Qualities of Men in The Quran
By Suhaib Webb | 2026-01-16T04:14:55.106617+00:00 | Topic: Quran
95 Qualities of Men in The Quran
Opening Invocation and Greetings
In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful. All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds. All praise is due to Allah, Most High, and peace and blessings be upon our master Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him and his family and companions.
Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh. First, it's always a pleasure to be here in the windy city. Now it seems to be the rainy city. We ask Allah to make it easy for people of this city, insha'Allah, and make them enter lana wala alayna. We praise Allah for this gathering.
The Prophet as the Embodiment of the Quran
We ask Allah to send His peace and blessings upon the Prophet, whom Allah sent as an embodiment of the Quran. Aisha bint Abi Bakr (may Allah be pleased with her), she said:
She said that the behavior of the Prophet was the Quran, was the Quran. In another good narration, she said:
It was like a walking Quran. And today alhamdulillah, we gather for the sake of Allah, to discuss the qualities of men in the Quran.
Men and Women in Quranic Verses
Talking about different important attributes that the men and also the women, because Ibn Rushd (may Allah have mercy upon him) in Bidayat al-Mujtahid, he said, when Allah mentions men, unless He explicitly makes it known, also women are included in the verses or ayat of Allah. However, our focus is on the man.
And wallahi, I'm sure many of us will agree that the man is an endangered species. If you were to turn on the discovery channel, next to the North African dodo bird, on the endangered species list, you'll find al-rijal, you'll find men. This is not an insult to our brothers, because this is not our brother's fault, but this is the fault of many factors.
The Reference Point (Marji'iya) of Muslims
One of them being the extreme, infective vice of feminism, which is slowly oozed into the minds of people and the hearts of people. But most importantly is the marji'iya of the Muslim, the reference point of the Muslims. Why? Not only men, but women, because sisters, the Arabs, when they wanted to praise a woman, they will say about her, she's a man. She's a man.
But more importantly, especially for those of us here in the West, the marji'iya of the Muslim, the reference of the Muslim, the reference point in the life of the Muslim is what shapes his or her conceptualization of reality. What the ulama and manafiqa referred to as at-tasawwur, how somebody conceptualizes the things around them.
And when we look at the Muslim community and we see the high rate of divorce, we should not be shocked when we discover that the men who married these Muslim sisters, their marji'iya, their reference point was a person whose claim to fame is being shot nine times, living and dressing as though he's in a penitentiary, who talks about women in his songs, which could only lead someone to chronic misogyny.
On the other hand, if we ask our sisters, for example, what is their marji'iya? What is their reference point? Maybe they will say the movies, maybe they will say tawaf in the mall, maybe they will say Bollywood, maybe they will say musharifi. But the reference in your life is what shapes how you think and how you look and it creates attributes and behaviors in your life, whether you like it or not. Whether you like it or not, it creates a personality and it creates an understanding.
The Quran as the Book of Guidance
For that reason Allah, He made the Quran the book of huda, the book of guidance. And Allah said:
This is the book, there's no doubt in this book. This is the book:
That the believer seeks to be guided by this book. He or she actualizes the teaching of the book. In short, the Quran is a book to be studied and a book to be acted on.
The Companions' Approach to the Quran
And that's why the companions of the Prophet would not read more than ten verses of Quran. The minimum was three, as related by Abdullah bin Mas'ud in Ibn Kathir's tafsir. And they would not go beyond more than ten verses of Quran until they acted on those verses of Quran, understood those verses of Quran and lived and made those verses of Quran part of their reality, part of their existence.
Like when we were young and we used to play basketball. I remember back in the days I used to school YM in basketball. We'll see what happens in this visit inshallah. Because I brought my shoes, so you better watch out. But I remember when I was young and I used to play basketball, and in the beginning I would shoot with two hands. How many of you, when you first started playing basketball, you shot with two hands? And your coach told you, don't shoot with two hands, shoot with one hand. You found it difficult. But over time, you develop what's called a muscle memory pattern. You acquired the ability to shoot with one hand.
The same thing, we should approach the Quran, that the characteristics and the attributes of those people who Allah praised them in the Quran, should be practiced, should be studied, should be learned, should be acted on.
Living According to the Quran
In fact, after the death of the Prophet, we find the verse of Surah An-Nur, where Allah says, if you go to visit someone and they don't respond to you, leave. At the end of his life, he went to someone's house who wasn't home. He knew that they weren't home, and he left. Somebody asked him, why? He said, this is the only order in the Quran, for example, I had left to fulfill. Look at the understanding of Quran. It's different than many of our understandings.
