What are the moral values of the prophet Muhammad?

prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) is known for his great morals and character, and as Muslims, we should seek to follow his path and become better versions of ourselves.

When Aisha was asked about the prophet’s manners she said: “His manners were the Quran.”

If you want to learn about the moral values of the prophet Muhammad and his great character then keep reading.  

13 Teachings of prophet Muhammad.

Our beloved prophet is the best example to follow, he was kind, merciful, forgiving, trustworthy, humble, honest, just, and brave. He followed the orders and guidance of the holy Quran in everything, so that when Aisah was asked about his morals she said: “His manners were the Quran.”

Allah said in the holy Quran: “Indeed, you are of a great moral character.” (Quran 68:4)

Prophet Muhammad said about himself: “Allah has sent me to perfect good manners and to do good deeds.”[ Saheeh Al-Bukhari]

1. Prophet Muhammad’s Kindness and Compassion.

One of the moral values of the prophet Muhammad is his kindness and compassion, Allah said in the holy Quran:

“O Messenger of Allah! It is a great Mercy of God that you are gentle and kind towards them; for, had you been harsh and hard-hearted, they would all have broken away from you” (Quran 3:159).

Anas said: “I served Allah’s Messenger for ten years and he never said to me, ‘Shame’ or ‘Why did you do such-and-such a thing?’ or ‘Why did you not do such-and-such a thing?'” (Bukhari, 2038).

The prophet said to his wife: “0 ‘A’ishah! Never turn away any needy man from your door empty-handed. 0 ‘A’ishah! Love the poor; bring them near to you and God will bring you near to Him on the Day of Resurrection”.

The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) also said: “God is kind and likes kindness in all things” (Bukhari, 6601).

Prophet Muhammad instructed us to be kind and treat others with kindness, he also instructed us to take care of orphans and be nice to them, as he said: “The best house among the Muslims is one which contains an orphan who is well treated, and the worst house among the Muslims is one which contains an orphan who is badly treated” (Ibn Majah, 3679).

“All creatures are Allah’s dependants and those dearest to God are the ones who treat His dependants kindly” (Rahman, VOL VIII, p. 154).

Our beloved prophet instructed men to well treat women and to be kind to them, as he said:

“Treat women kindly, since they are your helpers; . . . you have your rights upon your wives and they have their rights upon you. Your right is that they shall not allow anyone you dislike to enter your bed or your home, and their right is that you should treat them well.” (The Farewell Sermon of the Prophet)

One day a person came to the Prophet and said: “0 Messenger of Allah! My relatives are such that although I cooperate with them, they cut me off; I am kind to them but they ill treat me.” The Prophet said this in reply: “So long as you continue as you are, God will always help you and He will protect you against their mischief” (Muslim, 4640).

Our beloved prophet Muhammad was also kind to animals and birds, not just humans.

2. Prophet Muhammad’s Honesty and Truthfulness.

Aisha (RA), the wife of Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), said:

“The trait and characteristic which the Prophet (PBUH) hated most was lying.  A man would tell a lie in the presence of the Prophet (PBUH) and He would hold it against him until He knew that he repented.” [Tirmidhi]

One of the moral values of prophet Muhammad (peace and blessing be upon him) that is well known is honesty and even being trustworthy. Even before being the prophet, people always trusted him. Being honest was rare at that time in Arabia. Because they were all merchants that always deceived customers to gain more money.

The prophet was not like them he was honest with his customers, and he was loyal whilst conducting trade. When he worked with Hazrat Khadija she wanted to test his honesty so she sent him on a journey trade and sent another man with him.

The man observed the prophet and told her that he was different from the other merchants, he was loyal and honest. And he didn’t deceive others while conducting the trade to gain more money.

Hazrat Khadija (RA) was impressed by that and she sent the prophet a proposal that he accepted. So from this, we learn that we should always be honest.

