Quran - Code of Conduct

 

Quranic Code of Conduct
Do's and Do not do's in the Quran
Compiled by: A.Muhammad

The Holy Quran provides a recipe for salvation and redemption as well as a comprehensive manual detailing how to lead a righteous life. The manual contains a detailed Code of Conduct by which one can purify the 'self' and attain nearness to God.

It has been claimed by some that the Quran contains the broad guidelines of how believers should conduct themselves but does not detail the full Islamic Code of Conduct. They add that the latter can only be found in the hadith and sunna of the prophet. This article refutes this claim by presenting the comprehensive Quranic Code of Conduct which covers all aspects of behaviour. The Quranic Code of Conduct covers the relationship between the believer and His Maker and also the relationship between the believer and other humans.

Apart from a small number of instructions that were related specifically to the time of the revelation, such as the instructions related to some battles, or others that were addressed only to the prophet or his wives, all the 'do's' and the 'do not do's' in the list below are addressed to all people and for all times. The relevant Quranic verse numbers are accompanied for the reader's convenience.

Do's

Obligations to God

1- Believe in the One God, His angels, His Scripture and His messengers (2:285)

2- Worship God alone (17:23)

3- Devote the religion purely to God alone (39:11)

4- Strive in the cause of God (9:20)

5- Revere and obey God (64:16)

6- Remember God frequently (33:41)

7- Praise and glorify God as often as you can (50:39, 30:18, 40:55, 20:130, 52:48, 52:49).

8- Put your trust in God (64:13)

9- Fear no one but God (2:150)

10- Love God the most (2:165)

11- Repent to God and seek His forgiveness (11:90)

12- Implore God (40:60)

13- Thank God and show gratitude (16:114, 14:7)

14- Proclaim God's blessings to others (93:11)

15- Call God by His Beautiful Names (7:180)

16- Seek God (94:8), and His consent (2:207), and seek His Face (2:272, 76:9).

Religious Obligations

17- Utter the Shahada for the name of God alone (3:18)

18- Observe the Salat (24:56)

19- Pay the Zakat (24:56)

20- Fast the month of Ramadan (2:185)

21- Perform Hajj and Umrah (2:196)

22- Utter God's name on what you eat (6:118)

23- Read the Quran carefully and meditate on its meaning (4:82, 47:24)

24- Seek refuge in God before reciting the Quran (16:98)

Islamic Behaviour

25- Always give honest testimony, even against your parents and close ones (4:135)

26- Treat parents kindly (17:23)

27- Draw a will when death is near (2:180)

28- Seek the Hereafter (17:19) and invest for it, without forgetting your share in the worldly life (28:77)

29- Debate with wisdom and sound advice (16:125)

30- Forgive the faults of others (24:22, 45:14)

31- Speak the truth (33:24)

32- Enjoy God's blessings (5:88, 71:12, 14:34)

33- Take what is given freely only (7:199)

34- Maintain sexual morality before marriage (24:33)

35- Be charitable (33:35), and giving charity in secret is better (2:271)

36- Practice what you preach (2:44)

37- Lower your gaze (24:30-31)

38- Purify your 'self' (9:108)

39- Prisoners of war are to be treated well and freed by the end of the war (76:8, 47:4)

40- Spend your money in the cause of God (2:195)

41- Dress nicely when visiting the masjid (7:31)

42- Verify everything before following it (17:36)

43- Free slaves (90:13) 

44- Apply the law of equivalence (2:178, 22:60, 42:40)

45- Advocate righteousness and forbid evil (3:110)

46- Exercise patience (3:186)

47- Honour the contracts (5:1)

48- Fulfil your oaths and pledges (2:177, 3:76, 17:34)

49- Be upright and straight in conduct (46:13)

50- If you forget, remember God for guidance (18:24)

51- Lower your tone when you speak (31:19)

52- Greet with the word "peace" (6:54)

53- Return a greeting with same or a better one (4:86)

54- Reconcile between believing brothers who fight (49:10), believing groups who fight (49:9) and any people who fight (4:114)

55- Live in peace with those who offer you peace (8:61, 4:90)

56- Honour your treaties (9:4)

57- Suppress your anger (3:134)

58- Think good of others (24:12)

59- Turn away from vain talk (23:3)

60- Be humble (25:63)

61- Repel the bad deed with a good deed (41:34)

62- Stay away from sins and immoralities (53:32)

63- Mediate good deeds (4:85)

64- Speak kindly to the people (2:83)

65- Speak in a correct and straightforward manner (33:70)

66- Speak gentle words, even to your enemies (20:44)

67- If unable to help a needy person, at least speak nice words to him (17:28)

68- Win over your enemies with good deeds (41:34)

69- Believers settle issues between them democratically through consultation

(42:38)

70- If you punish, give a punishment that is equivalent to what you received

(16:126)

71- Live with your wife in kindness (4:19)

72- Write down loan agreements and have them witnessed (2:282)

73- Grant the debtor more time if he faces difficulties (2:280)

74- If you are called upon, judge equitably between people (4:58)

75- Uphold justice (4:135)

76- Adhere to the Quranic rules for marriage and divorce

77- Follow the Quranic women's dress code (24:31, 33:59, 7:26)