The Portrayal of Men in Popular Culture
So if we take, for example, popular culture. What's the portrayal of men in popular culture now? And compare it, for example, to the 50s or the 60s. In the 50s and the 60s, what sociologists tell us, men were portrayed as the benevolent patriarch, John Wayne, man. John Wayne had a six shooter and still killed 100,000 people, with only six shots. I can never figure it out. Be home by dinner, play with the kids, and read a book to his wife and go to sleep.
Then you had Ward Cleaver, Sheikh Ward. Ward Cleaver, goes to work, takes care of his family, feeds Beaver and his brother, Wally. Everything's chill. He's a man, he's in charge, he's qawwam. He's in charge of his family.
But look now at the men in popular culture, because if your reference sister, or if your reference brother is primarily toxic, hot, sludge, that's being pumped into your hearts and brains, realize that it creates what's called a tasawwur in your mind, how you look at reality, whether you like it or not. So from John Wayne and Ward Cleaver, we've arrived at the apex of masculinity, the height of intellectualism, the peak of beautiful articulation, Homer Simpson. Look what they did to the men. And Al Bundy, look at Al Bundy. I don't know, I'm old now. Look what they did to the men.
The Reality of Modern Expectations
So that's why now women, they'll be like, Oh, I would send them to the Halal market to buy the achar, but he probably doesn't even know where the achar is. Before, you'd send them to go kill the goat, and pick up the achar on the way home. But now the way that you look at men has been affected by feminism and popular culture. And you give them the wings to be the khalifa of Allah.
The woman is what men, especially when they're married, take meaning from. It makes the fabric of their life. Seriously. That's why the Prophet said:
The best thing of this dunya is the righteous woman. So dear brothers and sisters, pull back from those things and replace those things with Quran, with sunnah.
The Foundation of Muslim Personality
Today, inshaAllah, we'll spend a few moments talking about some of the more important characteristics of men mentioned in the Quran. We won't have time to do all of them. Actually, this is like a six CD lecture that I gave.
So you're gonna get the cliff notes.
But in general, Allah in the Quran is said to know, Allah says, Allah, in this verse, He's gonna give us the asas, the foundations of the Muslim personality, whether male or whether female. And Allah says:
Allah is the light of everything in the heavens and the earth.
The Light of the Believer
Ali ibn Abu Talib, he said, as related by Imam Ibn Kathir, that Ibn Abbas he said, نُورُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ means Allah is the guide. Allah is the one who guides everything in the heavens and the earth. The example of Allah's light is like this beautiful niche, this lamp. And I hope we can be patient with me as I try to explain this. He said, there's something mahdhuf, there's something hidden here in the sentence. Something is missing.
The example of Allah's light, which is in the heart of the believer is the meaning of the verse, according to the companions of the Prophet. It's like what? The light that exists in the believer is like this lamp surrounded by this glass that beams out.
So the companions of the Prophet said, that the believer, the example of the nur, the guidance that Allah has put in the hearts of the believers, those who believe in Him, is like this lamp that's surrounded by this glass that beams light. Some of them said, the mishkat is the chest of the believer. And the misbah is la ilaha illallah. Or his heart. The iman of the believer.
The Purity of the Heart
And the glass that surrounds this qalb, because why did Allah see the Quran? The beauty of the Quran, bear with me, why would Allah describe the believer's heart like a glass, as the ulama mentioned, because glass is pure and clean. So the one who believes in Allah, and his iman is with Allah, and his tawheed is with Allah:
Then his heart, inshallah, will be clean. See the power of the Quranic narrative.
The Brilliant Star and the Blessed Oil
Then Allah, and I have to just say in English because of time, He describes this light that beams from the chest of the believer, male or female, as what? Like the star:
A bright, bright star. Durri is to push. To push that beams light. It beams light.
And then Allah describes the mechanism that makes the whole thing run. And He describes this, as Zaytoon. As Zaytoon, the pure olive oil:
Allah says a blessed oil. The olive oil. Neither of the east or the west.
The Balance and Knowledge of the Believer
Imam Ibn Kathir (may Allah have mercy upon him), he says this is the balance of the believer. Some ulama said the oil which lights this lamp is the Ikhlas of the believer. Some ulama said the oil is what? His knowledge of Quran and Sunnah. The more he increases his knowledge, the stronger the light becomes. The more oil he gives to the lamp, so it starts to beam.
