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

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 say

I have seen a lack of Hayaa’ primarily when we joke around with friends as we tend to feel most comfortable and free at this time and so lose a sense of modesty. We can joke about indecent things, mostly regarding the opposite gender in some way or another, and although fuelled by the environment and media that are around us, we become a product of our society by spreading lewd talk amongst society.

Swearing can also form a part of our conversations. It is self-explanatory why swearing is indecent and thus contradictory to having Hayaa’. Gossiping is very similar; for some reason, we humans love to gossip, even if it is with no ill intent to defame anyone. We tend to always discuss other people and what is going on in their lives with such curiosity. This is a dangerous practice and can quickly fall into backbiting, so it is best to stay away from it. If a person had a high level of shame and modesty, they would not gossip about other people and so it should not be something we as Muslims do.

Moreover, Abu Sa’eed Al-Khudri (Raji.) narrated that Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said:  

“When man wakes up in the morning each day, all parts of the body warn the tongue saying, ‘Fear Allah as regards to us for we are at your mercy; if you are upright, we will be upright and if you are crooked, we become crooked” 

(At-Tirmidhi)

This is why it is important to think before you say anything and consider whether it would be appropriate and thus, slowly remove the habit of speaking about such things.






Author / Aamir Shamsi
Emergency Medicine Doctor in London