Modesty

Jafar as-Sadiq (may God sanctify his innermost being), the fifth Shaykh in the Naqshbandi Golden Chain, said the following:-

“Modesty is a light whose essence is the heart of belief, meaning careful consideration in everything which is denounced by God’s oneness and gnosis. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “Modesty is part of belief.” That is to say, modesty is accepted through belief, and belief is accepted through modesty. One step taken with modesty in the courtyards of God’s awe is better than seventy years of worship. Insolence, however, is the beginning of hypocrisy, schism and disbelief.
The Messenger of God said, “If you have no shame, then do as you like.” This means that when modesty leaves you, then you are punished for all the good or evil that you do. The beginning of modesty is awe, and its end is clear vision.
The Messenger of God said, “when God desires good for a bondsman, He makes him forget his good qualities, putting his evil qualities before his eyes and making him dislike sitting with those who turn away from the remembrance of God.”
Modesty is of five kinds: shame for a wrong action; shame for one’s incapacity; modesty in the face of a noble quality; the modesty of love, and the modesty of awe. Each of these has its adherents, who are ranked according to these categories of modesty.”

From ‘The Lantern of the Path’ by Imam Jafar as-Sadiq.