Feel no shame, then do as U wish - Explained

On the authority of Abu Mas ud ‘Uqba Ibn ‘Amr al-Ansari (May Allah be pleased with him), who said :Allah’s Messenger (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him
) said : “ Among the words people received from the previous Prophets are :If do not feel ashamed ,then do as you wish .” Reported by al-Bukhari.



Terminologies 



al-Hayaa: 



al-Hayaa is an important psychological faculty that helps to keep one’s caprices under control and to avoid what is improper in the eye of nature/other normal humans/Shari‘a.



It linguistically means to abstain from doing something. Technically it means a characteristic which impels a person to discard vicious acts and defers him to curtailing or usurping the rights of a person.



In other words, al-Hayaa is a disposition which enables a man to appreciate the bounties and favors of God, and then, to consider his own shortcomings; therefore, the condition created by these two things is known as al-Hayaa.



al-Hayaa is a comprehensive Islamic term. It is usually translated by the following English words: shame, pudency, modesty, honors, self –respect, bashfulness, shyness etc…



In truth, none of the above- mentioned words could give the true meaning. Since this term covers a large number of concepts, “Thomas Patrick” transliterated it saying: ‘Modesty (Hayaa) brings nothing but good’. 



al-Hayaa is of two forms: good and bad; the good Hayaa is to be ashamed to commit a crime or a thing which Allah (the Great Almighty) and His Messenger (Blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) have forbidden; and bad Hayaa (which is, in fact, Khajal in Arabic) is to be ashamed to say, do or ask for what is right. The latter is a sign of weak character.



Guidance and Moralities 



This Hadith presents cautionary advice to those people whose selves entice them to do vicious deeds, i.e to those who feel no shame in doing what is wrong in the sigh of the Law-Maker, Allah (the Great and Almighty). 



It also states that the Final Divine Message – Islam - includes all teachings preached through the previous Divine Messages.



At first, it is essential to record the following Prophetic Hadith, which help us understand the importance and rank of al-Hayaa in Islam: 



“al-Iman (faith) consists of more than sixty or seventy parts, the best of which is the acknowledgement of the fact that ‘La Ilaha Illallah’ (there is no god
worthy of worship but Allah); and the lowest of them is removal of a thing causing harm from a thoroughfare. al-Hayaa is also a part of Iman.”



“al-Hayaa brings nothing but good.” “al-Hayaa is a virtue through and through..” “The Blessed Prophet was more modest than a secluded virgin and whenever he saw
something untoward, we could notice its signs from his face.” “al-Hayaa is a branch of Iman.” 



From a behavioral point of view, al-Hayaa is of two types: 



- Congenital, i.e. existing from birth, one of the best morals Allah has granted to human beings. 



- Acquired, i.e. gained by personal effort as a result of a person achieving the degree of al-Ihsan.


In Principle, al-Hayaa is a motivating power which leads one to righteousness, doing in private as you do in public; to ward off evil with good, secretly and
openly.



In conclusion, al-Hayaa is a Divine Quality, which each and every Muslim must gain and put into practice. The Beloved Prophet (Blessings and peace of Allah be
upon him) said: “Observe al-Hayaa of Allah, it is His right. His Companions replied: Praise be to Allah: We do observe al-Hayaa. Upon this the Prophet said:
‘this is not what al-Hayaa really implies. To observe al-Hayaa of Allah means that: You should guard your mind and all thought crowded in it and stomach and
all that is contained in it against evil. And to remember death and what would come after it in the grave. He who does it observes al-Hayya of Allah.”