If lay-Muslims are required to adhere to dignity, then the scholars and devout Muslims are required to adhere to it with greater reason. Such was the practice of the scholars of the righteous predecessors. An example is Imaam Maalik  may  Allah  have  mercy  upon  him; whenever he related Hadeeth to his students, he would clean himself, wear perfume, comb his beard, and put on his best apparel. Allah, The Exalted, bestowed upon him a great share of dignity, so much so that the following verses of poetry were composed about him (translation of the meaning): “He would at times not answer the questions directed to him, and the questioners would not dare to remind him out of awe of him, and they would keep their heads down. He was endowed with the light of dignity and the honor of piety; revered like a king without being one.”

Adhering to dignity was the advice that Ibn Mas‘ood, may Allah be pleased with him, gave to those who are devoted to the Quran. He said: “The one who memorizes  the Quran should be oft-weeping, sad, wise, forbearing, and serene. He  should not be harsh, heedless, slugabed (lazy), loud, or rough.”

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 You may accompany a person down a path or a journey or know him from work and interact with him friendly as courteously as a well-mannered person should interact with others while being unaware of his life. He would become associated with you, and he becomes known as your “friend,” and his evils would affect you accordingly. You may be harmed by such association, and he may become a source of disgrace to you. He may also influence you in a way you are unaware of. Every word you hear can be likened to a seed thrown into a fertile land; it may be a good seed that generates goodness within you, or an evil one that gives rise to evil within you. Many righteous people were corrupted because they kept the company of a wicked person who changed their state drastically and made life misery for them. Conversely, many wicked people were rectified and became righteous because they kept the company of the righteous. A person may be safe from his sinful urges on his own and distract himself from them with knowledge or art, or practicing spiritual or physical exercise, but a wicked companion may come along, out of the blue, to trigger such sinful urges within him and cause him to taste their bitterness.

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  Another may be living a sinful life leading him ultimately to Hellfire, but he would be blessed with a righteous friend who would steer him away and lead him towards Paradise instead. A friend who reminds you of Allah is not like the one who causes you to forget His remembrance. A friend who leads you to the mosque for worship is not like the one who leads you to a brothel to commit sin. A friend who tells you about a book that he read and encourages you to read it as well is not like the one who describes the beauty of a female dancer that he had watched to incite you to watch her too.

If you seek a friendship that fosters your righteousness and a deed that rectifies all deeds, then write down the names of your friends, companions, and acquaintances with whom you are on friendly terms, and investigate the state of each and every one of them: is he righteous or unrighteous? Is he loyal to his friends, or does he only care about what benefits and pleases him? Is he a source of comforting company, or is he rough and annoying? If you do so, you will find that your companions are indeed different. You will find among them the one who is devoted to fasting and prayer and has the outward appearance of the righteous but is actually using this ‘outward righteousness’ as a ladder to rise in the world and a trap to catch money thereby. You will find out that his true character belies his false pretense of piety. If you make a covenant with him, he betrays you, and if you enter into a transaction with him, he cheats you.

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  You will also find the one who is honest and trustworthy, but he does not observe fasting nor prayer and is a Muslim in name only. Such a companion will ruin your religiosity.

You will find among them the one who is a righteous, devout worshiper, who is trustworthy and honest, but he has an insatiable lust and unbridled urges, and he talks about nothing else. He refrains from committing sins but indulges in speaking about them! Such a person harms you by arousing your dormant desires and waking the latent urges inside you.

There is also the one who is righteous and trustworthy and guards his tongue but is not friend-material, nor is he an enjoyable companion. If he were on the banks of the Euphrates while you are burning with thirst, he would not hand you a glass of water!

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Another is the one who is willing to help and please his friends but would not mind compromising his own religion in the process. He may betray the trusts and undermine his honor for the sake of his friends, helping them commit sins, devour people’s rights, and steal their wealth. He perceives such compromise acceptable and allowable for the sake of friendship! Such a companion takes your hand until he leads you to Hellfire with him!

Another companion may be pious, helpful to his friends, and complying with the Limits of Allah. He does not commit sins nor engage in forbidden acts, but he is ignorant of the proper etiquettes of social interactions, table manners, and all the common norms of decorum. Such a person would disgust you and get on your nerves.

There is also the foolish and vulgar, or the reckless and foul, or the one who befriends you for your prestige or high position. He uses you as an adornment for today and an asset for tomorrow. To him, you are a trophy on the wall!

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 Al-Hasan Al-Basri  may  Allah  have  mercy  upon  him said: “A man would pursue knowledge, and soon it would show in his earnest fear of Allah, decorum, sayings, gazes, and righteousness.”

When a person’s heart is alive and his face is adorned with bashfulness, he is prompted to adhere to dignity. He reveres other people, and they revere him in return, and he becomes characterized by dignity.

The more a person venerates and glorifies his Lord, the more people revere him. Whoever glorifies and venerates Allah, The Exalted, He will instill the love and reverence for him in the hearts of people.

On the other hand, the one who takes the Rights of Allah lightly, and the reverence for his Lord weakens in his heart, thus emboldening him to commit sins and transgress against His Limits and neglect His Commands and Obligations, Allah, The Exalted, will not cast reverence for him or awe of him into people’s hearts. Even if some people revere him to avoid his evil, it is a false reverence that is founded on hatred rather than love or admiration.

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 The more a person venerates and glorifies his Lord, the more people revere him. Whoever glorifies and venerates Allah, The Exalted, He will instill the love and reverence for him in the hearts of people.

On the other hand, the one who takes the Rights of Allah lightly, and the reverence for his Lord weakens in his heart, thus emboldening him to commit sins and transgress against His Limits and neglect His Commands and Obligations, Allah, The Exalted, will not cast reverence for him or awe of him into people’s hearts. Even if some people revere him to avoid his evil, it is a false reverence that is founded on hatred rather than love or admiration.

Finally, let us ponder over these beautiful verses composed by an Arab poet (translation of meaning): “Speak the truth, refrain from vain and idle talk, and do not use vulgar language or promote suspicions. Be dignified; speak less, and think more. When you speak, do not give prolonged speeches; do not hasten to answer a question without deliberation, and do not answer a question that was not directed to you.”

We ask Allah, The Exalted, to adorn us with faith and bless us with dignity.

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