbah 9:62].
Things that will help a person to seek the pleasure of Allah alone include the following:
Firstly: Learning about his Lord, so that he will be certain that all things are in His hand, and He alone is the One Who controls all things; He alone is the One Who brings low and raises high; He alone is the One Who grants honour and humiliates; no one can withhold what He gives and no one can give what He withholds; all people have no power to benefit or harm him or themselves, or to cause death, give life or anything else.
Once a person believes in that with certainty, his heart will be attached to his Lord, because he believes that people cannot benefit him except by his Lord’s leave, and they cannot harm him except by his Lord’s leave alone.
The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: Know that if the nation were to come together to benefit you with something, they would not benefit you except with something that Allah has already decreed for you, and if they were to come together to harm you with something, they would not harm you except with something that Allah has already decreed for you.”
Narrated by at-Tirmidhi in his Sunan (2516); classed as saheeh by Shaykh al-Albaani in as-Silsilah as-Saheehah (5/497).
Secondly: being certain that people’s loving him and being pleased with him only happens with the permission of his Lord, so if he pleases his Lord, He will instill love for him in the hearts of His believing slaves.
At-Tirmidhi narrated in his Sunan (3267) that al-Bara’ ibn ‘Aazib (may Allah be pleased with him) said: A man stood up and said: O Messenger of Allah, if I praise someone then he is praiseworthy, and if I criticize someone then he is blameworthy. The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “That is only for Allah, may He be glorified and exalted.”
This hadith was classed as saheeh by Shaykh al-Albaani in Saheeh at-Tirmidhi (2605).
Allah alone is the One Who, if He praises someone, then he is praiseworthy, and if He is angry with someone and criticizes him, then he is blameworthy. As for people, they have no power in that regard except by Allah’s leave.
In the hadith it says that it is Allah Who instills love or hate of someone in people’s hearts.
It was narrated by al-Bukhaari in his Saheeh (3209) and by Muslim in his Saheeh (2637) that Abu Hurayrah said: The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “When Allah loves a person, He calls Jibreel and says: ‘I love So and so, so love him.’ So Jibreel loves him, then he calls out to the people of heaven, ‘Allah loves So and so, so love him.’ So the people of heaven love him and he finds acceptance on earth. If Allah hates  someone, He calls Jibreel and says: ‘I hate So and so, so hate him.’ So Jibreel hates him, then he calls out to the people of heaven: ‘Allah hates So and so, so hate him.’ So they hate him and he is hated on earth.”
Thirdly: being certain that focusing on pleasing people and not the Lord of the Worlds is a sign of failure, and the one who does that will end up blameworthy, with no one to praise him; Allah will abandon him and he will have no one to support him. But if he seeks to please Allah alone, Allah will suffice him and he will have no need of people.
Allah says (interpretation of the meaning): “Do not make [as equal] with Allah another deity and [thereby] become censured and forsaken” [al-Isra’ 17:22].
Ibn Hibbaan narrated in his Saheeh (277) from ‘Aa’ishah that the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Whoever pleases Allah by angering the people, Allah will suffice him, but whoever angers Allah by pleasing the people, Allah will leave him to the people.” Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in as-Silsilah as-Saheehah (2311).
Look at Ka‘b ibn Maalik (may Allah be pleased with him) and how his focus was on speaking the truth and pleasing Allah alone, because he believed that Allah would suffice him if he spoke the truth, and that if his main concern was to avoid angering the people by telling lies, then Allah would soon cause people to be angry with him.
Ka‘b (may Allah be pleased with him) said, in the story of his repentance, that he said to the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him): Indeed, by Allah, if I sat before anyone in this world other than you, I would have saved myself from his anger with an excuse, for I have been given the ability to argue persuasively, but by Allah, I know that if I were to tell you a lie today that you accepted, soon Allah would make you angry with me, but if I tell you the truth today that may make you upset with me, then I hope that Allah will pardon me. No, by Allah, I had no excuse. By Allah, I was never stronger or more well off than when I stayed behind and did not accompany you [on the campaign to Tabook]. The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “As for this one, he has spoken the truth. Get up and leave until Allah decides concerning you.”
Narrated by al-Bukhaari in his Saheeh (4418) and by Muslim in his Saheeh (2769).
Fourthly: knowing that there is no way to please people, for man is basically unfair and ignorant, and pleasing people is a target that cannot be achieved, for people are not even pleased with their Lord, so how can you think that they will be pleased with you?!
Al-Bayhaqi narrated in az-Zuhd al-Kabeer (180) with a saheeh isnaad from al-Hasan al-Basri that it was said to him: People come to your gathering to pick on any error you may make, so that they can make it a reason to gossip about you. He said: Do not worry about it, for I thought of the pleasure of being close to Allah and I hope for that; I thought of Paradise and I hope for that; I thought of al-hoor al-‘een and I hope for that; I thought of being safe from people, and I found no way to achieve that. When I saw that people are not pleased with their Creator, I realized that they will never be pleased with a created being like themselves.
Ash-Shaafi‘i (may Allah have mercy on him) said to Yoonus ibn ‘Abd al-A‘la: O Abu Moosa, if you were to strive your utmost to please all the people, there is no way to do that. As that is the case, then make your deeds and your intention sincerely for Allah (may He be glorified and exalted) alone.
Narrated by al-Bayhaqi in Shu‘ab al-Eemaan (6518).
So let each person’s main concern be to seek the pleasure of his Lord alone, for if He is pleased, that is sufficient for you.
Let your slogan in life and your main concern before the Lord of the worlds be as the poet said:
I hope that my relationship with You is sweeter and life is bitter; I hope that You are pleased and that people are angry.
I hope that what is between You and me is in order, and that what is between me and people is in ruins.
If You love me then everything else is insignificant, and everyone on earth is as dust.
With regard to books, we do not know of any book that has been written specifically about this topic, but we advise the questioner and all Muslims to learn more about Allah, for the more a person comes to know about his Lord, the more his concern will be on seeking the pleasure of his Lord alone, and he will not worry about the displeasure of people.
One excellent book on this topic is an-Nahj al-Asma fi Sharh Asma’ Allah al-Husna, by Dr. Muhammad al-Humood an-Najdi.
We also advise you to read widely in the books of Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali and Ibn al-Qayyim, for their words on this topic are among the most beneficial.
And Allah knows best.

