HAYÂ – حَيَا

 

Literally: Rain, abundant rain. The abundance of vegetation.

As an Islamic term: A feeling of shame, modesty, shyness or bashfulness. To feel ashamed of. To be modest or bashful. To abstain from sins due to shame from Allah. The feeling of hayâ is a great obstacle to sinning. The source of hayâ is îmân. In the absence of this feeling, sins are committed freely and openly.

Below are some hadiths with regards to hayâ:

اَلْحَيَاءُ مِنَ الْاِيمَانِ وَالْاِيمَانُ فِى الْجَنَّةِ وَالْبَذَاءُ مِنَالْجَفَاءِ وَالْجَفَاءُ فِى النَّارِ    

Abu Hurairah narrated that Rasûl of Allah  (ﷺ) said:

"Hayâ is from îmân and îmân is in Jannah. Obscenity is from rudeness and rudeness is in the Fire."1

وفي رواية لمسلم ‏ "‏الحياءه خير كله" أوقال‏:‏ "الحياء كله خير‏"‏

In a narration of Muslim: Rasûl of Allah (ﷺ) said, "All of hayâ is khayr."2  

وعن عمران بن حصين، رضي الله عنهما، قال‏:‏ قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم‏:‏ " الحياء لا يأتى إلا بخير"‏

'Imran bin Husain (ra) reported: Rasûl of Allah (ﷺ) said, " Hayâ does not bring anything except khayr."3

وعن ابن عمر رضي الله عنهما أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم مر على رجل من الأنصار وهو يعظ أخاه في الحياء، فقال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم‏:‏ "دعه فإن الحياء من الإيمان"

Ibn 'Umar (ra) reported: Rasûl of Allah (ﷺ) passed by a man of the Ansar who was admonishing his brother regarding hayâ. Rasûl of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Leave him alone, for hayâ is from îmân."4

اِسْتَحْيُوا مِنَ اللهِ حَقَّ الْحَيَاءِ قُلْنَا يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ اِنَّا نَسْتَحْيِى وَالْحَمْدُ لِلّٰهِ

قَالَ لَيْسَ ذَالِكَ وَلَكِنَّ الْاِسْتِحْيَاءُ مِنَ اللهِ حَقَّ الْحَيَاءِ اَنْ تَحْفَظَ الرَّاْسَ وَ مَا

وَعَى وَالْبَطْنَ وَمَا حَوَى وَلْتَذْكُرِ الْمَوْتَى وَالْبِلَى وَمَنْ اَرَادَ الْاَخِرَةَ تَرَكَ

زِينَةَ الدُّنْيَا فَمَنْ فَعَلَ ذَلِكَ فَقَدْ اِسْتِحْيَا مِنَ اللهِ حَقَّ الْحَيَاءِ

'Abdullah bin Mas'ud narrated that  Rasûl of Allah (ﷺ) said: " Have hayâ for Allah as is His due." [He said:] We said: "O Prophet of Allah! We have hayâ and Alhamdulillah." He said: "Not that, but having the hayâ for Allah 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 âkhirah, he leaves the adornments of the world. So whoever does that, then has indeed fulfilled hayâ, meaning the hayâ which Allah is due."5

 

For instance, even if some individuals have great evils in them, they should not be attacked. For there are many evils that, as long as they remain hidden beneath a veil of goodness and that veil is not torn and as long as they are ignored, will remain limited and confined. Consequently, the owner of those evils strives to reform themselves under this veil of concealment and hayâ. However, if the veil is torn, hayâ is cast aside; if he is attacked, evil spreads terribly.

Münazarat (42 - 43)