List of etiquettes, virtues, and moral conduct
taught or exemplified by Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, with Qur’an and/or hadith references. Qur’anic
teachings and Prophetic teachings.
1. Character and Personal Conduct
- Truthfulness —
Qur’an 33:70; Sahih al-Bukhari 6094.
- Trustworthiness —
Qur’an 23:8; 70:32.
- Keeping
promises — Qur’an 16:91.
- Fulfilling
trusts — Qur’an 4:58.
- Justice —
Qur’an 4:135.
- Being
just even toward enemies — Qur’an 5:8.
- Kindness —
Qur’an 2:83.
- Mercy —
Qur’an 21:107.
- Forgiveness —
Qur’an 24:22.
- Patience —
Qur’an 3:200.
- Humility —
Qur’an 25:63.
- Avoiding
arrogance — Qur’an 31:18.
- Modesty —
Qur’an 24:30–31.
- Sincerity —
Qur’an 98:5.
- Gratitude —
Qur’an 14:7.
- Repentance — Qur’an
66:8.
- Self-restraint —
Qur’an 3:134.
- Controlling
anger — Qur’an 3:134.
- Avoiding
envy — Qur’an 4:54.
- Avoiding
hatred — Qur’an 5:8.
2. Speech and Conversation
- Speak
good words — Qur’an 2:83.
- Speak
truthfully — Qur’an 33:70.
- Avoid
lying — Sahih al-Bukhari 6094.
- Avoid
false testimony — Qur’an 25:72; Sahih al-Bukhari 2654.
- Do not
backbite — Qur’an 49:12.
- Do not
spread rumours — Qur’an 24:15–16.
- Do not
mock others — Qur’an 49:11.
- Do not
insult others — Qur’an 49:11.
- Do not
call people offensive names — Qur’an 49:11.
- Avoid
excessive suspicion — Qur’an 49:12.
- Do not
spy on people — Qur’an 49:12.
- Do not
curse excessively — Sahih Muslim 2599.
- Avoid
obscene language — Jamiʿ al-Tirmidhi 1977.
- Speak
beneficially or remain silent — Sahih al-Bukhari 6018;
Sahih Muslim 47.
- Do not
reveal people's private matters — Sahih Muslim 2589.
- Do not
lie merely to make people laugh — Sunan Abi Dawud 4990.
- Reconcile
people rather than spread conflict — Qur’an 49:10.
- Use
gentle speech — Qur’an 20:44.
- Do not
shout unnecessarily — Qur’an 31:19.
- Lower
one's voice — Qur’an 31:19.
3. Family
- Honour
one's parents — Qur’an 17:23.
- Speak
respectfully to parents — Qur’an 17:23.
- Pray
for one's parents — Qur’an 17:24.
- Maintain
family ties — Qur’an 4:1.
- Be good
to one's relatives — Qur’an 16:90.
- Treat
one's spouse well — Qur’an 4:19.
- Live
with one's spouse honourably — Qur’an 4:19.
- Be kind
to children — Sahih al-Bukhari 5997.
- Show
affection toward children — Sahih al-Bukhari 5997.
- Care
for orphans — Qur’an 4:36.
- Do not
mistreat orphans — Qur’an 93:9.
- Care
for widows and the needy — Sahih al-Bukhari 5353.
- Support
one's family — Sahih Muslim 994.
- Be good
to one's family — Jamiʿ al-Tirmidhi 3895.
- Do not
neglect one's dependants — Sunan Abi Dawud 1692.
4. Neighbours and Community
- Treat
neighbours well — Qur’an 4:36.
- Do not
harm your neighbour — Sahih al-Bukhari 6016.
- Honour
guests — Sahih al-Bukhari 6018.
- Visit
the sick — Sahih al-Bukhari 1240.
- Attend
funerals — Sahih al-Bukhari 1239.
- Respond
to invitations — Sahih al-Bukhari 5175.
- Return
greetings — Qur’an 4:86.
