Praising People

[Abu Mus'ab]

Praising People

What has come about praising people
Abu Bakr reported that a man was mentioned in the presence of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and someone praised him. The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Woe to you! You have cut off the head of your companion!" and he repeated that several times. He went on, "If one of you must praise someone, he should say, 'I consider that so-and-so is such-and-such.' Allah is the One who will take account of him if he thinks that he is indeed like that, No one can appropriate Allah's right to attest to someone's character."

Abu Musa reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, heard a man praise another man and he was using exaggeration in his praise of him. The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "You have destroyed or broken the man's back."

Ibrahim at-Taymi reported that his father said, "We were sitting with 'Umar and one man praised another man to his face." He said, "You have wounded the man. May Allah wound you."

Zayd ibn Aslam reported that his father heard 'Umar state, "Praise is slaughter." The transmitter added, "He meant when it is accepted."

Someone who praises his companion when he feels safe about him*

[* He is certain that his praise will nor produce pride or vanity.]

Abu Hurayra reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "The best of men is Abu Bakr. The best of men is 'Umar. The best of men is Abu 'Ubayda. The best of men is Usayd ibn Hudayr. The best of men is Thabit ibn Qays ibn Shammas. The best of men is Mu'adh ibn 'Amr ibn al-Jamuh. The best of men is Mu'adh ibn Jabal." Then he said, "The worst of men is so-andso. The worst of men is so-and-so," until he had named seven men.

'A'isha said, "A man asked permission to come to the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and the Messenger of Allah said, 'He is an evil son of his tribe.' When the man came in, the Prophet was courteous and cheerful towards him. When that man left, another man asked permission to come in. He said, 'He is an excellent son of his tribe.' When he came in, he was not cheerful towards him as he had been cheerful towards the other man. When he left, I said, 'Messenger of Allah, you said what you said about so-and-so and yet you were courteous to him. You said what you said about so-and-so and I did not see you do the same.' He said, ''A'isha, the worst of people are those who are feared on account of their bad language.'"

Throwing dust in the faces of those who praise people

Abu Ma'mar said, "A man began to praise one of the amirs. Al-Miqdad began to throw dirt in his face and said, 'The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, commanded us to throw dust into the faces of those who praise people.'"

'Ata' ibn Abi Rabah reported that a man was praising another man in the presence of Ibn 'Umar. Ibn 'Umar began to throw dust towards his mouth. He said, "The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, 'When you see those who praise people, throw dust in their faces.'"

Raja' said. "One day Mihjan and I went to the mosque of the people of Basra. Burayda al-Aslami was sitting there by one of the mosque doors. Inside the mosque there was a man called Sabka who used to make the prayers long. We came to the mosque door which had a fringed woollen cloth over it. Now Burayda was someone who made jokes. He said, 'Mihjan, don't you pray as Sabka prays? Mihjan did not answer and went back. Mihjan said, 'The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, once took me by the hand and we went together to the top of Uhud. He looked down on Madina and said, "Woe to a town whose people will abandon it when it becomes very prosperous.

Then the Dajjal will come to it and find two angels at each of its gates, so he will not enter it." Then he went down until we reached the mosque and the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, saw a man praying, prostrating and bowing. The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, asked me, "Who is this?" and I began to praise him, saying, "Messenger of Allah, this is so-and-so and so-and-so." "Stop!" he said, "Do not let him hear or you will destroy him."'" Raja' continued, "He began to walk until he reached his rooms and then he began to shake the dust off his hands and said, 'The best part of your deen is the easiest of it.' and he repeated that three times."

The person who praises in poetry

Al-Aswad ibn Suray' said, "I came to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and said, 'Messenger of Allah, I have praised Allah and you in poems of praise and eulogies.' He said, 'As far as your Lord is concerned, He must be praised,' and so I began to recite them. Then a tall bald man asked for permission to enter. The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, told me, 'Be silent.' The man came in and spoke for a time and then left. Then I recited again. Then the other man came back and he made be silent again. Then the man left again. That happened two or three times. I asked, 'Who is this man for whom I must be silent?' He replied, 'This is a man who does not like vain things.'" [It is said that it was 'Umar ibn al-Khattab]

From Adab Al Mufrad of Imam Bukhari Rahimahullah.