Until he becomes as Allama Iqbal (may Allah have mercy upon him), he mentioned in one of his beautiful poems, that this person when he begins to live, according to the Quran and Sunnah, when the non-Muslim sees him or her in his workplace, in his neighborhood, in his school, walking down the street, on the bus, the only thing that that non-Muslim will say, from his fitrah, when he sees that Muslim woman or that Muslim man, fulfilling those attributes that Allah mentioned in the Quran, the only thing he can say is:
The believer became such a blessing for humanity, that all of humanity bears witness, when they see the noble qualities of the believer:
Which one of the favors of your Lord will you deny? Because that believing man and that believing woman, in their workplace, in their home, in their school, became a ni'mah to all of creation.
The Scholar and Creation
And that's why the Prophet said that even the fish in the seas make dua for the alim, for the scholar. Imam Ibn Rajab, he said, why? He said, because that scholar, the knowledge that he took, that:
That oil that pushes the heart of the believer, the knowledge of the Quran and Sunnah, will cause that alim even to treat the creation of Allah with respect. Thus the creation of Allah will make dua for him.
The Self-Actualization of the Believer
Then Allah says:
Then he said, subhana, this lamp will light, even what, not just light, illuminate everything, even if no fire touches it. There's two things the ulema said. One of them is that the believer is what he can self-actualize things. He doesn't need someone to always push him or her, clean your room, bring some bread, go make da'wah. I wasn't invited, I'm not going, they didn't even ask me to help with the MSA this time. Being what? Be assertive. The believer doesn't have to have a lot of reminders.
The Houses Where Allah's Name is Mentioned
After Allah mentions this believer, then He mentions the places that are beloved to the believer. And Allah, He mentions:
In the houses. Here He means masajid. After He mentions this believer, He mentions the masajid of Allah. The masjid of Allah:
Allah says, In those homes where Allah, the masajid, He has given permission that His name be mentioned. Some ulama said:
Allah has given permission in the masajid that His name should be mentioned. This is a proof that we should not talk about bad things in the masjid. Because Allah did not give permission for this. And Allah mentions that His name is mentioned there. And the dhikr of Allah is made there:
That in those masajids, Allah's name is magnified.
The First Quality: Men Who Remember Allah
Here is the first quality of men mentioned in the Quran. Allah used the passive form. It's called المبني للمجهول. He hid the subject. He said, somebody mentions Allah. Somebody remembers Allah. Then the next page, the first verse:
Men who business and trade do not take them from the remembrance of Allah.
The Balance After MSA
How many of us after MSA, we became lost in the mad sea of corporate America or the mad sea trying to find jobs and be stable? It's important, we have to. But how many of us lost that balance? The reason is, after MSA, what is there for that generation to do? What organizations are going to bring them in and utilize them?
MSA is some of the most beautiful days of my life were in MSA. Why? Because I didn't have any cha-cha breathing down my neck, telling me, don't put your poster there. You have to fill out a paper to do this. We have freedom, free at last, free at last. Thank God Almighty, free at last in the MSA.
But as soon as we got out of the MSA, we had all those ideas, all those thoughts. We went to the masajid, we got slapped in the mouth. As some people said, they want to talk about hijra from America. We see a Muslim making hijra from the masajid. And most of the Muslims who are making hijra from the masajid are between the ages of 25 and 35. The struggle to keep that balance, the struggle to maintain that active level that we acquired through MSA, after we get done.
So Allah says:
Men who business and trade do not keep them from the remembrance of Allah.
Comprehensive Understanding of Ibadah
The first quality of men mentioned in the Quran is what? That they understand the comprehensive nature of ibadah. That they understand shumuliyyat al-ibadah. The comprehensive understanding of ibadah. One brother told me, Ya Suhaib, how can I remember Allah at Cisco? You know what is Cisco? I said, look man, I didn't say it like that. I said, look my dear brother, if Yunus could remember Allah in the belly of a fish, you can remember Allah in Cisco. He said, subhanAllah.
So the first quality is a comprehensive understanding of life. That this life is for ibadah:
So Allah, I want you to appreciate something from the Quran:
Allah says, somebody praises Allah in those masajids, in the morning and in the evening. The next verse says:
In Arabic it's those somebody said:
Who are those who magnify Allah and recognize Allah in the morning and the evening? And the answer came:
Because if I told you, man, somebody left the door open. You tell me, who? So here it's though, somebody remembers Allah in the morning, in the evening, in the beauty of Allah. The one who's reading Quran will say, who are they?
