Good manners refer to the group of traits that a person possesses and by which he is inwardly adorned.
Modesty is a trait that prompts one to do what is good and pleasant and abandon what is bad and shameful. Modesty is a part of faith.
681/1 - Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) passed by an Ansāri man who was chastising his brother for being too modest. The Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Leave him, for indeed modesty is a part of faith.” [Narrated by Al-Bukhāri and Muslim]
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1) Modesty prevents one from committing sins. A Muslim should be modest and polite towards Allah Almighty and towards people.
2) It is a duty to command what is right and forbid what is wrong and to render advice at the right time without delay.
682/2 - ‘Imrān ibn Husayn (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) reported that the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Modesty brings nothing but good.” [Narrated by Al-Bukhāri and Muslim]
In another version by Muslim: “All modesty is good,” or: “Modesty is nothing but good.”
1) People are urged to be modest, for it brings good for individuals and society, as it prompts one to do what is good and shun what is bad.
2) The modesty that is described as good does not prevent one from speaking the truth or acting according to it.
683/3 - Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Faith has over seventy branches, or over sixty branches, the most excellent of which is the declaration that there is no god but Allah, and the lowest of which is the removal of what is harmful from the path; and modesty is a branch of faith.” [Narrated by Al-Bukhāri and Muslim]
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-- “What is harmful” may be a stone, thorns, mud, ash, filth, or the like.
1) Faith comprises many branches, which the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) pointed out in detail, so that people can diligently learn them and apply them. The more a person fulfills these branches in terms of both knowledge and action, the greater his faith becomes.
2) The merit of the word of Tawhīd (there is no god but Allah); it is the greatest branch of faith.
3) Modesty is a branch of faith and it falls under good manners, which indicates that assuming good manners is part of faith.
The type of modesty regarded as a branch of faith is:
- Modesty towards Allah Almighty, which requires a servant to obey Him and shun whatever He prohibited.
- Modesty towards people, which requires a person to act magnanimously, doing what is good and pleasant and keeping away from what is bad and shameful.
684/4 - Abu Sa‘īd Al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: “The Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) was more modest than a virgin in her boudoir. Whenever he saw anything he disliked, we could perceive it on his face.” [Narrated by Al-Bukhāri and Muslim]
The scholars said: Modesty, in its true sense, is a trait that prompts one to avoid what is reprehensible and prevents one from falling short in one’s duties. Abu al-Qāsim al-Junayd (may Allah have mercy upon him) is reported to have said: Modesty is to recognize ones’ blessings and one’s shortcoming, and thus a state called Hayā’ (modesty) emerges between the two.
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1) Every Muslim should follow the Prophet’s example in modesty, for it is a noble manner.
2) Modesty that prevents a person from asking questions he needs to ask is dispraised modesty, and we should not call it modesty; rather, it is cowardice, weakness, and demoralization by Satan.