Islamic Manners (Adab)

The Prophet ﷺ said: “I was sent only to perfect noble character” (Ahmad, Bayhaqi), and Allah praised him: “You are truly of outstanding character” (68:4). He also said: “Nothing is heavier on the believer's scale on the Day of Judgment than good character” (Abu Dawud, Tirmidhi), and “The most beloved to me and nearest to me on the Day of Judgment are those with the best character” (Tirmidhi). Good manners are not extra: they are part of faith.

“When you are greeted with a greeting, respond with a better one or return it” (4:86). The full greeting is “As-salamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh”, and the reply “Wa alaykumus-salam wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh”. The Prophet ﷺ said: “You will not enter Paradise until you believe, and you will not believe until you love one another. Shall I tell you what makes you love each other? Spread the greeting of peace among you” (Muslim). The younger greets the older, the passer-by the seated, and the smaller group the larger. Shaking hands lets sins fall away (Abu Dawud, Tirmidhi), and “Your smile in the face of your brother is charity” (Tirmidhi).

Eat with gratitude and moderation:

• Wash your hands, and say “Bismillah” at the start (if you forget, say “Bismillahi awwalahu wa akhirahu”).
• Eat and drink with the right hand, and eat from what is in front of you (Bukhari and Muslim).
• Never criticise food: if you like it, eat it; if not, leave it (Bukhari and Muslim).
• Moderation: “No vessel is worse to fill than the stomach. A few bites keep a person upright; if he must, one third for food, one third for drink and one third for air” (Tirmidhi).
• Do not waste, and do not eat or drink from gold and silver vessels (Bukhari and Muslim).
• Say the Dua below after finishing, and share food with guests and neighbours.

Before sleeping: make Wudu, dust the bed, lie on your right side with your palm under your cheek, and recite Ayat al-Kursi, the last two verses of Surah Al-Baqarah, and Al-Ikhlas, Al-Falaq and An-Nas, blowing into your hands and wiping over the body (Bukhari). Then say the Dua below. On waking, say the praise the Prophet ﷺ used to say, and rise for Fajr, remembering that Allah gives us our life anew each morning.

When entering your own home, say “Bismillah” and greet your family, and when entering another's home, ask permission and greet: “O you who believe, do not enter houses other than your own until you have asked permission and greeted their people” (24:27). The Prophet ﷺ said to ask three times, and if not permitted, to go back (Bukhari and Muslim). Honour the guest: “Whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day, let him honour his guest” (Bukhari and Muslim), for up to three days of generous hospitality. Visit the sick, since Allah says on the Day of Judgment: “I was ill and you did not visit Me” (Muslim, in the reminder of duties toward the sick).

Speak gently, truthfully and clearly, not interrupting, and say good or stay silent. Allah told Musa and Harun to speak to Pharaoh “in gentle words” (20:44). If you sneeze, cover your face and say “Alhamdulillah”; the one who hears says “Yarhamukallah” (may Allah have mercy on you), and you reply “Yahdikumullahu wa yuslihu balakum” (Bukhari). When yawning, hold it back and cover the mouth with your hand, as Satan laughs at a person's yawn (Muslim). Avoid loud laughter and raised voices.

A man asked the Prophet ﷺ for advice; he said: “Do not become angry” — and repeated it (Bukhari). “The strong person is not the one who overpowers others, but the one who controls himself in anger” (Bukhari and Muslim). Allah praises “those who restrain anger and pardon people” (3:134). When anger rises, the Prophet ﷺ taught: seek refuge with Allah from Satan (“A'udhu billahi minash-shaytanir-rajim”), be silent, make Wudu, and change position: sit if standing, lie down if sitting (Abu Dawud). Then forgive when you are able, and your reward is with Allah.

The Prophet ﷺ said: “Beware of sitting on the roads.” When they said they needed to, he said: “Then give the road its right”: lower your gaze, refrain from harming others, return the greeting, enjoin good and forbid evil (Bukhari and Muslim). He also said that removing harm from the road is charity and part of faith (Bukhari and Muslim). Be considerate: drive and walk with care, do not block others, keep public places clean, and make way for the elderly, women and those in need.

The Prophet ﷺ said: “The right of a Muslim over a Muslim is six” (Muslim):

• When you meet him, greet him.
• When he invites you, accept.
• When he asks your advice, advise him sincerely.
• When he sneezes and praises Allah, say “Yarhamukallah”.
• When he is ill, visit him.
• When he dies, follow his funeral.

What Islam asks of us in person applies on screens. Allah says: “If a wrongdoer brings you news, verify it, lest you harm people out of ignorance and regret what you did” (49:6). So: check before you share; do not backbite, mock or curse people online; do not spread private matters, photos or rumours; lower your gaze from what is forbidden; do not waste hours, since we are asked about our time; and remember that every word is recorded: “Not a word does he utter but there is a ready observer” (50:18). Use technology to spread good, learn, and stay close to family.

“Whoever does not thank people does not thank Allah” (Abu Dawud, Tirmidhi): say “Jazakallahu khayran” (may Allah reward you with good) to whoever does you a favour. And the Prophet ﷺ said: “No one humbles himself for Allah except that Allah raises him” (Muslim), and “No one who has an atom's weight of pride in his heart will enter Paradise” (Muslim). Pride is rejecting the truth and looking down on people. Be humble with your family, your neighbours, and those who serve you.