There are some good manners prescribed by the Holy Quraan and the Hadith, which bring the Muslims closer to Moral Development and Moral Perfection. Here are some good manners:

Truthfulness

The Holy Quraan lays down the command in the following two verses:

“O you who believe! Guard your duty to Allah (in respect of truthfulness) and be with those who are true (in thought, word and deed).” (9: 119)

“O you who believe! Guard your duty to Allah and speak words (that are) true and directed to the right point: that He may make your conduct whole and sound and forgive you your sins. He that obeys Allah and His Messenger, has indeed attained the highest achievement.” (33: 70-71)

Truthfulness in thought, words and deeds is, therefore, a duty. Indeed, it is such an important duty that it forms one of the essential attributes of righteousness (3: 14-16), and Heaven has been promised to those who uphold truth in their hearts and practise it in their actions. (33: 35)

Modesty

Modesty, which means “restraint by a sense of seemliness” and which implies spiritual purity and moral decency in one’s inner attitudes and outward behaviour in respect of moral decorum, has been emphasized in a beautiful manner in the following Quraanic verses: “O you children of Adam! We have bestowed raiment upon you to conceal your shame, and as an adornment. But the raiment of piety, that is the best. Such are among the Signs of Allah, that you may be admonished.”

“O you children of Adam! Let not Shaytaan seduce you, in the same manner as he got your parents out of the Garden (of felicity), stripping them of the raiment (of innocence and purity), that he might manifest their shame to them…” (7:26-27)

Chastity

Chastity implies maintenance of purity in thought, word and deed, in respect of the sexual passion. The Holy Quraan makes it a duty when it commands: “Those who find not the wherewithal of marriage shall keep themselves chaste (in thought, word and deed)…” (24: 33)

The womenfolk have been specifically commanded: “…and that they shall observe the principle of chastity (even in respect of the most distinctly related aspects of attitude and behaviour), that is best for them…” (24: 60)

Generosity

The Holy Quraan has enjoined upon Muslims to cultivate and maintain the spirit of benevolence. Actual generosity is a duty to others. But the cultivation and maintenance of the spirit and the attitude of generosity is a duty towards the self because of the purity and enrichment that it acquires thereby. It is this spirit and this attitude that have been emphasized together with actual generosity, as essential attributes of righteousness, in the following verses: “And compete with one another, hastening to forgiveness from your Lord, and to a Garden whose breadth is that (of the whole) of the heavens and of the earth, prepared for the righteous, - those who spend (freely), whether in prosperity or in adversity…” (3: 133-134)

“Those who spend (in Charity) of their goods by night and by day, in secret and in public, have their reward with their Lord; on them shall be no fear, no shall they grieve.” (2: 274)

Contentment

Discontentment can be in respect of:

§  one’s resources, or,

§  one’s possessions.

As to the first: one may feel that if he is able to acquire the patronage of the upper-class, he can increase his resourcefulness for increasing his possessions: wealth, prestige, power, etc. Such an ambition leads almost always to debasement of the self, and consequently to the violation of the virtue of self-respect. Hence, a Muslim has been commanded to direct all his needs and all his ambitions to Almighty Allah and Allah alone, as, for instance, in the basic Muslim prayer: “You alone (O Allah) do we worship and Your help alone we seek.” (1:5)

The Holy Quraan wants a Muslim to be absolutely contented with Almighty Allah, Who is the Source of all Good, when it asks emphatically: “Is not Allah enough for His servant?” (39: 36)

The usual form of discontentment is in respect of what one possesses, and it becomes more damaging morally when one starts cultivating jealousy in relation to what others possess. The Holy Quraan has forbidden it outright: “And covet not the thing in which Allah has made some of you excel others (but cultivate the spirit of contentment). Unto men a fortune from that which they have earned. (Be not jealous of one another) but ask Allah of His bounty (through positive, rational effort and fulfilment of your genuine needs). Lo! Allah is ever Knower of all things (including your innermost feelings; so be careful).” (4: 32)

Cultivation and maintenance of the spirit of contentment is therefore, a duty to the self for keeping it morally healthy. Contentment should be clearly distinguished from want of effort for improving one’s life in all those things, which have been approved of commanded by Almighty Allah, including rational possession of the goods of this world.

