WHAT IS A TRUE MUSLIM LIKE?

The first advice is to correct the belief in accordance with the tenets which the Ahl as- sunnat savants communicate in their books. For, it is this Madhhab only that will be saved from Hell. May Allahu ta'ala give plenty of rewards for the work of those great people! Those scholars of the four Madhhabs, who reached up the grade of ijtihad, and the great scholars educated by them are called Ahl as-sunnat scholars. After correcting the belief (iman), it is necessary to perform the worship informed in the knowledge of fiqh, i.e., to do the commands of the Shariat and to abstain from what it prohibits. One should perform the namaz five times each day without reluctance and slackness, and observe its conditions and tadil-i arkan. He who has as much money as nisab should give zakat. Imam-i azam Abu Hanifa says, "Also, it is necessary to give the zakat of gold and silver which women use as ornaments." One should not waste one's precious life even on unnecessary mubahs. It is certainly necessary not to waste it on the haram. We should not busy ourselves with taghanni, singing, musical instruments, or songs. We should not be deceived by the pleasure they give our nafses. These are poisons mixed with honey and covered with sugar. One should not commit giybat. Giybat is haram. [Giybat means to talk about a Muslim's or a zimmi's secret fault behind his back. It is necessary to tell Muslims about the faults of the harbis, about the sins of those who commit these sins in public, about the evil of those who torment Muslims and who deceive Muslims in buying and selling, thus helping Muslims beware of their harm, and to tell about the slanders of those who talk and write about Islam wrongfully; these are not giybat. Radd-ul-Mukhtar: 5-263)]. One should not spread gossip (carry words) among Muslims. It has been declared that various kinds of torments shall be done to those who commit these two kinds of sins. Also, it is haram to lie and slander, and must be avoided. These two evils were haram in every religion. Their penalties are very heavy. It is very thawab to conceal Muslims' defects, not to spread their secret sins and to forgive them for their faults. One should pity one's inferiors, those under one's command [such as wives, children, students, soldiers] and the poor. One should not reproach them for their faults. One should not hurt or beat or abuse those poor people for trivial reasons. One should not attack anybody's property, life, honor, or chastity. Debts to others and to the government must all be paid. Bribery, accepting or giving, is haram. However, it would not be bribery to give it in order to eliminate the harm of a cruel oppressor, and also in case it is the only way to get rid of a disgusting situation. But accepting bribes is haram in such cases as well. Everybody should see his own defects, and should every hour think of the faults which he has committed towards Allahu ta'ala. He should always bear in mind that Allahu ta'ala does not hurry in punishing him, nor does He cut off his sustenance. Parents' and government's orders, when they are agreeable with the Shariat, must be obeyed. On the other hand, when they are in contradiction with the Shariat, they should not be protested outwardly, lest fitna (mischief, instigation) should arise. [See the 123rd letter in the second volume of the book Maktubat-i Mathumiyya.] After correcting the belief and doing the commandments of fiqh, one should spend all one's time remembering Allahu ta'ala. One should continue remembering, mentioning Allahu ta'ala as the great men of religion have communicated. One should feel hostility towards all the things that will prevent the heart from remembering Allahu ta'ala. The more you adhere to the Shariat, the more delicious will it be to remember Him. As indolence, laziness increase in obeying the Shariat, that flavor will gradually decrease, being thoroughly gone at last. What else should I add to what I have written already? It will be enough for a reasonable person. We should not fall into the traps of the enemies of Islam by falling for their fibs and slanders.