Nawawi Hadith 18: Follow Bad With Good

Part One: Three Commands That Cover a Lifetime

Brothers,

Today’s khutbah is based on the 18th hadith in Imam Nawawi’s 40 Hadith:

On the authority of Abu Dharr Jundub ibn Junadah and Abu Abd al-Rahman Mu'adh ibn Jabal (may Allah be pleased with them), from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, who said: 'Have taqwa of Allah wherever you are, and follow up a bad deed with a good deed which will wipe it out, and behave well towards the people.' (Tirmidhi)

This hadith is narrated on the authority of two companions together, Abu Dharr and Mu’adh ibn Jabal, both of them among the most beloved to the Prophet ﷺ for their sincerity and knowledge. Imam Tirmidhi recorded it and graded it hasan, and in some copies hasan sahih.

In three short phrases, the Prophet ﷺ gave us a complete program for the soul: consciousness of Allah everywhere, a remedy for the sins we inevitably commit, and a standard for how we treat other people. Nothing about the human condition is left untouched.

Part 1: Taqwa Wherever You Are

The first command is “have taqwa of Allah wherever you are.” Not only in the masjid. Not only around people who know you. Not only when you feel spiritually strong. Wherever you are, in every place, in every state, taqwa is required.

O humanity! Be mindful of your Lord Who created you from a single soul, and from it He created its spouse, and through both He spread ˹the earth with˺ countless men and women. And be mindful of Allah, in Whose Name you appeal to one another, and ˹honor˺ family ties. Surely Allah is ever Watchful over you. (An-Nisaa, 4:1)

Taqwa means placing a shield between yourself and Allah’s displeasure in every action, guarding yourself as carefully in private as you would in public. Many people practice taqwa only where others can see. This hadith demands more: taqwa in the cell alone at night, taqwa when no camera, no officer, no brother is watching, taqwa when you believe no one on earth will ever know what you did.

O you who believe! Fear Allah, and speak in a direct and correct manner. He will bless your deeds for you, and forgive your sins. And whoever obeys Allah and His Messenger has truly achieved a great triumph. (Al-Ahzaab, 33:70-71)

Notice the sequence in this ayah: taqwa produces correct speech, which produces the amendment of one’s deeds, which produces forgiveness. Taqwa is not a single act. It is a starting point from which everything else in a person’s character improves.

Taqwa in the unseen is the truest measure of a servant's faith, for anyone can appear righteous where people are watching. (Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali)

Part 2: A Bad Deed Followed by a Good One

The second command addresses the reality that none of us will avoid sin entirely. The Prophet ﷺ does not tell us to become sinless, an impossible standard. He tells us what to do the moment after we fall.

And establish prayer at the two ends of the day and in the early hours of the night. Surely good deeds do away with bad deeds. This is a reminder for the mindful. (Hud, 11:114)

This ayah is the direct proof for the second part of the hadith. Good deeds erase bad deeds. Not by magic, but because Allah, out of His mercy, made repentance and righteous action a means of wiping away what came before.

This is enormously merciful. A man commits a sin. He does not need to wait years, perform some elaborate ritual, or despair of Allah’s mercy. He can immediately follow it with an act of obedience, charity, a prostration, an apology, patience under a trial, and Allah will erase what preceded it.

Whoever commits evil or wrongs themselves then seeks Allah's forgiveness will certainly find Allah All-Forgiving, Most Merciful. (An-Nisaa, 4:110)

All the children of Adam are sinners, and the best of sinners are those who repent. (Tirmidhi)

The measure of a righteous man is not that he never sins. It is that he never lets a sin sit unanswered. He follows it immediately with something that outweighs it: istighfar, sadaqah, two rak’ahs, a kind word to someone he had wronged.

Look at the story of Ka’b ibn Malik, one of three companions who stayed behind from the expedition to Tabuk without a valid excuse. He did not make excuses or invent justifications. He told the Prophet ﷺ the plain truth, endured a painful boycott for weeks, and waited in patient obedience until Allah revealed his forgiveness in the Qur’an itself.

And ˹Allah has also forgiven˺ the three ˹companions˺ who were left behind, then when the earth, despite its vastness, closed in on them, and their souls became so straitened that they thought there was no refuge from Allah except in Him, then He turned to them in mercy so that they might return ˹to Him˺. Surely Allah alone is the Accepter of Repentance, Most Merciful. (At-Tawba, 9:118)

His path back was not denial or despair, but honesty followed by sustained good conduct until Allah erased the failure with mercy. This is the second command of our hadith lived out in full: a bad deed followed, patiently and sincerely, by good ones until it is wiped away.

