Blameworthy Modesty As for blameworthy modesty, it is that which prevents one from denouncing the condemnable or from asking a question concerning a matter relating to religion and the like. For this reason, it is considered a harmful quality. As for noble modesty, such as the Chosen Ones [SAW] behavior the night he married Zaynab, when he fed his company to their full from his wedding feast, and they all left except for three. They lingered and yet he did not request that they leave. Such modesty is a most excellent virtue. Had modesty been a person, it would have been a righteous one and would do nothing but good in whatever it did. #Definition In general, modesty is something praised in Islam and is considered virtuous. What is blameworthy is modesty that prevents one from denouncing what clearly should be denounced, such as tyranny or corruption. This form of modesty results in meekness at a ti me when one needs to be forthright and courageous. Something condemnable (munkar) is condemnable regardless of the status of the person who is engaged in it whether he or she is a close relative or a person of status, wealth, or authority. There must be agreement, however, among scholars on what is condemnable. One cannot, for example, declare decisively that something is considered condemnable if there is a difference of opinion about it among the scholars. Scholars knowledgeable of juristic differences rarely condemn others. They refrain from such condemnation not because of modesty, but because of their extensive knowledge and scholarship. Unfortunately, too many people today are swift to condemn; which creates another disease — self righteousness. At issue here is blameworthy modesty that results in timid failure to denounce what unequivocally deserves denouncement and to ask about important matters from those who know. The Prophets wife Aisha once said, The best women were the women of the Ansar because modesty did not prevent them from learning the religion. A woman once came up to the Prophet asking a specific question about menstruation. The Prophet answered her, but the woman persisted in asking for more detail. The Prophet then asked Aisha to show the woman what he meant, for it was a bit awkward for him. Some women even sent the cloth used for their menstrual protection to seek out with certainty what constitutes the beginning and the end of the menses, which determines whether or not certain rites of worship may be resumed. Most women would not feel comfortable with that, but the modesty of these women did not prevent them from seeking out knowledge about their religious affairs SHAYKH HAMZA YUSUF
Posted on: Sun, 04 Jan 2015 01:23:19 +0000
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