Major Personality Traits Of The Believers In Islam

When a person accepts Islam, he or she enters the circle of Islam. Most of the people perceive that with the acceptance of Islam, the journey to truth ends and all that is left for new Muslims is to spend their life and die as a Muslim.

The truth of the matter is that accepting Islam is the half of the story, half of it begins with the accepting of Islam and moving forward  in the way of righteousness.

After becoming a Muslim, one has to move forward in Islam and try achieving the level of a believer.The major and generally accepted difference between a Muslim and a believer is that the latter puts Islam into practice and keeps on growing closer to Islam, whereas the former is anyone who has accepted Islam by proclaiming Shahadah. Becoming a believer is not an easy thing to do, rather a Muslim has to have understanding of Islam, learn Quran in the best manner and then move on to applying those in practice.

The lines below discuss the major personality traits of the believers in Islam.

In Quran, Allah Almighty says:

“God and His angels bless the Prophet – so, you who believe, bless him too and give him greetings of peace.” (33:56)

This ayah shows that the believing men and women are the ones who send peace and blessings upon Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). A Muslim is aware of the stature and place the personality of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) holds in Islam.

Although by accepting Him one enters Islam, however, by sending excessive peace and blessings (Durood) upon Him is something which the believers indulge in frequently. Therefore, if one was to rise high among believers and progress further in Islam, then sending Durood on Him is one thing that needs to be made a part of daily life.

At another place in Quran, Allah Almighty says:

“…It is those of His servants who have knowledge who stand in true awe of God. God is Almighty, most forgiving.” (35:28)

Another sings of the believers in Islam is that they are awed by Allah Almighty. A Muslim believes in Allah being the Supreme and the Lord, however, it is only the believers who are familiar with the essence of it and they truly understand the place of Allah in this universe. The ayah explains that the ones who are in true awe of Allah are the ones who possess knowledge.

The seeking of knowledge is what brings a believer close to Allah Almighty and with more knowledge a person gets to understand Who Allah is and how does He control and possess everything that He has created. Therefore, the second major attribute to be found in the personality of a believer is the quest for knowledge for understanding the creation of Allah Almighty with the objective of praising Him and being in His awe.

Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) once explained the major signs of a believer to Hazrat Ali (RA) where He said:

“O Ali! Of the characteristics of a true believer are that he is continuously in thought; he performs the remembrance of Allah out loud; he possesses a great deal of knowledge; his forbearance is great; and his confrontation (with others) is done with beauty…” (Biharul Anwar)

The hadith highlights various aspects of the personality of a believer. A brief description of these characteristics is as follows:

The first important characteristic of a believer is that he is continuously in thought. The though here does not refer to the worldly thoughts of materialism or some other thought of this world which can be gained through material means, rather the thought here is of spiritual nature and is concerned with the absolute problems of who we are, where we come from, where we will go and so on. Thus, the believer remains indulge in thoughts of finding answer to all the mystery there is, the solution of which leads to Allah Almighty.

Secondly, the believer is someone who remembers Allah Almighty. A Muslim says prayers five times a day, however, the thing that differentiates a believer from a Muslim is that he excessively remembers Allah Almighty and that remembrance to is out loud.

It means that a believer will always be remembering Allah all the time, not necessarily with prayers only, rather praising Him, being grateful to Him, seeking forgiveness from Him, seeking His assistance and so on all classify as remembrance of Allah Almighty.

Thirdly, in continuation to the sings of the believers mentioned in the above ayah where they are in the awe of Allah, the pursuit and possession of knowledge is another factor that can be found in the personality of a believer.

Once again, the purpose of this seeking of knowledge of a believer is not fame or any personal satisfaction, rather he does so in order to understand his place in the universe and to know Allah in a better way.

Fourthly, forbearance is another element that is to be found in the personality of a believer. Forbearance refers to the patience and self-control a believer must have in his personality.

 When one develops self control and patience in the personality, he or she automatically develops greater resistance against evil and whenever they are in some difficulty they resort to their patience and consider it a test from Allah instead of whining about it and falling prey to the evil temptations as a means of escape.

Fifthly, a believer is one who deals with other in the most beautiful manner. Becoming a believer or walking in the way of Allah does not mean that a person should become ascetic and cut off his relation from the world, rather, he has to realize the obligations he has towards the world and should try to perform those obligations in the best manners. In other words, a believer will be someone who is the best in ethics and has a greater moral character accompanied with best mannerism.

In short, the journey in Islam does not end at being a Muslim or just accepting Islam, rather a Muslim has to progress further and achieve the level of a believer.  A believer is the one who will be offered greater reward in the world hereafter.

“For men and women who are devoted to God– believing men and women, obedient men and women, truthful men and women, steadfast men and women, humble men and women, charitable men and women, fasting men and women, chaste men and women, men and women who remember God often– God has prepared forgiveness and a rich reward.” [Qur’an, 33:35]