Praise be to Allah.Firstly:
Habit is a neutral concept, so it is a good thing if a person gets used to doing good and to being steadfast when doing it, without finding it burdensome. It was narrated in the hadith: “Doing good is a habit [that one may acquire easily] and evil is stubbornness [and man persists in it only out of stubbornness].” Narrated by Ibn Maajah (221) and by Ibn Hibbaan in his Saheeh (310).
It was narrated from ‘Aa’ishah that she said: The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) had a reed mat with which he used to make a booth at night and pray in it, and the people started to follow his prayer, and he used to spread (that mat) out during the day. One night they gathered and he said: “O people, you should only do deeds that you are able for, for Allah does not grow weary but you do. The most beloved of deeds to Allah is that which is done persistently, even if it is little.” And if the family of Muhammad started to do something, they would persist in it. Narrated by al-Bukhaari (5861) and Muslim (782).
As Abu’t-Tayyib said: Each person will gain of his life that which becomes a habit for him.
It is well-known that one of the greatest means of a person becoming steadfast in his journey towards Allah is having acts of worship to which he commits himself, remains steadfast in doing them, and becomes accustomed to doing them, and he does not neglect them, become heedless concerning them or feel too lazy to do them. This was always the practice of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him); in other words, he would do them constantly and persistently. And if his family did something, they would persist in it.
Secondly:
With regard to habit in the sense that a person does not have presence of mind when doing an act of worship, so he does it automatically, with no spirit or focus, that is something very dangerous, and he should be concerned about that.
The reward for worship is connected to presence of mind and humility whilst doing it, as Allah, may He be glorified, says (interpretation of the meaning):
“Certainly will the believers have succeeded:
They who are during their prayer humbly submissive”
[al-Mu’minoon 23:1-2].
It is very important that the heart should be focused when doing an act of worship, and not be distracted from it.
Shaykh Ibn Baaz (may Allah have mercy on him) was asked:
I have read some advice in a book which says: do not make worship a habit. How can a Muslim make worship of Allah truly for Allah, and not a mere habit? May Allah reward you with good.
He replied:
What is meant is: do not do the prayer as a habit; pray as an act of worship so that you may draw closer to Allah thereby, and not because it is a habit that you have got used to. If you pray Duha, then pray it for the purpose of drawing closer to Allah, not because it is a habit. By the same token, if you pray tahajjud at night, pray it because it is an act of worship and obedience, not because it is merely a habit or because your father or mother used to do it.
Thirdly:
Among the things that may help one to attain focus of mind when doing acts of worship are the following:
1. Variation in acts of worship. The individual should do a variety of acts of worship, including prayer, reading Qur’an, dhikr, giving charity, honouring his parents, upholding ties of kinship, visiting the sick and attending funerals. By the mercy and grace of Allah, acts of worship are many and varied.
2. Persistence in keeping the intention in mind when doing the acts of worship.
Ibn al-Qayyim said in ‘Umdat as-Saabireen (60-65):
… Being persistent whilst doing the good deed, so the person should persist in warding off any shortcomings or negligence in the action. He should persist in keeping his intention in mind and continue to be focused when standing before his Lord, and not be absent-minded when carrying out His command. What matters is not only doing what is enjoined; rather what matters above all is not forgetting the One Who enjoined it when doing what He enjoined. Rather he should persist in remembering Him whilst carrying out His command.
This is the worship of the true and sincere slaves of Allah. It requires patience and perseverance in order to be able to do acts of worship in the proper manner, by performing the act with all of its essential, obligatory and Sunnah parts. It also requires persevering in remembering the One Whom he is worshipping when doing that act of worship, and not letting himself be distracted from that by his worship. So his presence of mind with Allah should not distract him from carrying out the physical actions of the act of worship properly, and focusing on doing the physical actions in the proper manner should not distract him from presence of mind when standing before Allah, may He be glorified. End quote.
3. Striving hard in du‘aa’ (supplication).
This is one of the greatest means that help one to keep in mind the fact that Allah is with him and is helping His slave.
4. Not giving up acts of worship.
That is one of the means by which the Shaytaan discourages a person from doing acts of worship, on the grounds that he is not able to focus. So let the believer be aware of that, and let him continue to do the acts of worship.
5. Preparing oneself for a particular act of worship and getting ready for it, and keeping away from anything that may distract him from it.
It was narrated from ‘Aa’ishah that the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Do not pray when food has been served and do not pray when resisting the urge to relieved oneself.” Narrated by Abu Dawood (89).
And Allah knows best.

