'LOWER YOUR GAZE AND BE MODEST!' Modesty Is A Virtue.

 

'Lower Your Gaze

And Be Modest!'

Modesty Is A Virtue

(M. Javed Naseem)

The Almighty God has commanded all believers in the Holy Quran to be modest. He says:

“Be modest in your bearing and subdue

your voice. Lo, the harshest of all voices

is the voice of the donkey.”

(al-Quran 31:19)

Modesty is a virtue – the virtue of the prophets and the saints. It can only bring good and protect us from evil. It is actually a part of our faith that will lead us to Heaven. Muslims are required to be modest in all walks of life. The true Muslim community always encourages the believers to be modest, kind and generous. Modesty is a virtue the Prophet Muhammad (saw) was keen to stress upon. He himself had a very modest lifestyle and believed to be simple. Modesty is a universally acclaimed virtue and most of the world‟s religions or cultures praise it. In Islam, it is a part of the faith itself. It, not only, promotes simple lifestyle but also eliminates the evil of selfishness from the society. A Muslim cannot be a snob or an arrogant.

In the Western society people sometimes cast an air of disapproval on modesty considering it a weakness. They say that it inhibits a person from claiming what is due to him. They emphasize the need to be assertive so that others do not take advantage of their modesty. It is probably true for a society that has no concept of modesty.

Here is a true story from our modern times. Everybody knows Muhammad Ali, the late heavyweight boxing champion of the world. An incident took place when Ali’s daughters arrived at his place wearing clothes that were not modest. Here is the true account as narrated by one of his daughters:

“When we finally arrived, the chauffeur escorted my younger sister, Laila, and me up to my father’s suite. As usual, he was hiding behind the door waiting to scare us (great sense of humour!). We exchanged as many hugs and kisses as we could possibly give in one day. My father took a good look at us. Then he sat me down on his lap and said something that I will never forget. He looked me straight in the eyes and said:

“Hana, everything that God made valuable in the world is covered and hard to get to. Where do you find diamonds? Deep down in the ground, covered and protected. Where do you find pearls? Deep down at the bottom of the ocean, covered up and protected in a beautiful shell. Where do you find gold? Way down in the mine, covered by layers and layers of rock.You’ve got to work hard to get to them.”

He looked at me with serious eyes and said:

“Your body is sacred. You are far more precious than diamonds and pearls, and you should be covered too.”

(From the book: “More Than A Hero: Muhammad Ali’s Life Lessons Through His Daughter’s Eyes”.)

Now, that is a beautiful piece of advice from an experienced and wise father to his young and aspiring daughters. Indeed, it is a great message of modesty.

Islam has elevated the status of woman by giving her more rights than other nations, but at the same time granting her a lot more respect for her modesty. In the Western materialistic cultures, a woman is an object of physical pleasure. A pretty model or a blonde actress of film/TV can attract big gatherings. But if you ask those people who come to see her, they will tell you that they came because they ‘liked’ her, and not because they ‘respected’ her. It is physical (sexual) attraction. On the contrary, a modest and pious woman is considered a treasure in Islam and men are considered lucky to have such a wife. She is more valuable than all the gold and silver you can possess.

Some people misinterpret modesty. They think it is like poverty. Not at all. Modesty is a great quality that springs from contentment. When you are satisfied and content with whatever God has provided for you, you are modest. There are millions of examples of people living in different eras who had the means and the wealth but they chose a modest lifestyle. Simplicity is a part of modesty. A modest life is a simple life, close to nature and far from material corruption. Living within your means also falls within the limits of modesty.

Here is a beautiful example of modest living. Laith bin Saad was a famous scholar of Islamic studies during the time of Caliph Haroon Rasheed. His daily income during certain period was around one thousand Dinars. But he was never liable for paying Zakat because he never kept the money. He always distributed among the poor and the needy. Amazing! Zakat is payable on the money that you store, invest or keep for one year. His son Shoaib narrates that during certain time his father’s income was around 25 thousand Dinars per year but he was always under debt. Zakat was never due from him. The amount of income kept fluctuating during different periods of time but he always gave away his money in charity. So, at the end of the year he never had a taxable amount.

One day a woman came to Laith bin Saad with a small empty cup and said that she needed some honey. Laith gave her a leather-skin full of honey. Somebody said: O Laith! She was asking for a little bit of honey but you gave her a whole bag. Hazrat Laith replied: She asked for it according to her need and I gave her according to my capacity. Allah has blessed me with His bounties, therefore, I cannot hold back.

Those who understand Islam, they know that modest living can protect them from material problems or corruption. Despite the fact that sometimes they had a lot of money, they used only what was sufficient for their needs. The rest of it they shared with the less fortunate. When you lead simple life, you are modest in your appearance too. Men are not allowed to wear silk clothes and gold jewellery, and women are asked to pay Zakat on their jewellery. Gold and silver utensils are not allowed in a Muslim household.

Muslims should look modest in their clothing too – no luxury robes. And then comes the modesty of character. The Almighty Allah (SWT) directed all believers to be modest. He says in the Holy Quran, Surah Noor (An-Nur), Ayah 30 & 31:

“Tell the believing men to lower their

gaze and be modest. That is purer for them.

Lo, Allah is Aware of what they do.”

(al-Quran 24:30)

“And tell the believing women to lower

their gaze and be modest; and to display

of their adornment only that which is apparent;

and to draw their veils over their bosoms;

and not to reveal their adornment save to their

own husbands or fathers or …..”

(al-Quran 24:31)

The woman gets concession when she is among the family members. Otherwise, both men and women have the lines drawn, the limits or the ‘Hudood’ in this respect. The rules have been laid down, clear as black and white.

I live in a so-called Arab Muslim country and always see the young girls on the beach in their bikinis. Some of them dressed far worse than the non-believing women. Even the young women who wear Hijab, dress in very tight, revealing pants or shorts, skimpy blouses and short skirts. It is a shame to see the city streets full of ‘sexy’ looking objects, and not self-respecting young ladies. There is no doubt that their parents will get their share of punishment for not bringing up their children according to the teachings of Quran and Sunnah. How strange that people feel the heat of summer to dress half-naked and do not feel the heat of Hell that is waiting for them!

It is unfair to blame the society or the surroundings for all the evil in our lives. We are the society; we are the community and we are responsible for the surroundings. As Muslims, we are terrible role-

models for others. It is time to get up and play the role we are supposed to play for the sake of our future generations.

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