Forbearance and Perseverance

The Holy Quraan has repeatedly emphasized “Sabr” in different contexts.  The Arabic word represents patience, forbearance, perseverance, composure, equanimity, steadfastness, self-control and hardiness. It enjoins: “O you who believe! Seek help in Sabr and prayer; verily Allah is with those who practice Sabr…Be sure We shall test you with something of fear and hunger, some loss in goods or lives or the fruits (of your toil), but give glad tidings to those who practise Sabr, - who say, when afflicted with calamity: ‘To Allah we belong and to Him is our return’: They are those on whom (descend) the Blessings and the Mercy of Allah; and they are the rightly guided.” (2: 153, 155-157)

The Holy Quraan further observes: “…and those who practise Sabr in pain (or suffering) and adversity, and throughout all periods of panic and violence. Such are the people of truth, the Allah-fearing.” (2:177)

“…and Allah loves those who practise Sabr.” (3: 146)

“…the men and the women who practise Sabr,…for them Allah has prepared forgiveness and great reward.” (33: 35)

“Those who observe Sabr, seeking their Lord’s Countenance (i.e., Divine Pleasure)…for such there is the final attainment of the (Eternal) Home.” (13:22)

It is, therefore, the duty of every Muslim to practise Sabr with a view to attain perfection in it: “O you who believe! Practise Sabr, vie in the practice of Sabr and be (ever) ready (in the cause of truth); and be careful of your duty to Allah; that you may succeed and prosper.” (3:200)

Humility

The Holy Quraan refers to and enjoins the duty of cultivating and observing humility in the following verses: “And the servants of (Allah) Most Gracious are those who walk on the earth with humility, and when the ignorant address them (in arrogance), they (do not insult them or engage with them, but) say (or, wish them) ‘Peace! (Separating themselves from them calmly).” (25:63)

 “And swell not the cheek (for pride) at the fellow beings, nor walk in insolence through the earth; for Allah loves not any arrogant boaster. And be moderate in thy pace, and lower thy voice; for the harshest of sounds without doubt is the braying of the ass.” (31: 18-19)

Self-Purification

According to the Holy Quraan, the Muslims are those who not only practise righteousness but constantly yearn for perfection in it: “And those who pray, ‘Our Lord! Bestow on us coolness of eyes from our wives and our offspring, and make us (so perfect in virtue that we may be) unto the righteous a pattern (to be followed).” (25: 74)

And this yearning becomes a reality in the case of those who strive for it truly: “…and among them (i.e., the followers of the Quraan) there are those who by Allah’s leave, are foremost in virtues. That is the great grace (i.e., the most honourable achievement).” (35: 32)

For that achievement, however, it is necessary to purify the self. Hence, true Muslims are those who “act aiming at (self) purification.” (23: 4)

And, thereby they develop “a sound heart.” (26: 89)

Hence, self-purification and development of conscientiousness is a duty.

The Holy Quraan enjoined to develop human heart into a morally sound heart with constant self-examination and the consequent struggle directed at abstaining from evil of every type and practicing good in every way.

“O you who believe! Fear Allah, and let every soul look to (i.e., examine) what it has sent forth for the morrow. Yes! Fear Allah: for Allah is well-acquainted with what you do.” (59: 18)

“Verily Shaytaan (who represents and prompts all evils within or without the self) is an enemy to you; so treat him (constantly) as an enemy (remaining engaged in perpetual fight with him).” (35: 6)

“And strive for Allah (i.e., for the establishment of the highest good within and without the self) as is due unto Him, hard striving. He has chosen you (for it)…” (22: 78)

The Holy Quraan has prescribed the ways and means to maintain the heart as a perfectly devoted one. For that it is necessary to conscientiously practise communion with Allah, fasting and charity. Constant remembrance of Allah and observance of regular prayer are the powerful instruments to achieve communion with Almighty Allah. 

The Holy Quraan has laid stress on the fulfilment of all duties rigorously, whether they are to the self or to others: “O you who believe! Enter into Islam wholly (i.e., fulfil all the duties prescribed by Islam, including those related to apparently trivial issues of life).” (2:208)