Praise be to Allah.Such talk stems from the deceit of the Shaytaan, by means of which he makes sins seem insignificant to people, so that they will get carried away in sin and not repent from it.
This notion is false on several counts:
-1- The perfect example for the Muslim is the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him).
Allah, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):
“There has certainly been for you in the Messenger of Allah an excellent pattern for anyone whose hope is in Allah and the Last Day and [who] remembers Allah often” [al-Ahzaab 33:21].
Ibn Katheer (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
This verse is an important principle, which is following the example of the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) in his words, deeds and character. Hence Allah commanded the people to follow the example of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) on the day of al-Ahzaab, in terms of his patience, steadfastness, perseverance, striving in jihad and awaiting help and support from his Lord, may He be glorified and exalted, and may Allah send blessings and peace upon him constantly until the Day of Judgement.
End quote from Tafseer Ibn Katheer (6/391).
By the same token, we must adhere to what he brought of commands and prohibitions.
Allah, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):
“And whatever the Messenger has given you – take; and what he has forbidden you – refrain from. And fear Allah ; indeed, Allah is severe in penalty” [al-Hashr 59:7].
Whoever goes against his prohibitions has failed to achieve the level of piety (taqwa) that is required of him, and he has exposed himself to the punishment of Allah, may He be exalted.
-2- The Muslim is enjoined to follow the Sahaabah (may Allah be pleased with them) in their good deeds, and not otherwise.
Allah, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):
“And the first forerunners [in the faith] among the Muhajireen and the Ansar and those who followed them with good conduct – Allah is pleased with them and they are pleased with Him, and He has prepared for them gardens beneath which rivers flow, wherein they will abide forever. That is the great attainment” [at-Tawbah 9:100].
Muhammad ibn Ka‘b al-Qurazi said:
“and those who followed them with good conduct” – this is an condition that is required of those who follow them, which is that they should follow them in their good deeds and not their bad deeds. End quote.
See: ad-Durr al-Manthoor (4/272) and Tafseer al-Baghawi (4/88).
So the Muslim should strive to follow the Sahaabah (may Allah be pleased with them) in their good deeds, so that he may be included among the people mentioned in the verse quoted above. As for any errors that they (may Allah be pleased with them) made, we are not enjoined to follow them in that.
Among the good deeds of theirs in which the Muslim should follow their example is the fact that if they made any mistakes, they would hasten to repent, and their repentance was so great and sincere that Allah erased their sins thereby. The hadiths that speak of that are very well known, such as the repentance of Maa‘iz and of the Ghaamidi woman (may Allah be pleased with them).
So the Muslim should strive to obey Allah, may He be exalted, and to keep away from disobeying Him. Then if he slips up, he must hasten to repent sincerely and not try to excuse himself by referring to the mistakes made by some of the Sahaabah, because they would repent and they would not persist in sin.
-3- Even though some of the Sahaabah committed some major sins, that did not happen very often; in fact it was rare. In most cases, they (may Allah be pleased with them) adhered to the command of Allah and strove hard to attain His pleasure. So why would this person referred to in the question ignore what was usually the case with the actions of the Sahaabah, and try to use that which rarely happened as an excuse?
Moreover, if he is sincere, then let him do what they did: they used to hasten to repent, and they did not persist in sin, as noted above.
Then let him follow the example of the one who surrendered her life for the sake of Allah, and [admitted the sin of adultery] so that the hadd punishment would be carried out on her.
Then let him follow their example with regard to worship, attitude, effort, striving, acts of charity, fasting and voluntary prayers at night.
In his attitude and actions, let this poor man strive to emulate the attitude and actions of the Sahaabah.
Then let him see, in that case, whether the Shaytaan will try to entice him with such notions!
And Allah knows best.

