It was related on the authority of Abu Mas'ood Al-Badri, may Allah be pleased with him, that: "The Messenger of Allah   said: "One of the admonitions of the previous prophets which has been conveyed to people is that if you have no shame, you can do whatever you wish." [Al-Bukhari] 

Explanation of the Hadeeth:

The saying of the Messenger : "…If you feel no shame, you can do whatever you wish" is in the command form, and can be looked at from two angles, each conveying a distinct meaning:

(1) The first is that it is a form of threat and a challenge thrown down against those who engage in inappropriate behaviour. Such people have no shame in front of Allah and therefore, no matter what course they take, it would not make any real difference. In this case, it would be as if the Hadeeth is stating: "If you do not feel any shame from doing these prohibited acts, then do whatever you wish…" Modesty is the quality that prevents one from immodest behaviour, and the lack of it will only cause one to increase in distancing himself from Allah and make him indifferent to creed or deed. 

(2) The second meaning pertains to doing that which is lawful. That is, if the action that one is about to do is not within the category of the unlawful, and we are not ashamed of doing the act in front of Allah or the people, then we are free to do it. However, if we are ashamed to do it, then we should not. The Hadeeth gives a measuring stick by which we can evaluate actions, both privately and publicly. 

Thus, the first explanation relates to a lack of consciousness regarding Allah and the second is regarding the opposite, which is to be conscious of Allah and of His watching over a person and his actions.

The former explanation relates to an unbridled Nafs (base desires and lower self), whereas the latter implies observance of due constraint over it, so that it does not embark on the road to destruction.  

Modesty is of two types: 

Modesty is either natural or acquired. Natural modesty means that the individual has this quality by nature and does not need to exert any effort to acquire it. Acquired modesty, on the other hand, is attained by those who possess knowledge concerning Allah, being cognisant concerning His Greatness, Proximity and His Inspection of all that they do.


 

Points Related to Modesty:

1. Modesty is one of the most honourable attributes and is a consistent virtue found in all the various laws sent down to each prophet and messenger.

2. It is one of the most perfect and desirable characteristics to possess and an excellent state to be in.

3. Modesty only brings good to individuals and is an indication of faith.

4. Bashfulness and shame is in direct opposition to indecency and shamelessness.

5. Modesty is an element of faith, and indecency has no relation to it.

6. Modesty adorns one's nature and personality and is indicative of his being Islamically cultured and refined.

7. Indecency, on the other hand, shows that one lacks virtues and is uncouth, dishonourable and uncultured.

On the authority of Abu 'Abdullah, Al-Nu'man Ibn Bashir  both, who said : 'I heard Allah's Messenger  say: "The Halal (lawful) is clear and the Haram (prohibited) is clear, and in between them there are some things that are doubtful ,which most people do not know - if they are Halal or Haram - Thus ,whoever avoids the doubtful, safeguards his religion and honor, but one who engages in the doubtful, falls in the Haram."

The example of this is like the shepherd who grazes his animals near Al-Hima (i.e. the ground reserved for animals belonging to the king ) ;it is thus quite likely that some of his animals will stray into it (Al-Hima).Every king has a Hima and the Hima of Allah is what He has forbidden. Truly! There is a lump of flesh in the human body; when it is healthy, the whole body is healthy, and when it is corrupted, the whole body is corrupted. Certainly it (this lump) is the heart." (Bukhari and Muslim)

Terminologies

Halal:


The word Halal has entered English dictionaries. It literally means lawful. In technical terms, it means the name given to the legal category of things which are permissible in Islam. Halal is that which has been made lawful through the Holy Qur'an or through the Sunnah of the Beloved Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him).

According to Islam, 'the first principle established by Islam is that the things which Allah has created and the benefits derived from them are essentially for man's use, and hence are permissible. Nothing is Haram except what is prohibited by a sound and explicit Nass (Qur'anic verse or clear, authentic and explicit Hadith) from the Law-Giver.'

