Among the ethics and morals of Islam is to have good contacts with people, to speak with them kindly, and to greet them while having a smiling face. While there is no such statement in the Qur’an, there does exist something close to it in the Prophetic traditions.
Sheikh Ahmad Kutty, a senior lecturer and Islamic scholar at the Islamic Institute of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, states the following: There is no such statement in the Qur’an; there is, however, an authentic tradition from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) which states, “It is an act of charity to greet your brother with a smiling face” (At-Tirmidhi).
We have the following statement attributed to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): “It is an act of charity to greet your brother with a smiling face.” The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is also reported to have said, “You cannot make people happy by benefiting them financially [for not everyone has enough to part with]; therefore, at least try to make them happy by appearing before them with a pleasant face and speaking kindly to them” (Al-Bukhari). Furthermore, he said, “Speaking kindly to people itself is an act of charity” (Muslim).
