Man's Decline Into Shamelessness

Before the Waters Rise
A Summary of Part I — Man's Decline Into Shamelessness
Islamic Scholarship
Prophetic History
Chapter I
Mankind Was Once One Community
Allah (ﷻ) said: {Mankind was [of] one religion [before their deviation]; then Allah sent the prophets as bringers of good tidings and warners and sent down with them the Scripture in truth to judge between the people concerning that in which they differed.}
Ibn ʿAbbās (رضي الله عنه) explained that between Ādam and Nūḥ were ten generations, all upon a revealed law of truth. Then they differed, so Allah sent the prophets as bearers of glad tidings and warners.
Two Scholarly Positions
They were united upon guidance, then some fell into disbelief and dispute arose
They were united upon disbelief and misery — Allah had mercy by sending messengers
Ibn Kathīr: The first opinion is soundest in chain and meaning — mankind remained upon the religion of Ādam until they worshipped idols.
The Religion of Tawḥīd Is Ancient
Ṣiddīq Ḥasan Khān
All people were a single united community affirming the oneness of Allah — from Ādam until Nūḥ, or from Ibrāhīm until ʿAmr ibn Luḥayy. Tawḥīd and Islam are an ancient religion, embraced by all humanity by innate disposition and divine legislation. Polytheism is ignorance innovated by the deviant.
Ibn ʿUthaymīn
Before the messengers were sent, mankind was one community upon a single religion — Islam. Ādam was a prophet given revelation and a divine law. His children followed him. Then humanity multiplied, desires diverged, and they began to differ — requiring the sending of messengers.
Ten Generations of Indeterminable Length
Abū Umāmah al-Bāhilī (رضي الله عنه) reported that a man asked the Prophet (ﷺ): "How long was there between Ādam and Nūḥ?" He replied: "Ten generations." The man asked further: "And between Nūḥ and Ibrāhīm?" He replied: "Ten generations."
Ibn Kathīr explained: if "qarn" refers to a generation of people — as used throughout the Qur'an — then the generations before Nūḥ lived for extended ages. The period between Ādam and Nūḥ would be thousands of years. And Allah knows best.
Creation Has Continued to Diminish
The Prophet (ﷺ) said: "Allah created Ādam, and his height was sixty cubits in the heavens, and creation has continued to diminish in size until now."
Ibn ʿUmar (رضي الله عنه) confirmed: "Indeed, people have continued to experience a decline in their lifespans, discernment, and character — up to this very day of yours."
Ibn al-Qayyim on Sins & Physical Decline
Al-Tirmidhī narrated the ḥadīth of Ādam's stature as evidence of the effect of sins upon physical appearance and constitution. When the earth is purified of oppressors and the Mahdī fills it with justice, the earth will yield its blessings and return to its former state — a single pomegranate feeding a group, a cluster of grapes too heavy for a camel.
True Wealth Is Faith & Virtue
Ibn Masʿūd (رضي الله عنه) said: "Allah has distributed your character traits among you just as He has allocated your provisions. And indeed, Allah gives wealth to those He loves and those He does not love — but He only grants īmān to those He loves. So, whoever clings to their wealth, refuses to spend it, fears the enemy, avoids striving against him, and dreads the night while failing to endure its hardships — then let them increase in saying: Lā ilāha illa Allāh, Subḥān Allāh, al-ḥamdu liLlāh, and Allāhu akbar."
Historically, moral decay and the erosion of faith have consistently been linked to the collapse of worldly stability and the loss of comfort and security.
Section 1
The Earliest Prophets Warned Against Shamelessness
Ibn Jarīr al-Ṭabarī mentions that earlier Muslim historians said the people of Nūḥ had unanimously embraced practices detested by Allah — engaging in indecencies, drinking wine, and occupying themselves with vain distractions at the expense of obedience to Allah. So Allah sent Nūḥ to warn them of His might, call them to repentance, and act upon what Allah had revealed in the pages of Ādam, Shīth (Seth), and Akhnūkh (Enoch).
The prophetic mission from the beginning was one of monotheism, modesty, and lofty morality — intended to prevent self-destruction and societal collapse.