Do not let the smallness of the sin deceive you. Look instead at the greatness of the One you disobeyed. And do not let the smallness of a good deed deceive you either, for you do not know which deed will be the one that saves you. (Hasan al-Basri)

Part 3: Good Character Toward People

The third command completes the hadith: “behave well towards the people.” Taqwa toward Allah and repentance for sin mean little if a person’s dealings with others remain harsh, dishonest, or cruel.

And indeed, you ˹O Prophet˺ are truly of a great moral character. (Al-Qalam, 68:4)

This description of the Prophet ﷺ himself is the standard held up for every believer to strive toward. Good character is not a soft, optional extra attached to religion. It is one third of this entire hadith, equal in weight to taqwa and tawbah.

Nothing is heavier on the scale of the believer on the Day of Resurrection than good character. (Abu Dawud & Tirmidhi)

The believers most complete in faith are those with the best character. (Tirmidhi & Abu Dawud)

Character here means patience with people who annoy you, honesty in your dealings, generosity when you can afford it and even when you can barely afford it, a smile, a greeting, restraint from mockery and insult. It is built one small interaction at a time.

Part Two: Living These Three Commands Together

Brothers,

Part 4: How the Three Commands Reinforce Each Other

These three instructions are not separate lessons. They form one integrated character. Taqwa keeps you conscious of Allah in every place, which reduces how often you fall into sin in the first place. When you do fall, because you will, the remedy of good deeds keeps you from spiraling into despair or repeated sin. And good character toward people ensures that your relationship with Allah is matched by your relationship with His creation, because faith without good conduct toward people is incomplete.

Righteousness is good character, and sin is that which wavers in your soul and which you dislike people finding out about. (Muslim)

This is why the Prophet ﷺ, when asked what leads people to Paradise most, replied simply: taqwa of Allah and good character. The two are inseparable pillars of the same building.

Part 5: The Prison Context, Applying All Three Where It Is Hardest

Brothers, consider how directly this hadith speaks to your circumstances. Taqwa wherever you are means taqwa in this cell, in this yard, in this line, in every space where the walls close in and privacy disappears. No one here escapes moments of frustration, temptation, or the pull toward sin, whether that sin is anger, dishonesty, or despair.

When you fall short, and every man here will fall short at times, do not let shame keep you from the remedy. Follow the bad deed immediately with a good one. Make wudu and pray two rak’ahs. Give away something small to another brother. Say istighfar with sincerity. Do not let one mistake convince you that you have failed permanently, because Allah has given you a way to erase it the moment you choose to act.

And in this environment more than almost any other, good character toward people is tested constantly. You are surrounded by men in difficult circumstances, some kind, some harsh, some struggling with their own anger and despair. Meeting all of them with good character, patience, a calm word, a willingness to help rather than exploit, is a daily jihad. It is also one of the clearest ways to practice this hadith and to represent Islam honestly to everyone watching you, staff and inmates alike.

Many men here are being watched closely for any excuse to think less of them. Let your character give them no such excuse. Let it instead be a quiet proof of what real faith produces.

Part 6: A Daily Checklist

Before you sleep each night, ask yourself these three questions drawn directly from this hadith. Did I remain conscious of Allah today, even when no one else could see me? When I sinned today, however small, did I follow it with something good to erase it? And did I treat the people around me, all of them, with good character?

If the answer is yes to all three, you have lived this hadith fully. If the answer is no to any of them, tonight is the night to correct it, because tomorrow offers a fresh chance to try again.

O Allah, make us mindful of You in every place, seen and unseen.

O Allah, whenever we fall into sin, grant us the will to follow it immediately with something good.

O Allah, beautify our character as You beautified the character of Your Messenger ﷺ.

O Allah, do not let us despair over our sins, for Your mercy is greater than our shortcomings.

O Allah, make us gentle, patient, and honest with everyone we encounter.

O Allah, protect us from the arrogance of thinking our good deeds alone will save us without Your mercy.

O Allah, purify our hearts in this place and let it be a means of drawing nearer to You.

O Allah, grant us complete taqwa, sincere tawbah, and beautiful character until we meet You.