oumyaquine
Fière de ma religion
:salam2: I know it is quite long, but I really liked .
Haya (Shyness)
What is Haya?
Haya itself is derived from the word hayat which means life. This
term covers a wide number of concepts. In English, it may be
translated as modesty, shyness, self-respect, bashfulness, shame,
honour, humility, etc. The original meaning of Haya according to a
believer's nature, refers to a bad and uneasy feeling accompanied by
embarrassment, caused by one's fear of being exposed or censured for
some unworthy or indecent conduct.
Islamically Haya is an attribute which pushes the believer to avoid
anything distasteful or abominable. It keeps him/her from being
neglectful in giving everyone what is due upon them, and if for any
reason he/she is not able to keep up with his/her commitment then
they will feel extremely uncomfortable and ashamed about this. The
reason being that he/she will have displeased Allah by breaking a
commitment.
Haya plays a huge role in the lives of Muslims because it is a very
important part of our Iman (faith/belief) . If we do not have any
form of haya within us then it is most likely that our Iman is very
weak. For as it states in the following hadith:
Narrated by Abu Huraira (ra): The Prophet said, "Faith (Belief)
consists of more than sixty branches (i.e. parts). And Haya is a
part of faith." (Bukhari)
We also learn from the Prophet (saws) the importance of having haya
and how it is not something to be ashamed of, but instead, one
should be concerned and ashamed if they do not possess it within
their character.
Narrated Abdullah ibn Umar (ra): The Prophet (saws) passed by a man
who was admonishing his brother regarding Haya and was saying, "You
are very shy, and I am afraid that might harm you." On that, Allah's
Apostle said, "Leave him, for Haya is (a part) of Faith." (Bukhari)
Now the above hadith is also a form of proof that "shyness" is not
just something regarding women but also an attribute that believing
men should have, for it is an indication if their fear of Allah and
an indication of the value of their Deen.
When we think back to when we were young around eight or nine years
old - we all remember this feeling of shyness and humility naturally
occurring - for many it was when we felt we wanted to conceal our
bodies from our mums or siblings. We were often told - "don't be
silly" or "we have seen it all before" and the many other comments
that people in the west or ignorant Muslim parents affected by the
western values (or lack of them) say to their pure children. If
these natural instincts of shyness and shame are taken by the smart
parent and nurtured, it will develop and affect their entire
character and also most importantly lead to a conscious responsible
Muslim who prioritise their life towards submission to Allah (swt).
We often find that shyness, humility and bashfulness is frowned upon
by our society as a weakness or a lack of confidence when, Infact
these are quality of a dignified upright human being, who is
conscious of their actions and their responsibilities in life.
Now to discuss the different types of haya. How many types of haya
are there?
Haya' is of two kinds: good and bad:
The good Hayâ' is to be ashamed to commit a sin or a thing which
Allah and His Messenger (saws) has forbidden, and bad Hayâ' is to
feel ashamed to do a thing, which Allah and His Messenger (saws)
ordered to do.
Firstly, to talk about the types of Good haya. For example, anyone
who is a believer, he/she should build their personalities and their
character with the good dimensions of haya. The most important is
that he/she must be shy of doing ANYTHING displeasing to Allah
(swt), with the belief that he/she will have to answer for all their
deeds. If one develops a sense such as this one, it will help the
believer to obey all of Allah's command and to stay away from sins.
Once the believer realises that Allah (swt) is watching us all the
time and we will have to answer to every move we make in this dunya
(world), he/she would not neglect any order from Allah or His
Messenger (saws). So the stronger this sense of haya becomes, the
more it motivates one to make sure that Allah (swt) doesn't see
him/her doing anything prohibited. The way to develop this haya is
that one must keep learning and absorbing more knowledge and
applying it to their lives.
Another type of haya is more of a social aspect concerning others
besides Allah (swt). Normally these things often come in regard with
ones relationship with family. For instance, a child not wanting to
do something displeasing to his mother, or a wife not wanting to do
something displeasing to her husband or even a student who is
careful about saying something incorrect in front of his teacher..
Last but not least is the type of haya in which the believers become
shy of themselves. This is when they have reached the peek of their
Iman. What this means is that if they do, or say, or see, anything
wrong or even commit the tiniest sin, they start to feel extremely
bad and embarrassed or they feel extreme guilt in their heart. This
builds a high degree of self-consciousness and that is what
strengthens the believers commitment to Allah (swt)
. After discussing the various types of "beneficial" haya, it is
time to discuss the type of haya which is not only against the
teachings of our Prophet (saw) but it is also solid proof of the
weakness of someone's Iman. This negative aspect revolves around a
person's shamefulness or shyness of doing something that Allah (swt)
has ordered us to do through the Qur'an or our Prophet's (saw)
Sunnah. This constitutes the shamefulness or embarrassment of doing
a lawful act or something that is ordered upon us from Allah (swt).
Meaning for someone not to follow an obligation of Islam, due the
fact of being shy in front of others about it. This is totally
forbidden because then one is giving the people of this dunya more
respect than the One who Created this whole universe. It also means
if someone is shy or afraid to seek knowledge of Islam for worldly
reasons, because they do not want others to see them or to know of
their ignorance. This once again goes contrary to what Allah (swt)
has told us in the Qur'an, which is to seek knowledge and preach it
to others. In this society there are many examples. People will go
out an get degrees in law schools, or science, or engineering and
they will put four to six years of their lives studying for this
stuff that will only benefit them in this world. Why? You ask? Well
most likely, in this society people including Muslims, choose their
careers according to how much money they will make and what status
they will have in this society as to being a lawyer or a doctor etc.
They do not realize that in Islam the BEST stature of a Muslim is
that of a "dai'i" or a teacher of Islam.
