*Riyadh al-Salihin* (The Meadows of the Righteous) from the Words of the Master of the Messengers, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
Chapter: Modesty, Its Virtues, and the Encouragement to Adopt It as a Character Trait
On the authority of Ibn 'Umar, may Allah be pleased with them both,
that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, passed by a man from the Ansar
who was admonishing his brother regarding modesty.
The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said:
"Leave him, for modesty is part of faith."
Agreed upon.
"Admonishing" means advising him in a reproving manner.
"Leave him" means let him remain with this noble trait.
Among the benefits of this hadith:
Modesty is a branch of faith,
because it prevents a person from committing sins, just as faith prevents him.
The obligation of enjoining good and forbidding evil,
and that clarifying a ruling must not be delayed beyond the time of need.
On the authority of 'Imran Ibn Husayn, may Allah be pleased with them both, who said:
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
"Modesty brings nothing but good."
Agreed upon.
In a narration by Muslim:
"Modesty is entirely good,"
or he said:
"Modesty is all good."
Among the benefits of this hadith:
Encouragement to adopt the character trait of modesty,
and that it is beneficial for both the individual and society,
because it leads one to perform good deeds and abandon evil ones.
What is meant by modesty in these hadiths is the Islamically praised modesty.
As for the timidity that leads to neglecting duties
or the fear of confronting those who commit evil deeds,
it is not Islamically praised modesty;
rather, it is weakness, humiliation, and cowardice,
even if it is named modesty
due to its outward resemblance to Islamically praised modesty.
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him,
that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
"Faith has seventy-odd,
or sixty-odd, branches.
The highest of them is saying *La ilaha illa Allah* (There is no deity worthy of worship but Allah),
and the lowest is removing a harmful object from the road,
and modesty is a branch of faith."
Agreed upon.
"Odd" (*biḍ'*) refers to a number from three to ten.
"Branch" (*shu'bah*) means a piece or a trait.
"Removing" (*imāṭah*) means clearing away, and "harmful object" (*adhā*)
includes anything that harms you, such as stones, thorns, mud,
ashes, filth, and the like.
On the authority of Abu Sa'id al-Khudri, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, was
more modest than a virgin in her private room.
If he saw something he disliked, we would recognize it on his face.
Agreed upon.
The scholars said:
The reality of modesty is an inner trait that prompts the abandonment of bad deeds
and prevents falling short in fulfilling the rights of others.
We narrated on the authority of Abu al-Qasim al-Junayd, may Allah have mercy on him, who said:
"Modesty is recognizing divine favors—
that is, blessings—and recognizing one's own shortcomings;
between these two, a state is born called modesty."
"Virgin" (*'adhrā'*) refers to an unmarried woman
who has never been touched by a man.
"Private room" (*khidr*) is a curtained corner within the house.
"We would recognize it on his face" means through the change in his facial expression,
as he would not speak due to the intensity of his modesty.
Among the benefits of this hadith:
The necessity of emulating the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, in modesty,
because modesty is a noble character trait.
Modesty is an innate trait in women.
Chapter: Keeping Secrets
Allah Almighty says:
“Come not near the wealth of the orphan save with that which is better till he come to strength; and keep the covenant. Lo! of the covenant it will be asked.” (17:34)
On the authority of Abu Sa'id al-Khudri, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
"Among the most evil of people in status before Allah on the Day of Resurrection
is a man who lies with his wife and she lies with him,
and then he discloses her secret."
Narrated by Muslim.
"Lies with" (*yufḍī*) is an allusion to marital intimacy.
"Discloses her secret"
means mentioning to people the details of what occurs between him and his wife in privacy,
whether during intimacy or the foreplay preceding it.
Among the benefits of this hadith:
Divulging marital intimate secrets is a major sin,
due to the severe warning mentioned regarding it.
Among the reciprocal rights of spouses is
preserving each other's secrets.
On the authority of 'Abdullah Ibn 'Umar, may Allah be pleased with them both,
that when Hafsah became a widow, 'Umar, may Allah be pleased with him,
said: "I met 'Uthman Ibn 'Affan, may Allah be pleased with him,
and offered Hafsah to him in marriage.
I said: 'If you wish, I will marry Hafsah, daughter of 'Umar, to you.'
He said: 'I will consider my matter.'
So I waited a few nights,
then he met me and said:
'It has become clear to me that I should not marry at this time.'
Then I met Abu Bakr al-Siddiq, may Allah be pleased with him,
and said: 'If you wish, I will marry Hafsah, daughter of 'Umar, to you.'
Abu Bakr remained silent
and did not give me any reply.
I felt more upset with him than I was with 'Uthman.
So I waited a few nights,
and then the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, asked for her hand in marriage,
and I married her to him.
Afterwards, Abu Bakr met me and said:
'Perhaps you were upset with me when you offered Hafsah to me
and I gave you no reply?'
I said: 'Yes.'
He said:
'Nothing prevented me from replying to your offer
except that I knew the Prophet, peace be upon him, had mentioned her,
and I was not one to divulge the secret of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him.
Had the Prophet, peace be upon him, left her, I would have accepted her.'"
Narrated by al-Bukhari.
His saying "became a widow" (*ta'ayyamat*)
means she was left without a husband,
as her husband had passed away, may Allah be pleased with him.
"I felt upset" (*wajadtu*) means I became angry.
"I waited" (*labithtu*) means I stayed waiting.
"It became clear" (*badā*) means it appeared to me.
"More upset" (*awjad*) means more angry.
"To divulge" (*li-ufshiya*) means to spread and disclose.
Among the benefits of this hadith:
The permissibility of a person offering his daughter or sister in marriage to people of goodness and righteousness,
due to the benefit that returns to the woman offered.
