Al-Adab Al-Mufrad
Al-Adab Al-Mufrad 597
حَدَّثَنَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ يُونُسَ، قَالَ: حَدَّثَنَا زُهَيْرٌ، قَالَ: حَدَّثَنَا مَنْصُورٌ، عَنْ رِبْعِيِّ بْنِ حِرَاشٍ، قَالَ: حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو مَسْعُودٍ عُقْبَةُ قَالَ: قَالَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم: إِنَّ مِمَّا أَدْرَكَ النَّاسَ مِنْ كَلاَمِ النُّبُوَّةِ: إِذَا لَمْ تَسْتَحِ فَاصْنَعْ مَا شِئْتَ.
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Ahmad ibn Yunus related to us: Zuhayr related to us: Mansur related to us, from Rib‘i ibn Hirash, who said: Abu Mas‘ud ‘Uqbah related to us: The Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, said: “Among the teachings of prophethood that people have retained is: ‘If you feel no shame, then do as you wish.’”
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The Arabic expression إذا لم تستح فافعل ما شئت can be understood as a warning (“if you have no shame, do as you wish”) or as permission conditioned on having no shame; the wording is preserved directly.
قَالَ: حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو مَسْعُودٍ عُقْبَةُ قَالَ: قَالَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم: إِنَّ مِمَّا أَدْرَكَ النَّاسَ مِنْ كَلاَمِ النُّبُوَّةِ: إِذَا لَمْ تَسْتَحِ فَاصْنَعْ مَا شِئْتَ.
The statement is commonly understood either as a warning or as a condition that shame governs action.
Should the imperative remain as the direct wording without choosing between the interpretive readings?