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Indeed, outward good manners are signs of inward morals, and the movement of the limbs are the fruits of inward thoughts, and deeds are the results of moral behaviour, just as good manners are a perspiration of knowledge, and actions are wellsprings from the secrets of the hearts where they are cultivated, and the lights emanating inner sights are the ones that shine on the outward semblance of people, making them beautiful and polished, where the pleasant character traits replace the reprehensible and bad ones. The person whose heart and limbs do not submit [to Allah’s will], and whose breast is not a niche of Divine lights, the beauty of Prophetic manners will not show on him.
External behaviour is a mirror of what is in the heart. Manifest behaviour is the fruit of a tree that has its roots in the heart. The heart is the field in which one sows the seeds of all behaviour that will become apparent in due time. One cannot display a behaviour which is the opposite of what is in the heart, without ultimately being exposed. If the heart is full with the remembrance of Allah, the love of His Prophet, and the love of neighbours, then the outcome is peaceful activity in the service of humanity at large. The beautiful can only produce that which is beautiful.
We have been created to know Allah, to worship Him and to serve humanity by adhering to the revealed message. Reality should be appreciated when it is right, but it should not be allowed to change our hearts when it goes wrong. It is imperative to reject wrongdoing and injustice committed against anyone, Muslim or not.
The ultimate example of good external behaviour has been established in the life of the Prophet 
. In order for this beautiful example to manifest itself in one’s behaviour, the heart has to be the seat of Divine light. This is achievable by continuously cleansing it from worldly attachments. The heart should submit itself in its totality to the will of Allah. Daily maintenance is required because distractions and temptations are everywhere, and some influences may seep into the most conscientious hearts.
What goes on in the heart is much more important than outward behaviour, for the intentions are criteria for acceptance or rejection. When the heart is a spring of Divine love, and the limbs bathe in this spring, their outward behaviour glows in the universe.
The heart of the Muslim is at home with the message of his or her Creator. It is internally reconciled, but it also witnesses the external struggle between the various forces that exist in this universe, some of which are good and some not. This reconciled heart will always be on the side of the good, even when it looks back on history.
16. Al-Ghazālī, Iḥyā’ ʿUlūm al-Dīn, edited by Sulaymān Dunyā, Beirut: Dār al-Maʿrifah, p. 357.
16 Behaviour is the Mirror of the Heart
16. Al-Ghazālī, Iḥyā’ ʿUlūm al-Dīn, edited by Sulaymān Dunyā, Beirut: Dār al-Maʿrifah, p. 357.