The beard saves a man from a huge amount of sin. With it, an inclination towards piety develops in a person and he feels shame in doing evil. He thinks, “If somebody sees me doing this they will say, ‘You kept a beard yet commit these sins? Don’t you have any respect for it?’” Keeping this in mind, he will be able to avoid many lowly and open evils. It has been tried and tested; with the mercy of Allah, a beard and salah can save a person from evils.^[1]

Sayyidunā Shaqīq Balkhi رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَلَيْه adds:

I found five things in five; cure for sins in chasht salah, illumination of the grave in tahajjud, answers for Munkar and Nakīr in reciting the Quran, safe passage across the bridge of Ṣirāṭ in fasting and charity, and shade of the ʿArsh on the Day of Judgement in seclusion.^[2]

Modesty is also a fantastic way to save yourself from sin. A pious elder once advised his son by saying, “When you commit a sin and do not feel (shame and modesty) from anyone in the skies or earth, then consider yourself a four-legged animal.”^[3]

In order to develop the habit of avoiding sin, there are many more things you can do. For example, read about the excellences of avoiding sin, the harms of sinning and what punishment it leads to in the Hereafter. We can also draw great lesson from seeing things which cause difficulty or pain. Think to yourself:

What if I did so-and-so sin, and I was given some sort of pain in this world as a result (burning in fire, being attacked by a wild animal, etc.)? Well, punishment in the grave and Hereafter is