From the Perfection of a Man’s Character

                                                                     

He would drop the watering hose & stand facing the garden wall with his back towards us. Every time!

Man #1) We had hired a young man who would come to our house every day to water the garden & clean the yard. MashaAllah, he was so trustworthy, that soon we gave him the keys to our gate (not house keys) for the convenience of both. Thus, he would just ring the bell to alert us of his arrival & then enter using his set of keys. Anytime, I had to leave the house or get the car out of the garage, I would have to pass by the area he was working on. SubbhanAllah, he would most respectfully not just lower his gaze, but completely turn around to let us walk out of that area with comfort. We absolutely admired & respected him for his good manners.

Man #2) After some years, he (man #1) had to leave this work & we have now hired another man on probationary period. Since this one is new & we don’t know him well, we have not given him the keys to the gate. Which means someone has to open the gate to let him in everyday after Asr. There are times when there are no male members in the house (or if they are present, they are sleeping like a horse) when he comes to do his work. From the door bell intercom, I tell him to wait. He waits patiently till I put on my outdoor garb & go out to unlock the gate. I don’t exactly open it, but simply unlock it. It just needs to be pulled/pushed to open. But, subbhanAllah, he does not enter immediately. He waits outside for a few seconds -long enough for me to enter the house- & then gets in.

Both these men were not told to this. Both these men have no conventional education. Yet, in their manners, they have exemplified the subtle refineness & superiority of Islamic mores. They have practised something that is not seen in many highly educated men, or even many who seem to have Islamic knowledge. 

   قُلْ لِّلْمُؤْمِنِينَ يَغُضُّواْ مِنْ أَبْصَـرِهِمْ وَيَحْفَظُواْ فُرُوجَهُمْ ذلِكَ أَزْكَى لَهُمْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ خَبِيرٌ بِمَا يَصْنَعُونَ  

“Tell the believing men to lower their gaze, and protect their private parts. That is purer for them. Verily, Allah is All-Aware of what they do.”  [Quran 24:30]

“A believer may achieve the status of one who fasts during the day regularly and spends the night regularly in prayer: through his good manners.” [Hadith]