WHAT IS A TRUE MUSLIM LIKE?

The first thing is to correct the belief in accordance with those which the Ahl as-sunnat savants communicate in their books. It is only this Madhhab that will be saved from Hell. May Allahu ta'ala give plenty of rewards for the efforts of those great people! Scholars of the four Madhhabs, who reached the grade of ijtihad and the great scholars educated by them are called Ahl as-sunnat scholars. After correcting the belief (iman), it is necessary to perform the worships conveyed in the knowledge of fiqh, i.e. to do the commands of the Shariat and to abstain from what it prohibits. One should perform namaz five times each day without reluctance or slackness, and should be careful about its conditions and tadil-i arkan. He who has as much money or property as nisab should give zakat. Imam-i azam Abu Hanifa says, "Also, it is necessary to give the zakat of gold and silver which women use as ornaments."

One should not waste his precious life on trivialities even if they are permitted (mubah). It is certainly necessary not to waste time on the haram. We should not busy ourselves with taghanni, singing, musical instruments, or songs. We should not be deceived by the pleasure they give our nafses. These are poisons mixed with honey and covered with sugar.

One should not commit giybat. Giybat is haram. [Giybat means to talk about a Muslim's or a Zimmi's secret faults behind his back. It is necessary to tell a Muslim about the faults of the Harbis, about the sins of those who commit these sins in public, about the evils of those who torment Muslims and who deceive Muslims in buying and selling. Thus, Muslims will be aware of their harms. To expose the slander of those who talk and write about Islam wrongfully is not giybat. (Radd-ul-Mukhtar: 5-263)]

One should not spread gossip (carry words) among Muslims. It has been declared that various kinds of torments will be inflicted on those who commit these two kinds of sins. Also, it is haram to lie and slander; these must be abstained from. These two evils were haram in every religion. Their punishments are very heavy. It is very thawab to conceal Muslims' defects, not to spread their secret sins and to forgive them for their faults. One should pity one's inferiors, those under one's command [such as wives, children, students, soldiers] and the poor. One should not reproach them for their faults. One should not hurt or beat or swear at those who are weak for trivial reasons. One should not attack another's property, life, honor, or chastity. Debts to anyone or to the government must be paid. Bribery, accepting or giving, is haram. However, it will not be bribery to give it in order to get rid of the suffering caused by a tyrant. But accepting this would be haram, too. Everybody should see his own defects, and should every hour think of the faults which he has committed towards Allahu ta'ala. He should always bear in mind that Allahu ta'ala does not hurry in punishing him, nor does He cut off his sustenance. The orders from one's parents, or from the government, compatible with the Sharia must be obeyed, but those incompatible with the Sharia should not be resisted in a way that will provoke fitna. [See the 123 rd letter in the second volume of the book Maktubat-i Mathumiyya.]
After correcting the belief and doing the commands of fiqh, one should spend all one's time remembering Allahu ta'ala. One should continue remembering and mentioning Allahu ta'ala as the great men of religion have prescribed. One should feel hostility towards all the things that will prevent the heart from remembering Allahu ta'ala. The more you adhere to the Shariat, the more delicious it will be to remember Him. As indolence and laziness increase in obeying the Shariat, that flavor will gradually decrease, eventually disappearing at last. What can I write more than what I have written already? It will be enough for a reasonable person. We should not fall into the traps of the enemies of Islam by falling for their lies and slanders.