Modesty is a part of faith

It was related on the authority of Abu Mas'ood Al-Badri that: "The
Messenger of Allaah said: "One of the admonitions of the previous
prophets which has been conveyed to people is that if you haveno
shame, you can do whatever you wish." [Al-Bukhaari]
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 Allaah 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
Allaah 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 notashamed of doing the actin front of
Allaah 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 whichwe can evaluate actions, both privately and publicly.
Thus, the first explanation relates to a lack of consciousness
regarding Allaah and the second is regarding the opposite, which is to
be conscious of Allaah 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 qualityby 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 Allaah, being cognisant
concerning His Greatness,Proximity and His Inspection of all that
theydo.
Points Related to Modesty:
1. Modesty is one of the most honourable attributes and is a
consistent virtue found inall 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 shameis 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 culturedand refined.
7. Indecency, on the other hand, shows that one lacks virtues and is
uncouth, dishonourable and uncultured.
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 thetruth.

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Names and Attributes of Allaah - What is the meaning of Allaah’s name al-Rafeeq?.

What is the meaning of Allaah's name al-Rafeeq (the Most Kind)?
Praise be to Allaah.
Allaah is Kind to His slaves. He is Kind in His actions – He creates
all created beings in stages according to His wisdom and kindness,
although He is Able to create themall at once, in a single moment.
Whoever studies His laws and seeshow they came step by step, will see
that this bears testimony to His kindness, may He be glorified.
Allaah is Kind and He does not hasten, because the one who hastens is
the one who isafraid that he will miss something. But all thingsare
under His control and dominion, so he does not hasten.
Ibn al-Qayyim said:
He is Kind and loves people who are kind; by His kindness He gives
them more than they can wish for.
Sharh Asmaa ; Allaah taaala al-Husna by Dr. Hissah al-Sagheer, p. 134


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Names and Attributes of Allaah - The meaning of the pronoun “We” as used inthe Qur’an.

Why does the Quran use the term "we" in its ayats?
Many non-believers believe that this may be in reference to Jesus?
Praise be to Allaah.
It is a feature of literary style in Arabic that a person may refer to
himself by the pronoun nahnu (we) for respect or glorification. He may
also use the word ana (I), indicating one person, or the third person
huwa (he). All three styles are used in the Qur'an, where
Allaahaddresses the Arabs in their own tongue. (Fataawa al-Lajnah
al-Daa'imah, 4/143).
"Allaah, may He be glorified and exalted, sometimes refers to Himself
in the singular, by name or by use of a pronoun, and sometimesby use
of the plural, as inthe phrase (interpretation of the meaning):
'Verily, We have given you a manifest victory" [al-Fath 48:1], and
other similar phrases. But Allaah never refers to Himself by use of
the dual, because the plural refers to the respect thatHe deserves,
and may refer to His names and attributes, whereas the dual refers to
a specific number (and nothing else), and He is far abovethat."
(Al-'Aqeedah al-Tadmuriyyah by Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah, p. 75).
These words, innaa ("Verily We") and nahnu ("We"), and other forms of
the plural, may be used by one person speaking on behalf of a group,
or they may be used by one person for purposes of respect or
glorification, as is done by some monarchs whenthey issue statements
or decrees in which they say "We have decided…" etc. [This is known in
English as "The Royal We" – Translator]. In such cases, only one
person is speaking but the plural is used for respect. The One Who is
more deserving of respect than any other isAllaah, may He be glorified
and exalted, so when He says in the Qur'an innaa ("Verily We") and
nahnu ("We"), it is for respect and glorification, not to indicate
plurality of numbers. If an aayah of this type is causing confusion,
it is essential to refer to the clear, unambiguous aayaat
forclarification, and if a Christian, for example, insists on taking
ayaat such as "Verily, We: it is We Who have sent downthe Dhikr (i.e.,
the Qur'an)" [al-Hijr 15:9 – interpretation of the meaning] as proof
of divine plurality, we may refute this claim by quoting such clear
and unambiguous aayaat as (interpretation of the meanings): "And your
god is One God, there is none who has the right to be worshipped but
He, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful" [al-Baqarah 2:163] and
"Say: He is Allaah, the One" [al-Ikhlaas 112:1] – and other aayaat
which can only be interpreted in one way. Thus confusion will be
dispelled for the one who is seeking the truth.Every time Allaah uses
the plural to refer to Himself, it is based on the respect and honour
that He deserves, and on the great number of His names and attributes,
and on the great number of His troops and angels." (Reference:
Al-'Aqeedah al-Tadmuriyyah by Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah, p. 109).
And Allaah knows best.

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Names and Attributes of Allaah - Commentary on the verse “so wherever you turn (yourselves or your faces) there is the Face of Allaah” .

