The Believers of Surah al-Mu’minun (23:1-11)
The Quran opens Surah al-Mu’minun with what scholars consider the most complete portrait of the believer:
“Certainly will the believers have succeeded — those who are during their prayer humbly submissive, and those who turn away from ill speech, and those who are observant of zakah, and those who guard their private parts — except from their wives or those their right hands possess… and those who are to their trusts and their promises attentive, and those who carefully maintain their prayers. Those are the inheritors of Paradise.” (23:1-11)
Eight qualities in order:
- Khushu’ in prayer: Not just performing salat but doing so with khushu’ — heart present, mind focused, body stilled
- Avoiding idle talk (laghw): Turning away from that which wastes — gossip, pointless entertainment, fruitless arguing
- Paying zakah: Giving what’s due from wealth
- Guarding private parts: Sexual propriety — faithful to marriage
- Faithfulness to trusts (amanat): Delivering what was entrusted to them
- Keeping promises (‘uhud): Honoring commitments
- Maintaining prayers: Preserving the connection established in quality 1
The two that bracket the list — khushu’ in prayer and maintaining prayers — suggest that prayer is the spine of character, with everything between flowing from and returning to it.
The Servants of the Most Merciful (25:63-76)
Surah al-Furqan describes Ibad al-Rahman — the servants of the Most Merciful — in one of the Quran’s most complete character portraits:
Walk with humility: “Those who walk upon the earth easily” (hawna) — not with arrogance or swagger, but with a lightness that reflects their internal peace.
Respond to ignorance with peace: “And when the ignorant address them, they say words of peace.” — They do not escalate provocation. They do not take insults personally or respond with matched ugliness.
Spend the night in worship: “Those who spend the night to their Lord prostrating and standing.”
Pray for protection from hellfire: “And those who say, ‘Our Lord, avert from us the punishment of Hell.’”
Balance in spending: “And those who, when they spend, do so not excessively or sparingly but are ever, between that, [justly] moderate.” — Neither miserliness (hoarding everything) nor extravagance (squandering), but the middle path of balanced generosity.
Avoid the major sins: They do not commit shirk, murder, or adultery — the three most severe violations of divine limits.
Don’t bear witness to falsehood: “And those who do not testify to falsehood.” — They refuse to participate in or validate dishonesty.
Pass by vain speech with dignity: When they pass by futile speech, “they pass by with dignity.” They don’t join in but don’t make a scene about not joining.
The Prophetic Character: The Living Quran
Aisha (RA) was asked about the Prophet’s character. She said: “His character was the Quran.” (Muslim) — meaning the Quran described the ideal and he embodied it completely. Specific qualities narrated:
Hilm (forbearance, not being provoked easily): The Prophet (SAW) was cursed, insulted, and physically attacked. He responded to personal insults with silence or gentleness, not retaliation — “He never took revenge for himself, unless the limits of Allah were transgressed.” (Bukhari)
Karam (generosity): The Prophet (SAW) gave everything when he had it. No one asked him for something and was refused if it was available. Ibn Abbas (RA) said he was “more generous with good than the free-blowing wind.” (Bukhari)
Tawadu’ (humility): The Prophet (SAW) mended his own shoes, milked his own goat, served his family, and sat on the ground. He refused to be treated as above others. When he entered a gathering, he sat wherever space was available.
Sidq (truthfulness): The Prophet (SAW) was known as al-Amin (the Trustworthy) and al-Sadiq (the Truthful) before prophethood. He never lied even before revelation. He described lying as the one character trait he found impossible to condemn gently.
Rahma (mercy): “And We have not sent you except as a mercy to the worlds.” (21:107) The Prophet’s mercy extended to children, animals, enemies, and the deceased. He wept at the death of a Companion’s child. He said: “Allah shows mercy to those who are merciful to others.” (Bukhari)
Ten Core Character Qualities in Islam
Drawing on the Quran, hadith, and the classical akhlaq tradition:
1. Sidq — truthfulness in speech and action 2. Amanah — trustworthiness with what is entrusted 3. Wafa’ — fulfilling commitments and loyalty 4. ‘Adl — justice even against one’s own interests 5. Rahma — mercy and compassion toward all beings 6. Hilm — forbearance; not being quick to anger 7. Karam — generosity that gives without expectation 8. Tawadu’ — humility that does not seek dominance or recognition 9. Sabr — patience under trial, not impatience or complaint 10. Haya’ — modesty, a dignified restraint in behavior and dress
The one quality that enables all the rest: Taqwa — God-consciousness. The person who truly feels Allah’s presence in every moment naturally finds these qualities flowing from that awareness. Taqwa is not on the list because it generates the list.
Character in the Bohra Tradition
In the Tayyibi Ismaili tradition, character formation (tahdhib al-akhlaq) is not merely ethical prescription but spiritual practice — the purification of the soul (suluk al-nafs) toward divine proximity. The Da’i’s guidance on character is not separate from religious instruction but continuous with it: the community member who has good character is a living representation of the da’wa.
The misaak (covenant) includes a pledge of ethical conduct — the Bohra community understands that accepting the da’wa entails a commitment to the character it embodies, not just the ritual it prescribes.
See also: Akhlaq, Muhasaba, Tawba Sincere Repentance, Tawakkul Trust In Allah, Understanding Walayah, Misaak Ceremony, Prophets In Quran