Men.
Who? Business transactions and selling, doesn't take them from the remembrance of Allah, doesn't pull them away from being attached to Allah.
The Second Quality: Men in Masjid al-Taqwa
The other quality of men mentioned in the Quran can be found in Surah Tawbah. Allah, He talks about Masjid al-Dirar. This was a masjid that was built by the hypocrites in Medina to try to throw a clock in the Prophet and his companions da'wah. Allah exposed them in the Quran and then Allah, He mentioned masajid. The masajid or the masjid:
Both times He mentions masajid. Allah says that masjid whose foundation was on taqwa has the right that it should be, the salah should be observed in that masjid. What type of people are in the masjid?
Men. We know the Prophet said, Do not forbid your women from going to the masjid. And here he says:
What type of qualities? And now فعل مضارع is gonna be used as a sifah. If you understand the Arabic language:
Or it could be, masjid are men:
Who love, if you look at the translation perhaps, it says, love to be pure. But this is not the correct translation.
The Meaning of Seeking Purity
This is على وزن التفاعل . Ibn Umar said:
You can translate that later on. Because I can't translate. It said:
Allah says, In these masjid are menهو تفاعل. They love to be pure. They seek to be pure. They want to be pure. Not, they're pure. This is called تطلبي. They want to be clean. They want to be pure.
And also, it means over time, step by step. So not only do they want to be pure, but they have what تدرج? In this طلبي that they take things step by step. The quality of the Prophet was a step by step system.
The Growth of the Companions
That's why Allah, He described the companions as what? As a stem that's shot from a seed. A weak stem:
The sahaba like a stem, a weak stem that came out of the seed. Over time it grew until it became strong and stood on its own. What did the ulema say? Get ready to get hit with the beauty of the Quran. They said, the seed is Muhammad and the stem that's shot from this seed are his companions.
So over time he, he's given تربية. He's nurturing this stem till it can stand on its own:
Don't you feel lucky to be the people of this ummah? Don't you feel an honor Allah اصطفاكم that you can read the Quran, you can hold the Quran, you can recite the Quran, you can memorize the Quran, you can pick up the hadith of Rasulullah. Every word and every letter you read are like drops of hidayah from Allah. And the job of the Quran and the sunnah is to purify your heart and make it soft.
The Quran Like Rain
That's why Allah أنزل القرآن Allah sent down the Quran in the word أنزل like rain. Because the job of rain is to bring life to a dead land. The job of the Quran and sunnah is to bring life to the dead hearts:
They love to be pure, they want to be pure.
The Hidden Object in the Verse
And this verb is a transitive verb in the Arabic language called المتعدي والمتعدد. This متعدي requires an object. But the object is hidden. Allah didn't mention the object.
Allah He hid the object. Why? This is one of the beauties of Quran in Arabic. When you read the Quran in Arabic, if you come across something where the object is missing, that means it's your job as the speaker to put the object in the sentence. That way Allah grabs you and whips you. Now, virtual reality, now you're in virtual Quran. You're in the Quran.
The Interactive Nature of the Quran
So for example in Surah Al-Hujurat:
Don't put anything in front of Allah and His Messenger. Allah didn't mention what? Because you and me, all of us have our own sins and our own mistakes. So for example, if I look at bad things on the internet:
لَا تُقَدِّمُوا
Don't put in front of Allah and His Messenger, then I put the object looking at bad things. If I backbite people, do not put in front of Allah and His Messenger, backbiting. If I'm harsh on my wife, don't put in front of Allah and His Messenger being harsh on your wife. That way the Quran pulls you into it as you read the Quran.
And here in Surah Tawbah the same thing:
فِيهِ رِجَالٌ يُحِبُّونَ أَن يَتَطَهَّرُوا
In these masajid are men who love to be pure. Pure what? It's not mentioned. That way you men will put your own problem in the verse.
The Comprehensive Nature of Purification
And that leads us, not only do the men love to be pure, the reason that Allah doesn't mention the mafool as mentioned by the scholars of Usul and Al-Lughah is to convey what? شمولية again comprehensiveness. Purify anything:
Allah loves those who purify, the pure men, who are constantly purifying.
Closing Dua Before Maghrib
We have to stop now for the adhan. In sha Allah, after Salatul Maghrib, we'll continue.
O Allah, send blessings upon our master Muhammad and upon his family and companions. O Allah, make us from the men who learn Your Book and embody it in their lives.