Bukhari Reflection: Humility of the Body

حَدَّثَنَا عُمَرُ بْنُ حَفْصٍ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبِي، حَدَّثَنَا الأَعْمَشُ، عَنْ شَقِيقٍ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ، عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ ‏ "‏ مَا مِنْ أَحَدٍ أَغْيَرُ مِنَ اللَّهِ، مِنْ أَجْلِ ذَلِكَ حَرَّمَ الْفَوَاحِشَ، وَمَا أَحَدٌ أَحَبَّ إِلَيْهِ الْمَدْحُ مِنَ اللَّهِ ‏"‏‏.‏

Narrated `Abdullah bin Masud:

The Prophet, said, "There is none having a greater sense of Ghira than Allah. And for that He has forbidden the doing of vulgar, obscene, immodest, indecent actions. There is none who likes to be praised more than Allah does."

Reference	: Sahih al-Bukhari 5220
	: Book 67, Hadith 153
	: Vol. 7, Book 62, Hadith 147

It is also interesting that there is no one word to explain gheerah in English. Paradoxically, our culture tells us that women’s sexuality is their greatest asset. Our culture tells us that in order for women to prove their ability, prowess, popularity and strength, they must dress, speak and act provocatively. The Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) tells us these mannerism exploit and destroy not only women’s sanctity and the feminine genius but also family values and peaceful societal structures. We need to practice more sexual respect and discretion, modesty and humility of the body to guarantee familial and societal progress, without which we will be nothing more than a community of animals much less a civilization of humans. 

Sadly, there are people who feel a strange disdain towards the ahadith of the Prophet (s.a.w) because they assume that ahadith are sexist, in sense that they make modesty and gender responsibility a strict obligation. But in truth, everything the Prophet (s.a.w) said for women, saves us from the clutches of agony and pain of sexual transgressions and crimes. I highly encourage everyone to follow Dr. Farhat Hashmi's hadith explanation on Facebook Live. It reminds me of the beautiful verse in Surah Al Anfaal verse, 24. 

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اسْتَجِيبُوا لِلَّهِ وَلِلرَّسُولِ إِذَا دَعَاكُمْ لِمَا يُحْيِيكُمْ ۖ وَاعْلَمُوا أَنَّ اللَّهَ يَحُولُ بَيْنَ الْمَرْءِ 
وَقَلْبِهِ وَأَنَّهُ إِلَيْهِ تُحْشَرُونَ

O you who have believed, respond to Allah and to the Messenger when he calls you to that which gives you life.

 



I am so grateful for the precious wisdom imparted by Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w). Learning his methods, in this day and age, is a breath of fresh air. His methods are simple yet so profound and beneficial for all times to come