- Spread
salam — Sahih Muslim 54.
- Help
people in difficulty — Sahih Muslim 2699.
- Remove
harmful objects from roads — Sahih al-Bukhari 2827;
Sahih Muslim 1914.
- Feed
the hungry — Sahih al-Bukhari 12.
- Give
charity — Qur’an 2:261.
- Help
the poor — Qur’an 2:177.
- Care
for travellers in need — Qur’an 2:177.
- Reconcile
disputing Muslims — Qur’an 49:10.
5. Business and Financial Ethics
- Do not
cheat — Sahih Muslim 102.
- Give
full measure — Qur’an 17:35.
- Give
full weight — Qur’an 83:1–3.
- Do not
deceive in trade — Sahih Muslim 102.
- Be
honest in transactions — Sahih al-Bukhari 2079.
- Disclose
defects in merchandise — Sahih al-Bukhari 2079.
- Do not
hoard goods to exploit people — Sahih Muslim 1605.
- Do not
consume people's wealth unjustly — Qur’an 2:188.
- Fulfil
financial contracts — Qur’an 5:1.
- Return
deposits and trusts — Qur’an 4:58.
- Pay
debts — Qur’an 2:282.
- Give
debtors time when they are in difficulty —
Qur’an 2:280.
- Do not
engage in bribery — Qur’an 2:188.
- Do not
consume usury (riba) — Qur’an 2:275–279.
6. Eating, Drinking and Household
Etiquette
- Mention
Allah's name before eating — Sahih al-Bukhari 5376.
- Eat
with the right hand — Sahih Muslim 2020.
- Eat
from what is in front of you — Sahih al-Bukhari 5376.
- Do not
criticise food — Sahih al-Bukhari 5409.
- Eat
moderately — Jamiʿ al-Tirmidhi 2380.
- Avoid
extravagance — Qur’an 7:31.
- Do not
waste food — Qur’an 7:31.
- Praise
Allah after eating — Sahih Muslim 2734.
- Drink
with moderation — Jamiʿ al-Tirmidhi 2380.
- Do not
breathe into one's drinking vessel — Sahih al-Bukhari 5630.
- Use the
right hand for eating and drinking — Sahih Muslim 2020.
7. Cleanliness and Personal
Hygiene
- Maintain
cleanliness — Sahih Muslim 223.
- Use the
siwak/miswak — Sahih al-Bukhari 887.
- Keep
the mouth clean — Sahih al-Bukhari 887.
- Maintain
personal hygiene — Sahih Muslim 257.
- Trim
the moustache — Sahih Muslim 258.
- Keep
the beard — Sahih Muslim 259.
- Trim
the nails — Sahih Muslim 258.
- Remove
unwanted body hair — Sahih Muslim 258.
- Wash
the hands — Sahih Muslim 278.
- Perform
wudu — Qur’an 5:6.
8. Privacy and Social Boundaries
- Ask
permission before entering homes — Qur’an 24:27.
- Give
salam before entering — Qur’an 24:27.
- Do not
enter someone else's home without permission —
Qur’an 24:27.
- Do not
spy — Qur’an 49:12.
- Respect
people's privacy — Qur’an 24:27–29.
- Do not
look into people's private affairs — Qur’an 49:12.
- Do not
expose people's faults — Sahih Muslim 2580.
- Do not enter
a home after permission has been refused —
Qur’an 24:28.
9. Mercy Toward Animals
- Show
mercy to animals — Sahih al-Bukhari 2363.
- Provide
animals with water — Sahih al-Bukhari 2363.
- Do not
torture animals — Sahih Muslim 1958.
- Do not
use animals as targets — Sahih Muslim 1957.
- Do not
overburden animals — Sunan Abi Dawud 2548.
- Do not
unnecessarily kill animals — Sahih Muslim 1958.
10. Conduct During Conflict
- Do not
transgress — Qur’an 2:190.
- Do not
let hatred lead to injustice — Qur’an 5:8.
