DESCRIPTION

Good manners used to be the main purpose of education. To be educated meant to be polite, avoid causing unnecessary offence and to know how to say the right thing at the right time. Nowadays education is geared to merely ensure a better chance on the labour market, largely ignoring a rounded personality and individual maturity as desired outcomes. Within Islamic teachings, faith and manners take centre stage in assessing the quality of people, taking precedence over wealth and status, for example, when finding a partner suitable for marriage. The prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, even described his mission as a pursuit to perfect manners amongst his followers. Good manners are the glue which binds society. In their absence, people fall out with each other and society falls apart. Today, when social cohesion is weak and many do not know where to look for guidance, teaching the basics, such as good manners, becomes imperative. The collections of Hadith (sayings of the prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him) are vast, and it takes years of dedication to navigate them all. Even in the age of the internet, where information is available at the fingertip, translating the available knowledge into meaningful action remains a mammoth task. To make the teachings of the prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, more accessible, it has long been a pious practice of Muslims through the ages to select forty Hadith focusing on a specific aspect of religious teachings and life. This collection is such a selection, highlighting the importance of good manners. The publishers sincerely hope that this compilation will be a positive contribution to how Muslims deal with each other and with outsiders in the best possible manner.