Allah, the Exalted, has said:
رياض الصالحينAbū Zakariyyā Muḥyī al-Dīn Yaḥyā ibn Sharaf al-Nawawī٧٣ - باب حسن الخلق
٧٣ - باب حسن الخلق
And indeed, you are of a great moral character.
And the Exalted has said:
ٱلَّذِينَ يُنفِقُونَ فِى ٱلسَّرَّآءِ وَٱلضَّرَّآءِ وَٱلْكَـٰظِمِينَ ٱلْغَيْظَ وَٱلْعَافِينَ عَنِ ٱلنَّاسِ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ يُحِبُّ ٱلْمُحْسِنِينَ
Who spend [in the cause of Allāh] during ease and hardship and who restrain anger and who pardon the people - and Allāh loves the doers of good;
وعن أنس - ﵁ - قال: كَانَ رسولُ الله - ﷺ - أحْسَنَ النَّاس خُلُقًا. متفقٌ عَلَيْهِ.
Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ had the finest character of all people. Agreed upon.
وعنه، قَالَ: مَا مَسِسْتُ دِيبَاجًا وَلاَ حَرِيرًا أَلْيَنَ مِنْ كَفِّ رسولِ اللهِ - ﷺ - وَلاَ شَمَمْتُ رَائِحَةً قَطُّ أطْيَبَ مِنْ رَائِحَةِ رسولِ اللهِ - ﷺ - وَلَقَدْ خَدمتُ رسول اللهِ - ﷺ - عَشْرَ سنين، فما قَالَ لي قَطُّ: أُفٍّ، وَلاَ قَالَ لِشَيءٍ فَعَلْتُهُ: لِمَ فَعَلْتَه؟ وَلاَ لشَيءٍ لَمْ أفعله: ألاَ فَعَلْتَ كَذا؟ متفقٌ عَلَيْهِ.
He also reported: I never touched any brocade or silk softer than the palm of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, nor did I ever smell any fragrance more pleasant than the fragrance of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. I served the Messenger of Allah ﷺ for ten years, and he never once said to me, 'Ugh,' nor did he ever say of anything I had done, 'Why did you do it?' nor of anything I had not done, 'Why did you not do such-and-such?' Agreed upon.
وعن الصعب بن جَثَّامَةَ - ﵁ - قَالَ: أهديتُ رسولَ الله - ﷺ - حِمَارًا وَحْشِيًّا، فَرَدَّهُ عَلَيَّ، فَلَمَّا رأى مَا في وجهي، قَالَ: «إنَّا لَمْ نَرُدَّهُ عَلَيْكَ إِلاَّ لأَنَّا حُرُمٌ ». متفقٌ عَلَيْهِ.
Al-Ṣaʿb ibn Jaththāmah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: I presented the Messenger of Allah ﷺ with a wild donkey, but he returned it to me. When he saw the look on my face, he said, 'We have only returned it to you because we are in a state of iḥrām.' Agreed upon.
وعن النَّوَاس بنِ سمعان - ﵁ - قَالَ: سألتُ رسولَ الله - ﷺ - عن البِرِّ وَالإثم، فَقَالَ: «البِرُّ: حُسْنُ الخُلُقِ، والإثمُ: مَا حَاك في صدرِك، وكَرِهْتَ أن يَطَّلِعَ عَلَيْهِ النَّاسُ». رواه مسلم.
Al-Nawwās ibn Samʿān (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: I asked the Messenger of Allah ﷺ about righteousness and sin, and he said, 'Righteousness is good character, and sin is that which wavers in your breast and which you would dislike people to come to know of.' Narrated by Muslim.
عن عبد الله بن عمرو بن العاص ﵄، قَالَ: لَمْ يكن رسولُ الله - ﷺ - فَاحِشًا وَلاَ مُتَفَحِّشًا، وكان يَقُولُ: «إنَّ مِنْ خِيَارِكُمْ أحْسَنَكُمْ أخْلاَقًا». متفقٌ عَلَيْهِ.
ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAmr ibn al-ʿĀṣ (may Allah be pleased with them both) reported: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ was neither obscene nor given to obscenity, and he used to say, 'Among the best of you are those of you with the finest character.' Agreed upon.
وعن أَبي الدرداءِ - ﵁: أن النبي - ﷺ - قَالَ: «مَا مِنْ شَيْءٍ أثْقَلُ في مِيزَانِ العبدِ المُؤْمِنِ يَوْمَ القِيَامَةِ مِنْ حُسْنِ الخُلُقِ، وَإنَّ الله يُبْغِضُ الفَاحِشَ البَذِيَّ». رواه الترمذي، وقال: «حديث حسن صحيح» . «البَذِيُّ»: هُوَ الَّذِي يتكلَّمُ بِالفُحْشِ ورديء الكلامِ.
Abū al-Dardāʾ (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet ﷺ said, 'Nothing is weightier in the scale of the believing servant on the Day of Resurrection than good character, and Allah detests the obscene, foul-mouthed person.' Narrated by al-Tirmidhī, who said, 'A good and sound ḥadīth.' The foul-mouthed (al-badhīy) is the one who speaks with obscenity and vile speech.
وعن أَبي هريرة - ﵁ - قَالَ: سُئِلَ رسولُ الله - ﷺ - عَنْ أكثرِ مَا يُدْخِلُ النَّاسَ الْجَنَّةَ؟ قَالَ: «تَقْوَى اللهِ وَحُسنُ الخُلُقِ»، وَسُئِلَ عَنْ أكْثَرِ مَا يُدْخِلُ النَّاسَ النَّارَ، فَقَالَ: «الفَمُ وَالفَرْجُ». رواه الترمذي، وقال: «حديث حسن صحيح».
