Righteousness is Good Character

On the Authority of Al-Nawwaas ibn Samaan (may Allah be pleased with him) from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) who said, "Righteousness (birr) is good character (khuluq)." Recorded by Muslim.

The word birr is used in two senses. The first is treating others in a good fashion. If this is the usage intended by the Prophet in this particular statement, then the hadith must be understood to mean, "Good character is essential to righteous dealings with others."

The second sense in which birr is used refers to all acts of worship and obedience to Allah, both inward and outward. If this is what the Prophet meant in this hadith, it can be understood as, "Righteousness is good khuluq," in the general sense of khuluq as explained below.

One's khuluq is a combination of understanding, intention and deeds, with the last two aspects playing the most important role. If a person has good intentions followed by good deeds, it is said that he has good character or good morals. If a person has bad intentions followed up by evil deeds, it is said that he has bad character or bad morals.

Among many Muslims today, there is a misconception concerning khuluq. If a person is kind, nice and sweet, they say that he has a good character or khuluq. They may say this even if the person does not pray or fast, for example. One may even hear the statement, "He does not pray but he has a good character." This demonstrates a lack of understanding of the Islamic concept of khuluq and its all-inclusive nature.

Khuluq is often divided into three categories: khuluq with respect to the Creator, khuluq with respect to other humans and khuluq with respect to oneself. Two other categories should be added to the commonly mentioned three categories: khuluq with respect to all the other creatures that Allah has created, and khuluq with respect to the Earth and all of its natural resources. All of these categories comprise a person's khuluq. For a person to have good khuluq he must have good khuluq with respect to all of the different categories of khuluq. It is not sufficient to be good in one category and then fail with respect to the other categories.

Source:
"Commentary on the Forty Hadi"