Before Islam came, the people of Makkah would hate to have daughters. They were a very wicked people who would bury their daughters alive.

When Islam came, the opposite was true and daughters were considered a blessing and a great gift from Allah. The parents would look after their daughters and give them the best things in life. The best thing of all was good manners and knowledge of Islam.

To protect this ‘precious gift’, it was wrong for Muslim girls to have boyfriends. It was equally bad for Muslim boys to have girlfriends. This way the character of both was kept pure until they grew up.

This is still true today and we should hold onto this noble teaching. Even today, children are very precious. Parents want them to be modest in both dress and behaviour.

In Makkah, there was one youth that everyone would look up to and was always talked about amongst the people. This was Mus’ab ibn Umair, a very handsome fellow who savoured all the enjoyment that Makkah had to offer. This made him very popular and famous amongst the Makkans.

Apart from his good looks, he always wore the latest and best designer clothes. When people walked passed him they could smell the finest and most expensive perfume . He had plenty of wealth and was known for the extravagant way he spent money on himself and all his friends.

He would drink the finest wines and would always have a girlfriend or two on his arm. He was never short of so called friends or girlfriends.

Most of Makkah had not accepted Islam so they thought these qualities were good and would respect this young man. They would talk about him and would try to follow his example by wearing similar clothes and behave in the same way.

When Mus’ab accepted Islam and decided to turn his life around. He left his old life of fame and fortune and instead became a simple and modest person. Instead of showing off he would spend more time reading Qur’an and teaching others.

He would respect the women and did not have any girlfriends. The Muslims looked up to this youngster who had become such a decent, honest and brave person. His clothes were no longer the best in Arabia but his character was one of the best.

The Prophet (pbuh) spoke highly of this young person and the people were happy that such a good change had happened to him. He was one of the most respected Sahabah who was brave enough to change his life and lose all those bad habits.

Assalamu-alaykum, its easy to follow other people. For example, if your friends do something bad, you feel it’s okay to do that as well. A brave kid doesn't copy what his friends do but he does the right thing. By doing the right thing he or she becomes a TRUE hero. PP

The Prophet (pbuh) would be modest in dress and behaviour.

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