Yasir Qadhi

Of the characteristics of the believer is that the believer takes pride in the faith of Islam and his identity stemming from that faith. Note that this 'pride' is not at all the type of pride that is forbidden, because that pride is based on the false assumption that somehow you are better than other person because of something you have done. This type of pride is not arrogance, but rather an overwhelming sense of gratitude that Allah has blessed one with imān, and the dignity and love that comes from recognizing and living with imān. The Prophet (SAW) said, "It is not befitting that the believer humiliates himself..." [Abu Dawud]. The believer carries himself with a sense of purpose and dignity, and is never embarrassed or ashamed of his identity.

Of the characteristics of the believer (Part 12 of our series) is that the default is to think the best of people, and to interpret ambiguous phrases and unclear incidents in the most positive manner.A pure heart leads to pure thoughts of others, while a heart full of suspicion leads to suspicious thoughts of others. The Prophet (SAW) said, "I warn you against being suspicious of others, because suspicion is the most lying of matters..." [al-Bukhari]. Having ḥusn al-dhann and always interpreting ambiguous phrases in the best of ways would completely demolish the toxic refutation culture that social media is saturated with. Even if others aren't living up to those standards, remember that we have to answer to Allah, and we should not get involved in the rampant climate of 'name and shame' and 'cancelling' because of an ambiguous issue. The believer is more worried about his own deficiencies rather than obsessing over the alleged faults of others.

Of the characteristics of the believer is that not only is he an optimist, he exudes a confidence and hope in all those around him so that they too become optimistic. This optimism stems from his strong faith in Allah and the ḥusn al-dhann he has in Him.The believer things the best thoughts of Allah and knows that the plan of Allah will always be for his best. And because of this, the Prophet (SAW) actually wanted us to read in positive omens and extract Divine cues from all types of occurrences around us - as if the random acts of nature and haphazard occurrences are not actually random or haphazard, but instead all a part of a Divine Plan that is meant to inspire us and give us confidence in Allah's qadr. Hence why the Prophet (SAW) said, 'There is no such thing as evil omens, but I like al-fa'al: a good word [that gives optimism].' [Al-Bukhari].

Of the characteristics of the believer is that he is always of cheerful countenance. Abdullah b. al-Ḥārith said, "I never saw anyone smile more than the Prophet (SAW)," and Jarīr b. Abdullah remarked, "I never saw the Prophet (SAW) except that he smiled when he saw me."And our Prophet (SAW) encouraged us to be charitable with our smiles, and said that every smile is counted as an act of worship that we shall be rewarded for. As well, the Prophet (SAW) would regularly laugh (although his laughter was always dignified and just a step more than a smile), and even crack jokes and pull pranks. So the believer is cheerful, and brings cheer to other people - in contrast to some religious folks who seem to think that scowling at people is somehow a mark of religiosity! Smile, it's Sunnah !

Of the characteristics of the believer is trustworthiness (amānah).In Episode 7 of my Ramaḍān series, I discuss the importance of fulfilling our trusts, and the types and categories of trust, and how the Quran and Sunnah praises this noble characteristic. It is interesting to note that the word for being trustworthy (amānah) is from the same root as faith (imān), and in fact in a Prophetic hadīth, he (SAW) said, "There is no imān in the one who has no amānah." The reason why the two are related is because when we believe in Allah (imān), we feel a sense of serenity and peace; and the only way to be close to someone is to feel safe in their presence and trust them (amānah). Of the categories of amānah is to fulfill your promises, and guard a person's secrets, and do your duties assigned to you diligently. The greatest amānah to fulfill is the amānah that is owed to Allah: to believe in Him, and worship Him in accordance with the Sharī'ah.

One of the seminal mannerisms that defines a person of faith is the control that he has over anger. The believer, even if he becomes angry, manages to keep that anger in check, and not act or speak upon that anger. Allah describes the people of taqwa as those who '...control their anger' [كاظمين الغيظ]. And our Prophet (SAW) remarked that the strong person is not one who is able to overpower others, but rather the one who can control his temper. In one hadith, he said that the one who controls his anger has conquered not only his own nafs, but also his qarīn (the Shaytan that whispers to him), and the qarīn of the one who tries to make him angry. Being the role model that he (SAW) was, there is not a *single* instance in his entire life in which his temper got the better of him. Even when his anger was known to others, he always managed to control it and keep it in check

Of the characteristics of the believer is wisdom (ḥikmah). The believer acts with wisdom, and is eager to gain more of it. The Prophet Ibrahīm prays to be blessed with more wisdom; our Prophet Muḥammad (SAW) asked Allah to grant wisdom to Ibn `Abbas (r), and he told us that wisdom is the lost-item of the believer, wherever one finds it, one should benefit from it. As with all qualities, one part of wisdom is innate and Divinely gifted at birth, but another part is acquired and can be learned. So the one who is sincere, and humble, and acquires knowledge, and implements what he knows, and learns from other's experiences and his own experiences, shall continuously be on a path to better his wisdom.

Of the characteristics of the believer is to be thoughtful before acting: the believer does not act rashly or impetuously. In the hadith: "Acting with forethought is from Allah; and acting in haste is from Shayṭān..." [Tirmidhi]We learn this lesson from many stories of the prophets: the Prophet Yunus (as) was chastised because he acted on impulse, whereas the Prophet Yusuf (as) was honored by the King because he thought through and planned before acting. The believer plans, and looks at the possible repercussions of his actions, and does not act rashly. Of the ways we protect ourselves from acting on impulse is:1-Always take time (when possible) before undertaking any major decision. Simply letting an idea ruminate in your mind for a while will give you different angles to look at it from.2- Never act or speak while angry. 3- Get advise from loved ones, close friends, and experts. This is the Islamic process of 'shūra'. 4- Pray the istikhāra prayer and seek Divine Guidance.