Hayaa’ is a part of faith ||| Hayaa’ in what we do

Abu Hurairah (Raji.) narrated that the Prophet ﷺ said:

“Faith or belief consists of more than sixty branches or parts, and Hayaa’ is a part of faith”.

There is no true English definition of the word ‘Hayaa’’ but the closest one can get to it is shame, modesty, and bashfulness. Hayaa’ is an essential characteristic of a Muslim; it must be obtained in order to attain faith as they come together as a pair:

Abdullah ibn Umar (Raji.) narrated that: The Prophet ﷺ said: “Indeed Hayaa’ and Iman are companions. When one of them is lifted, the other leaves as well.”

Hayaa’ in what we do 

The highest amount of Hayaa’ is when we refrain from committing any sin out of humiliation and guilt in front of Allah. One that has such levels of Iman and Ihsan will, out of worship and fear for Allah (glory and exalted be He), abandon all sins whether committed in public or in private. They simply won’t be able to bring themselves to commit sin, and if they do, they will sincerely regret it. This is the level that we should all try to attain.
One that has Hayaa’ in front of people will avoid sinning in public and boasting of his sins to people. But this Hayaa’ will only provide external righteousness; to obtain internal righteousness, one must also feel regret when sinning, even and especially in private, and try to abandon all Haram out of shame in front of Allah.

In a Hadith narrated by Umar ibn Al Khattab(Raji.): 

Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said: “Ihsan is to worship Allah as though you are seeing Him, and while you see Him not, yet truly He sees you.”

When one loses Hayaa’, they then lose Iman and they tumble into destruction, losing all sense of shame. Nothing will prevent them from adopting wicked and evil ways due to the absence of any regret or guilt.

Abu Masood Al-Ansari (Raji.) narrated that :

the Prophet ﷺ  said: “Among the words people obtained from the first prophecy are: ‘If you feel no shame, then do as you wish’” – which is exactly what is happening and so this decline in Hayaa’ has resulted in the society becoming an ugly place to live in.

However, if one can obtain Hayaa’, and improve upon it, then one will taste the sweetness of faith and countless blessings. Their actions will be based upon the teachings of Islam and the way they will go about their lives will be an example for all. Insha’Allah, we should all try to change ourselves and increase our Hayaa’ by focusing on the above mentioned aspects as well as the many others that we encounter in our lives.

Anas bin Malik (Raji.) reported that :

the Prophet ﷺ said: “When lewdness is a part of anything, it becomes defective; and when Hayaa’ is a part of anything, it becomes beautiful.”

 Author / Aamir Shamsi
Emergency Medicine Doctor in London