Praise be to Allah.The ‘holding fast” that is mentioned in the Qur’an is of two types: holding fast to Allah, and holding fast to the rope of Allah.
Allah, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):
“And hold firmly to the rope of Allah all together and do not become divided”
[Aal ‘Imraan 3:103]
“and hold fast to Allah. He is your protector; and excellent is the protector, and excellent is the helper”
[al-Hajj 22:78].
Imam Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
I‘tisaam (holding fast) means adhering to that which will protect you and will ward off from you that which you dread and fear. ‘Ismah means protection and i‘tisaam means seeking protection. Hence fortresses are called ‘awaasim (sing. ‘aasimah) because they give protection and safety.
Well-being and happiness in this world and the hereafter are based on holding fast to Allah and holding fast to His rope. There is no salvation except for the one who adheres to these two means of protection.
With regard to holding fast to His rope, it protects one from going astray.
Holding fast to Him protects one from doom and destruction, for the one who is journeying towards Allah is like one who is travelling on a path towards his intended destination. Hence he needs guidance on the road and he needs to be safe whilst travelling; he cannot reach his intended destination except after attaining these two things.
The guide will protect him from losing his way, and will guide him to the right path; and equipment, physical strength and weapons will help him to be safe from bandits and any other troubles he may encounter on the road.
So holding fast to the rope of Allah will lead him on the path of guidance and help him to follow the guide.
Holding fast to Allah will give him the strength, equipment, weapons and anything else that he will need [to protect himself] on his journey.
Hence the salaf [early generations] used a variety of phrases to explain what is meant by holding fast to the rope of Allah, even though these phrases all refer to the same idea.
Ibn ‘Abbaas said: Adhere to the religion of Allah.
Ibn Mas‘ood said: It is the jamaa‘ah (main body of the Muslims). And he said: You should adhere to the jamaa‘ah, for it is the rope of Allah that He has enjoined us to hold fast to. What you may find of things you dislike when you are with the jamaa‘ah is better than what you may find of things you like when you are scattered.
Mujaahid and ‘Ataa’ said: It means adhering to the covenant of Allah. Qataadah, as-Saddi and many of the scholars of tafseer said: It means adhering to the Qur’an.
Then he said: As for holding fast to Him, it means putting one’s trust in Him, seeking strength with Him, seeking protection with Him, and asking Him to protect the individual, give him strength and ward off harm from him. For the result of holding fast to Him is that He will ward off harm from His slave, for Allah defends those who believe. So He will ward off from his believing slave, if he holds fast to Him, any cause that could lead to problems, and He will protect him from that. So He will protect him from doubts and desires, and from the schemes of his enemies both apparent and hidden, and from the evil of his own self. He will ward off from him the consequences of that which may lead to problems and troubles after the causes thereof are all present, commensurate with the strength with which he holds fast to Him, so that the causes of troubles and problems will be removed in his case, and thus Allah will protect him from what could result from that and the causes thereof. He may ward off from him something that He had decreed by means of another decree, and something that He willed by means of something else that He wills, thus protecting him from it. End quote from Madaarij as-Saalikeen (1/457-460).
We also advise you to refer to the following material [in Arabic]:

