Islam is more than just a religion, it is a complete code of life. Among a number of things that the Islamic way of life encourages, modesty has a prominent place in Islamic society. Modesty in Islam is considered a part of one’s faith as well as a way to save mankind from transgression. All of God’s prophets emphasized the importance of modesty in every Muslim’s life. Prophet Muhammad severely warned about immodesty by saying,
“Indeed from the teachings of the first prophets which has reached you is, ‘If you do not have shyness, then do as you please.” (Al-Bukhari)
Modesty in Islam refers to turning away from false practices such as misbehaving with others and being conscious both in the public and private spheres of life. It covers aspects such as how a Muslim dresses up; safeguards his tongue from indecency; deals with people, and most importantly, how much he fears about his accountability in the court of God.
Modesty in Islam is judged by how well a person can control his temperament and save his tongue from vain talk. If he is unable to hold his anger, he may indulge in verbal abuse or physical torture towards others. As reported in Sahih Bukhari, Prophet Muhammad narrated that the strength of a person is not in throwing his opponents on the ground, but it is the ability to control his anger.
Any person with a strong faith does not like to disobey God or sin. Such a person is aware that Allah is everywhere and is seeing everything, so he stays away from sinning both in public and private. This kind of modesty in Islam is regarded as shyness due to awareness.
According to Islam, modesty can be natural or acquired. Naturally, modesty is built into both men and women .An example of natural modesty is the innate desire to cover oneself. According to Holy Quran, when both Prophet Adam and Eve ate from the forbidden tree and were exposed to each other, they started covering themselves with leaves because they had an innate sense of modesty.
Modesty separates humans from animals. Modesty in Islam is tied to various traditions such as seeking approval before entering in room; following a proper dress code; enjoining the company of modest people and staying away from indecent acts.
Islam encourages one to lower his/her gaze and be saved from the Satan’s trap of being engaged in any indecency like fornication or homosexuality. Allah commands modesty in these words,
“Say to the believing men that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty: that will make for greater purity for them: And Allah is well acquainted with all that they do.” (Holy Quran 24:30)
“And say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty; that they should not display their beauty and ornaments except what (must ordinarily) appear thereof…” (Holy Quran 24:31)
The most important kind of modesty in Islam is that geared towards God. As Prophet Muhammad said: “God is more deserving than other people of shyness.” (Abu Dawood)
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