(Surah Al-Ahzaab:21)

Almighty Allah also says: "By the pen and that which they (men) inscribe. You are not, by the grace of your Lord, possessed. And surely for you is a reward unceasing (unfailing). And surely you are of great character."

(Surah Al-Qalam: 1-4)

Good conduct and noble character are the most valuable and precious assets of any human society. They are the treasures of pride for any individual. They build nations and make them imitable among others. No human society can be humane without them. Nations and people without good conduct and high character are nothing but a group of animals living with laws of the Jungle. People of high character and good conduct are high in any society.

There are two levels of character; an ordinary and a superior level. An ordinary character is based on this principle: "Do as you have been done by." Such a character might be termed a `knee-jerk character', because whoever possesses such a character, offers only `reflex responses' to treatment by others; i.e. breaking with those who break with him, wronging those who wrong him, and harming those who harm him.

However, the higher level of character is based on a different principle. This higher principle is: "Do as you would like to be done by." This principle is elaborated by our Holy Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu-Alayhi-Wasallam) in another way: "Love for your brother what you love for yourself."

Whoever possesses such a character deals with both, friends and foes, in the same manner, irrespective of how this principle and way of thinking could easily change the behaviour of the whole human society. This is the moral revolution which paves way for all other successful and lasting revolutions and changes in society.

If all people could adopt this highly principled character, the enmity, antagonism, envy and bloody confrontations would diminish from the human society. The person possessing this character is reconciliatory, even joining with those who break with him. He is compassionate, even to those who seek to harm him. He is forbearing, even towards those who wrong him. This is the principle of ethics for the Muslim Ummah.

We all know that our Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu-Alayhi-Wasallam) was the Final Prophet. He completed the principles of Islamic beliefs and teachings. He also came to accomplish the principles of noble characters and human values, as he stated himself saying: "I am sent in my mission to accomplish the principles of noble characters."

Our Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu-Alayhi-Wasallam), as a teacher of the best and highest conduct and characters, was himself an embodiment of all noble qualities and values. The whole of Makkah had witnessed his noble characters for forty years before he received revelations, and called him Al-Sadiq and Al-Ameen. Friends and foes nobody could dispute his sublime characters.

It is a fact that those who are closer to a person usually do not hold him in such high esteem as those who are further away. However this does not seem to be true in the case of our prophet (Sallallahu-Alayhi-Wasallam). History tells us that the closer one came to our Prophet (Sallallahu-Alayhi-Wasallam), the more one was taken by his fine qualities. The more the people knew him, the higher the respect they paid to him. This is in no way an exaggerated claim. The finest details of his characters and behaviours are recorded on the pages of history books.