The Ancient Teaching: "If You Have No Shame, Do As You Wish"
Abū Masʿūd al-Anṣārī (رضي الله عنه) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: "Indeed, among the words which the people have attained from the first prophecy is: 'If you do not feel shame, then do as you wish.'"
Al-Khaṭṭābī
Modesty has always been upheld since the beginning of prophethood. Every prophet was guided toward modesty and tasked with promoting it. It has neither been abrogated in any revealed law nor altered — because its virtue is apparent and all minds agree on its goodness.
Abū al-Muẓaffar al-Samaʿānī
Modesty is an innate quality in humans, praised and considered good by reason. It inherently exists in both body and soul. Therefore, it is not subject to abrogation by religious laws — it has remained consistent across all revealed laws as long as moral mandate exists.
Two Types of Modesty (Ḥayāʾ)
Innate Modesty
Natural and not acquired — one of the noblest traits Allah bestows. It restrains one from shameful acts and encourages noble conduct. The Prophet (ﷺ) said: "Modesty brings nothing but good."
ʿUmar (رضي الله عنه): "Whoever is modest will conceal himself, and whoever conceals himself will be cautious, and whoever is cautious will be protected."
Acquired Modesty
Born of knowledge of Allah — His greatness, nearness, watchfulness, and knowledge of what hearts conceal. This is among the highest qualities of faith and the loftiest ranks of iḥsān.
The Prophet (ﷺ): "Be modest before Allah as you would be before a righteous man from your tribe."
Ibn Rajab: "When a servant is stripped of both innate and acquired modesty, nothing remains to prevent him from engaging in shameful deeds and lowly character. It is as though he possesses no faith at all."
Modesty & Faith Are Inseparable
5
Prophetic Hadiths
Linking modesty directly to faith
1
Universal Principle
"Modesty brings nothing but good"
"Modesty is part of faith, and faith is in Paradise; obscenity is part of rudeness, and rudeness is in Hell."
"Modesty is a branch of faith."
"Modesty and faith are always together — if one is lifted, the other is lifted as well."
Modesty Before Allah: The Heart of the Matter
Imām Muḥammad ibn Naṣr al-Marwazī explained that modesty before Allah is stirred by awareness of His greatness, majesty, and power. When glorification of Allah becomes firmly rooted in the heart, it gives rise to modesty and awe. The servant becomes overwhelmed by the awareness that Allah is constantly watching — gazing upon what lies within his heart and what is enacted by his limbs.
He remembers the standing before Allah on the Day of Judgment, that he will be questioned regarding every deed of his heart and body, and how little gratitude he has shown. This modesty leads him to purify his heart from every sin and restrain his limbs from all acts of disobedience.
Section 2
Ancient Roots of Shamelessness: The Three Foundations of Evil
In the generations leading up to Nūḥ's prophethood, three things at the root of all shamelessness appeared on earth, culminating in mankind's dire need for prophetic guidance.
Oppression & Murder
Rooted in envy — the first sin by which Allah was disobeyed on earth
Sexual Immorality
Rooted in carnal desires — the ultimate surrender to the lower self
Polytheism & Disbelief
Rooted in attachment of the heart to other than Allah
Ibn al-Qayyim: "The roots of all sins are three: pride — which led Iblīs to his outcome; greed — which resulted in Ādam's expulsion from Paradise; and envy — which provoked one of Ādam's sons against his brother."
The Three Roots Interconnect & Call to One Another
Ibn al-Qayyim explains: "These three — shirk, injustice, and immorality — call to one another and command one another mutually. The weaker a heart is in its tawḥīd and the greater its entanglement in shirk, the more prone it becomes to immorality." Allah combines all three in the verse: {And those who do not invoke with Allah another god, or kill the soul which Allah has forbidden, except by right, and do not commit unlawful sexual intercourse.}
Tawḥīd, Chastity & Justice: The Essence of All Good
The Qur'anic Synthesis
Allah says: {Whatever you have been given is merely for the enjoyment of worldly life. But what is with Allah is better and everlasting for those who believe and rely on their Lord, avoid major sins and immoralities and forgive when angry.}
Ibn al-Qayyim's Commentary
Tawḥīd: believing in Allah and relying upon Him
Chastity: avoiding major sins and immoralities — resisting carnal desires
Justice: forgiving when angry — controlling the power of anger
These three together represent all of good's essence.
