25 Beautiful Hadiths about Good Manners

Good Manners (Adab) are a fundamental part of our faith. Outside of Aqeedah and Fiqh, Adab is one of the most important parts of Islam to study.

In fact, entire books of Hadith revolve around manners and character. Two of the best of examples of this are Riyadh As-Saliheen by Imam Nawawi, and Adab Al-Mufrad by Imam Al-Bukhari.

As a reminder to myself and yourself, here are 25 of my favorite hadiths related to good manners.

Hadiths related to the virtues of good manners

1. The messenger (peace be upon him) said, “Nothing is heavier on the Scale of Deeds than one’s good manners.” (Saheeh Al-Bukhari)
2. “The most beloved of Allah’s slaves to Allah are those with the best manners.” (At-Tabrani)
3. “A person may attain through good manners the same level of virtue as those who spend their nights in prayer.” (Saheeh Al-Bukhari)
4. ‘The best among you in Islam are those with the best manners,” (Saheeh Bukhari)
5. When asked about the definition of righteousness, the Prophet (peace be upon him) replied, “Righteousness is good character,” (Saheeh Bukhari)

Hadiths about the most important manners

1. “Whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day, let him speak good things or remain silent.” (Saheeh Muslim)
2. “Verily, from the perfection of Islam is that a person leaves what does not concern him.” (Sunan At-Tirmidhi)
3. “Do not lose your temper.” *repeated three times as advice (Saheeh Bukhari)
4. “None of you will have faith until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself.” (Saheeh Bukhari)
5. “He who does not show mercy to our young ones or show respect for our elders is not one of us.” (Saheeh Bukhari)

Hadiths about manners towards parents

1. Abdullah Ibn Masood (RA) said, “I asked the Prophet (peace be upon him) which action Allah loves best. He replied, ‘Prayer at its proper time.’ I asked, ‘Then what?’  He said, ‘Then kindness to parents.” (Adab Al-Mufrad)
2. Abu Hurayra (RA) said, “The Prophet (peace be upon him) was asked, ‘Messenger of Allah, to whom should I be dutiful?’ ‘Your mother,’ he replied. He was asked, ‘Then whom?’ ‘Your mother,’ he replied. He was asked, ‘Then whom?’ ‘Your mother,’ he replied. He was asked, ‘Then whom?’ He replied, ‘Your father.'”
   (Adab Al-Mufrad)
3. “Allah curses anyone who curses his parents.” (Adab Al-Mufrad)
4. “From among the major sins is for a man to despise his own father,” (Adab Al-Mufrad)
5. A man came to the Prophet (peace be upon him) wanting to join him on Jihad. He has two elderly parents. The Prophet (peace be upon him) told him, “Your striving is in serving them,” (Adab Al-Mufrad)

Hadiths about mercy

1. “Allah will not show mercy to a person who does not show mercy to other people.” (Adab Al-Mufrad)
2. “Show mercy and you will be shown mercy. Forgive and Allah will forgive you.” (Adab Al-Mufrad)
3. “Those who are merciful will be shown mercy by the Most Merciful. Be merciful to those on the earth and the One in the heavens will have mercy upon you.” (Sunan At-Tirmidhi)
4. “Spread peace between yourselves. By the one in whose hand is my soul, you will not enter Paradise until you are merciful.” (Al-Mustadrak)
5. Anas Ibn Malik (RA) said, “The Prophet (peace be upon him) was merciful and no one would come to him in need except that he would promise to help him or he would give him something.” (Adab Al-Mufrad)

General hadiths about good manners

1. “Modesty only causes good,” (Saheeh Bukhari)
2. “A good word is charity,” (Saheeh Bukhari)
3. “The believer does not curse/use vulgar language,” (Tirmidhi)
4. “Whoever desires more wealth and a long life should maintain family ties.” (Saheeh Bukhari)
5. “Do not envy one another, and do not inflate prices for one another, and do not hate one another, and do not turn away from one another, and do not undercut one another in trade, but be slaves of Allah and brothers. A Muslim is the brother of a Muslim: he does not oppress him, nor does he fail him, nor does he lie to him, nor does he hold him in contempt. Taqwa (piety) is right here [and he pointed to his chest three times]. It is evil enough for a man to hold his brother Muslim in contempt. The whole of a Muslim is inviolable for another Muslim: his blood, his property, and his honour.” (Saheeh Muslim)

Final Reminder

These hadiths should serve as a strong reminder to each of us to treat each other well. Whether it be our parents, spouse, children, neighbors, or even strangers, we should treat each person with the best of manners.

Good character is one of the paths to Paradise in Islam. This does not mean that a person who has good character will entire Paradise is they ignore the obligations of Islam. Rather, someone who fulfills their obligations to Allah and treats people well is on the path to Paradise.

May Allah make use from among the people of manners and Paradise.