A sense of modesty and self-restraint

Hayaa is the term used in the Islamic scriptural vocabulary to emphasise one of the most important character building elements of Islamic teachings. To translate and explain it simply as ‘modesty’ places serious limits on its wider meaning and the influence it exerts in its character building role in every sphere of our lives.

Hayaa is required if we are to build and maintain our personal and public life in accordance with the teachings and guidance of Allah. While Hayaa certainly helps to build the personal and family life of a person, it  also helps in moulding the very fabric of human society, so that people can live and interact  with complete trust and respect.

Hayaa has strong links with another character building Islamic element, which also strengthens and improves our relationship with Allah, and bring us closer to Him. That is called ‘Taqwa’ or self-restraint and righteousness.

Taqwa can be translated as the ‘source of all goodness’, which, if regarded only in its wider meaning, would produce only a limited fractured outcome, or none at all.

When, in the light of spiritual and religious guidance, I reflect deeply on the importance of the meaning and impact of these two strongly emphasised character building elements, I also observe a total lack of acceptance of both of these  in some Muslims. Their action,s and the resulting and inevitable chaos and insincerity, will only reinforce the aims of those seeking to  rain  destruction and humiliation down on us.

The Prophet Mohammad, Peace and Mercy of Allah be upon him, said: ‘indeed what people have treasured from the guidance of the earlier prophecy is: ‘if you don’t have a sense of modesty then do whatever you want to’.To understand its importance, one has to reflect on the deeper meaning of this hadith.

Good and evil deeds have clear demarcation lines, clearly showing the difference  between right and wrong. Indeed, the one element that makes people hesitate when committing wrong is their innate knowledge of this difference, given to us all by our creator at birth. If this gift  is exercised often enough in childhood, and if reinforced by good parental example, then we will not do wrong. The prophet is saying that the abiding guidance from the earlier prophecy is that if a person loses their sense of modesty they also lose their sense of decency, and their commitment to adhere to the right direction and right intention.  Such a person will be unable to practice self-restraint, have no sense of accountability, and may go on to commit indecent acts and horrendous crimes. 

To emphasise further the importance of this understanding, the prophet said: ‘hayaa can only bring what is good’ or ‘Hayaa is all but goodness’.

As hayaa is a character building element that improves all aspects  of a person's  personal and public life, including family, social, educational, political, and economic commitments,  human society can only benefit from it, and gain strength from the resultant improved social cohesion and humanitarian commitments.

Hayaa impacts positively on every  right decision, large or small, that a person takes in his life. It also has a  negative impact if it is ignored. Hayaa contains the full package necessary for the formation of a good character.  It helps people from within, through their natural inbuilt resistant to indecency, evil and wrong doing, and holds people within the boundaries of good behaviour and instinct driven decent character.

Modesty is understood in a very restricted way - i.e. being mindful of one’s modesty or a person of modest nature or modest in life style. However, within the religious concept, it  must be understood at its widest meaning. 

In another hadith, narrated by Imam Ahmad, the Prophet Mohammad said: ‘be mindful of your modesty toward Allah in its full sense’. The Companions said: O Messenger of Allah! We are mindful of our modesty, thanks to God’. The Prophet replied saying: ‘I do not mean the way you do.  But when a person is mindful of his modesty in front of Allah in the fullest sense, then he should protect his head and whatever it contains. He should protect his stomach and whatever he fills it with. He should more often remember the death and the decayed body (decrepitude). And whoever seeks the Hereafter should not pursue the glitter of this world. If anyone does so then he is the one who truly is modest in the Sight of Allah’.

This hadith gives us a sense of the true meaning of Hayaa and how people should interpret its meaning and practice.

When we attempt to understand the world's problems and what causes  them, we find that behind most of these problems there lies rampant greed, a brutal disregard of other people’s rights, the bettering of one’s lifestyle on on the back of others, murderous violence, and pillage, rape and destruction.

Some Muslims, who have always had the benefit of this teaching of Hayaa, have applied its meaning very restrictively or ignored it completely, and as a result we have all suffered severely damaging consequences. The  brutal and murderous philosophies indulged in by extremists  and terrorist groups  demonstrate that they have lost this sense of Hayaa and lack any sense of of self-restraint. These mindless cretins have done irrevocable damage to Islam, to Muslim communities across the world and to the sacredness of Islamic teachings and guidance. Allah's teachings and His image of kindness and being Merciful and Compassionate are continually and  brutally maligned by His own so-called followers. 

The lunatics, who  call themselves 'fighters for Jihad', all with a brutal agenda of their own,  who destroy their own lands,  make a complete mockery of Sharia.. Instead of endearing Islamic teachings to the world, Muslims and non-Muslims alike, they are creating hatred and violence and totally misrepresent the gentleness and kindness of the Islamic teachings that the Quran itself declared to the world saying: ‘And We have not sent you, O Mohammad, but to be a mercy to the worlds’. The wisdom of Islamic guidance has been replaced by complete madness that  totally disregards  all the  fundamentals of Jurisprudence regarding Public Interest and property. Hayaa has its role in making people reflect on the consequence of their actions, when it concerns public interests, and being mindful that they would be accountable for all damage done to the teachings of Allah and Islamic guidance.

