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.