Lessons from Ahâdeeth Shareef by Moulana Naeem Motala | Commentary on 40 ahâdeeth | Arba’een | of Imaam Nawawi رحمة الله عليه with emphasis on perfecting one’s character
| LESSON TWENTY-ONE |
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اَلْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ نَحْمَدُهُ وَنَسْتَعِينُهُ وَنَسْتَغْفِرُهُ وَنُؤمِنُ بِهِ وَ نَتَوَ كَّلُ عَلَيهِ ، وَنَعُوْذُ بِاللَّهِ مِنْ شُرُوْرِ أَنْفُسِنَا وَمِنْ سَيِّئَاتِ أَعْمَالِنَا، مَنْ يَهْدِهِ اللَّهُ فَلاَ مُضِلَّ لَهُ وَمَنْ يُضْلِلْ فَلاَ هَادِيَ لَهُ ، وَنَشْهَدُ أَنْ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ وَحْدَهُ لاَ شَرِيكَ لَهُ ، وَنَشْهَدُ أَنَّ سَيِّدَناَ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ
Verily all praise is for Allah, we praise Him and seek His aid and ask for His forgiveness and we believe in Him and we place our trust upon Him, and we seek refuge with Allah from the evils of ourselves and our evil actions. Whomsoever Allah guides there is none who can misguide him, and whomsoever Allah misguides there is none who can guide him, and we bear witness that none has the right to be worshiped except Allah alone, having no partner, and we bear witness that Muhammad is His slave and His Messenger
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اَللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَى سَيِّدِناَ مُحَمَّدٍ ، وَعَلَى آلِ سَيِّدِناَ مُحَمَّدٍ وَبَارِكْ وَسَلِّمْ
Allahumma Salli ‘ala Sayyidina Muhammad Wa’ala Aali Sayyidina Muhammadin Wa Baarik Wa Sallim | Oh Allah shower blessings and peace upon our Master Muhammad Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam and upon the family of Muhammad Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam
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| Hadith 20 |
Modesty (Hayaa) is from Faith (Imaan)
عَنْ أَبِي مَسْعُودٍ عُقْبَةَ بْنِ عَمْرٍو الْأَنْصَارِيِّ الْبَدْرِيِّ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه و سلم
إنَّ مِمَّا أَدْرَكَ النَّاسُ مِنْ كَلَامِ النُّبُوَّةِ الْأُولَى: إذَا لَمْ تَسْتَحِ فَاصْنَعْ مَا شِئْت
[رَوَاهُ الْبُخَارِيُّ]
Hazrat Abi Mas’ood Uqbah ibn Amr al-Ansaari al-Badri Radiallahu Anhum narrated that Rasullullah Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam said :
Verily, among the words that have reached people from the early prophetic teachings is : “If you feel no shame, then do as you wish.”
[Saheeh Bukhaari]
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| BRIEF EXPLANTION |
This Hadith discusses modesty (shamefulness). Modesty is a most beautiful quality placed in mankind, and it is also part of Imaan. It restrains a person from committing ugly acts and from showing mean and evil qualities of character. It orders the use of noble and exalted qualities of character. Hence, it is one of the qualities of Imaan.
For this reason, Rasullullah Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam mentioned in the Ahadeeth :
الْحَيَاءُ لاَ يَأْتِي إِلاَّ بِخَيْرٍ “Modesty, only produces good” … [Bukhaari]
الْحَيَاءُ خَيْرٌ كُلُّهُ “Modesty, all of it is good” … [Sunan Abi Dawood]
There are two interpretations of the Hadith being discussed :
• Firstly, the command, فَاصْنَعْ ‘do what you wish’ does not imply a command ‘to do as one pleases’ … but rather it is meant in the sense of ‘prohibition’. The word فَاصْنَعْ which is in the imperative sense is actually a warning (threat) from Allah Subhaanahu Wa Ta’ala. In other words, if you have no shame, then do as you want (wish), for Allah Subhaanahu Wa Ta’ala will pay you back (punish) for it.
• The second interpretation is that it is not a command, but informing us that someone who is not ashamed will do whatever he wants. Because, the thing that prevents the perpetration of ugly acts is a sense of shame or modesty. Someone who does not have a sense of modesty will involve himself in every indecent and repugnant behaviour.
Hazrat Salmaan Farsi Radiallahu Anhu had mentioned : “When Allah intends the destruction of a slave, he strips him of shame and when he has no shame, he will only receive him as someone who is hateful, and when he is someone who is hateful then he is stripped of trust … He will be a mistrusted and treacherous person. He will be deprived of mercy and become a harsh and coarse person. This will result in Imaan being taken off from his neck …” [Abu Nu’aym, Al-Hilyah, 1:204]
Rasullullah Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam said : الْحَيَاءُ مِنَ الإِيمَانِ “Modesty is part of Imaan” [Tirmidi]
Hazrat Abdullah bin Masood Radiallahu Anhu said: “Modesty before Allah is that you guard the head and what it contains … and guard the belly and what it encloses … and that you remember death and decomposition”
One develops modesty in himself from becoming acquainted with Allah’s blessings and seeing that one falls short in gratitude to these blessings.
So, this Hadith, in which Rasullullah Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam has mentioned : that amongst the words that people obtain from the first prophecies (sayings of the earliest Prophets), indicates that this statement was a common statement of the Ambiya Alayhimus Salaam.
This in itself, shows us the importance of Hayaa (modesty).