The virtue of keeping secrets and taking great care to conceal them.
However, if the owner of the secret discloses it himself,
the burden of confidentiality is lifted from whoever heard it.
Gentle admonition does not spoil affection;
rather, reproof is proportional to love, as it is said.
That is why 'Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, was more upset with Abu Bakr
than he was with 'Uthman,
because of the abundance of mutual love and high esteem
that existed between 'Umar and Abu Bakr.
It is recommended for one to accept a valid excuse when it is presented.
A previously married woman still requires a guardian for marriage, just like a virgin,
and she may not conduct her own marriage contract.
On the authority of 'A'ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, who said:
"The wives of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, were with him
when Fatimah, may Allah be pleased with her, came walking,
and her gait was identical to that of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him.
When he saw her, he welcomed her and said:
'Welcome, my daughter!'
Then he seated her to his right or to his left.
He then whispered to her,
and she wept bitterly.
When he saw her grief,
he whispered to her a second time,
and she smiled.
I said to her:
'The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, singled you out
among his wives to share a secret,
and yet you weep?'
When the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, stood up,
I asked her:
'What did the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, say to you?'
She said:
'I am not one to divulge the secret of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him.'
When the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, passed away,
I said: 'I adjure you by the right I have over you
that you tell me what the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said to you.'
She replied: 'Now, yes.
As for when he whispered to me the first time,
he informed me that Jibril used to review the Qur'an with him once or twice every year,
and that he had reviewed it with him twice this year,
and "I see my appointed time of death as having drawn near;
so fear Allah and be patient,
for I am an excellent predecessor for you."
So I wept as you saw.
When he saw my grief, he whispered to me a second time and said:
"O Fatimah, are you not pleased to be the leader of the believing women,
or the leader of the women of this Ummah?"
So I laughed as you saw.'"
Agreed upon,
and this is the wording of Muslim.
"Gait" (*mishyah*) refers to the manner of walking.
"Welcome to you" (*marḥaban bik*)
means you have arrived at a spacious and comfortable place.
"He saw her grief" (*jaza'ahā*)
means her weakness in bearing what she heard.
"I adjure you" (*'azamtu 'alayki*)
means I bind you by oath through the right I have over you,
which is her status as the Mother of the Believers,
the wife of the Prophet, peace be upon him,
and his beloved.
"Reviewing the Qur'an" (*yu'āriḍu al-Qur'ān*)
means studying the Qur'an together,
which is a reciprocal process from both sides:
the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, would recite
while Jibril, peace be upon him, listened,
and then Jibril, peace be upon him, would recite
while the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, listened.
Among the benefits of this hadith:
A statement on the virtue of Fatimah, may Allah be pleased with her,
and that she is the leader of the women of this Ummah.
The hadith is among the proofs of prophethood,
as the Messenger, peace be upon him, informed his daughter
of the proximity of his passing
and let her know that she would be the first of his household to join him,
and it occurred exactly as the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, informed.
The permissibility of weeping that is free from screaming, wailing,
lamentation, slapping cheeks, and tearing garments,
for it is a mercy that Allah has placed in the heart of His believing servant.
The recommendation of keeping secrets and not disclosing them
until the reason for withholding them ceases to exist.
Affirming the rights of the wives of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)
over all believing men and women,
for they are indeed the Mothers of the Believers.
Reciting the Qur'an before proficient memorizers and reviewing it with them
is among the essential means of preserving and consolidating its memorization;
it is an established Sunnah practiced among the people and memorizers of the Qur'an.
Therefore, every memorizer ought to regularly review and maintain what they have memorized.
The validity of drawing inferences from circumstantial indicators,
for the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him)
inferred from Gabriel's reviewing the Qur'an with him twice—
whereas he used to review it with him only once every year—
the nearness of his appointed time and the approach of his departure from this world.
On the authority of Thabit, from Anas (may Allah be pleased with him), who said:
"The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) came to me
while I was playing with other young boys,
and he greeted us with peace.
Then he sent me on an errand,
which caused me to be late returning to my mother.
When I arrived,
she asked, 'What kept you?'
I said,
'The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) sent me on an errand.'
She asked, 'What was his errand?'
I replied, 'It is a secret.'
She said, 'Do not disclose the secret of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) to anyone!'
Anas said,
'By Allah, if I were ever to tell it to anyone,
I would certainly have told you, O Thabit.'"
Related by Muslim,
and al-Bukhari related part of it in abridged form.
"I was delayed" (fa-abta'tu)
means: I was late and my absence lasted longer than usual.
"What kept you?" (ma habasaka)
means: What detained or prevented you?
Among the benefits derived from this hadith:
The great virtue of Anas ibn Malik,
his remarkable gentleness,
the sincerity of his trustworthiness and loyalty,
and his meticulous keeping of the secret of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him),
both during his lifetime and after his death.
The excellent upbringing provided by Umm Sulaym to her son,
as she instructed him never to disclose
the secret of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him).
Keeping the secrets of one's brethren and not divulging them
is among the noblest of manners and Islamic etiquettes.
What must be understood regarding the preservation of secrets
is that it is impermissible to divulge a secret
if doing so would cause harm to its owner during his lifetime.
Likewise, if he passes away and it is known that revealing it would bring him reproach or dishonor,
it is not permissible to mention that secret.
However, if disclosing it highlights a virtue or honor for him,
then there is no harm in mentioning it.
If keeping a secret would result in unlawful bloodshed,
the violation of illicit intimacy,
or the unlawful seizure of property,
then keeping it is strictly forbidden;
rather, it becomes obligatory to warn against and prevent such wrongdoing.
Riyad al-Salihin.