The third condition is that they be “upright.” An upright person is one who is steadfast in his religion and maintains dignified conduct. Steadfastness in religion means fulfilling the obligatory duties and avoiding what is forbidden. Thus, for example, one who is negligent regarding the congregational prayer—when it is obligatory upon him—is not upright. Likewise, one who shaves his beard is not upright if he persists in doing so.

Dignified conduct means that a person does not do or say anything that compromises his dignity and lowers his standing in people’s eyes, even if the act itself is not forbidden. The jurists have mentioned examples of this:

A man who makes a buffoon of himself—that is, one who performs comic skits in mockery and jest—compromises his dignified conduct.

They also mentioned one who eats in the marketplace, saying that he lacks dignified conduct. It is well known that this example does not apply in the present time, because people have now become accustomed to eating in the marketplace. I do not mean banquets; rather, if there is a restaurant in the marketplace, a person may eat there.

We used to disapprove of someone drinking tea in his shop, considering it a breach of dignified conduct. Now, however, it is no longer regarded as such, for people drink tea and coffee in shops.

They said: Among the things that compromise dignified conduct is for a person to stretch out his legs among those who are seated, because it is customary for a person to show respect to his companions and not stretch out his legs among them. In reality, however, this varies. If a person has an excuse, and those present know that he has an excuse, then this is not considered a breach of dignified conduct, because they excuse him. Or if the man asks their permission and says, “Allow me,” and then does so, it is not a breach of dignified conduct. Or if a person is among his friends and peers and does so,