Modesty , Shyness and Feeling Ashamed of Wrong Acts.Part2

Our Prophet personally answered the particular questions of women, and also had his wife Aisha teach them in his place. Aisha had these notable words to say about women who showed no shame in seeking religious knowledge:

“What good women the Ansar women were. Their bashfulness did not prevent them from learning their religion well.”

One who wishes to be granted felicity in this world and the next must strive to have adab and haya. A person who has a sense of haya fears to  do wrong not only where other people can see them, but also when they are alone. Such a person has a healthy spirit and a peaceful conscience. We can recognize them by their geniality, their humility, and their trustworthiness.

Qurra ibn Iyas said,

“We were together with the Prophet. Someone spoke of haya: ‘O God’s Messenger, is haya part of religion?’ they asked. The Prophet’s answer was, ‘Haya is the completion of religion. Without a doubt haya, curbing the tongue, and chastity all arise from faith. These increase a person’s rewards in the next life, and lessen desire for the things of this world. But that which is given in the next life is greater than that which is lessened in this world.’”

A person with haya does not have faults like lying, cheating, being dishonest, stealing, bribing others, holding a grudge, or slandering others. When someone loses the veil of haya, they no longer fear the wrath of God or feel shame about such things as stealing from the poor; such a person would not even be moved by the tears of the victims of hunger or disaster.

Haya indicates the strength of a person’s faith and their level of adab. Haya is the foundation of goodness and the basic element of every type of good. It is a barricade against sins that can destroy the heart.

God Almighty says in the Qur’an,

Say, “My Lord has made unlawful only indecent, shameful deeds (like fornication, adultery, prostitution, and homosexuality), whether those of them that are apparent and committed openly or those that are committed secretly; and any act explicitly sinful;  and insolence and offenses (against the Religion, life, personal property, others’ chastity, and mental and bodily health), which is openly unjustified; and (it is also forbidden) that you associate partners with God for which He has sent no authority at all, and that you speak against God the  things about which you have no sure knowledge. (A’raf 7:33)

In short, a Muslim should be extremely cautious in thoughts and acts, always guarding their tongue from speaking  wrongly, their eyes from looking at that which is prohibited, their ears from listening to the private conversations of others, and all their limbs from committing wrong acts.