Section 2.1
Ancient Origin of Murder & Oppression
{And recite to them the story of Adam's two sons, in truth, when they both offered a sacrifice to Allah, and it was accepted from one of them but was not accepted from the other. Said [the latter], 'I will surely kill you.' … And his soul permitted to him the murder of his brother, so he killed him and became among the losers.} — Al-Māʾidah: 27–31
Envy: The First Sin on Earth
Al-Qurṭubī
"Envy was the first sin by which Allah was disobeyed in the heavens — the envy of Iblīs toward Ādam. And the first sin by which He was disobeyed on earth — the envy of Qābīl (Cain) toward Hābīl (Abel)."
Ibn Taymiyyah
Envy frequently arises among those who share authority or wealth. Qābīl envied Hābīl for the virtue with which Allah favored him — faith and piety — and killed him because of it. The first sins by which Allah was disobeyed: greed (from Ādam), pride (from Iblīs), and envy (from Qābīl).
Ibn ʿĀshūr
Envy begins as a mere passing thought, then gradually grows until it becomes a fixed trait — inciting a person to commit crimes to soothe the burning grudge within. Hence people are prohibited from such thoughts, to check their souls through the discipline of religion and wisdom.
Envy Leads to Civilizational Collapse
Al-Biqāʿī's Warning
Allah's established way concerning the sons of Ādam: "Whenever people settle and grow comfortable, they begin to envy; and when they envy, they turn on one another, until some of them kill others."
This pattern repeats after every victory — when blessings lead to ingratitude and people forget the consequences of divine wrath.
ʿUmar's Tears Over the Spoils
When ʿUmar (رضي الله عنه) saw the treasures of Jalūlāʾ laid out, he wept. When asked why, he said: "I swear, Allah has never given this to a people except that they began to envy and hate one another. And once they envy, Allah casts enmity among them."
The Prophet (ﷺ): "The disease of those who came before you has crept into you: envy and hatred. Beware! For hatred is the shaver — I do not say it shaves hair, but it shaves away the religion."
Oppression Destroys Civilization
Ibn Taymiyyah
"Allah will uphold a just state even if it is disbelieving, and He will not uphold an unjust state even if it is Muslim. Worldly life persists through justice and disbelief, but will not continue through injustice accompanied by Islam."
Ibn Khaldūn
"Injustice is a destroyer of civilization, and the ruin it brings upon society ultimately rebounds upon the state itself, corrupting it and leading to its downfall."
ʿUmar ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz
To a governor whose city had fallen to ruin: "Fortify it with justice, and cleanse its roads from injustice — for that is its true restoration."
The Fitnah Within Is Greater Than the Dajjāl
Tribulations throughout human history are a linked chain — each trial dragging the next behind it — until the final and greatest appears: the Dajjāl. Yet what the Prophet (ﷺ) feared most was not the Dajjāl himself, but the fitnah that festers within us.
Ḥudhayfah ibn al-Yamān reported the Prophet (ﷺ) said: "I fear for you the tribulation of some [of you] to others more than I fear the tribulation of the Dajjāl. Never has a trial been wrought upon the world — whether great or small — except that the tribulation of the Dajjāl will eclipse it."
Ḥudhayfah ibn Asīd said: "Had the Dajjāl emerged during your time, even the children would have pelted him with pebbles. But he shall appear at a time when people are filled with hatred, religion is light in their hearts, and mutual discord runs deep."
Section 2.2
Ancient Origin of Music & Sexual Shamelessness
Ibn ʿAbbās (رضي الله عنهما) recited the verse: {And do not display yourselves as the display of the former times of ignorance}, and explained: Between Nūḥ and Idrīs were one thousand years. Two groups among the descendants of Ādam — one in the plains, one in the mountains. The men of the hills were handsome; the women of the plains were beautiful.
Iblīs's Strategy
Iblīs disguised himself as a servant, invented a musical instrument producing a sound unlike anything heard before. News spread; people gathered. They established an annual festival where men displayed themselves to women and women adorned themselves for men.