 3. Bravery and courage.

Ali (RA) said: “You should have seen him on the Day of Badr! We sought refuge with the Messenger of Allah (PBUH).  He was the closest among us to the enemy.  On that day, the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) was the strongest one among us.” [AHMED]

Anas said about the bravery of the prophet Muhammad:

“The Messenger of Allah was the best of people and the most courageous.  One night, the people of Madina were frightened and headed toward the sounds they heard during the night.  The Messenger of Allah met them while coming back from the place of the sound after he made sure that there was no trouble.  He was riding a horse that belonged to Abu Talha without any saddle, and he had his sword with him.  He was assuring the people, saying: ‘Do not be frightened! Do not be frightened!” [ Sahih Al-Bukhari]

Our beloved prophet was known for being brave He didn’t care about what happened to him instead he rushed toward the sound that scared everyone to investigate the source of trouble.

 4. Prophet Muhammad’s Justice and Fairness.

Another moral value of prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) is justice and fairness. Here is one of the most famous incidents that shows his justice:

Aisha said:

“The people of Quraish were extremely concerned about a woman from the tribe of Makhzum who committed a theft.  Speaking to themselves, they said, ‘Who can intercede on her behalf with the Messenger of Allah?’

They finally said: ‘Who dares to speak to the Messenger of Allah in this matter except Usama, the son of Zaid, the most beloved young man to the Messenger of Allah.’ So Usama spoke to the Messenger of Allah regarding the woman.  The Messenger of Allah said:‘O Usama! Do you intercede (on their behalf to disregard) one of Allah’s punishments!’

The Messenger of Allah got up and delivered a speech, saying: ‘People before you were destroyed because when the noble among them stole, they would let him go and if the poor and weak stole they would punish him.  By Allah! If Fatima, the daughter of Muhammad stole, I would cut off her hand.’” [ Saheeh Al-Bukhari]

 5. Prophet Muhammad’s Forgiveness and Mercy.

One of the great moral values of the prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) that we should learn from is mercy and forgiveness. He forgave everyone who once hurt him and he never held grudges he even forgave his firm enemies.

The people of Quraish mocked him, abused him, threw rocks at him, and beat him, but he kept forgiving them every single time.

`Abdullah ibn Ubayy, the leader of the hypocrites of Madinah, worked all his life against Muhammad and Islam and left no stone in trying to defeat his mission. He withdrew his three hundred supporters in the Battle of Uhud, which almost broke the backbone of the Muslims. He engaged in intrigues and acts of hostility against the Prophet of Islam and the Muslims.

Abdullah ibn Ubayy, the leader of the hypocrites spent all his life trying to defeat the prophet and destroy his life. He even spread slander about Aisha the prophet Muhammad’s wife, and Allah revealed the following verse:

 “Lo! They who spread the slander are a gang among you. Deem it not a bad thing for you; nay, it is good for you. Unto every man of them will be paid that which he has earned of the sin; and as for him among them who had the greater share therein, his will be an awful doom.” (An-Nur: 11)

But even when he died the prophet Muhammad forgave him and offered his funeral prayer and prayed to Allah to forgive. Allah then revealed: “And never (O Muhammad) pray for one of them who dies, nor stand by his grave. Lo! They disbelieve in Allah and His Messenger, and they died while they were evil-doers.” (At-Tawbah: 84)

A great example of his forgiveness in Islam and of our beloved prophet is that he forgave the ones who hurt him and abused him. When he gathered them, he said:

“What do you think I will do to you?” They answered: “You will only do something favorable; you are a kind and generous brother, and a kind and generous nephew!” The Prophet said: “Go – you are free to do as you wish.”[ Baihaqi]

6. Prophet Muhammad’s Humility and Modesty.

One of the moral values of prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) is modesty and humility. Our beloved prophet said: “Blessed be he who humbles himself before Allah without having any deficiency, and who humiliates himself without poverty.” [Tanbih al-Khawatir]

The prophet instructed us to be humble and modest not to be arrogant. He never treated others with arrogance, he was so humble and was always there for people to help them and guide them. He ate and wore like the rest of the people. 

