Mere Islam: Sheikh Nuh Keller on Good Character

Yesterday I was listening to a lecture by Sheikh Nuh Ha Mim Keller which he was giving to a group of his female students regarding proper Islamic adab (i.e. etiquette, manners and morals) when this gem of wisdom really struck me:

“First of all, to have
the utmost concern for good character…to have the utmost concern
for good character. Because good character—generally meaning being affable, and friendly, and helpful instead of the opposite of these things—it
has a good effect on one’s self, first of all. It has a good
effect on those around one—one’s husband and one’s
children—and it has a good effect on one’s relations with
other people. It has a good effect on the whole environment, and so
this is the first thing. It’s a corrective; it’s something
that if you do it, everything else will get straight—and so
it’s of the utmost importance.” [Read on]