The Limits (or Boundaries) of Moral Character

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

Imam Ibn al-Qayyim, may Allah have mercy upon him, said:

Akhlaq [moral character] have limits. Transgression occurs when one goes beyond those limits, and deficiency and humiliation occur when one falls short.

The limits of Anger: Praiseworthy bravery and having a dislike for despicable and deficient conduct. This is its perfection. However, when one goes beyond its limits, the person transgresses and oppresses. And if his anger is deficient, he will behave in a cowardly manner and will not detest despicable conduct.

The limits of Eagerness: To obtain what suffices one’s needs in worldly affairs and employ the means to reach them. Humiliation and a waste of valuable time or opportunity occur when a person lacks eagerness. However, when he goes beyond its limits, it leads to vehement greed and blameworthy desire.

The limits of Envy: Competition in seeking after perfection and not wanting the other competitor to excel you. However, if a person goes beyond its limits, it leads to jealous animosity and oppression, by way of which a person wishes that the one he envies is deprived of blessings and is eager to harm him. And if a person lacks what is required of it, it leads to disesteem and weakness in one’s ambition.

The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:

“There should be no envy except in two (people): a person whom Allah has given wealth and he spends it in the right way, and a person whom Allah has given wisdom (i.e. religious knowledge) and he judges by way of it and teaches it to others.”

This type of envy necessitates praiseworthy competition between one another, and the haasid (i.e. the one who is envious) seeks, by way of it, to be similar to the one he envies, whilst not harbouring the despised envy which necessitates wishing that the blessings bestowed upon the envied one should cease to exist.

The limits of Desires: A means of relaxation for the heart and intellect after exerting oneself in acts of obedience and seeking to accomplish virtuous deeds. However, when a person goes beyond its limits, it leads to a strong and barely controllable emotion and lewdness. Thus, the person descends to the level of animals. However, when a person is lacking in desire and does not utilise it as a means of seeking after perfection and virtue, it leads to weakness, impotence, and humiliation.

The limits of Relaxation: It gives renewed strength to the self and strengthens one’s mental ability in order to facilitate the ability to carry out acts of obedience and accomplish virtuous deeds, so that one is not weakened by toil and tiredness. However, when a person goes beyond its limits, it leads to half-heartedness, laziness, waste of time and opportunity, and many beneficial affairs of a person are missed due to that. And when a person lacks sufficient relaxation, it harms his strength and may even cause him to become enfeebled.

The limits of Generosity: They are between two extremes. When one goes beyond its limits, it leads to extravagance and squandering. And when a person is lacking in generosity, it leads to miserliness and tight-fistedness.

The limits of Bravery: When a person goes beyond its limits, it leads to recklessness; and when a person lacks bravery, it leads to cowardice and weakness. Its limit is to take action during occasions in which such action is required and to refrain when it is not required.

The limits of Jealousy: When one goes beyond its limits, it leads to false accusation and unjustified evil suspicion against one who is free from blame. And when one lacks jealousy, it leads to heedlessness and a lack of concern for one’s honour.

The limits of Humility: When one goes beyond its limits, it leads to indignity and humiliation. And when one lacks humility, it leads to pride and boasting.

Honour has limits. When a person goes beyond its limits, it leads to pride. And when a person lacks honour, it leads to humiliation and indignity.

What gives an upright balance to all these affairs? Justice provides a precise and upright balance for all of this, and this necessitates that a person adheres to the balanced path ordained by the Islamic legislation—the path that is free from exaggeration and negligence. All beneficial affairs of the worldly life and the Hereafter are based on this. Rather, physical well-being cannot be achieved except by way of it, because when some of the elements of the human body are distanced from their appropriate balance—either by exceeding their limits or falling short—they lose their well-being and strength in accordance with the degree of this imbalance.

Likewise, when those natural acts, such as sleep, staying up late at night, eating, drinking, sexual intercourse, movement, recreation, seclusion, keeping company with the people, and other than that, are performed with moderation—neither being excessive nor lacking in what is required—they are regarded as being upright, appropriate, and balanced. However, when a person deviates to one of the two extremes, it is regarded as a deficiency and will have deficient end results.

And one of the most noble and beneficial sciences is the knowledge regarding the hudood [the appropriate limits], especially the divine limits—the commands and prohibitions ordained by Allah (The Most High) and His Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). The most knowledgeable people are those who have the most knowledge regarding those divine limits. Hence, they neither include within those limits that which is not from them, nor remove that which is included in them.

Allah (The Most High) said:

ٱلۡأَعۡرَابُ أَشَدُّ كُفۡرً۬ا وَنِفَاقً۬ا وَأَجۡدَرُ أَلَّا يَعۡلَمُواْ حُدُودَ مَآ أَنزَلَ ٱللَّهُ عَلَىٰ رَسُولِهِ

The Bedouins are the worst in disbelief and hypocrisy, and more likely to be ignorant of the limits (Allah’s commandments and His legal laws, etc.) which Allah has revealed to His Messenger. [At-Tawbah: 97]

Therefore, the most just, balanced, and upright people are those who stay within the limits of the akhlaq, actions, and deeds legislated in the Islamic legislation, in both knowledge and practice.

Source: An Excerpt from Al-Fawaa’id, pp. 207–209