Character
Hadith 20 of 42
Title
Modesty as faith's legacy
Arabic
إِنَّ مِمَّا أَدْرَكَ النَّاسُ مِنْ كَلَامِ النُّبُوَّةِ الْأُولَى: إِذَا لَمْ تَسْتَحْيِ فَاصْنَعْ مَا شِئْتَ.
Translation
Among what people have inherited from the words of the earliest prophecy: if you feel no shame, do as you wish.
Narrator
Abū Masʿūd al-Anṣārī
Source
Bukhārī 3483 · 3484
Commentary
The Prophet ﷺ said every prophet taught this. Ḥayāʾ (modesty, shame before Allah) is the internal governor — once it breaks, no external rule will hold. The phrasing 'do as you wish' is a warning, not a permission.