Abū Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ was asked about what most often admits people into Paradise, and he said, 'God-consciousness and good character.' He was asked about what most often admits people into the Fire, and he said, 'The mouth and the private parts.' Narrated by al-Tirmidhī, who said, 'A good and sound ḥadīth.'
وعنه، قال: قَالَ رسول الله - ﷺ: «أكْمَلُ المُؤمنينَ إيمَانًا أحسَنُهُمْ خُلُقًا، وَخِيَارُكُمْ خِيَارُكُمْ لِنِسَائِهِمْ». رواه الترمذي، وقال: «حديث حسن صحيح».
He also reported: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, 'The most complete of the believers in faith are those with the finest character, and the best of you are those who are best to their wives.' Narrated by al-Tirmidhī, who said, 'A good and sound ḥadīth.'
وعن عائشة ﵂، قالت: سَمِعْتُ رسولَ الله - ﷺ - يقول: «إنَّ المُؤْمِنَ لَيُدْرِكُ بحُسْنِ خُلُقِه دَرَجَةَ الصَّائِمِ القَائِمِ» رواه أَبُو داود.
ʿĀʾishah (may Allah be pleased with her) reported: I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say, 'Through his good character the believer attains the rank of one who fasts and stands in prayer.' Narrated by Abū Dāwūd.
وعن أَبي أُمَامَة الباهِليِّ - ﵁ - قَالَ: قَالَ رسول الله - ﷺ: «أنَا زَعِيمٌ ببَيتٍ في ربَض الجَنَّةِ لِمَنْ تَرَكَ المِرَاءَ، وَإنْ كَانَ مُحِقًّا، وَبِبَيْتٍ في وَسَطِ الجَنَّةِ لِمَنْ تَرَكَ الكَذِبَ، وَإنْ كَانَ مَازِحًا، وَبِبَيْتٍ في أَعلَى الجَنَّةِ لِمَنْ حَسُنَ خُلُقُهُ». حديث صحيح، رواه أَبُو داود بإسناد صحيح. «الزَّعِيمُ»: الضَّامِنُ.
Abū Umāmah al-Bāhilī (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, 'I am a guarantor of a house in the outskirts of Paradise for whoever abandons disputation even when he is in the right; of a house in the middle of Paradise for whoever abandons lying even in jest; and of a house in the highest part of Paradise for whoever has good character.' A sound ḥadīth, narrated by Abū Dāwūd with a sound chain. The guarantor (al-zaʿīm) is the one who stands surety.
وعن جابر - ﵁: أنَّ رسول الله - ﷺ - قَالَ: «إنَّ مِنْ أحَبِّكُمْ إليَّ، وَأقْرَبِكُمْ مِنِّي مَجْلِسًا يَوْمَ القِيَامَةِ، أحَاسِنَكُم أَخْلاَقًا، وَإنَّ أَبْغَضَكُمْ إلَيَّ وَأَبْعَدَكُمْ مِنِّي يَوْمَ القِيَامَةِ، الثَّرْثَارُونَ وَالمُتَشَدِّقُونَ وَالمُتَفَيْهقُونَ» قالوا: يَا رسول الله، قَدْ عَلِمْنَا «الثَّرْثَارُونَ وَالمُتَشَدِّقُونَ»، فمَا المُتَفَيْهقُونَ؟ قَالَ: «المُتَكَبِّرُونَ». رواه الترمذي، وقال: «حديث حسن». «الثَّرْثَارُ»: هُوَ كَثِيرُ الكَلاَمِ تَكَلُّفًا. وَ«المُتَشَدِّقُ»: المُتَطَاوِلُ عَلَى النَّاسِ بِكَلاَمِهِ، وَيَتَكَلَّمُ بِمَلءِ فِيهِ تَفَاصُحًا وَتَعْظِيمًا لِكَلامِهِ، وَ«المُتَفَيْهِقُ»: أصلُهُ مِنَ الفَهْقِ وَهُوَ الامْتِلاَءُ، وَهُوَ الَّذِي يَمْلأُ فَمَهُ بِالكَلاَمِ وَيَتَوَسَّعُ فِيهِ، ويُغْرِبُ بِهِ تَكَبُّرًا وَارْتِفَاعًا، وَإظْهَارًا للفَضيلَةِ عَلَى غَيْرِهِ. وروى الترمذي عن عبد الله بن المباركِ ﵀ في تفسير حُسْنِ الخُلُقِ، قَالَ: «هُوَ طَلاَقَةُ الوَجه، وَبَذْلُ المَعروف، وَكَفُّ الأذَى».
Jābir (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "Among those of you most beloved to me, and the nearest of you to me in seating on the Day of Resurrection, are those of you with the best character. And among those of you most hateful to me, and the furthest of you from me on the Day of Resurrection, are the prattlers (al-tharthārūn), the pretentious talkers (al-mutashaddiqūn), and the al-mutafayhiqūn." They said: "O Messenger of Allah, we know the prattlers and the pretentious talkers, but what are the al-mutafayhiqūn?" He said: "The arrogant." Narrated by al-Tirmidhī, who said: "A good (ḥasan) hadith." Al-tharthār is one who speaks excessively and affectedly. Al-mutashaddiq is one who overbears people with his speech, speaking with a full mouth to show off his eloquence and to magnify his words. As for al-mutafayhiq, its root is from al-fahq, which means fullness: he is the one who fills his mouth with speech and overextends in it, speaking strangely out of arrogance and self-elevation, and to display his own superiority over others. Al-Tirmidhī also narrated from ʿAbd Allāh ibn al-Mubārak (may Allah have mercy on him), in explaining good character, that he said: "It is a cheerful face, doing good, and refraining from harm."