The Result
A man from the mountains stumbled upon the celebration, saw the women, and informed his people. They moved to join the festivities — and indecency spread. This is the meaning of Allah's saying: {And do not display yourselves as in the former times of ignorance}.
Music Grows Hypocrisy in the Heart
Ibn Masʿūd
"Music causes hypocrisy to grow in the heart."
Al-Shaʿbī
"Music causes hypocrisy to grow in the heart just as water causes vegetation to grow; and remembrance of Allah causes faith to grow in the heart just as water brings forth the crops."
Al-Fuḍayl ibn Iyāḍ
"Music is the incantation of fornication."
Yazīd ibn al-Walīd
"Music diminishes modesty, increases lust, and destroys a man's dignity. It takes the place of wine and produces the same effects as intoxication. Music is a caller to fornication."
Love for Music & Love for the Qur'an Cannot Coexist
Ibn al-Qayyim said: "None becomes accustomed to music except that his heart becomes hypocritical without his realizing it. Love for music and love for the Qur'an never coexist in a heart without one driving out the other. We have witnessed firsthand how the Qur'an weighs heavily upon the hearts of music-lovers — they remain unmoved, untouched, unstirred by any yearning. But when the Qur'an of Shayṭān — music — comes forth, how softened become their voices! How stilled and tranquil their hearts! If this is not hypocrisy, then it is its twin and very foundation."
Al-Ḍaḥḥāk ibn Muzāḥim: "Music corrupts wealth, incurs the wrath of the Lord, and ruins the heart."
A Warning, Not a Verdict of Disbelief
Abū ʿUbayd al-Qāsim ibn Salām clarified: these reports do not necessarily render the one who commits such acts a disbeliever or hypocrite — such a person may still be a believer who fulfills his obligations. However, these acts are characteristic of the disbelievers, prohibited in the Qur'an and Sunnah, so that Muslims may avoid them and not resemble the disbelievers in their behaviors.
Ibn Baṭṭah
"If listening to music causes hypocrisy to grow in the heart — what then do you suppose is the effect of committing sexual immoralities and persisting in major sins? How much faith — pure and unblemished — do you imagine can remain alongside such acts?"
Section 2.3
Ancient Origins of Paganism
Many early and later scholars traced the genealogy of polytheism to the time of Nūḥ (عليه السلام). Ibn al-Qayyim summarizes: among the greatest of the Devil's stratagems — from which none is saved except he whom Allah does not will to test — is the temptation surrounding graves.
Step by step: graves were taken as places of devotion → structures were built upon them → images of the buried were drawn inside → images were fashioned into tangible bodies → they were made into idols and worshipped alongside Allah.
How Idol Worship Began Among the People of Nūḥ
Ibn Jarīr al-Ṭabarī narrated from Muḥammad ibn Qays: Yaghūth, Yaʿūq, and Nasr were righteous men from among the descendants of Ādam. When they died, their companions said: "If only we fashioned images of them, it would stir in us a greater longing for worship." So they sculpted their likenesses. When those companions also passed away, Iblīs crept in and said: "Indeed, those before you used to worship these figures, and by their virtue rain was sent down." And thus they began to worship them.
The Five Idols of Nūḥ's People — Later Worshipped by the Arabs
1
Wadd
Belonged to the tribe of Kalb in Dūmat al-Jandal
2
Suwāʿ
Belonged to Hudhayl
3
Yaghūth
For Banū Ghuṭayf of Murād
4
Yaʿūq
Belonged to Hamdān
5
Nasr
For Dhū al-Kalāʿ of Ḥimyar
Qatādah noted: these were idols worshipped by the people of Nūḥ — then the Arabs came to worship them centuries later, combining the trial of graves and the trial of images.
Sorcery Coexists with Polytheism
Allah said: {Similarly, there never came to those before them any messenger but they said, 'A magician or a madman.'}
Ibn ʿUthaymīn explained: they called the messenger a sorcerer given his influence and eloquence — for the Prophet (ﷺ) said: "Indeed, some speech is a kind of magic." Or they called him a madman about his behavior, for it appeared to be madness in the eyes of these deniers.
