A Moment with Our Prophet, Muhammad (S)
By Imam Zijad Delic
Day 199: Haya (Bashfulness) is an Indicator of the Level of Our Faith
Narrated by Abu Mas’ud (r) that the Prophet (S) said: “Among the words that people obtained from the previous prophets are: ‘If you do not feel any inner feeling of being shy, then do as you wish to do.’”
عن أبي مسعود عقبة قَالَ قَالَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ إِنَّ مِمَّا أَدْرَكَ النَّاسُ مِنْ كَلَامِ النُّبُوَّةِ إِذَا لَمْ تَسْتَحْيِ فَافْعَلْ مَا شِئْتَ
Source: Bukhari
Transliteration: “Inna Mimma Adrakan Nasu Min Kalamin Nubuwwati, Idha Lam Tastahi, Fasna’ Ma Shi’ta.”
One of the virtues that the humanity is in a dire need today, is Haya!
Our human standards have changed radically in the last 50 years or so.
What was unacceptable yesterday, became very much OK and normal today!
It seems that many have lost the sense of moral conscience, including the people of faith.
My assumption is that due to the loss of Haya, the humanity faces many social challenges that we do not know how to respond to and thus bring ourselves into the state of unhappiness and depression!
Yes, speaking from the faith perspective, Haya is one of the biggest losses we have sustained in the last decades!
What is Haya?
In Islam, Haya means having a sense of bashfulness, modesty or self-respect!
It is the feeling in the heart that keeps its owner away from performing any indecent act.
In the West, it is commonly known as “one’s moral conscience.”
When a person has moral conscience, he/she will care what others think of him/her and will also care what he/she thinks of himself/herself!
And if a person does not have moral conscience, then he/she will do anything he/she pleases and will not care of what others may think about him/her, as the Prophet (S) taught us in the introductory Hadith of this post:
“Among the words that people obtained from the first Prophecy are: ‘If you do not feel any inner feeling of being shy, then do as you wish to do.’” (Bukhari, Muslim)
Muslim scholars have offered different interpretation about this statement ‘if you do not feel any inner feeling of being shy, then do as you wish to do.’
All of the interpretations could be supportive of each other depending on the situation:
- a) a warning or the threat of the consequences or a command of a caution – meaning, if you have no Haya, do as you wish but you will be accountable for your choices/actions accordingly,
- b) a statement of fact – meaning, if a person does not have Haya, he/she will do whatever he/she wishes and nothing will prevent him/her from doing the act and
- c) a display of permissibility – meaning, if one is contemplating to do an act and there is nothing in the act to be ashamed of, then you may do it as you wish.
All prophets before Muhammad (S) have taught their followers about Haya.
As we could understand from the Hadith, the reality of Haya (bashfulness) was known to all Prophets and their followers; however, in Islam, the virtue of Haya has been given the well-deserving place!
It was narrated by Ibn ‘Abbas (r) that the Prophet (S) said: “Indeed, every religion has fine and praiseworthy character, and the character of Islam is Haya’ (modesty/bashfulness).” (Ibn Majah)
عَنْ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ إِنَّ لِكُلِّ دِينٍ خُلُقًا وَإِنَّ خُلُقَ الْإِسْلَامِ الْحَيَاءُ
This Hadith means that among all the religions, which existed before Islam, each religion had one prominent characteristic that defined that religion, except Haya.
In other words, among all the moral values the position that Haya’ occupies in Islam is the most dominant and sublime and this was not the case in the earlier religions so much as it is in Islam.
If it was like stars in other religions, Haya shines forth like the sun in Islam.
For these reasons, the attention of Muslims is invited to this prominent position and importance of Haya.
While Muslims are commanded to adopt all good moral values, they are asked specifically to give a distinct position to Haya in their lives because our Din is characterized by it.
Indeed, Haya rests at the top of the list of good manners of productive and successful believers.
Why Haya is so much important in Islam?
When we read the references of Islam on the topic of Haya, we find out that indeed, Haya is the central virtue in Islam.
- Allah loves the virtue of Haya (bashfulness, modesty and self-respect)!
It was narrated by Ashaj ibn Asr (r) that the Prophet told him: “Verily, you have two qualities which are loved by Allah, the Exalted.”
إِنَّ فِيكَ خُلَّتَيْنِ يُحِبُّهُمَا اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ
I said, “What are they?” The Prophet (S) said: “Forbearance and Haya.” (Ahmed)
الْحِلْمُ وَالْحَيَاءُ
- Haya is a branch of Iman!
It was narrated by Abu Huraira (r) that the Prophet (S) said: “Faith has sixty to seventy branches, the best of which is to declare there is no God but Allah, the least of which is to remove something harmful from the road, and Haya is a branch of faith.”
عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ الْإِيمَانُ بِضْعٌ وَسَبْعُونَ أَوْ بِضْعٌ وَسِتُّونَ شُعْبَةً فَأَفْضَلُهَا قَوْلُ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَأَدْنَاهَا إِمَاطَةُ الْأَذَى عَنْ الطَّرِيقِ وَالْحَيَاءُ شُعْبَةٌ مِنْ الْإِيمَانِ
- It is the essential characteristic of Islam!
It was narrated by Ibn ‘Abbas (r) that the Prophet (S) said: “Indeed, every religion has fine and praiseworthy character, and the character of Islam is Haya’ (modesty/bashfulness).” (Ibn Majah)
عَنْ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ إِنَّ لِكُلِّ دِينٍ خُلُقًا وَإِنَّ خُلُقَ الْإِسْلَامِ الْحَيَاءُ
- Haya is an indicator of the level of our faith!
It was narrated by Ibn Umar (r) that the Prophet (S) said: “Verily, Haya and faith come together. If one of the two is missing, so is the other.” (Shu’an al Iman)
عَنِ ابْنِ عُمَرَ أَنّ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ إِنَّ الْحَيَاءَ وَالإِيمَانَ قُرِنَا جَمِيعًا فَإِذَا رُفِعَ أَحَدُهُمَا رُفِعَ الآخَرُ
- Haya brings only goodness to its owner!
It was narrated by ‘Imran ibn Husayn (r) that the Prophet (S) said: “Haya does not bring anything but goodness.” (Bukhari, Muslim)
عن عمران بن حصين عَنْ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَنَّهُ قَالَ الْحَيَاءُ لَا يَأْتِي إِلَّا بِخَيْرٍ
…or Haya is all about goodness!…and in another narration, the Prophet (S) said: “Haya is all that is good.” (Muslim)
الْحَيَاءُ خَيْرٌ كُلُّهُ
- Haya beautifies everything it touches!
It was narrated by Anas ibn Malik (r) that the Prophet (S) said: “And Haya is not found in anything but that it beautifies it.” (Tirmizi)
عَنْ أَنَسٍ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَمَا كَانَ الْحَيَاءُ فِي شَيْءٍ إِلَّا زَانَهُ
- It leads its owner into the gardens of Paradise!
It was narrated by Abu Huraira (r) that the Prophet (S) said: “Haya is part of faith and faith is in Paradise.” (Tirmizi)
عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ الْحَيَاءُ مِنْ الْإِيمَانِ وَالْإِيمَانُ فِي الْجَنَّةِ
Ya Rabb! Guide us and our children towards this great virtue so that we be the role-models to others at the time when Haya does not matter much to so many!
Allahumma Amin!