[`asiya]

La illaha il Allah jazakAllahu khairin , may Allah ta ala protect us from kibr amin. we should all take serious heed of this issue insha Allah.

[carol_au]

So how do you protect yourself from self praise in Islam?

[alld]

thanks Abu Musab .
praise and self praise is pointer towards deteriotion of Imaan .
May Allah help us and protect us from this debasement .

Opening chapter of Quran ....Surah Fatiha .


In the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful. ( 1 ) Praise is only for Allah, ( 2 ) the Lord of the Universe, ( 3 ) the All-Compassionate, the All-Merciful, ( 4 ) the Master of the Day of Judgements ( 5 ) . Thee alone we worship ( 6 ) and to Thee alone we pray for help ( 7 ) . Show us the straight way, ( 8 ) the way of those whom Thou hast blessed ( 9 ) ; who have not incurred Thy wrath, nor gone astray. ( 10 )

[`asiya]

So how do you protect yourself from self praise in Islam?

As brother Alld said, All praises are due to Allah alone. we dont go around telling people how great they are in front of them, and even if we speak well of people when they arent present we always says, i think he is such and such, but Allah knows best. there is a narration a hadith Narrated by Hudhaifa From among the people, Ibn Um'Abd greatly resembled Allah's Apostles in solemn gate and good appearance of piety and in calmness and sobriety from the time he goes out of his house till he returns to it. But we do not know how he behaves with his family when he is alone with them.

and as Abumusab posted in this hadith:

The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Woe to you! You have cut off the head of your companion!" and he repeated that several times. He went on, "If one of you must praise someone, he should say, 'I consider that so-and-so is such-and-such.' Allah is the One who will take account of him if he thinks that he is indeed like that, No one can appropriate Allah's right to attest to someone's character."

because Allah knows best what people really are, and if they are good or not, and its not for us to judge.


we know from history about the results of what happens with this type of praise, for example pop stars, actors, politicians are all given non stop praise, and accepting this type of praise is something that will lead one to become what we would call big headed, and arrogant, thinking they are better than others, or that they know better than others, they wil not take heed of others or take their advise etc. so it leads to all kinds of problems in society in general, because peoples personalites become corrupted by thinking so highly of themselves.

so awarding people for charity work etc. or praising them for doing something good, or something beneficial, or giving awards for being such a "great foster mum" or any other example ( cant think of any others just now :) ) it may only lead to harm for a muslim, because its not even allowed to tell people what you gave in charity, im not sure if this is a hadith of muhammad salallahu allayhi wa salam or a saying of one of the sahabba, but i love it and it says,

"when you give in charity, give so that the left hand does not know what the right hand is doing"

so there is no need to praise people it will only lead to kibr

[carol_au]

As brother Alld said, All praises are due to Allah alone. we dont go around telling people how great they are in front of them, and even if we speak well of people when they arent present we always says, i think he is such and such, but Allah knows best. there is a narration a hadith Narrated by Hudhaifa From among the people, Ibn Um'Abd greatly resembled Allah's Apostles in solemn gate and good appearance of piety and in calmness and sobriety from the time he goes out of his house till he returns to it. But we do not know how he behaves with his family when he is alone with them.

and as Abumusab posted in this hadith:

The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Woe to you! You have cut off the head of your companion!" and he repeated that several times. He went on, "If one of you must praise someone, he should say, 'I consider that so-and-so is such-and-such.' Allah is the One who will take account of him if he thinks that he is indeed like that, No one can appropriate Allah's right to attest to someone's character."

because Allah knows best what people really are, and if they are good or not, and its not for us to judge.


we know from history about the results of what happens with this type of praise, for example pop stars, actors, politicians are all given non stop praise, and accepting this type of praise is something that will lead one to become what we would call big headed, and arrogant, thinking they are better than others, or that they know better than others, they wil not take heed of others or take their advise etc. so it leads to all kinds of problems in society in general, because peoples personalites become corrupted by thinking so highly of themselves.

so awarding people for charity work etc. or praising them for doing something good, or something beneficial, or giving awards for being such a "great foster mum" or any other example ( cant think of any others just now :) ) it may only lead to harm for a muslim, because its not even allowed to tell people what you gave in charity, im not sure if this is a hadith of muhammad salallahu allayhi wa salam or a saying of one of the sahabba, but i love it and it says,