Ibn Ḥajar al-ʿAsqalānī
Since Nūḥ was the first messenger, the accusation of sorcery implies the practice was already familiar to his people. The story of Hārūt and Mārūt predates the time of Nūḥ, as narrated by Ibn Isḥāq and others. Sorcery was indeed present during Nūḥ's time, as Allah informed us that his people claimed he was a sorcerer.
Idol Worship Is Devil Worship
Allah (ﷻ) said: {Did I not enjoin upon you, O children of Adam, that you not worship Satan — indeed, he is to you a clear enemy. And that you worship Me? This is a straight path.}
Ibn Abī Zamanīn: "The worship of an idol is worship of the Shayṭān."
Ibn Rajab: "Whoever does not actualize his servitude to the Most Merciful and obey Him, then he is worshiping the Shayṭān by obeying him. None are saved from worshiping the Shayṭān except those who sincerely serve the Most Merciful."
How Satan Deceives Through Idols
01
The Original Intent
Idol-making began as an attempt to represent a worshipped entity that was absent — crafted in the likeness of the one they sought to worship. No rational person would carve wood or stone and sincerely believe it to be their deity.
02
The Satanic Mechanism
Devils would enter into idols and speak to the people from within them, revealing hidden matters. The ignorant assumed the idol itself was speaking; the more "rational" called them spirits, angels, or abstract intelligences.
03
The Universal Affliction
Most of humanity is afflicted with idol worship. Only the ḥunafāʾ — followers of the religion of Ibrāhīm — have escaped. The Prophet (ﷺ): "Out of every thousand, nine hundred and ninety-nine will go to the Fire."
Shirk Is the Greatest of All Sins
Ibn al-Qayyim: "This subtly alludes to the secret underlying the fact that shirk is considered the greatest of all sins in the sight of Allah. It is never forgiven except through repentance, entails eternal punishment in the Fire, and its prohibition stems not merely from Allah's command, but from the inconceivable nature of Allah legislating the worship of any deity besides Himself. How could it be imagined that the One who is alone in His Lordship, divinity, grandeur, and splendor would permit or be pleased with anyone sharing that with Him? Exalted is Allah far above that — a tremendous exaltation."
Section 3
Conclusion: Shamelessness Is a Road to Destruction
One of the most profound moral lessons from the story of Nūḥ (عليه السلام) is this: shamelessness — manifested in unchecked desires, entanglement in doubts, and a heart desensitized to religious innovation and sin — is a path that often leads to disbelief and polytheism.
1
Minor Sins
Heedlessness gives rise to small transgressions
2
Major Sins
Small sins drag major sins in their wake
3
Innovation
Major sins give rise to religious innovations
4
Disbelief
Innovations are the gateway to disbelief
Innovations Are the Gateway to Disbelief
Ibn ʿAwn on Ibn Sīrīn
"Muḥammad (ibn Sīrīn) used to regard the people of desires — the people of innovated doctrines — as the quickest among mankind to fall into apostasy."
Imām Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Wahhāb
On the origins of ancestor worship in the story of Nūḥ: "In it is evidence supporting what has been transmitted from the Salaf: that innovations are a cause of disbelief. [Another benefit:] The devil's awareness of what an innovation ultimately leads to — even if the doer's intention is good."
Al-ʿAllāmah Ṣāliḥ al-Fawzān
"Innovations are the gateway to disbelief. Innovation is more evil than committing a major sin. Satan rejoices more over it — for the sinner knows his sin and repents, but the innovator believes his innovation to be an act of devotion and does not repent."
How Good Intentions Paved the Road to Shirk
Al-Qurṭubī
Their forefathers made images of the righteous to find comfort and remember their pious states. Time passed. Successors came who were ignorant of the original intent. Then Satan whispered: "Your fathers and grandfathers used to worship these images." So they began to worship them.
Thus the Prophet (ﷺ) warned sternly against such actions and closed every gateway that leads to it.
ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Ḥasan
"It was through exaggeration in honoring the righteous and excessive love for them that Satan led those people into shirk. The same has occurred in this Ummah: he presented exaggeration and innovation in the guise of venerating the righteous, so that he might ultimately cast them into worshiping them besides Allah."
