[Commentary]

The compiler, al-Ḥāfiẓ al-Nawawī—may Allah have mercy on him—says in Riyāḍ al-Ṣāliḥīn, in the chapter entitled “Scrupulousness and Avoiding Doubtful Matters”: on the authority of al-Nawwās ibn Samʿān (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet ﷺ said, “Righteousness is good character, and sin is what stirs within your soul and what you would hate for people to discover.”

His ﷺ statement, “Righteousness is good character,” means that good character is part of the righteousness referred to in Allah’s words: “And cooperate with one another upon righteousness and piety” (Surah al-Mā’idah 5:2). Good character manifests itself in one’s worship of Allah and in one’s dealings with His servants.

Good character in worship is for a person to receive Allah’s commands with an open heart and a tranquil soul, carrying them out with full submission—without hesitation, doubt, or displeasure. Thus he performs the congregational prayer in obedience, makes ablution on cold days in obedience, pays the zakah from his wealth in obedience, fasts Ramadan in obedience, and performs the pilgrimage in obedience.

As for good character toward people, it is to honor one’s parents, maintain ties of kinship, treat neighbors well, give sincere counsel in dealings, and the like—all with a cheerful heart and a broad spirit, without feeling burdened or showing annoyance. If you find these qualities in yourself, then you are among the people of righteousness.

Sin, by contrast, is when a person hesitates about a matter, feels unsure, and his soul is not at ease with it. This applies to the one whose soul is at peace and content with Allah’s law.

As for those given to wickedness and debauchery, they experience no hesitation regarding sins: you find a person