This leads us to understand that the sphere of forbidden things is very small, while the sphere of permissible things is extremely vast.

Haram or Non-Halal:


Haram literally means the prohibited or unlawful. In technical language it means 'that which the Law-Giver has absolutely prohibited, i.e.in the Holy Qur'an or in the sound clear Sunnah; anyone who engages in it is liable to incur the punishment in this world.'

As a matter of fact, 'there is only small number of sound and explicit texts (in The Qur'an and Sunnah) concerning prohibitions.'

In the eye Shari'a, there are different degrees of Haram. It may be major, minor and disliked.

By the way, the right to make lawful and to prohibit is the Right of Allah alone.

Hima:


According to " A Dictionary of Islam ", Hima literally means "guarded ,forbidden", a portion of land reserved by the ruler of a country as a grazing ground; a private pasture. Truly, every prince has a hima, which is forbidden to the people, and the hima is the thing forbidden by him to men. In other words, the grounds reserved for animals belonging to the king which are out of bounds for others' animals. So if the others' animals extend beyond these bounds and graze in the king's hima, owners will be punished.

This is a beautiful simile to show us that those who violate Allah's Hima [prohibitions] will be punished.

Guidance and Moralities

This Hadith addresses the believer's conscience, which is the overseer whose duty is to take charge of work and see that it is properly done. In simpler words, it is the criterion that shows the Muslim's adherence to the Halal, avoiding the Haram and keeping away from committing doubtful actions.

This Hadith urges Muslims to avoid doubtful actions since committing them could lure one to dare the prohibited actions themselves.

This great Hadith leads us to mention a number of rules concerning the Muslim's behavior and conduct individually and in society. Among them are:

1. The Halal is very clear in Islam. Examples: All wholesome things, including lawful foods and drinks, clothes, good adornments, marriage, etc. since the basic principle refers the permissibility of things as long as there is no a text [from the Qur'an or Sunnah] that forbids.

2. The Haram is also clear and limited. Examples: dead meat, blood, the flesh of swine, wine intoxicants, killing others, perjury, ingratitude, theft, bribery, adultery, fornication, usury, interest, swearwords, insult, cheating, envy, hatred, lying and other similar things that good people avoid.

3. Whatever is conductive to the Haram is itself Haram.

4. Good intentions do not make the Haram acceptable.

5. The Haram is prohibited to everyone alike.

6. The prohibition of things is due to their impurity and harmfulness.

7. Necessity dictates exceptions.

However, this Hadith adds that 'there is a grey area between the clearly Halal and the clearly Haram. This is the area of what is doubtful. Some people may not be able to decide whether a particular matter is permissible or forbidden, such confusion may be due to either to doubtful evidence or because of doubt concerning the applicability of the text to the particular circumstances or matter in question.

'In relation to such matters, Islam considers it an act of piety for the Muslim to avoid doing what is doubtful in order to stay clear of doing something Haram. This is similar to what was discussed earlier concerning the blocking of the avenues, which lead to what is Haram.'

By the by, a Muslim is allowed to deal with one most of whose property is Halal, even eating from his food, unless the Muslim recognizes something Haram, which we are requested to avoid since eating Haram darkens the heart and spoils one's actions.

This Hadith states that doing what is Halal, keeping away from what is Haram and avoiding doubtful things constitute an indication of a sound heart, which represents the center of one's leadership and source of good and evil.

The Beloved Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: "He who gives for Allah's sake, prevents for Allah's sake, loves for His sake, hates for His sake, has achieved a complete faith."

Finally, if we direct our tendencies and activities toward good and for Allah's sake, our Iman will be perfect, inward and outward.

8. We are obligated to guard ourselves against indecency and from acting indecently or uncultured, as qualified by Islam.

9. We must never misconstrue bashfulness or shyness with cowardice - Islamically they are far from synonymous.

10. Modesty, as mentioned, is a root virtue. One of the fruits of modesty is chastity.

11. There is no modesty when it comes to teaching the laws of Islam or searching for the truth.