7. Prophet Muhammad’s Patience and Perseverance.

Anas said: “Once, I was walking with the Messenger of Allah while he was wearing a Yemeni cloak with a collar with rough edges.  A Bedouin grabbed him strongly.  I looked at the side of his neck and saw that the edge of the cloak left a mark on his neck.  The Bedouin said, ‘O Muhammad! Give me (some) of the wealth of Allah that you have.’ The Messenger of Allah turned to the Bedouin, smiled, and ordered that he be given (some money).”[ Saheeh Al-Bukhari]

A great example of the prophet’s Patience and Perseverance is the story of the Jewish Rabbi, Zaid bin Sa’nah. Zaid bin Sa’nah said:

“Two or three days prior to the return of the debt, the Messenger of Allah was attending the funeral of a man from the Ansar.  Abu Bakr and Umar, Uthman, and some other Companions were with the Prophet.  After he prayed the funeral prayer he sat down close to a wall, and I came towards him, grabbed him by the edges of his cloak, looked at him in a harsh way, and said: ‘O Muhammad! Will you not pay me back my loan? I have not known the family of Abdul Muttalib to delay in repaying debts!’

I looked at Umar ibn Al-Khattab – his eyes swelled with anger! He looked at me and said: ‘O Enemy of Allah, do you behave towards him in this manner?! By the One who sent him with the truth, had it not been for the fear of not entering Paradise, I would have beheaded you with my sword!’ The Prophet looked at Umar in a calm and peaceful manner, and he said: ‘O Umar, you should have given us sincere counseling, rather than to do what you did! O Umar, go and repay him his loan, and give him extra because you scared him!’”

Zaid said: “Umar went with me, and repaid me the debt, and gave me over it twenty sa’a of dates.  I asked him: ‘What is this?’ He said: ‘The Messenger of Allah ordered me to give it because I frightened you.’”  Zaid then asked Umar: “O Umar, do you know who I am?” Umar said: “No, I don’t – who are you?” Zaid said: “I am Zaid ibn Sa’nah.”  Umar inquired: “The Rabbi?”  Zaid answered: “Yes, the Rabbi.”  Umar then asked him: “What made you say what you said to the Prophet and do what you did to him?”  Zaid answered: “O Umar, I have seen all the signs of prophethood in the face of the Messenger of Allah except two – (the first) his patience and perseverance precede his anger, and the second, the harsher you are towards him, the kinder and more patient he becomes, and I am now satisfied.  O Umar, I hold you as a witness that I testify and am satisfied that there is no true God worthy of being worshipped except Allah alone, and my religion is Islam and Muhammad is my Prophet.  I also hold you as a witness that half of my wealth – and I am among the wealthiest people in Madina – I give for the sake of Allah to the Muslims.” Umar said: “You will not be able to distribute your wealth to all the Muslims, so say, ‘I will distribute it to some of the followers of Muhammad.’” Both Zaid and Umar returned to the Messenger of Allah.  Zaid said to him: “I bear witness that there is no true deity worthy of being worshipped except Allah alone and that Muhammad is the slave of Allah and His Messenger.” He believed in him, witnessed many battles, and then died in the Battle of Tabuk while he was encountering the enemy – may Allah have mercy on Zaid.” [ Ibn Hibban]

8. Prophet Muhammad’s Generosity and Selflessness.

A great moral value of the prophet Muhammad is generosity and selflessness. He always helped the ones in need and the poor, never turning anyone away without help.

Our beloved prophet said: “Give charity without delay, for it stands in the way of calamity.” [Al-Tirmidhi]

Ibn `Abbas said that he heard Allah’s Messenger say, “The believer is not the one who eats when his neighbor beside him is hungry.”

Abu Hurayrah reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, “The believer is simple and generous, but the wicked person is deceitful and ignoble.”

The prophet gave our charity and helped the ones in need, additionally, he encouraged all Muslims to do the same.