- Accept
peace when the enemy inclines toward peace —
Qur’an 8:61.
- Do not
kill non-combatants — Sahih Muslim 1744.
- Do not
kill women and children — Sahih al-Bukhari 3015.
- Do not
betray agreements — Qur’an 8:58.
- Fulfil
treaties — Qur’an 9:4.
- Do not
mutilate the dead — Sahih al-Bukhari 3016.
- Treat
prisoners humanely — Qur’an 76:8.
- Do not
destroy indiscriminately — Qur’an 2:190.
11. Treatment of the Weak and
Vulnerable
- Care
for orphans — Qur’an 4:10.
- Care
for widows — Sahih al-Bukhari 5353.
- Feed
the poor — Qur’an 90:14–16.
- Free
slaves — Qur’an 90:13.
- Treat
slaves/servants well — Sahih al-Bukhari 30.
- Do not
oppress workers — Sahih al-Bukhari 2270.
- Give
workers their wages — Sunan Ibn Majah 2443.
- Help
debtors — Qur’an 2:280.
- Do not
consume the wealth of orphans — Qur’an 4:10.
- Stand
against oppression — Qur’an 4:75.
12. Spiritual and Moral
Excellence
- Do good
even when no one is watching — Qur’an 67:12.
- Control
anger — Qur’an 3:134.
- Forgive
people — Qur’an 3:134.
- Repel
evil with what is better — Qur’an 41:34.
- Do not
respond to evil with greater evil — Qur’an 41:34.
- Be
grateful — Qur’an 14:7.
- Be
patient during hardship — Qur’an 2:153.
- Have
hope in Allah's mercy — Qur’an 39:53.
- Avoid
despair — Qur’an 12:87.
- Rely
upon Allah — Qur’an 3:159.
- Seek
forgiveness — Qur’an 3:135.
- Remember
Allah frequently — Qur’an 33:41.
- Pray
for others — Qur’an 59:10.
- Give
charity secretly and openly — Qur’an 2:274.
- Do not
remind people of your charity in a hurtful manner —
Qur’an 2:262.
- Give
without expecting repayment — Qur’an 76:9.
The overarching principle
The remarkable thing is that the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ did not merely teach these
principles theoretically. His companions described his character, and the
Qur’an itself says:
وَإِنَّكَ
لَعَلَىٰ خُلُقٍ عَظِيمٍ
“And indeed, you possess an عظیم (great) character.”
Qur’an 68:4
And when ʿA’ishah رضي الله عنها was asked
about the character of the Prophet ﷺ, she famously said:
“His character was the Qur’an.”
— Sahih Muslim 746
This gives a useful way of understanding his
mission: he taught mankind how to worship Allah, but he also taught mankind
how to conduct oneself toward other human beings, one's family, one's
neighbours, the weak, animals, and even one's enemies.
If you're using this for a debate or written
argument about the Prophet ﷺ bringing moral and ethical conduct to
humanity, I can also organise these into “20 major moral reforms brought by
Muhammad ﷺ”, with the strongest Qur’an/hadith evidence and
historical examples for each.
.
20
Major Moral Teachings and Reforms of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ
1. Truthfulness and rejection of lying
The Prophet ﷺ made truthfulness a defining
characteristic of the believer.
“Truthfulness leads to
righteousness, and righteousness leads to Paradise…”
— Sahih al-Bukhari 6094; Sahih Muslim 2607
The Qur’an likewise commands:
“O you who believe, fear Allah and
speak words of appropriate justice.”
— Qur’an 33:70
2. Trustworthiness
The Prophet ﷺ was known even before his prophethood as al-Amīn — “the trustworthy.”
The Qur’an commands:
“Indeed, Allah commands you to
render trusts to whom they are due…”
— Qur’an 4:58
Trustworthiness therefore applies not merely
to religious obligations but also to people's property, responsibilities and
agreements.
