Noble Character Traits

The Prophet said, “I have come to complete the ‘noble character traits.” He who lives in accordance with the ‘noble character traits’, follows a law of God. To perfect one’s character means to convert or remove the defects in our character, to develop it by re-connecting with our pure true inner nature.

Muhammad is the complete man, ‘al-Insan al-Kamil’. He is the exemplar of our ‘Fitrah’, of the human form in its original nature, as God created it. Humanity is both ‘Abd’, God’s servant, and ‘Khalifah’, God’s empowered representative on earth, which is our ‘Fitrah’. Our complete example of this is Muhammad, whose submission to God was perfect. It was out of this perfect submission that the Prophet became the complete ‘Khalifah’ of God. He was like a mirror turned to face all of God’s Names and Attributes. The mirror itself does nothing, and it is due to this submission, this Islam, that all the forms of life can appear in it. The Prophet was a shepherd, a businessman, a caravan leader, a spiritual guide, a warrior, a diplomat, a legislator, a judge, a ruler, a social reformer, and a family man. He never departed from his true ‘Fitrah’ whilst performing these duties, as his character was always unified and beautiful, reflecting the Unity of God.

“Always remember the blessings
which God has bestowed on you,
and the solemn pledge by which He bound you to Himself
when you said, “We have heard, and we pay heed.”
And so, remain conscious of God:
truly, God has full knowledge of what is within hearts.” (Quran 5:7)