Haya (Shyness)
What is Haya?
Haya itself is derived from the word hayat which means life. This
term covers a wide number of concepts. In English, it may be
translated as modesty, shyness, self-respect, bashfulness, shame,
honour, humility, etc. The original meaning of Haya according to a
believer's nature, refers to a bad and uneasy feeling accompanied by
embarrassment, caused by one's fear of being exposed or censured for
some unworthy or indecent conduct.
Islamically Haya is an attribute which pushes the believer to avoid
anything distasteful or abominable. It keeps him/her from being
neglectful in giving everyone what is due upon them, and if for any
reason he/she is not able to keep up with his/her commitment then
they will feel extremely uncomfortable and ashamed about this. The
reason being that he/she will have displeased Allah by breaking a
commitment.
Haya plays a huge role in the lives of Muslims because it is a very
important part of our Iman (faith/belief) . If we do not have any
form of haya within us then it is most likely that our Iman is very
weak. For as it states in the following hadith:
Narrated by Abu Huraira (ra): The Prophet said, "Faith (Belief)
consists of more than sixty branches (i.e. parts). And Haya is a
part of faith." (Bukhari)
We also learn from the Prophet (saws) the importance of having haya
and how it is not something to be ashamed of, but instead, one
should be concerned and ashamed if they do not possess it within
their character.
Narrated Abdullah ibn Umar (ra): The Prophet (saws) passed by a man
who was admonishing his brother regarding Haya and was saying, "You
are very shy, and I am afraid that might harm you." On that, Allah's
Apostle said, "Leave him, for Haya is (a part) of Faith." (Bukhari)
Now the above hadith is also a form of proof that "shyness" is not
just something regarding women but also an attribute that believing
men should have, for it is an indication if their fear of Allah and
an indication of the value of their Deen.
When we think back to when we were young around eight or nine years
old - we all remember this feeling of shyness and humility naturally
occurring - for many it was when we felt we wanted to conceal our
bodies from our mums or siblings. We were often told - "don't be
silly" or "we have seen it all before" and the many other comments
that people in the west or ignorant Muslim parents affected by the
western values (or lack of them) say to their pure children. If
these natural instincts of shyness and shame are taken by the smart
parent and nurtured, it will develop and affect their entire
character and also most importantly lead to a conscious responsible
Muslim who prioritise their life towards submission to Allah (swt).
We often find that shyness, humility and bashfulness is frowned upon
by our society as a weakness or a lack of confidence when, Infact
these are quality of a dignified upright human being, who is
conscious of their actions and their responsibilities in life.
Now to discuss the different types of haya. How many types of haya
are there?
Haya' is of two kinds: good and bad:
The good Hayâ' is to be ashamed to commit a sin or a thing which
Allah and His Messenger (saws) has forbidden, and bad Hayâ' is to
feel ashamed to do a thing, which Allah and His Messenger (saws)
ordered to do.
Firstly, to talk about the types of Good haya. For example, anyone
who is a believer, he/she should build their personalities and their
character with the good dimensions of haya. The most important is
that he/she must be shy of doing ANYTHING displeasing to Allah
(swt), with the belief that he/she will have to answer for all their
deeds. If one develops a sense such as this one, it will help the
believer to obey all of Allah's command and to stay away from sins.
Once the believer realises that Allah (swt) is watching us all the
time and we will have to answer to every move we make in this dunya
(world), he/she would not neglect any order from Allah or His
Messenger (saws). So the stronger this sense of haya becomes, the
more it motivates one to make sure that Allah (swt) doesn't see
him/her doing anything prohibited. The way to develop this haya is
that one must keep learning and absorbing more knowledge and
applying it to their lives.
Another type of haya is more of a social aspect concerning others
besides Allah (swt). Normally these things often come in regard with
ones relationship with family. For instance, a child not wanting to
do something displeasing to his mother, or a wife not wanting to do
something displeasing to her husband or even a student who is
careful about saying something incorrect in front of his teacher..
Last but not least is the type of haya in which the believers become
shy of themselves. This is when they have reached the peek of their
Iman. What this means is that if they do, or say, or see, anything
wrong or even commit the tiniest sin, they start to feel extremely
bad and embarrassed or they feel extreme guilt in their heart. This
builds a high degree of self-consciousness and that is what
strengthens the believers commitment to Allah (swt)
. After discussing the various types of "beneficial" haya, it is
time to discuss the type of haya which is not only against the
teachings of our Prophet (saw) but it is also solid proof of the
weakness of someone's Iman. This negative aspect revolves around a
person's shamefulness or shyness of doing something that Allah (swt)
has ordered us to do through the Qur'an or our Prophet's (saw)
Sunnah. This constitutes the shamefulness or embarrassment of doing
a lawful act or something that is ordered upon us from Allah (swt).
Meaning for someone not to follow an obligation of Islam, due the
fact of being shy in front of others about it. This is totally
forbidden because then one is giving the people of this dunya more
respect than the One who Created this whole universe. It also means
if someone is shy or afraid to seek knowledge of Islam for worldly
reasons, because they do not want others to see them or to know of
their ignorance. This once again goes contrary to what Allah (swt)
has told us in the Qur'an, which is to seek knowledge and preach it
to others. In this society there are many examples. People will go
out an get degrees in law schools, or science, or engineering and
they will put four to six years of their lives studying for this
stuff that will only benefit them in this world. Why? You ask? Well
most likely, in this society people including Muslims, choose their
careers according to how much money they will make and what status
they will have in this society as to being a lawyer or a doctor etc.
They do not realize that in Islam the BEST stature of a Muslim is
that of a "dai'i" or a teacher of Islam.