3. Justice—even toward one's enemies
One of the strongest ethical principles in
the Qur’an is that hatred does not
justify injustice:
“Do not let the hatred of a people
cause you to be unjust. Be just; that is nearer to righteousness.”
— Qur’an 5:8
This is an exceptionally important
principle: justice is not conditional
upon liking the person receiving it.
4. Mercy
The Qur’an describes the Prophet ﷺ as:
“a mercy to the worlds.”
— Qur’an 21:107
And the Prophet ﷺ said:
“Those who are merciful will be
shown mercy by the Most Merciful.”
— Jamiʿ al-Tirmidhi 1924
Mercy was extended toward family, children,
the elderly, the poor, animals and even enemies.
5. Forgiveness
The Qur’an repeatedly encourages
forgiveness:
“Let them pardon and overlook.
Would you not love that Allah should forgive you?”
— Qur’an 24:22
And the Prophet ﷺ himself demonstrated forgiveness toward
people who had wronged him.
This makes forgiveness a virtue rather than merely a concession.
6. Controlling anger
The Qur’an praises those:
“who restrain anger and pardon the people—and
Allah loves the doers of good.”
— Qur’an 3:134
The Prophet ﷺ also taught:
“The strong man is not the one who
can overpower others; rather, the strong man is the one who controls himself
when angry.”
— Sahih al-Bukhari 6114; Sahih Muslim 2609
This redefines strength as self-mastery rather than physical domination.
7. Kindness toward parents
The Qur’an places extraordinary emphasis on
parents:
“And We have enjoined upon man
goodness to his parents.”
— Qur’an 29:8
And:
“Do not say to them even ‘uff,’ and
do not repel them, but rather speak to them a noble word.”
— Qur’an 17:23
Even the smallest expression of irritation
toward one's parents is condemned.
8. Kindness toward wives and women
The Qur’an commands:
“Live with them in kindness.”
— Qur’an 4:19
The Prophet ﷺ said:
“The best of you are the best of
you to their wives.”
— Jamiʿ al-Tirmidhi 3895
His teaching therefore made good treatment
of one's wife a measure of one's own character.
9. Care for orphans
The Qur’an strongly condemns exploitation
of orphans:
“Indeed, those who devour the
property of orphans unjustly are only consuming into their bellies fire.”
— Qur’an 4:10
The Prophet ﷺ also said:
“I and the one who cares for an
orphan will be like this in Paradise,”
and he indicated his index and middle fingers.
— Sahih al-Bukhari 5304
10. Care for widows and the poor
The Prophet ﷺ placed enormous value upon helping
vulnerable people.
“The one who strives to help the
widow and the poor is like the one who strives in the cause of Allah…”
— Sahih al-Bukhari 5353; Sahih Muslim 2982
This turns social welfare into a religious virtue, not merely a
social preference.
11. Protection of the weak
Islam repeatedly commands the protection of
people who are vulnerable to exploitation.
For example:
“Worship Allah… and do good to
parents, to relatives, orphans, the needy, the near neighbour, the distant
neighbour…”
— Qur’an 4:36
The moral community envisioned by the
Prophet ﷺ was
therefore not based solely upon the powerful protecting themselves.
12. Honesty in business
The Prophet ﷺ explicitly condemned commercial deception:
“Whoever cheats us is not one of
us.”
— Sahih Muslim 102
The Qur’an also condemns those who cheat in
weights and measurements:
“Woe to those who give less than
due…”
— Qur’an 83:1–3
Thus commercial
ethics became a religious obligation.
13. Fair treatment of workers
The Prophet ﷺ strongly emphasised the rights of workers.
A famous hadith states:
“Give the worker his wages before
his sweat dries.”
— Sunan Ibn Majah 2443
The principle is straightforward: a
person's labour creates an obligation upon the employer.
14. Kindness toward slaves and servants
Islam strongly encouraged humane treatment
of those under one's authority.
The Prophet ﷺ said:
“Your servants are your brothers
whom Allah has placed under your authority…”
— Sahih al-Bukhari 30; Sahih Muslim 1661
He commanded masters to feed and clothe
them appropriately and not burden them beyond their capacity.
