Commentary
And when it was established with this intellect, along with what it provided of virtue, and that the one who is rewarded may be in the lowest ranks of intellect, it was clarified that he ﷺ is in the highest of them by his saying, confirming what has passed: ﴿And indeed, you﴾. And he increased in emphasis for their increase in stubbornness by saying: ﴿Surely, you are upon a great character﴾. And when the context understood the glorification, he explicitly stated it by saying: ﴿Great﴾. And it is the Islam that the Qur'an called to, which does not deviate by calamity, nor does it turn away by bounty. For his character - by the testimony of the most knowledgeable of people about him, his wife, the Mother of the Believers, the truthful Aisha, daughter of the truthful Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with them both - is the Qur'an. He does not move or remain still except by His command and prohibition. This character is the result of guidance, and guidance is the result of intellect, and it is the cause of happiness. So he understood that their lack of happiness is due to their lack of intellect. [And] Al-Wasiti said: Allah manifested His power in Jesus, peace be upon him, and His effectiveness in Asif, and His wrath and domination in the staff of Moses, peace be upon him. And He manifested His morals and attributes in Muhammad ﷺ, so he was adorned with the morals of Allah, the Exalted. And to adorn oneself with His morals means to purify His knowledge from ignorance, His generosity from stinginess, His justice from oppression, and His forbearance from foolishness. And know that creation and character are two forms: creation is the form of the outward, and character is the form of the inward. The harmony of the outward members is expressed by good creation, and the harmony of the inward meanings is expressed by good character. Then good character is sometimes with Allah, sometimes with His judgment, and sometimes with creation. With Allah, it is with glorification and reverence, and with His judgment, it is with patience in adversity and hardship, and gratitude in ease, and compliance with commands and avoidance of prohibitions with a pure heart, hastening, and generosity. And good character with creation is spreading fairness in dealings and good companionship in relationships. It was narrated from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ that he said: "Good character is the vessel of religion, for from good character, religion emerges. It is submission, humility, and giving oneself to Allah, and enduring what is disliked."
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