How to be the best

In personal development, there is a lot of focus on how to be the best at what you do. There are many tips which we could study regarding being the best at worldly things. However, in this series of articles we will explore how to be the best in the sight of Allah. In this article, and several future article, we will be looking an a variety of Hadiths which focus on the qualities of the best of Muslims.

As believers, we need to be constantly striving to be better, so let’s follow these Hadiths and strive to be the best in the sight of Allah. Because at the end of the day, being the best in Dunya isn’t worth it, if your life isn’t pleasing to Allah.

“The best of the Muslims is he from whose hand and tongue other Muslims are safe.” [Muslim]

In order to be the best believers, we need to be the most peaceful. People need to feel safe around us, not just from physical harm, but from our speech as well. Look inside yourself and honestly analyze your lifestyle, and ask yourself, “Do I often say bad things to others or about others? Do people fear my violent temper? Are people afraid to trust me?”

These questions are very important in helping us grow into people whom others feel safe around. The general rule is ‘Do no harm’ and this is one of the fundamental principles of Islam.

“The best among you are those with the best manners and character.” [Bukhari]

Our religion is one which emphasizes excellent manners and character. How we treat people is the sign of how well we have understood our religion.

Sadly, some people become more harsh, rude and arrogant when they start practicing Islam, which is the opposite of what Islam teaches. To be the best of believers we need to display the best of manners always, and in our dealings will all types of people. Manners are essential for perfecting our faith.

“The best of people are those who are most beneficial to mankind.” [Daraqutni, Hasan]

Islam is not a selfish religion. It is not just about personal and private acts of worship. Rather, the best Muslims are those who dedicate their lives to serving the ummah for the sake of Allah.

Each of us have different skills and knowledge that can be used to benefit others. It is our duty as Muslims to use these skills to benefit the ummah and not to focus only upon ourselves. Make it an essential part of your life to serve the community, because this is what Muslims do.

“The best of you are those who learn the Qur’an and teach it.” [Darimi, Sahih]

The Qur’an is the foundation of our religion. It is our duty to study it, understand it, practice it, live by it, and convey its message to others. The most noblest thing that a Muslim can dedicate his/her life to is the studying and teaching of the Qur’an.

This includes teaching people how to recite Qur’an, teaching Tajweed, Tafsir, Arabic, Hifz, and even Islamic Studies, because all Islamic Studies subjects require studying the meaning of different verses of the Qur’an. Let us all find a way to be a part of this noble process, so that we too can be among the best of this ummah.

“The best of you are those who are best to their families, and I am the best of you to my family.” [Tirmidhi, Sahih]

How we treat our families in private is the true test of our faith and character. It is easy to pretend to be humble, pious and well mannered in public. But to be remain righteous, humble, loving, gentle, and well mannered at home is the true sign of faith.

To be the best, we need to follow the Prophet’s (peace be upon him) example and treat our families well. A true believer is a good Muslim, both in public and in private.

To summarize, from these five hadiths, we learn that the best of Muslims are those who:

Do not harm others
Have excellent manners and character
are beneficial to humanity
study and teach the Quran
treat their families well

Let us strive to practice on these five Hadiths. In shaa Allah, I will publish another article next week focusing on five more qualities of the best of believers.

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