Islam simultaneously established manumission of slaves as a major act of
righteousness and expiation (Qur’an 90:13; 4:92; 5:89).
15. Kindness toward children
The Prophet ﷺ openly demonstrated affection toward
children.
He kissed his grandson al-Hasan, and when
someone expressed surprise at this, the Prophet ﷺ responded:
“Whoever does not show mercy will
not be shown mercy.”
— Sahih al-Bukhari 5997; Sahih Muslim 2318
Affection was therefore not regarded as
weakness but as mercy and good
character.
16. Respect and protection of neighbours
The Prophet ﷺ repeatedly emphasised the rights of
neighbours.
He said:
“Jibril kept recommending me to
treat my neighbour well until I thought that he would make him my heir.”
— Sahih al-Bukhari 6014; Sahih Muslim 2624
And:
“By Allah, he does not believe…
whose neighbour is not safe from his harm.”
— Sahih al-Bukhari 6016; Sahih Muslim 46
Notice the strength of the language: the neighbour must be safe from you.
17. Respect for human life during warfare
The Prophet ﷺ prohibited the killing of non-combatants.
Among the Prophetic instructions concerning
warfare was the prohibition of killing women
and children.
— Sahih al-Bukhari 3015; Sahih Muslim 1744
He also prohibited treachery and
mutilation.
— Sahih al-Bukhari 3015–3016
Thus even warfare was subjected to moral restrictions.
18. Mercy toward animals
The Prophet ﷺ taught that animals were not simply
objects without moral consideration.
He told of a person who was forgiven by
Allah because they gave water to a thirsty dog.
— Sahih al-Bukhari 2363; Sahih Muslim 2244
Conversely, a woman was condemned because
she imprisoned a cat and allowed it to die.
— Sahih al-Bukhari 2365; Sahih Muslim 2242
The principle is powerful:
Cruelty toward an animal can itself
become a matter of moral accountability before God.
19. Cleanliness and personal hygiene
The Prophet ﷺ made cleanliness an important component of
religious life.
He taught practices including:
·
washing
·
purification through wudu
·
brushing the teeth with siwak
·
trimming the nails
·
removing unwanted body hair
·
maintaining personal cleanliness
The Prophet ﷺ said:
“Purification is half of faith.”
— Sahih Muslim 223
And the Qur’an commands purification:
“Allah loves those who are
constantly repentant and loves those who purify themselves.”
— Qur’an 2:222
20. The Golden Principle of Good Character
Perhaps the most comprehensive principle is
found in the Prophet's statement:
“I was sent to perfect good character.”
This report is transmitted in al-Adab al-Mufrad and Musnad Ahmad with supporting chains.
And the Qur’an describes the Prophet ﷺ:
“And indeed, you are of a great
moral character.”
— Qur’an 68:4
This gives us an important framework for
understanding the Prophetic mission.
A Strong Summary for a Debate
If you are presenting this argument to a
Christian, atheist, or general audience, I would avoid claiming that Muhammad ﷺ invented
every individual moral principle.
Someone could easily object that truthfulness, kindness, justice, or care for
the poor existed before Islam.
The stronger argument is:
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ did not
claim to have invented morality. Rather, he brought a comprehensive revelation
that commanded, regulated, and reinforced moral conduct across every dimension
of human life: personal character, family, commerce, treatment of the poor,
treatment of neighbours, warfare, treatment of animals, speech, cleanliness,
justice and mercy.
That is much harder to refute because it is
actually what the Qur’an and Sunnah demonstrate.
And there is another particularly strong
point: the Prophet ﷺ was not
merely preaching these virtues to others; his own life was presented as the
practical model.
The Qur’an says:
“Indeed, in the Messenger of Allah
you have an excellent example…”
— Qur’an 33:21
So the Islamic model is:
Revelation → moral command → Prophetic example → practical implementation.