https://www.almunajjid.com/10083
al-I‘tisaam bi’l-Kitaabi wa’s-Sunnah: Asl as-Sa‘aadah fi’d-Dunya wa’l-Aakhirah wa Najaat min Mudillaat al-Fitan by Shaykh Dr. Sa‘eed ibn ‘Ali ibn Wahf al-Qahtaani (may Allah have mercy on him).
And Allah knows best.

Praise be to Allah.Improving one’s level of social intelligence requires intellectual effort and acquisition of knowledge, as well as practical, behavioural effort.
With regard to intellectual effort and acquiring knowledge, it is attained by learning the noble characteristics that have to do with dealing with people in general terms, and learning the ideal ways of dealing with transgression and hypocrisy, and bad characteristics in particular.
With regard to practical, behavioural effort, it is attained by persisting and steadfastly interacting with people on the basis of noble characteristics; developing self-restraint when dealing with transgressors, hypocrites and ill-mannered people; and repelling with that which is better and bearing with patience the evil of wrongdoers.
The best and noblest path that one may follow in terms of both knowledge and behaviour in this regard is the teachings of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) on how to deal with people of all types, ages, religions, races, classes and statuses.
A useful book that we advise you to read in this regard is the book Kayfa ‘Aamaluhum by Shaykh Muhammad Saalih al-Munajjid, which clearly explains the teachings of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) regarding how to interact with people of different types.
https://www.almunajjid.com/9468
See also the answer to question no. 71184, which speaks concisely about the character of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him).
And Allah is the source of help.