"when you give in charity, give so that the left hand does not know what the right hand is doing"

so there is no need to praise people it will only lead to kibr

Thanks for this, but I'm not thnking of other people praising you, but you praising yourself. I"m asking how do you protect yourself from one of the easiest of all sins.. self praise

[`asiya]

Thanks for this, but I'm not thnking of other people praising you, but you praising yourself. I"m asking how do you protect yourself from one of the easiest of all sins.. self praise

we say audu billahi mina shaitanir rajim I seek refuge in almighty Allah from the evils of mankind and jinn.

and also we know about what is called in english the whisperings of shaitan, and we have to check ourselves constantly for that in every word deed and action insha Allah, and because all aspects of behaviour of the character of a muslim, and so on are clearly defined and we have so many admonitions and reminders in the Quran. there is also mentioned riyyah the hidden shirk, which is amongst many other things this thinking well of oneself , or being proud, usually pride is just arrogance .

say for example u have a scolar and masha allah he has a lot of knowledge, he wont think to himself oh im so knowledgable it will be the opposite because of his true knowledge he wil have humility insha Allah because nothing is "ours" it is not our knowledge, these are not "our" possessions this is not "our" world this is not "our" family "our home this all belongs to Allah the most high, and nothing can be acomplished without His help, we are slaves to our Lord, and as said in the post by Alld All the praises are due to Allah

so if u do something good u dont think oh i did something good, i feel good , i must be a good person, no..because that could lead to pride, so instead we just thank Allah and say Alhamdulillah that Allah gave me the opportunity to do as he ordered me today and we constantly asking Allah to help us in our huge shortcomings as his slaves. so throught the day constantly in every thing we do we seek refuge with Allah from this.

anyway thats how i see it , theres loads more that could be added im sure.

[alld]

we say audu billahi mina shaitanir rajim I seek refuge in almighty Allah from the evils of mankind and jinn.

and also we know about what is called in english the whisperings of shaitan, and we have to check ourselves constantly for that in every word deed and action insha Allah, and because all aspects of behaviour of the character of a muslim, and so on are clearly defined and we have so many admonitions and reminders in the Quran. there is also mentioned riyyah the hidden shirk, which is amongst many other things this thinking well of oneself , or being proud, usually pride is just arrogance .

say for example u have a scolar and masha allah he has a lot of knowledge, he wont think to himself oh im so knowledgable it will be the opposite because of his true knowledge he wil have humility insha Allah because nothing is "ours" it is not our knowledge, these are not "our" possessions this is not "our" world this is not "our" family "our home this all belongs to Allah the most high, and nothing can be acomplished without His help, we are slaves to our Lord, and as said in the post by Alld All the praises are due to Allah

so if u do something good u dont think oh i did something good, i feel good , i must be a good person, no..because that could lead to pride, so instead we just thank Allah and say Alhamdulillah that Allah gave me the opportunity to do as he ordered me today and we constantly asking Allah to help us in our huge shortcomings as his slaves.

anyway thats how i see it , theres loads more that could be added im sure.


Thank you sis asiya for information .

JazakAllah Khayr .

May muslims remove pride from their hearts to attain real islamic brotherhood .
May Allah help us from pride and prejudice .

SubhanAllah .

[carol_au]

Thank you sis asiya for information .

JazakAllah Khayr .

May muslims remove pride from their hearts to attain real islamic brotherhood .
May Allah help us from pride and prejudice .

SubhanAllah .

Thankyou and salaam 'asiya and alld for your responses.

I appreciated your information 'asiya thankyou..

alld, the whole concept of pride and prejudice is the basis for my posting.. at the moment there is a hot debate going on about whether non believers should be called "kuffir' or not.

I have no problems with the word as such.. but I am not sure Muslims are using it correctly.

As a Christian I am living in a state of complete reliance on the mercy of God. I can not look at another human being without remembering His mercy towards me.

Yet, in my thinking is it not possible that pride and prejudice may be entering a muslims vocabularly when they almost gloat that they are a muslim and I am a Kuffir? is this also not self praise?

