Al-hamdu lillah. We praise Allah, we seek His help, we seek His forgiveness, and we turn to Him in repentance. We seek refuge in Allah from the evil within ourselves and from the consequences of our deeds. Whoever Allah guides, none can misguide; and whoever He allows to stray, none can guide. I bear witness that there is no god worthy of worship except Allah alone, without partner, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger.
Allahumma salli wa sallim wa barik ala nabiyyina Muhammad, and upon his family, his Companions, and all those who follow his guidance until the Last Day.
Servants of Allah, I advise myself and you to have taqwa of Allah-to be mindful of Him, to obey Him, and to protect ourselves from disobedience.
Ya ayyuhalladhina amanu ittaqullaha haqqa tuqatihi wa la tamutunna illa wa antum muslimun.
Meaning: O believers, be mindful of Allah as He deserves, and do not die except in a state of submission to Him.
Quran 3:102
Ya ayyuhan-nasu ittaqu rabbakum alladhi khalaqakum min nafsin wahidah, wa khalaqa minha zawjaha, wa baththa minhuma rijalan kathiran wa nisa'a. Wattaqullaha alladhi tasa'aluna bihi wal-arham. Innallaha kana alaykum raqiba.
Meaning: O humanity, be mindful of your Lord, who created you from one soul, created from it its mate, and spread from them many men and women. Be mindful of Allah, in whose name you appeal to one another, and honor family ties. Surely Allah is always watching over you.
Quran 4:1
Ya ayyuhalladhina amanu ittaqullaha wa qulu qawlan sadida, yuslih lakum a'malakum wa yaghfir lakum dhunubakum. Wa man yuti Allah wa rasulahu faqad faza fawzan azima.
Meaning: O believers, be mindful of Allah and speak words that are upright. He will correct your deeds and forgive your sins. Whoever obeys Allah and His Messenger has certainly achieved a great success.
Quran 33:70-71
First Khutbah
Servants of Allah, our topic today is modesty in the age of exposure.
We live in a time when almost everything can be displayed. A thought can be posted before it has been considered. A private moment can become public in seconds. A person can measure his worth by views, likes, comments, and followers. People expose their homes, their bodies, their relationships, their possessions, their arguments, and sometimes their sins. Even moments that were once quiet and sacred are now presented for an audience.
Islam does not teach us to hate every technology, every photograph, or every form of communication. But Islam teaches us that visibility is not the same as value, and exposure is not the same as honor. Not everything seen must be shown. Not everything felt must be said. Not everything possessed must be displayed.
The word haya means modesty, but it is more than shyness. It is a living sense that Allah sees us. It is restraint before Allah. It is the heart refusing to cross a limit even when people would never know. It is dignity in our clothing, our gaze, our speech, our private life, our online behavior, and our relationships. It is not weakness. It is not cowardice. It is not the inability to speak for truth. The prophets spoke truth clearly. The Companions stood for justice courageously. But courage does not require vulgarity, and confidence does not require exposure.
O children of Adam, We have provided for you clothing to cover your nakedness and as an adornment. But the best clothing is righteousness. That is one of the signs of Allah, so perhaps they will be mindful.
Quran 7:26
Allah mentions the clothing of the body, then directs us to the clothing of taqwa. The body has boundaries, and the heart has boundaries. A person may be fully dressed yet expose his heart to arrogance, envy, lust, and showing off. Another may be struggling in some outward matter while sincerely turning to Allah and fighting his desires. We do not know the full reality of people. Allah knows. So we obey His guidance, but we do not appoint ourselves as judges over the private hearts of others.
Modesty is required from men and women. The Quran does not begin the command to lower the gaze by speaking only about women. Allah says:
Tell the believing men to lower their gaze and guard their chastity. That is purer for them. Surely Allah is All-Aware of what they do.
Quran 24:30
Then Allah says:
And tell the believing women to lower their gaze, guard their chastity, and not reveal their adornments except what normally appears, and let them draw their coverings over their chests.
Quran 24:31
These verses teach us that modesty is not a burden placed on one gender while the other is given permission to behave without restraint. Men must lower their gaze. Men must guard their private parts. Men must dress with decency. Men must not objectify women, pressure them, or use religious language to excuse their own bad behavior. Women must also obey Allah in their gaze, their dress, their speech, and their relationships. Each believer stands before Allah for his or her own obedience.
And modesty is not only about clothing. It begins with the eyes. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, warned that the eye has its share of zina through the lustful look. He taught us that what we repeatedly look at affects the heart. A glance may be brief, but repeated glances become a choice. A choice becomes a habit. A habit can become a chain.
Today, the unlawful gaze can enter a person's hand before it enters through his feet. It can appear while he is alone in a room. It can arrive through a message, a suggested video, a search, or an account that he has chosen to follow. We should not say, I only looked. We should ask, What am I training my heart to desire? What am I allowing my eyes to normalize? What will remain in my heart after the screen is closed?