Praise be to Allah.Making yourself feel that Allah is addressing you in the Qur’an is attained by listening attentively to the Qur’an, reflecting properly upon it, and acting in accordance with it, as the Muslim believes that Allah is addressing His slaves in the Qur’an, issuing commands and prohibitions to them; sometimes He addresses a particular group in some contexts, and sometimes He addresses humanity as a whole.
When He addresses the believers, then the Muslim should reflect on that and say: We hear and we obey. Ibn Mas‘ood (may Allah be pleased with him) said: When you hear Allah saying “O you who believe”, then pay attention, for it is something good that He is enjoining or something bad that He is forbidding.
Tafseer Ibn Katheer (1/374).
When Allah addresses humanity as a whole, then you should think that Allah is addressing you in particular, so if it is a command then do it, and if it is a prohibition then refrain from it, and if it is an exhortation then act upon it.
The individual should reflect upon what Allah says throughout the entire Qur’an, but that reflection varies according to the context of what is being recited of the text. If obedience is mentioned, then he should bear in mind that Allah is addressing him with the command to obey. If disobedience is mentioned, then he should bear in mind that Allah is addressing him with the prohibition on disobedience. If people of faith (believers) are mentioned, he should bear in mind that Allah is addressing him with the command to take them as friends and allies and love them. If the people of disbelief and hypocrisy are mentioned, he should bear in mind that Allah is addressing him with the command to hate them and regard them as enemies.
If the Shaytaan is mentioned, he should bear in mind that Allah is addressing him with the command to regard him as an enemy, go against him and not to follow him, and to strive to obey Allah. Allah, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):
“Did I not enjoin upon you, O children of Adam, that you not worship Satan – [for] indeed, he is to you a clear enemy –
And that you worship [only] Me? This is a straight path”
[Yaa-Seen 36:60-61].
If truthfulness and those who speak the truth are mentioned, he should bear in mind that Allah is addressing him with the command to strive to be one of them.
If allies and liars are mentioned, he should bear in mind that Allah is addressing him with the command to strive to not be one of them.
Imam Abu Bakr al-Aajurri (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
… Then Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, urges people to reflect upon the Qur’an, as He, may He be glorified and exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):
“Then do they not reflect upon the Qur’an, or are there locks upon [their] hearts?”
[Muhammad 47:24].
And Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):
“Then do they not reflect upon the Qur’an? If it had been from [any] other than Allah , they would have found within it much contradiction”
[an-Nisaa’ 4:82].
Muhammad ibn al-Husayn [al-Aajurri] said: Do you not see, may Allah have mercy on you, how your most generous Lord urges His creation to reflect upon His words? Whoever reflects upon His words will come to know the Lord, may He be glorified and exalted, and will come to know the greatness of His might and power, and will come to know the greatness of His grace and bounty towards the believers, and will come to know his duty to worship Him, so he will commit himself to do what is obligatory, and will beware of whatever his most generous Lord has warned him against, and will be eager to do what He has urged him to do.
Whoever has this attitude when reciting Qur’an, and when listening to someone else reciting it, the Qur’an will be healing for him, and he will become independent of means even if he does not have wealth; he will feel honoured and proud even if he does not have a large family around him; and he will feel at ease in situations where others feel worried. His main concern, when starting to read or recite a soorah, will be “when will recitation of Qur’an have an impact on me?”, not “when will I finish the soorah?” Rather his concern will be: when will I understand and pay heed to what Allah is saying to me? When will I rectify myself, when will I learn the lesson? Because recitation of Qur’an is an act of worship, and an act of worship cannot be done properly when there is heedlessness and a lack of attention. May Allah help and guide us all.
End quote from Akhlaaq Hamalat al-Qur’an (3)
This is how the attitude of the one who recites Qur’an should be.
And Allah knows best.