I am just asking here :) you can show me I am wrong if I am

[`asiya]

http://www.ummah.com/forum/showpost.php?p=1402359&postcount=135

http://www.ummah.com/forum/showpost.php?p=1402548&postcount=161

insulting people is not something that a muslim is can not do because

Abu Darda reported " The prophet salallahu alleyhi wa salam said " Nothing will be heavier on the day of ressurection in the scale of the believer than good manners. Allah hates the one who utters foul or coarse language " sahih At Tirmidhi

Narrated Abu Huraira: Allah’s Messenger salallahu alleyhi Salam said, “There are three signs of a hypocrite; when he speaks, he lies; when he makes a promise, he breaks it; and when he is trusted, he betrays his trust.” Al-Bukhari and Muslim reported the hadith of Abdullah ibn Omar with this addition: “and when he quarrels, he abuses.”

and in another narration " Even if he observes the fasts, performs salat and asserts that he is a muslim " sahih Al Bukhari and Muslim

so if for example a muslim finds himself doing such things, as insulting people, abusing them in any way, breaking his promises,using course langauge,gossiping, back biting people, being generally badly behaved and lacking in manners, lying, even what people call "white lies" or "im only joking" is not acceptable, and is a major warning sign that something is wrong in ourselves.

If we find any of those characteristics in us as muslims, swear words coming out, insulting people in then we should be so worried that we could die on a branch of hypocrisy, and be in the lowest depths of the hellfire

all people including muslims are human,can be hot headed, they make mistakes, and things slip out, and we repent from that and try to right the wrong that we did and ask people to forgive us so that Allah ta ala may be merciful to us for our mistake, and if we are sincere in our repentance to him then insha Allah we will be forgiven, but that judgement is with Allah the most high.

for us as muslims even thinking " I am a muslim I have been forgiven, I am better than everyone else" would be pride and would be so dangerous, Allah ta ala guides whom he wills, and our Islam could be taken from us and if it was it would be deservingly so, because Allah is not injust and he guides those who seek his guidance and who are his servants and he loves not the transgressors, we are greatful everyday to Allah the most High that we are muslims who have been guided, and we strive to constantly be aware that we have to seek out, and act upon the knowledge given to us by Allah ta ala in the Quran, and that we follow the example of that which was shown to us by Muhammad salallahu alleyhi wa salam.

Having said all that if we see a muslim acting in such a way insulting people and using bad language, or mistaking the perfection of Islam , and his being chosen to be of the ummah of muhammad peace and blessings be upon him, for his being something special, we dont automatically start assuming he is a hypocrite,that would be pride and arrogance too, and Only Allah ta ala knows what is in our hearts, and our true motivations, so we always advise each other as muslims too alhamdulillah.

Allah the almighty only knows what is truely in the hearts of men (and women of course :) ) and Allah ta ala guides whom he wills.

[Ummati Al Islam]

The Muslim is higher in the eyes of Allah because he recognises his Lord and attains to the obligations of the Shahadah.

However, the Muslim is always alert to see whether he adheres to the conditions of the Shahadah. The Muslim does not compare himself to another Muslim.

The case with a disbeliever is different; in the Qur'an, the disbelievers are cursed and described as being lower than the animals, as the animals adhere to their duty as animals whereas the disbelievers do not even adhere to their duties as the creation.

[carol_au]

The Muslim is higher in the eyes of Allah because he recognises his Lord and attains to the obligations of the Shahadah.

However, the Muslim is always alert to see whether he adheres to the conditions of the Shahadah. The Muslim does not compare himself to another Muslim.

The case with a disbeliever is different; in the Qur'an, the disbelievers are cursed and described as being lower than the animals, as the animals adhere to their duty as animals whereas the disbelievers do not even adhere to their duties as the creation.

Salaam

Though I really don't like the idea of being compared by God as being lower than the animals just because I am a Christian .. I won't comment on that...

what I am not so happy about is that in the Qur'an it says that even a tiny amount of arrogance is enough to stop you reaching Jannah.. and yet some muslims gloat over their place before Allah instead of realising they are only in that place because of His mercy, love and grace towards them.

[`asiya]

Surah 16. An-Nahl ayat 125.

"Invite to the Way of your Lord with wisdom and fair preaching, and discuss with them in a way that is better. Truly, your Lord knows best who has gone astray from His Path, and He is the Best Aware of those who are guided."

[Ummati Al Islam]

Salaam

Though I really don't like the idea of being compared by God as being lower than the animals just because I am a Christian .. I won't comment on that...

what I am not so happy about is that in the Qur'an it says that even a tiny amount of arrogance is enough to stop you reaching Jannah.. and yet some muslims gloat over their place before Allah instead of realising they are only in that place because of His mercy, love and grace towards them.

