Translator’s Introduction — Hadith 1

In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful All praise belongs to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and blessings and salutations upon the Noble Prophet Muḥammad (ṣ) and his pure progeny, the Ahl al-Bayt (a). Good character and etiquette is the foundation upon which the life of a pious Muslim is established. Perfection of morals is said to have been the goal of the Prophet’s message, as reflected in his own words. As such, it has always been part and parcel of the teachings of divinely appointed guides. Indeed, without good character, a believer has little worth and can end up doing more harm to the cause of the faith than anything else. Human perfection has many levels. The greater the amount of self discipline and effort on the part of an individual, the higher the level of perfection that he would attain. In reality, a human being stands between two extremes, the lowest of which is below the level of beasts and the highest of which surpasses even the lofty station of angels. It is through ethics that progress is made towards higher stations. The goal of ethics is to raise and guide people from the lowest animal state to the most exalted position that is superior to that of all other creatures. Having realised this, throughout the ages scholars have focused their attention on the subject of ethics and have penned numerous treatises on the subject. As Muslims and followers of the Ahl al-Bayt (a), we have the added advantage