Before I conclude this article, I would like to mention another hadith of our Prophet Mohammad, saying: ‘When Allah wishes to destroy someone, He removes the sense of modesty (the sense of embarrassment) from him. When the modesty is removed you only find him detestable by all. Once he was a detestable person, his trustworthiness is taken away from him and thus you would only find him a treacherous and betrayed one. And when he becomes a treacherous and a betrayed one the (quality) of mercy is removed from him and so you would find him crude and coarse. Once he is crude and coarse the yoke of faith is removed from his neck and once that is removed you would only find him a cursed Satan being cursed by all.’ Narrated by Ibn Majah.

Questions at a school multi-faith event

I have always enjoyed direct interaction with audiences of all kinds, especially when, at the end of a talk, I am given the opportunity for a question and answer session on any activities related to Islamic subjects or current issues concerning Islam and Muslims.

I wanted to mention a particular visit as my interaction was with students who came from a predominantly white area and who, I was told, had no significant contact with the non-white community.

Students at such events hesitate to raise any really significant concerns they may feel about Islam, possibly from a fear of causing any offence, after they have seen and read the hysterical reporting on such issues in the international media. In fact, the students in one class failed to raise any questions at all for fear of causing me any offence, and I could not persuade them to do so. They remained totally passive, willing only to listen to what I had to say on certain issues.

However, I was delighted to meet students from a different class, who came to the session fully equipped with questions on hot topics, and eager to fire them at me.

I never flinch from these kinds of really crucial questions that inevitably arise in the minds of people who, day after day, see and hear in the media so much that bewilders them in terms of violence, turbulence and the very volatile world situation. Communicating with young people in this way, by addressing some of their real concerns, gives me a rewarding feeling, and impels me do more.

Some of the main questions that I had to deal with and I feel I should highlight are as follows:

1-                  What is true Islam? Who are the true Muslims? Who speaks for Islam on what is in the Quran? Is what we see the result of what is in the Quran?

These are very serious questions, particularly when the bewildered mind of a non-Muslim wants to understand what Islam is about in the current political situation, and where people, allegedly Muslims, implement Sharia Law with a brutality that lacks fairness, justice, compassion and consideration to the Mercy of God. Islam has been politicised and is in grave danger of being taken over by ill-mannered and ill intentioned, revenge and avenge minded violent people.

In the light of these facts,  explaining what  true Islam is becomes extremely difficult. I always guide people by saying that, in the first place,  Islam was built on a set of  laws  and guidance from the Most Merciful, and who says in the Quran: ‘there is no compulsion in religion’, and also ‘God does not impose on a soul what it may not be able to bear’.

I also make the point that Islam is a religion of wise guidance in matters of belief and practices, covering commonly sensible teachings in all faiths. Islam does not, however, entertain any faith and practice that appears, intellectually, to be at odds with commonly shared values. These include trust, loyalty, truthfulness and so on, and also apply to a person who regards himself as Muslim.

I also explain to students that, in Islam, revelation and reason go hand in hand in creating, and furthering, a spiritual human society that desires to become closer to God and be rewarded by His blessings.

2-                  A follow up question to the previous one came as no surprise to me. A student asked me why, if some people in Islam are known for their errors and are falsely practising their religion, don’t you excommunicate them and issue a fatwa against them?

I said if we go into the business of excommunicating people because they misinterpret religious teachings through ignorance and, as a result, act outside the real spirit of Islam, we would end up in excommunicating everyone. It would become an even more difficult and dangerous situation for us. 

The best way to judge ourselves is to compare our actions against the very principles and guidance of Islam. Islam is logic based and a religion of law. People who break these laws are responsible in the sight of God and no amount of good intentions will ever mitigate murderous acts and mass destruction. 

Most students understood this point and agreed that criteria displayed in Islamic disciplines and legal principles may be the best tool for identifying who the real Muslims are and who are not. However, if they are to be used for this purpose, the principles and disciplines of Islamic laws needed to be outlined in a very clear and unequivocal terms. 

3-                  Another question was the concept of ‘Jihad’, which had been corrupted so that now it even frightens many Muslims. Jihad is termed in the hadith as ‘the pinnacle of Islam (Muslim practice)’. Islam is all about employing one’s best efforts to overcome Satanic temptations that sway away a person from the right path. What we now see is the practising of brutality in the name of Jihad.  Instead of getting rid of Satan from our life and practices, we are actively presenting him with a helping hand, and maligning the beautiful teachings and guidance of our Creator and Law Giver.

4-                  One very unexpected question, which came as a suggestion as well, concerned the importance of Muslims holding interactive meetings or schools holding events that give real opportunities for students to ask difficult questions without any barriers.  When I was asked what I think about such suggestions I said they give real opportunities in a time of difficulty, where so much misinformation is relayed by the media. What made me proud of this question and suggestion was that they were coming from young students in sixth forms, who seem to have acquired an understanding that a whole religion was misunderstood, and that the entire worldwide community of Muslims is being blamed for the actions of few of their number. I highlighted the fact that sincere efforts are being demonstrated by people of many communities, who are sincerely concerned about the situation on the ground and who want to reverse the tide of  strained community relationships,  and to bring some sense of sanity into our understanding of each other.

The meetings and sessions of interactive dialogue have gone very well and made everyone feel excited about them. At a time when we all feel that we need to play a role in building bridges of understanding, and make Islam understood from its original and authentic sources, more people need to go out and participate in these dialogues. That is the only way we can make changes and regain respect and trust for our community and religion.