Wa alaykum.

If the bible described me as being less than a human because I wasn't a Christian, it would not trouble me as my conviction in my Lord, Allah (praised and exhalted He is) is strong. Further, it is because I know the other scripture holds no true value as it has been greatly distorted over time. If one is affected by the description above, it shows ones Fitra (natural disposition) is reacting to the truth.

Carol, appreciation is shown through prayer, praise and patience. It ought to be mentioned, Muslims are not the standard, the Prophet (peace be upon him) is. He used to stay awake at night in prayer (fearing the hell-fire and displeasure of his Lord), until his feet swelled. When asked by his wife, Aisha, (may Allah be pleased with her) why he did that even though he was the prophet and was promised paradise, he said: "Shall I not then show my appreciation to Allah and the blessings He has given me?"

[carol_au]

Wa alaykum.

If the bible described me as being less than a human because I wasn't a Christian, it would not trouble me as my conviction in my Lord, Allah (praised and exhalted He is) is strong. Further, it is because I know the other scripture holds no true value as it has been greatly distorted over time. If one is affected by the description above, it shows ones Fitra (natural disposition) is reacting to the truth.

Carol, appreciation is shown through prayer, praise and patience. It ought to be mentioned, Muslims are not the standard, the Prophet (peace be upon him) is. He used to stay awake at night in prayer (fearing the hell-fire and displeasure of his Lord), until his feet swelled. When asked by his wife, Aisha, (may Allah be pleased with her) why he did that even though he was the prophet and was promised paradise, he said: "Shall I not then show my appreciation to Allah and the blessings He has given me?"

thing is Ummati Al Islam, the bible would NEVER say that God considers a non believer as lower than an animal.. so my comment there is not based on my relationship to God, but my knowledge of Him. .. but that would have started a complete off track thread development.. My reaction is to the reality of God as I know Him.. not to what I might be called or not called :)

.. and for me, God is the standard, no human being is.. sin for me is failing to meet God's standard, not man's...

[Ummati Al Islam]

thing is Ummati Al Islam, the bible would NEVER say that God considers a non believer as lower than an animal.. so my comment there is not based on my relationship to God, but my knowledge of Him. .. but that would have started a complete off track thread development.. My reaction is to the reality of God as I know Him.. not to what I might be called or not called :)

.. and for me, God is the standard, no human being is.. sin for me is failing to meet God's standard, not man's...

You misunderstand. In Islam, nothing is set by man. God sets the standard. Mankind adheres to that standard.

Everything that the Prophet did was an example for us, FROM ALMIGHTY ALLAH. He (peace be upon him) has been described as the walking Qur'an.

[carol_au]

You misunderstand. In Islam, nothing is set by man. God sets the standard. Mankind adheres to that standard.

Everything that the Prophet did was an example for us, FROM ALMIGHTY ALLAH. He (peace be upon him) has been described as the walking Qur'an.

No, I know what Muslims say.. but the part that really bothers me, is that it is always Muhammad who is held not as the example, but as the standard.. even you said that. Muslims are not the standard, the Prophet (peace be upon him) is.

In the Christian faith (borrowed from judaism) God simply says "be perfect as I am perfect"

Look to the Prophet as your example if you must, but not as your standard.

Salaam

[`asiya]

in the Qur'an, the disbelievers are cursed and described as being lower than the animals, as the animals adhere to their duty as animals whereas the disbelievers do not even adhere to their duties as the creation.

sister ummati bring that ayats that say this so they can be looked at in context and we can reflect on them insha Allah

[`asiya]

No, I know what Muslims say.. but the part that really bothers me, is that it is always Muhammad who is held not as the example, but as the standard.. even you said that. Muslims are not the standard, the Prophet (peace be upon him) is.

In the Christian faith (borrowed from judaism) God simply says "be perfect as I am perfect"

Look to the Prophet as your example if you must, but not as your standard.

Salaam

but you say jesus is your god he is your standard, your example in human form.

