Modesty in Islām

TF-RA | February 15, 2020

Hayā' [= Modesty] is what prevents one from doing reprehensible deeds and encourages them to do righteous deeds and fulfill their obligations toward those who have a right over them. It is a characteristic that calls for developing praiseworthy qualities and suppressing base qualities. It is derived from the word hayāt which means life, so he who have hayā' is alive and he who has no hayā' is dead. Hence, nothing stems from hayā' except good:

Imrān bin Husain reported that the Prophet ﷺ said: 

Hayā' does not bring anything except good. (1) 

It has also been reported from him that the Prophet ﷺ said: 

Modesty is altogether good. (2)

How could it not be good altogether while:

1. It is an Attribute of Allāh, the Exalted, the Most High.
 
Suffice it that hayā' is one of the Attributes of Allāh, the All-Mighty, the All-Sublime. Yet, His hayā' is not comprehended by our intellects nor does it resemble that of his creation. He is Unique in His Attributes, there is nothing like unto Him and He is the All-Hearer, the All-Seer.

Salmān narrated that the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ said: 

Your Rabb (= Lord) is Modest and Generous, and would never turn the hands of a slave without gain when he raises them to Him (in supplication). (3)

2. It is the characteristic of Islām by which it's distinguished from other religions.

It was narrated from Anas that the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ said:

Every religion has its distinct characteristic, and the distinct characteristic of Islam is modesty. (4)

3. It is a branch from the various branches of faith.

Narrated Abu Huraira that the Prophet ﷺ said: 

Faith consists of more than sixty branches (i.e. parts). And hayā' is a part of faith. (5)

Once Allāh's Messenger ﷺ passed by an Ansāri man who was admonishing his brother regarding hayā'. On that Allāh's Messenger ﷺ said: 

Leave him as Hayā' is a part of faith. (6)

4. It is a characteristic of the Prophets (peace be on them)

Narrated Abu Sa`id that the Prophet ﷺ had more hayā' than a veiled virgin girl. (7)

Narrated Abu Huraira that Allāh's Messenger ﷺ said: 

(The Prophet) Moses was a shy person and used to cover his body completely because of his extensive hayā'. (8)

5. It is a characteristic of the angels

About 'Uthmān, the 3rd Caliph, the Prophet ﷺ said: 

Should I not show modesty to one whom even the Angels show modesty. (9)

This also shows that hayā' was one of the characteristics of the Sahābah (may Allāh be pleased with them).

6. It is a characteristic that leads its owner to the Jannah
 
Abu Hurairah narrated that the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ said: 

Hayā' is from faith, and faith is in Paradise. Obscenity is from rudeness, and rudeness is in the Fire. (10)

7. It is an adornment for the good character

Anas narrated that the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ said: 

Obscenity is not present in anything but it mars it, and hayā' is not present in anything but it beautifies it. (11)

It should be noted that hayā' is different from khajal. Hayā' is accompanied with self-esteem and confidence, so the one who have hayā' do not feel embarrassed to ask for their rights or say the truth. It is a virtue and advantage, not a defect or disadvantage. And it prevents one from falling into sins:

Narrated Abu Mas`ud that the Prophet ﷺ said: 

One of the sayings of the early Prophets which the people have got is: If you have no hayā', do whatever you like. (12)

Meaning, he who has no shame will do whatever he wants of evil things and he who has shame will avoid doing evil things. Because, the one who have hayā' will, first of all, have hayā for Allāh:

'Abdullāh bin Mas'ud narrated that the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ said: 

Have hayā' for Allāh as is His due." [He said:] We said: "O Prophet of Allāh! We have hayā', and all praise is due to Allāh." He said: "Not that, but having the hayā' for Allāh which He is due is to protect the head and what it contains and to protect the insides and what it includes, and to remember death and the trial, and whoever intends the Hereafter, he leaves the adornments of the world. So whoever does that, then he has indeed fulfilled hayā' [which Allāh is due]. (13)

Sa'eed ibn Yazid al-Azdi narrated that he asked the Prophet ﷺ for an advice and the Prophet ﷺ said: 

I advise you to have hayā' for Allāh just like you have hayā' for a righteous man from your people. (14)

He would then have hayā' for the angels who record everything he does and say, for the angels are offended by that which offends the children of Adam (15). Then, he would have hayā' for others, fearing that his honor or dignity would be disregarded [by them] and fearing that Allāh's covering of his sins would be blown [and he would be disgraced]. And, women, in this case, are more encouraged to have hayā' because they, more than men, are prone to accusations in this regard. Also fearing that he would neglect the rights they have on him. And, he would, ultimately, have hayā' for himself, fearing that he would betray himself in secret, because he who have no hayā for himself, doesn't considers his own self as important as others.

This is [true] hayā', it is not that one should fear to speak the truth or enjoin what is good and forbid what is evil or ask questions about the religious and worldly matters that concern him. 

 

 

Footnotes

(1) Sahih al-Bukhārī 6117

(2) Sahih Muslim 37.

(3) Related by the four imāms except An-Nasā’ī. Al-Hākim graded it as Sahih 

(4) Sahih ibn Mājah 3389, classed as hasan. 

(5) Sahih al-Bukhārī 9. Note: Faith is therefore not separate from action and action is the faith as this agreed upon hadith clearly indicates. All the scholars of ahl-us sunnah wal jamā'ah (= main-stream Muslims) unanimously agree that faith is speech and action. None of them would be sound without the other.

(6) Sahih al-Bukhari 24. 

(7) Sahih al-Bukhari 6119.

(8) Sahih al-Bukhari 3404. 

(9) Sahih Muslim 2401. 

(10) Jāmi` at-Tirmidhi 2009. Classed as hasan-un sahih by Tirmidhi (ra). 

(11) Jāmi` at-Tirmidhi 1974. Classed as sahih by Albāni (ra). 

(12) Sahih al-Bukhārī 6120. 

(13) Jāmi` at-Tirmidhi 2458. Its isnād is classed as hasan by Nawawi (RA) 

(14) Sahih-ul Jāmi' 2541.

(15) Sahih Muslim 564.