Chapter II: Patience and Gratefulness
The Prophet said: A man will get high rank and an honourable place in the next world by dint of his good conduct even though he had little divine services. The Prophet said once to Hazrat Omar: O Omar, by One in whose hand there is my life, the devil does not tread a path which you tread. He said: Bad conduct is such a sin which has got no pardon. Bad.idea is such a fault which spreads. The Prophet said: A man reaches the lowest stage of hell for his bad conduct.
Wise Sayings. The son of Loqman asked his father: O father, which fine qualities in his conduct are good? Loqman said:
Religion, treatment, shame, good conduct and generosity. When these five qualities are united in a person, he becomes pure, God-fearing and friend of God and is freed from the devil. Hazrat Junaid said: Four virtues raise up a man to highest rank though his divine service and learning are little - (1) patience, (2)
modesty, (3) generosity and (4) good conduct. Good conduct completes faith. Hazrat Ihya-b-Ma'az said: Bad conduct is worst evil and if one has got many virtues along with it they do not do him any benefit. Good conduct is a good attribute. If he has got many sins with it, it does not do him harm. Hazrat Ibn Abbas was asked: What is honour? He said: God explained it in the Quran:
The most honourable of you is he who is the most God-fearing among you - 49 : 13. He said: He who has got best good conduct among you is the possessor of best quality among you. He said:
Every building has got foundation. The foundation of Islam is good conduct.
50 Good Conduct Vol-IH
WHAT IS GOOD CONDUCT: Know, O dear readers, that God said that He created man out of clay and infused His spirit unto him and then the angels made prostration before him. It appears from this that there is connection of body with earth and of soul with the Creator. So human nature is rooted in soul and actions flow out of it. If good actions come out of soul, it assumes good conduct, and if evil actions come out of it, it assumes bad conduct. Hence there are four things - (1) to do good or bad action, (2) to possess power to do there actions, (3) to have knowledge of both, (4) and to become either of the two actions, good and bad, easy. Owing to his attachment to either of them, conduct arises. As a man cannot be called beautiful if he has got only two beautiful eyes but not beautiful face and nose, so he cannot be called to possess good conduct if he has got only one of the above attributes' A beautiful man is he who has got his bodily limbs proportionate and beautiful, so also a man is said to have good conduct if he has got in him all the qualities proportionately.