Sayyidi wa sanadi Hazrat Mufti Mohammad Taqi Usmani sahib db said:

“In reality ikhlaq (moral character) is a condition/state of the heart.

Its manifestation is by our limbs and other body parts.

That is, in one’s heart there is aspiration for benefiting and loving the whole creation of Allah SWT. Even, if they are enemies or infidels. This is a result of reflecting that all this has been created by my Lord, Allah SWT and therefore I must love them and deal with them in a good manner.

Firstly, these feeling arise and then actions are done accordingly.

For example, a smile that arises after such feeling is not an artificial smile to win over others’ liking. It is an essential and logical reaction to one’s feelings.

These morals can neither be acquired by reading books nor listening to spiritual discourses alone.

To acquire them it is essential to stay in the company of a mentor and a musleh (Sheikh).

The true goal of tasawwuf and all this Sheikh-mureed relationship is to develop the praise worthy morals and to get rid of the blame worthy morals from one’s self.”

Khandani huqooq o faraiz, page 188