Praise be to Allah.It is not permissible for a Muslim who pays attention to matters of trust and hates betrayal to record the words of a speaker without his permission or without his knowledge, no matter what the type of speech, whether it is religious or worldly, such as fatwas, scientific discussions, financial matters, and so on.
It is proven in the hadith of Jaabir ibn ‘Abdillah al-Ansaari (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “If one man speaks to another and looks around (to make sure no one is listening), then that is a trust (amaanah).” Narrated by Ahmad, Abu Dawood and at-Tirmidhi.
What is meant by his looking around is that it is clear from the actions of the speaker that he is being cautious, by looking around, right and left, to make sure that no one can hear what he is saying. Thus what your companion says to you is a trust for the listener, that he has entrusted him with. If he tells someone else about it, then he has gone against the command of Allah, as he has disclosed the trust to people who are not entitled to receive it, and thus he becomes a wrongdoer. What he should do is conceal it, because when the person who told it to him looked around, that was like a gesture telling him not to tell anyone else. They said: This is a very concise expression, yet full of meaning, because the word translated here as looked around is very concise, and is encouraging us to observe good etiquette when mixing with people, to treat people well, to conceal secrets and maintain friendships, and it is a warning against spreading malicious gossip that could lead to resentment, as is quite clear.
Ar-Raaghib said: Confidential talk is that which is meant to be kept private, which may be understood directly, such as if you say to someone else: Keep what I tell you to yourself; or it may be indirect or circumstantial, such as if the speaker takes the opportunity of being alone with you, or he lowers his voice, or tries to conceal it from others in the gathering. This is what is meant in this hadith. End quote.
If you record his words without his permission or his knowledge, then this is a kind of treachery and a breach of trust.
If you then spread these words to other people, this exacerbates the treachery and violation of the trust.
Conclusion: Recording someone’s words – on a phone or otherwise – without the knowledge or permission of the speaker is evildoing and a betrayal, and undermines one’s good character and dignity.
End quote from Adab al-Haatif by Shaykh Bakr Abu Zayd (may Allah have mercy on him), p. 28
I put this question to our shaykh, ‘Abd ar-Rahmaan al-Barraak (may Allah preserve him), and he replied:
They have no right to record without his consent or knowledge.
And Allah knows best.

Praise be to Allah.
In such cases, if a person dies
in such circumstances, it has nothing to do with being praiseworthy or
blameworthy in and of itself, and there is no Islamic ruling connected to
that. Islamic rulings only have to do with the deeds of those who are
accountable. If a person dies in a particular place, or at a particular
time, or in a particular posture, that is not part of his deeds and it is
not within his control, so there is no ruling that is connected to it. 

With regard to the death of one
who is fasting, this is the matter concerning which there are reports which
point to its virtue, not because death in this situation was within his
control, but because he died whilst doing a righteous deed and his life
ended with that. It is the righteous deed that is within his control and is
connected to the ruling of Allah. If a person dies doing such a deed, that
is a blessing granted by Allah, may He be exalted, to His slave, and it is
encouraged to constantly do such deeds, in the hope that one might die doing
such a thing. 

It was narrated that Hudhayfah
(may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Prophet (blessings and peace of
Allah be upon him) said: “Whoever fasts one day, seeking the Countenance of
Allah, and his life ends with that, will enter Paradise.”

Narrated by Ahmad (no. 22235).
Shaykh al-Arna’oot said: It is saheeh because of corroborating evidence. 

It was also narrated by al-Bazzaar
in his Musnad (1/436) as follows: “If a person’s life ends with a day
of fasting, he will enter Paradise.” Classed as saheeh by Shaykh al-Albaani. 

Al-Mannaawi (may Allah have
mercy on him) said: The words “If a person’s life ends with a day of
fasting” mean: if a person’s life concludes with a day of fasting, in the
sense that he dies when he is fasting or after breaking his fast. 

The words “will enter Paradise”
mean: with those who enter it first, or without prior punishment.

