30 Hadiths on Ethics from Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)

Hadiths on the Virtue of Good Character

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) mentioned a collection of prophetic Hadiths about good character. Here are some of them:

1. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "The most complete of the believers in faith are those with the best character, and the best of you are the best to their families".
2. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "Nothing is heavier on the believer's Scale on the Day of Judgment than good character. Indeed, Allah, the Most High, is displeased with the obscene and the foul".
3. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "Indeed, Allah will elevate the status of a servant because of good character to the same level as fasting and prayer".
4. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: "Indeed, through his good character, a servant reaches the status of the most pious in the Hereafter and the honor of the highest ranks, even though he may be weak in worship. And indeed, through his bad character, a servant reaches the lowest rank in Hellfire". 
5. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "Shall I not inform you of whom I love most among you and the closest to me on the Day of Resurrection?" He repeated it three times, saying, "Yes, O Messenger of Allah". He then said, "The best of you in character".
6. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "Righteousness is good character".

Hadiths about Trustworthiness

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) mentioned a collection of prophetic sayings about trustworthiness. Here are some of them:

1. Narrated Abu Hurayra (may Allah be pleased with him): "While the Prophet (peace be upon him) was in a gathering, an Arab came and asked, 'When will the Hour (i.e., the Day of Judgment) be?' The Prophet continued his talk, so some people said that he heard the question but disliked what the man had asked. Some of them said that he had not heard it. When the Prophet finished his speech, he said, 'Where is the questioner who inquired about the Hour?' The man replied, 'Here I am, O Messenger of Allah.' The Prophet said, 'When trust is lost, then await the Hour.' He asked, 'How will trust be lost?' The Prophet said, 'When authority is given to those who do not deserve it, then wait for the Hour'".
2. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "The first thing to be lost among people will be trust".
3. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "The signs of the hypocrite are three: when he speaks, he lies; when he makes a promise, he breaks it; and when he is entrusted, he betrays".
4. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "Four traits, if found in you, will make up for whatever you miss of this worldly life: preserving trust, speaking the truth, having good manners, and being moderate in eating".
5. Narrated Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him): "The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) delivered a sermon and said, 'He who has no trust has no faith, and he who does not keep his covenants has no religion'".

Hadiths About Forgiveness and Pardon

1. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Indeed, Allah shows mercy to those of His servants who are merciful".
2. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever does not show mercy will not be shown mercy".
3. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "And Allah increases the honor of a servant who pardons".
4. Abdullah ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated: "A man came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and said, 'O Messenger of Allah, how often should I forgive a servant?' He remained silent. Then he repeated his question, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) remained silent. When he asked for the third time, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, 'Forgive him seventy times every day'.

Hadiths About the Virtue of Honesty

The Prophet of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said a collection of Prophetic hadiths about honesty, and here are some of them:

1. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Verily, truthfulness leads to righteousness, and righteousness leads to Paradise. Indeed, a man continues to speak the truth until he is recorded with Allah as a truthful person. Indeed, falsehood leads to wickedness, and wickedness leads to the Hellfire. Indeed, a man continues to tell lies until he is recorded with Allah as a liar".
2. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Leave what makes you doubt for what does not make you doubt. Verily, truthfulness brings tranquility, and indeed, lying brings doubt".
3. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The best of people is the one with a modest heart and a truthful tongue".

Hadiths on Extravagance and Wastefulness

The Messenger of Allah - peace be upon him - narrated a collection of prophetic hadiths about extravagance and wastefulness. Here are some of them:

1. The Prophet - peace be upon him - said: "Eat, drink, give charity, and wear clothes as long as it is not extravagant or for the sake of showing off".
2. Narrated by Abu Huraira - may Allah be pleased with him - who said: "Indeed, Allah is pleased with three things for you and displeased with three things for you. He is pleased that you worship Him and do not associate anything with Him, that you hold fast, all of you together, to the rope of Allah and do not become divided, and He dislikes for you gossiping, asking too many questions, and wasting wealth".

Hadiths on Lying

The Messenger of Allah - peace be upon him - narrated a collection of prophetic hadiths about lying. Here are some of them:

1. The Prophet - peace be upon him - said: "Woe to the one who speaks to make people laugh and lies. Woe to him, woe to him".
2. The Prophet - peace be upon him - said: "I guarantee a house in the middle of Paradise for one who leaves lying even when joking".
3. The Prophet - peace be upon him - said: "The signs of a hypocrite are three: when he speaks, he lies; when he promises, he breaks his promise; and when he is entrusted, he betrays".
4. Aisha - may Allah be pleased with her - said: "There was no character more hateful to the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, than lying. A man would narrate to the Prophet, peace be upon him, something which he heard from someone, and the Prophet, peace be upon him, would not stop being upset until he knew that the man had repented".

Hadiths on Hypocrisy

It was narrated from the Prophet - peace be upon him - a collection of prophetic hadiths about hypocrisy. Here are some of them:

1. The Prophet - peace be upon him - said: "It is not appropriate for the two-faced person to be trustworthy".
2. The Prophet - peace be upon him - said: "Whoever has two faces in this world will have two tongues of fire on the Day of Resurrection".
3. The Prophet - peace be upon him - said: "Indeed, the hypocrites will be in the lowest depths of the Fire".

Hadiths on Foul Language

The Messenger of Allah - peace be upon him - narrated a collection of prophetic hadiths about foul language. Here are some of them:

1. The Prophet - peace be upon him - said: "A believer is not a slanderer, a curser, obscene, or vulgar".
2. The Prophet - peace be upon him - said: "Indeed, a servant may say a word thoughtlessly, and because of it, he will plunge into the Fire farther than the distance between the east and the west".
3. The Prophet - peace be upon him - said: "Indeed, one of you may speak a word displeasing to Allah, not thinking it carries much weight, but because of it, Allah will write His displeasure with him until the day he meets Him".