Could you explain the following ayaah? If Allahis above the heavens,
why is Allah face there wherever you face?
I am only asking this because I was explainingthat Allah was above the
heavens to somebody, and he qouted this ayah;I could not respond to
him after that.
Al-Baqarah - 2:115
And to Allâh belong the east and the west, so wherever you turn
yourselves or your faces there is the Face of Allâh (and He is High
above, over His Throne). Surely! Allâh
is All-Sufficient for His creatures' needs, All-Knowing.
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
We are obliged to believe that Allaah has risen above His throne ina
manner that befits His majesty, not in a mannerthat resembles human
movement, and to believe that Allaah has a Face that is not like the
faces of His creation.
So we should not go astray when interpreting verses and we must not
distort theirmeanings; we should follow the views of the righteous
salaf concerning that.
With regard to the tafseer (commentary) onthis verse, Shaykh Ibn
'Uthaymeen said:
If you ask whether everymention of the wajh (face) with reference to
Allaah means the Face of Allaah which is one of His attributes, the
answer is that this is the basic principle. Allaah says
(interpretation of the meaning):
"And turn not away those who invoke their Lord, morning and afternoon
seeking His Face"
[al-An'aam 6:52].
"And who has (in mind) no favour from anyone to be paid back,
Except to seek the Countenance of his Lord,the Most High.
He surely, will be pleased(when he will enter Paradise)"
[al-Layl 92:19-21]
And there are other similar verses.
The basic principle is that what is meant by wajh is the Face of
Allaah which is one of His attributes. But there is a verse concerning
which the mufassireen differed, which is this verse (interpretation of
the meaning):
"And to Allaah belong the east and the west, sowherever you turn
(yourselves or your faces) there is the Face of Allaah"
[al-Baqarah 2:115] Some of them said that what is meant by wajh here
is direction, because Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"For every nation there is a direction to which they face (in their prayers)"
[al-Baqarah 2:148]
So what is meant by wajh here is direction, so "there is the wajh of
Allaah" means there is the direction of prayer which Allaah accepts.
They said: because whentravelling, if a person offers naafil prayers
he can pray in whatever direction he is facing.
But the correct view is that what is meant by wajh here is the Face of
Allaah. So wherever you turn there is the Face of Allaah, because
Allaah encompasses all things, and because it was proven from the
Prophet(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) thatwhen the
worshipper stands to pray, Allaah in front of him. Hence it is
forbidden for the worshipper to spit in front of him, because Allaah
is in front of him. So if you pray in a place where you do not know
where the qiblah is, but you do your best to figure it out and pray,
and the qiblah is in fact behind you, then Allaah is in front of you
even in this situation.
This is the correct meaning which is in accordance with the apparent
meaning of the verse, and the first meaning does not in factcontradict
it.
So the two meanings do not contradict one another.
It should be noted that this mighty Face which isdescribed in terms of
majesty and honour cannot be fully encompassed by human descriptions
and imagination. Rather everything that you can think of, Allaah is
above that and is greater.
"but they will never compass anything of His Knowledge"
[Ta-Ha 20:110 – interpretation of the meaning]
With regard to the verse (interpretation of the meaning):
"Everything will perish save His Face"
[al-Qasas 28:88]
What this means is that everything will perish except His Essence of
which s His Face is one ofthe attributes.
Sharh al-'Aqeedah al-Waasitiyyah by Ibn 'Uthaymeen, 1/243-245.
We should not compare the Creator to His creation and imagine Him in
terms of His creation, for Allaah is as He has said of Himself
(interpretation of the meaning):
"There is nothing like Him"
[al-Shoora 42:11]
So Allaah has risen above His Throne, and He faces the worshipper when
he prays, and there is no contradictionbetween them with regard to
Allaah.
Some people were similarly confused about the issue of Allaah
descending during the last third of the night to the lowest heaven.
They said that the night is not the same throughout theearth, so how
can Allaah descend during the night and day at the same time?
Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen said:
Later generations who knew that the earth is round and that the sun
revolves around the earth said: how can He descend during the last
third of the night, when the last third of the night moves from the
Kingdom of Saudi Arabiaand goes to Europe and areas nearby? We say:
now you are comparing the attributes of Allaah to the attributes of
created beings. If you believe it you do not have to do anything
beyond that, so do not ask how.
Rather say: When it is the last third of the night in the Kingdom of
Saudi Arabia, then Allaahdescends, and when it is the last third of
the night in America, Allaah descends then as well.
So our attitude is that we believe what has reached us via Muhammad
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and that Allaah descends
to the lowest heaven when there is one third of the night left, and
says, "Who will call upon Me, that I may answer him? Who will ask of
Me, that Imay give him? Who will ask My forgiveness that I may forgive
him?"
Sharh al-Waasitiyyah, 2/437.
And Allaah knows best.

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