9. Prophet Muhammad’s Respect and Good Treatment of Others.

One of the moral values of prophet Muhammad is respect and good treatment of others. He was always nice and kind, helping anyone in need, and choosing others’ needs over his needs.

Allah said in the Holy Quran:

“Say, Indeed, my prayer, my rites of sacrifice, my living, and my dying are for Allah, Lord of the worlds.  No partner has He.  And this I have been commanded and I am the first (among you) of the Muslims.” (Quran 6:162, 163)

Prophet Muhammed respected everyone and treated all humans equally, he was kind and nice to everyone, forgave the ones who hurt him and abused him, and never treated anyone with disrespect.

“Anyone who believes in God and the Day of Judgment should not harm his neighbor. Anyone who believes in God and the Day of Judgment should entertain his guest generously and should say what is good, or keep quiet.” [Sahih Bukhari]

10. Prophet Muhammad’s Trustworthiness and Loyalty.

Since a young age, the prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was known for his Trustworthiness and Loyalty. All people of Makkah knew him as As-Sadiq (the Truthful) and Al-Amin (the Trustworthy).

One day the Prophet gathered all the people of the Quraysh near Mount Safa and asked them, “O Quraysh! If I say that an army is advancing on you from behind the mountains, will you believe me?” All said in one voice, “Yes, because we have never heard you telling a lie.”

Trustworthiness and loyalty are one of the moral values of Prophet Muhammad since he was young. When he sent a letter to the Byzantine Emperor Heraclius to invite him to Islam the Byzantine Emperor called Abu Sufyan and asked him”

 “Did you ever find Muhammad telling a lie before his claim to Prophethood?” He replied that he had not. Then Heraclius said, “I asked you if he had ever told a lie and you replied that he had not. I am sure if he had spoken unjustly against Allah, he would not have abstained from speaking falsely against human beings.”

The Byzantine Emperor then asked about the Prophet’s general behavior with people and Abu Sufyan replied, “Muhammad is nobly born, is honest and truthful, and has never broken a pledge. He enjoins his followers to worship none but One God and to pray to Him alone. He preaches kindness, piety, and tolerance towards all, and his followers are on the increase.”

11. Prophet Muhammad’s Wisdom and Sound Judgment.

The prophet Muhammad (peace and blessing be upon him) always took the opinion of his followers in policymaking and leading the ummah. He never forced his opinion on others. He used to consult his companions before making decisions.

Abu Hurairah said: “I never saw anyone consult his companions more often than the Messenger of Allah.” (Ahmad)

12. Prophet Muhammad’s Integrity and Moral Excellence.

One of the known moral values of the prophet Muhammad is Integrity and Moral Excellence, even before the revelation. He was called ‘Al-Ameen’, or ‘The Trustworthy’. People of Quraish used to keep their valuables with them. And even though they abused him and his followers he returned their valuables back to them.  He was also known as ‘As-Sadiq’ or ‘The Truthful’ as he never told a lie.

13. Prophet Muhammad’s Love for Humanity and Good Character.

Another great moral value of the prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is his love for humanity and good character. Even though the people of Quraish abused him, mistreated him, and hurt him he forgave them and prayed for them.

Allah said in the holy Quran: “0 Muhammad, you will, perhaps, consume yourself with grief because the people do not believe” (Quran 26:3).

“Well, 0 Muhammad, it may be that you will kill yourself for their sake out of sorrow if they do not believe in this Message.” (Quran 18:6).

“So let not your life be consumed in grief for their sake.” (Quran 35:8).

Our beloved prophet kept praying for his people and said: “O my Lord, guide my people along the true path, as they are ignorant of the truth.”

We learn a lot from the moral values of the prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and we should try our best to follow his path and learn from him. It is important for every Muslim to learn about the life of the prophet and how he lived his life. Learn to forgive the ones who hurt us and help the ones in need. There are many lessons to learn and those were only a few.