Summary of Sunni concepts
The relationship between worship, righteousness, and good character
Because it was worship in its comprehensive sense, as Ibn Taymiyyah defined it
A name that includes everything that God loves and is pleased with, whether outward or hidden words and deeds
He defined righteousness as a name given to all goodness, benevolence, and virtue
Or it is a comprehensive word for all the qualities of goodness
God Almighty said: “Righteousness is not that you turn your faces towards the east and the west.”
But righteous is he who believes in God, the Last Day, the angels, the Book, and the prophets
He gave money out of love for his relatives, orphans, and the poor
And he built the way and beggars and freed slaves, and he established prayer and paid zakat
And those who fulfill their promise when they make a covenant, and are patient in times of hardship, adversity, and times of distress
Those are the ones who are truthful and those are the pious
Mentioning the pillars of faith, desirable and obligatory spending, prayer, fulfillment of covenants, and patience
Thus, righteousness combined belief, worship, and morals
In this way, righteousness overlaps or is synonymous with worship in its comprehensive sense
When the Messenger, may God bless him and grant him peace, was asked about righteousness and sin
He said: Righteousness is good character. Narrated by Muslim
This is a special meaning that falls short of righteousness in the field of morals, and it is an additional rhetorical shortcoming
It means that good character is a great pillar of righteousness, not that it is all of righteousness
This is as he, may God bless him and grant him peace, said: Hajj is Arafat
What is meant is that it is its greatest pillar because Hajj is restricted to it
Thus it becomes clear that good character is a great pillar of righteousness and worship in its comprehensive sense
Just as righteousness intersects with worship in its comprehensive sense
It also overlaps with piety, as there is a generality and a specificity between them
If it is combined in remembrance, righteousness is directed to acts of obedience
Piety is directed towards avoiding things that are forbidden
If they are separated, they will reunite with each other