By
Rana Rais Khan – Founder and Editor-in-Chief Hiba Family Resource Centre
Ibrahim At Tawejri, an Arab scholar has beautifully explained the misunderstood idea of Haya. Generally, Haya is loosely translated as modesty or shamefulness, which is a very superficial definition.
Haya is a driving force for goodness. It encourages us to obey the Creator’s (swt) commands and do Ihsan with His creation even if not ordered. It is to mindfully feel Allah’s (swt) watch over us that keeps us in check.
Haya is a beautiful habit and character trait that stands in contrast to ugly behaviour and repulsive characteristics. A person forsakes an ugly character to embrace the beauty of Haya by choosing the right speech, thoughts, attitude, dress code, lifestyle, etc. only for Allah (swt).
Types of Haya of Your Heart
Imam Ibnul Jawzi states that humans have the capacity to develop 10 types of Haya of the heart. He has categorized them for our clear understanding:
- Haya produced by guilt
This happens when someone commits a sin and feels a pang of guilt inside his heart. Alhumdulillah, Allah (swt) Al Kareem has placed self-correctional emotions within us so we repent and renew ourselves due to the Haya we feel.
- Haya due to a sense of inadequacy
When the believer realizes that Allah’s (swt) favours outdo his worship and obedience, he/she feels Haya. For e.g. Allah (swt) has created some angels who have been worshipping Him from the time of their creation. Yet on the Day of Judgment these angels will admit of their inadequacy to do their best.
- Haya realizing Allah’s (swt) Majesty
A believer after gaining recognition of His Creator feels in awe of Him. He/she develops a sense of modesty before Him. Just as ordinary people feel conscious in the presence of some favourite celebrity or popular figure who is actually just a human being like them. A believer becomes modest after gaining knowledge about Allah (swt).
- Haya due to generosity
This is when you do not wish to shame someone else due to your sense of modesty. For e.g. when Prophet Muhammad (sa) invited guests for his valimah with Zainab (rta), the people overstayed. Prophet (sa) out of Haya did not ask them to leave, instead quietly got up and left.
- Haya out of chastity
This is a sense of modesty a believer feels out of decency and decorum. For e.g. Ali (rta) requested his friend to approach Prophet Muhammad (sa) to ask him about Ghusl Janabat (the purification bath taken after sexual intercourse) knowing that he was married to the Prophet’s (sa) daughter.
- Haya produced out of sense of humility
This is a feeling of modesty that envelopes a believer when he understands how grand, powerful and All Encompassing Allah (swt) is. This also makes him feel small, weak and dependent upon Allah (swt). There is no comparison between the Creator and the creation.
- Haya as a result of love
Love is a very powerful emotion and can move mountains. When someone begins to love Allah (swt), his heart occupies Allah’s (swt) thoughts. The love makes the believer modest and cautious before Allah (swt).
- Haya due to servitude
The believer wants to impress His Master with his worship and obedience. It is a blend of fear and love that he feels towards Allah (swt). Hence the slave knows that he will never be able to honour his Master perfectly.
- Haya out of dignity of others
When a believer self imposes an ethical constraint, this type of Haya is produced. He has standards in place and if he falls beneath that benchmark, it bothers. For e.g. a millionaire will not donate a few bucks at a fund raising.
- Haya due to self-accountability
This is the most, noble level of Haya, possessed by the Anbiyah. A believer is conscious of committing any immodesty because it violates his own soul, his set principles and makes him feel low within his own eyes even when nobody is watching. He can easily fake modesty in public and sin in private. But his sense of shame and pursuit of excellence doesn’t allow him to do so.
Haya is intrinsic. It is a part of our Fitrah (natural disposition) granted to us by Allah (swt). For e.g. when Adam (as) and Hawa (as) were punished by Allah (swt) in Jannah, their Libas was removed. They immediately started to cover themselves with leaves. Nobody taught them to do it. They didn’t wait for any advice or counselling. They knew exactly what to do. Like wise Allah (swt) has placed this sense of Haya in every soul (believer and disbeliever). It is only after deliberate choice to crush it, people become immodest.
Haya can also be acquired if lost once. Again with self-awareness (Tazkiya e Nafs) about personal reform, the desire to increase your Iman with the Quran and to become a successful believer like the Prophet Muhammad (sa), one can work on himself and reach where Allah (swt) wants to place him. At the very top of His creation due to man’s nobility of thought, action and submission.
Please understand that this noble quality of Haya has been targeted viciously on a global level. We all have succumbed to it at a devastating level. Even the very apparently religious people are devoid of Haya due to their incorrect and inadequate knowledge about Haya.
The Prophet Muhammad’s (sa) Hadeeth, must alarm us: “If you don’t feel ashamed do whatever you like.” (Bukhari)
Is anything in this world valuable enough to disassociate ourselves from Islam and it’s Messenger (sa)? The same prophet (sa) who is mercy for mankind and will become one of the means of salvation from hell fire, shows indifference to people who refuse to practice Haya preferring their desires. Allah (swt) severely warns them too:
“But there came after them successors (i.e. later generations) who neglected prayer and pursued desires, so they are going to meet evil.” (Maryam 19:59)
Partially adapted from a course taught by Safiya Khan – ‘A Path to Spiritual Awakening.’
About author