78- If you encounter vain talk or acts, pass it by dignified (25:72)

79- Follow the Quranic instructions of inheritance (verses in Sura 4)

80- Return those things you hold on trust to their owners (4:58)

Do not do's

Obligations to God

1- Do not commit shirk (associate anyone with God) (4:36)

2- Do not worship the devil (36:60-61)

3- Do not love anyone as the love of God (2:165)

4- Do not use God's name in vain oaths (2:224)

5- Do not fabricate lies about God (6:21)

6- Do not prohibit what God did not prohibit (16:116, 66:1)

Religious Obligations

7- Do not accept or follow any hadith other than the Quran (45:6)

8- Do not accept any substitute to the Sunna of God (33:62)

9- Do not worship nor idolise the prophets or the angels (3:79-80)

10- Do not call on anyone other than God (35:13-14, 72:18)

11- Do not use the masjid to commemorate any name other than God's name (72:18)

12- Do not corrupt God's words (2:79, 3:78)

13- Do not conceal God's words knowingly (2:159)

14- Do not enter any masjid where deviation is practiced (9:107-108)

15- Do not distinguish between God's messengers (2:285)

16- Do not call God your 'Father' nor say you are the 'Children of God' (5:18)

17- Do not force others into the religion (2:256)

18- Do not argue against God's revelations (40:4)
19- Do not break up into sects (6:159)

Non-Islamic Behaviour

20- Do not allow money or children distract you from the remembrance of God (63:9)

21- Do not claim purity for yourself (53:32)

22- Do not idolise your children, spouse, parents, or money (9:24)

23- Do not ally with your family members if they choose disbelief over belief (9:23)

24- Do not follow the personal desires of those who deny God's revelations (6:150)

25- Do not charge a fee for preaching God's cause (38:86)

26- Do not suspect others without justification (49:12)

27- Do not insult or call each other names (49:11)

28- Do not lie (22:30)

29- Do not confer secretly to commit sin (58:8)

30- Do not turn back and flee in battle (8:15)

31- Do not oppress others, for oppression can be worse than murder (2:217)

32- Do not spy on others (49:12)

33- Do not ridicule others (49:11)

34- Do not follow an act of charity with abuse (2:263)

35- Do not withhold testimony (2:283)

36- Do not confuse the truth with falsehood (2:42)

37- Do not say "I will" without saying "If God wills" (18:24)

38- Do not shout the Salat nor whisper it (17:110)

39- Do not approach the Salat lazily (9:54)

40- Do not be too stingy nor too extravagant (17:29)

41- Do not cause corruption in the land (7:56)

42- Do not take or give bribes (2:188)

43- Do not conceal the truth knowingly (2:42)

44- Do not use foul language (4:148)

45- Do not backbite (49:12)

46- Do not ignore or turn away from those who seek your help (93:10, 80:1-4)

47- Do not enter homes without being welcomed (24:27)

48- Do not enter homes from their backs (2:189)

49- Do not engage in illicit sex nor in taking secret lovers (5:5)

50- Do not throw yourselves into destruction (2:195)

51- Do not be arrogant and boastful (17:37, 31:18)

52- Do not seek praise for what you did not earn or deserve (3:188)

53- Do not rip women and wives of their money (4:19-20)

54- Do not envy or be jealous of others (20:131)

55- Do not utter slander (68:11)

56- Do not spread rumours (24:15)

57- Do not abuse the believers (33:58)

58- Do not exaggerate in your religion (4:171)

59- Do not say what you do not do (61:3)

60- Do not insult others' false gods (6:108)

61- Do not seek reward nor thanks for your good deeds (76:9)

62- Do not have sex with your spouse during menstruation (2:222)

63- Do not mediate bad deeds (4:85)

64- Do not ask too many favours of people, even if you are poor (2:273)

65- Do not mock those who have little to give or contribute (9:79)

66- Do not accuse others falsely (24:4)

67- Do not call those who offer you peace disbelievers (4:94)

68- Do not dismiss some news you hear merely because the source is a wicked person, but verify all news before acting upon it (49:6)

69- Do not sit with those who mock God's revelations until they engage in a different talk (4:140)

70- Do not treat people harshly or hardheartedly (3:159)
71- Do not drive people out of their homes (2:84)

72- Do not uphold religious matters merely through inheritance (2:170)

73- Do not be fooled by fancy talk (2:204)

74- Do not make your personal desire your god (25:43)

75- Do not spend your money to show off in front of the people (2:264)

Prohibitions

76- Do not kill except in the course of justice (6:151)

77- Do not commit adultery (17:32)

78- Do not cheat orphans of their money (6:152)

79- Do not give false witness (25:72)

80- Do not commit theft (5:38)

81- Do not eat the prohibited foods (5:3)

82- Do not mistreat your parents 17:23

83- Do not consume usury (2:275)

84- Do not cheat the weight and scales (7:85)

85- Do not use intoxicants nor engage in gambling (2:219, 7:33)

86- Do not marry those who are committing shirk (2:221)

87- Do not marry various categories, like sisters, daughters, etc (4:23-24)

88- Do not force wives to stay against their will (2:231)

89- Do not break up into sects (6:159)

90- Do not agress: fight only those who fight you (2:190, 8:61)

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