Allah says:
He knows the stealthy glances of the eyes and what the hearts conceal.
Quran 40:19
People may not see the screen. They may not see the private message. They may not see the second glance. Allah sees. Yet this is not a message of despair. It is a message of awareness. The One who sees the sin also sees the struggle against it. He sees the moment when you close the page, put down the phone, end the conversation, leave the place, and choose Him.
The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said:
Modesty is a branch of faith.
Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim
If modesty is part of faith, then we should ask ourselves about the places where our modesty has become weak. Do we speak differently when we are with friends than when we are in the mosque? Do we share private details about our spouses? Do we tell stories that humiliate our children? Do we expose another person's mistake for entertainment? Do we post every blessing because we need strangers to confirm our worth? Do we use humor to cross boundaries that we would never cross in front of our parents?
Allah loves beauty. The Prophet said, Allah is beautiful and loves beauty. Islam does not command us to neglect ourselves, to reject clean clothing, or to pretend that blessings are shameful. But beauty is not the same as display, and confidence is not the same as seeking constant attention. The question is not simply, Can I show this? The deeper question is, Why do I want to show it? Is it gratitude, a legitimate need, and a beneficial purpose? Or is it hunger for admiration, competition, envy, or a desire to awaken desires in others?
The heart can turn an ordinary blessing into a trial. A house can become a means of gratitude, or a means of boasting. Clothing can be dignified, or it can become a message of superiority. A family photograph can be harmless, or it can reveal privacy that should have been protected. A religious reminder can benefit people, or it can quietly become a performance for praise. We should not accuse every person of showing off, because only Allah knows intentions. But we must examine our own intentions honestly.
Allah says:
Indeed, those who love that immorality should spread among the believers will have a painful punishment in this world and the Hereafter. Allah knows and you do not know.
Quran 24:19
This verse gives us a responsibility in the age of exposure. Do not help indecency spread. Do not forward what you should delete. Do not share a scandal while claiming to condemn it. Do not turn another person's humiliation into entertainment. Do not make a platform for what Allah has commanded us to conceal. Every share, every repost, every approving comment, and every view can become part of what we help normalize.
At the same time, we must understand the difference between concealing sin and concealing harm. The Prophet taught that whoever conceals the fault of a Muslim, Allah will conceal his fault in this world and the Hereafter. This means we do not expose people for the pleasure of exposing them. We do not spread private mistakes. But if someone is being abused, exploited, threatened, or harmed, seeking protection and justice is not gossip. A victim must not be silenced in the name of modesty. Wisdom means protecting people, stopping harm, and taking serious matters to trustworthy people and proper authorities.
Our tongues also need modesty. Many people cover their bodies but uncover the honor of others with their speech. They speak about family disputes, repeat rumors, mock accents, reveal confidences, and make jokes about people's weaknesses. The Messenger of Allah said:
Whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day, let him speak good or remain silent.
Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim
This is a simple rule for the age of endless commentary. Before speaking or posting, ask: Is it true? Is it necessary? Is it beneficial? Is this the right time and the right audience? If it is not good, silence is not emptiness. Silence can be worship.
Allah also commands privacy in our homes. He teaches believers not to enter houses without permission and greetings, and He teaches children and household members that there are private times when permission should be sought. Privacy is not secrecy from Allah. Privacy is a mercy between people. A spouse is not a social-media story. A child's weakness is not family entertainment. A friend's confession is not material for a group chat.
Parents, teach your children modesty by example rather than humiliation. Do not demand that they protect their eyes while adults in the home consume whatever they wish. Do not tell them to be dignified while every family disagreement is posted publicly. Speak to them about attraction, desire, privacy, and online pressure with honesty and mercy. Give them clear boundaries, but also give them a home where they can ask difficult questions without being mocked. A child who fears every conversation may learn to hide, not to repent.
Young Muslims, Allah has honored you. Your worth is not determined by the number of people who notice you. You do not need to make yourself constantly available to prove that you matter. You do not need to reveal your private life to receive love. You do not need to imitate every trend to belong. The believer's dignity comes from being a servant of Allah. The world may reward exposure for a moment, but attention is not acceptance, and popularity is not success.
To those who are struggling with an addiction to images, messages, or secret behavior: do not let shame push you away from Allah. Shame that leads to repentance can be useful; shame that tells you there is no way back is a lie. Allah says:
Say, O My servants who have exceeded the limits against their souls, do not despair of the mercy of Allah. Indeed, Allah forgives all sins. He is truly the Most Forgiving, Most Merciful.
Quran 39:53
Repentance is not a slogan. It means stopping the sin, regretting it, seeking Allah's forgiveness, and taking practical steps not to return. Delete what must be deleted. Block what must be blocked. Change the routines that lead you into sin. Do not keep the door open and then complain that you keep entering. If you have wronged someone, repair the harm with wisdom. If you need help, speak to a trustworthy scholar or a qualified professional. Seeking help is not a lack of faith.