End quote from Fayd al-Qadeer
Sharh al-Jaami‘ as-Sagheer (6/160) 

Muslim narrated in his Saheeh
(5126) that Jaabir said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace
of Allah be upon him) say: “Each person will be resurrected in the condition
in which he died.” 

Ibn al-Jawzi (may Allah have
mercy on him) said: If a person dies in a particular condition, then his
life ends with that, and in that condition he will be resurrected.

End quote from Kashf al-Mushkil
min Hadeeth as-Saheehayn (1/751) 

And Allah knows best.

Praise be to Allah.With regard to rulings and his understanding of life and circumstances, and his evaluation of the experiences he goes through, the Muslim bases all of that on the reasoning, wisdom and measures that Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, has enjoined us to pay attention to and follow. This is what Islam teaches us; it instructs us to examine, contemplate and weigh up reason and experience, then to make our decisions after that regarding people and actions. 
Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):
“Thus Allah makes clear His Ayat (Laws) to you, in order that you may understand”
[al-Baqarah 2:242]. 
There is nothing in our religion to suggest that we should rely on dreams and visions, either with regard to worldly matters or religious rulings. Knowledge that is obtained via dreams is subjective, is not reliable and there is no certainty about it. rather it is subject to doubt, and it is not possible that Islam would instruct people to refer for knowledge to sources that are imaginary and cannot meet the least academic standards. 
It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: Dreams are of three types: a good dream which is glad tidings from Allah, a dream from the Shaytaan which causes distress, and a dream that comes from what a man is thinking of to himself…”
 Narrated by Muslim (2263). 
the Shaytaan plays a role in what people see in their dreams, just as a person’s own self does, and it is difficult for one to be certain of the source of his dream at all times. So how can a Muslim feel comfortable with a dream that he has seen and base his decisions on it, when he knows that the Shaytaan may have played the greatest role in producing it? 
That also applies to the case of marriage. The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) has set out for us the characteristics on which we should base our decision of accepting or rejecting a suitor, as he said:
“If there comes to you one with whose character and religious commitment you are pleased, then marry (your female relative under your guardianship) to him, for if you do not do so, there will be tribulation and great mischief on earth.” They said: O Messenger of Allah, even if there are some reservations concerning him?? He said: “If there comes to you one with whose character and religious commitment you are pleased, then marry (your female relative under your guardianship) to him,” three times  Narrated by al-Tirmidhi (1085); he said: It is hasan ghareeb. Classed as hasan by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Tirmidhi. 
So he defined character and religious commitment as the standards on which people should base their decisions when rejecting or accepting a suitor. Hence the questioner should not pay attention to anything else or respond to whatever she sees in her dreams of things in which the Shaytaan may have played a part, seeking to divide spouses and cause division and conflict. 
Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him) was asked the following question in Liqa’ al-Baab al-Maftooh (no. 5/question no. 17):
A man proposed marriage to a woman, and in a dream she saw him clean-shaven. Should she agree to marry him or not? In real life he appears to be good, and he does not shave his beard; he is religiously-committed, but Allah knows best about him.
He (may Allah have mercy on him) replied:
If a woman sees a man who has proposed to her as clean-shaven in a dream, when in reality he does not shave his beard, what she sees in her dream does not matter, and that should not prevent her from marrying him, so long as he is upright in his religious commitment and character. End quote.
Moreover, we should point out that istikhaarah has nothing to do with seeing dreams – as many people think – because the purpose of istikhaarah is to ask Allah, may He be exalted, to make easier the better of two options, and turning to Him, may He be glorified, for guidance to the best of affairs. Istikhaarah is a du’aa’ (supplication) and when Allah answers it, He makes easy the thing that the person has chosen, after thinking and reflecting. The du’aa’ has nothing whatsoever to do with dreams.
Our advice to the sister is to think again, and not try to ruin her marital ties just because of a dream. Rather she should let religion and reason govern the issue of her engagement, then take an appropriate stance after that.
See also the answer to question no. 25793 and 34726.
And Allah knows best.