Commentary Summary
In society, there remains some faint traces of the earliest Prophetic teachings. Prophet Muhammad (sas) in this hadith reminds us of one of those teachings, while also conveying an important message about heeding our internal compass of haya’.
The Arabic word used here is haya’, and is often translated as modesty. However, Haya’ is more complex and dynamic than just modesty and encompasses many shades of meaning, including humility, sensitivity, shyness, apprehensiveness, and shame.
We know that all of the Prophets are interconnected. They came with the same message, a universal call to worship the one true God. The concept of haya’ is neither new and invented, nor exclusive to Islam. The Prophet (sas) said, “I was sent to perfect good character.” From this, we learn that good character and manners is a component of society, and earlier prophets also emphasized good moral character.