Allah says:
Indeed, Allah loves those who are constantly repentant and loves those who purify themselves.
Quran 2:222
Notice the mercy in this verse. Allah does not say that only those who never fall are loved. He praises those who repeatedly return. A believer may fall, but he does not make peace with the fall. He may be weak, but he does not stop asking Allah for strength. He may carry a private struggle, but he keeps walking toward the door of mercy.
Servants of Allah, let us protect our modesty before exposure becomes our identity. Let us remember three sentences: Allah sees what people do not see. My dignity does not depend on being noticed. And every private choice is shaping my meeting with Allah.
Take one honest step today. Lower one gaze. End one harmful account. Keep one blessing private. Apologize for one piece of gossip. Put the phone away when the prayer begins. Make one deed that no one knows except Allah. The purpose is not to create a perfect image. The purpose is to become sincere before the One who knows the image and the reality.
Seek forgiveness from Allah. Ask Him to forgive your public and private sins, your deliberate and accidental sins, your weakness and your neglect. So seek His forgiveness, for He is the Ever-Forgiving, the Most Merciful.
Al-hamdu lillah. We praise Allah and seek His help and forgiveness. We bear witness that there is no god worthy of worship except Allah alone, without partner, and we bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger.
Allahumma salli wa sallim wa barik ala nabiyyina Muhammad, and upon his family and Companions.
Servants of Allah, have taqwa of Allah. Be mindful of Him in public and in private, in the mosque and at home, before people and when no one is watching.
Second Khutbah
Our message today is simple: modesty is not disappearing from life; it is living with boundaries, dignity, and awareness of Allah. It is the modesty of the gaze, the modesty of clothing, the modesty of speech, the modesty of the phone, the modesty of the home, and the modesty of the heart.
Do not measure yourself by exposure. Do not make every blessing public. Do not turn another person's weakness into entertainment. Do not despair when you struggle. Return to Allah, repair what you can, and protect the next moment.
For the coming week, take these three actions:
- Audit your eyes and your feed. Remove, mute, or unfollow what repeatedly weakens your faith. Create phone-free times around the prayers and before sleep. When an unlawful image appears, look away and leave it rather than negotiating with the temptation.
- Guard one private deed. Each day, do something known only to Allah: pray two voluntary units, give charity quietly, make sincere dua, help someone without announcing it, or seek forgiveness for a hidden sin.
- Build a modesty conversation at home. Speak kindly with your family about privacy, clothing, speech, online behavior, and repentance. Agree that family disagreements and private matters will not be exposed for public attention.
Ask Allah to make us people whose private lives are better than their public image, whose worship is more sincere than their words, and whose presence brings safety and dignity to others.
O Allah, forgive the believing men and believing women, the living among them and the deceased. O Allah, forgive our parents, our families, our teachers, our neighbors, and all who have a right over us. Forgive our sins, conceal our faults, accept our repentance, and purify our hearts.
O Allah, guide us to the truth and keep us firm upon it. Do not let our hearts deviate after You have guided us. Give us sincerity in worship, honesty in speech, modesty in private, and courage to obey You when obedience is difficult.
O Allah, protect our families. Place love, mercy, patience, and faith between spouses. Guide our children and our youth. Protect them from harmful influences, exploitation, addiction, loneliness, and despair. Give parents wisdom and gentleness, and make our homes places of prayer, safety, learning, and repentance.
O Allah, heal the sick among us. Relieve the distressed, comfort the grieving, strengthen the anxious, and give patience and hope to those facing hardship. Help those burdened by debt, provide lawful means for those without work, and ease the affairs of everyone struggling in body, mind, family, or livelihood.
O Allah, protect those who are oppressed wherever they are. Keep them safe from harm, grant them relief, restore their rights, and bring them people who will act with mercy and justice. Guide those with power to use it responsibly, and grant our leaders and all entrusted with authority wisdom, justice, humility, and accountability.
O Allah, unite our hearts upon truth and obedience, not upon prejudice or wrongdoing. Remove hatred, envy, suspicion, and arrogance from us. Make us people who advise one another with mercy, protect one another's dignity, and stand against harm with wisdom and justice.
O Allah, accept our prayer, our fasting, our charity, our remembrance, our repentance, and every good deed. Protect us from showing off, hypocrisy, heedlessness, unlawful desire, and all trials that damage our faith. Protect us from the trials of life and death, from the punishment of the grave, and from the punishment of the Fire.
O Allah, grant us good in this life and good in the Hereafter, and protect us from the punishment of the Fire. Admit us into Paradise by Your mercy, and gather us there with the prophets, the truthful, the martyrs, and the righteous.
Allahumma salli wa sallim ala nabiyyina Muhammad, and upon his family and Companions.
Indeed, Allah commands justice, excellence, and giving to relatives, and He forbids immorality, wickedness, and transgression. He instructs you so that you may be mindful.
Quran 16:90
Establish the prayer.