Ibn Taymiyyah: How Innovation Leads to Atheism
"Those innovators among the people of speculative theology — when they opened the door to corrupt analogical reasoning in matters of intellect and misguided interpretation in matters of revelation — they paved the way for heretical atheists to go far beyond this into sophistry and esotericism. Every further step down that path drew them into something more depraved, until the Qarāmiṭah nullified all known religious obligations. As their leader declared: 'We have lifted from you the burden of worship — there is no fasting, no prayer, no pilgrimage, and no zakāh.'"
For this reason, some of the Salaf said: "Innovations are the gateway to disbelief, and sins are the gateway to hypocrisy."
Sins Are the Precursor to Disbelief
Abū Ḥafṣ al-Naysābūrī
"Sins are the precursor to disbelief, much like fever is the precursor to death."
Ibn Taymiyyah
"There is no doubt that disobedience can be a cause leading to disbelief. Thus, it is prohibited for fear that it may lead to disbelief which nullifies good deeds. Iblīs opposed the command of Allah and became a disbeliever."
Ibn Rajab
"Continuing in sin and hypocrisy without repentance raises the fear of completely losing one's faith, leading to pure hypocrisy and a bad end. We seek refuge with Allah from this."
Al-Saʿdī
"Sins drag one another in their wake: heedlessness gives rise to the minor sin, then the major sin, then various forms of innovation and disbelief. So we ask Allah for well-being from every trial."
Desire Is the Idol Within the Heart
Ibn al-Qayyim: "Tawḥīd and following one's desires are mutually opposed. Desire is a kind of idol, and every servant harbors an idol in their heart according to their desire. Allah sent His messengers to shatter idols and to call people to worship Him alone. The intent of Allah is not merely to break down carved idols while leaving intact the idols within the heart; rather, His intent is first to destroy the idols lodged in the heart."
Al-Ḥasan ibn ʿAlī al-Muṭṭawwiʿī: "The idol of every person is their desire. Whoever breaks it by opposing it has earned the title of true manliness (al-futuwwah)."
Sins Weaken Faith — But Repentance Restores It
Ibn al-Qayyim: "Sins, in relation to faith, are like illness and fever in relation to physical strength. Sins are like poisons — harmful in and of themselves. If they are not countered swiftly by spiritual remedies, they overpower the strength of faith and lead to ruin."
Yet when the servant witnesses the deterioration of his state upon disobeying his Lord — hearts turning away, doors closing, paths becoming difficult — and he searches for the cause and repents, his faith increases. He beholds honor after disgrace, joy after sorrow, safety after fear. Such a person is among those about whom Allah says: {He will expiate for them the worst of what they did and will reward them according to the best of what they used to do.}
The Small Sin Leads to the Large — The Large to Disbelief
1
2
3
4
1
Disbelief
The ultimate destination of unchecked sin
2
Major Sins & Innovation
Boldness in outright forbidden acts
3
Minor Sins
Habit of audacity and leniency toward questionable matters
4
Heedlessness
The starting point — failing to fear Allah
Abū al-ʿAbbās al-Qurṭubī: "Whoever does not fear Allah and dares to engage in questionable matters will ultimately commit prohibited actions due to a habit of audacity. For this reason, some of the pious have said: 'The small sin leads to the large one, and the large sin leads to disbelief.'"
Part I: Key Takeaways
1
Mankind began upon tawḥīd
Ten generations between Ādam and Nūḥ, all upon Islam. Polytheism is an innovation of the deviant, not the original religion of humanity.
2
Modesty is the foundation of all prophetic teaching
Every prophet promoted it. It has never been abrogated. When modesty is lost, faith itself is imperiled.
3
The three roots of evil call to one another
Shirk, oppression, and sexual immorality are interconnected — each leading to the others. Tawḥīd, justice, and chastity are their antidotes.
4
Shamelessness is a road to destruction
Minor sins → major sins → innovation → disbelief. This is the pattern repeated from the people of Nūḥ to every age. The believer must guard against every step of this descent.
Before the Waters Rise
The story of Nūḥ (عليه السلام) is not merely ancient history — it is a mirror held up to every age. The same patterns of moral decline, the same satanic strategies, the same divine mercy through prophetic warning. The waters of the flood were preceded by generations of shamelessness. The question for every believer is: where do we stand in this pattern?
End of Part I Summary