Allah ta ala has given us the example and the standard of behaviour of a worthy servant of Allah, in Muhammad peace be upon him, because far beneath Allahs majesty is it for Him, to become a part of His creation.

we know we can never be perfect or anything like Allah, and we would never say such a thing, because Allahs wisdom, his fairness, his justice, might and majesty is far beyond anything human. no human or anything or anyone can emulate the perfection of Almighty Allah. Thats what makes him almighty, he is far greater than anything.

we accept the fact that almighty Allah knows better than anyone else his creation and he has sent Muhammad peace be upon him as a warner to All mankind, then we trust Almighty Allah when he says that he has given us the perfect example in Muhammad peace be upon him.

[carol_au]

but you say jesus is your god he is your standard, your example in human form.

Allah ta ala has given us the example and the standard of behaviour of a worthy servant of Allah, in Muhammad peace be upon him, because far beneath Allahs majesty is it for Him, to become a part of His creation.

we know we can never be perfect or anything like Allah, and we would never say such a thing, because Allahs wisdom, his fairness, his justice, might and majesty is far beyond anything human. no human or anything or anyone can emulate the perfection of Almighty Allah. Thats what makes him almighty, he is far greater than anything.

we accept the fact that almighty Allah knows better than anyone else his creation and he has sent Muhammad peace be upon him as a warner to All mankind, then we trust Almighty Allah when he says that he has given us the perfect example in Muhammad peace be upon him.

Yes "asiya,

I look at Jesus and see in Him, all you see in Muhammad .. so the sticking point really is.. who should we be looking at? Jesus or Muhammad. (but that is a discussion for comparative religion I think :) )

Now, we both believe God is the one we must give an account to.. this is why He is the standard. Jesus and Muhammad are the two we are saying is our example.

I see nothing yet, that makes me think Muhammad is more of an example of life or faith than Jesus is.. that is why they are our examples.

[Abu Mus'ab]

sister ummati bring that ayats that say this so they can be looked at in context and we can reflect on them insha Allah
I think she must be referring to "In hum illa kal an3aam,bal hum adhalu sabeelaa"

Surah Furqan Ayah 44

And "Ulaaikah kal an3aam,bal hum adhal,ulaaikah humul ghaafiloon"

Surah A'raaf Ayah 179

[carol_au]

I think she must be referring to "In hum illa kal an3aam,bal hum adhalu sabeelaa"

Surah Furqan Ayah 44

And "Ulaaikah kal an3aam,bal hum adhal,ulaaikah humul ghaafiloon"

Surah A'raaf Ayah 179

Salaam to you all

Please.. can someone translate this for me? I know I can search for it in English, but people here usually know the best translations, and my own copy of the Qur'an has already been shipped to my new home.

thanks

[Abu Mus'ab]

Salaam to you all

Please.. can someone translate this for me? I know I can search for it in English, but people here usually know the best translations, and my own copy of the Qur'an has already been shipped to my new home.

thanks
Surah A'raaf,

They are like cattle, nay, but they are worse; these are the heedless ones.

Surah Furqan

They are only like cattle- nay, but they are farther astray.

[`asiya]

Barakallahu feek akhi thank u.

http://www.iiu.edu.my/deed/quran/nobelquran/nobe007.html

(7. Al-A'râf )

and http://www.iiu.edu.my/deed/quran/nobelquran/nobe025.html

(25. Al Furqan)

the whole surahs can be found here carol ^



http://www.iiu.edu.my/deed/quran/nobelquran/index_t.html

( this is a link for the whole Quran)

[Ummati Al Islam]

No, I know what Muslims say.. but the part that really bothers me, is that it is always Muhammad who is held not as the example, but as the standard.. even you said that. Muslims are not the standard, the Prophet (peace be upon him) is.

In the Christian faith (borrowed from judaism) God simply says "be perfect as I am perfect"

Look to the Prophet as your example if you must, but not as your standard.

Salaam

No. Muslims are not the standard for each other or in general. The Prophet (peace be upon him) is the standard, (as set by Allah) and the example. In the Qur'an, Allah most High says: "There is in the Prophet the best of examples."

Perfection can never be attained in this life. Nothing and nobody is perfect upon the earth. Man has faults and is prone to error and sin; he who is prone to error and sin can never be perfect. "He who overloads his carriage, neither reaches his destination nor keeps his carriage." Our Lord know us better than we know ourselves and does not expect us to struggle for the impossible, i.e. perfection.

Perfection belongs to the Creator alone and man does not compare himself to the majesty/grandour of the Lord, nor does he give himself similar attributes. "There is nothing like unto Him (Allah)."