HAYA

The character of Islam is Haya” The Prophet (pbuh) said: “Every religion has an innate character. The character of Islam is Haya” (Abu Dawud)

MODESTY شرم و حیا Haya loosely translates to modesty in English. In Urdu we generally say sharam o haya. Lets see what it actually means.

Our understanding of “modest” Under confident awkward bashful Shy When we hear the word modest – this is the concept that comes to mind. meek timid

Timid as a mouse

Mousy Or nerd?

Camera Shy Anyone who is self conscious or shy

Silly Shy

Bashful Who can forget the 7 dwarves – bashful being the dumbest of them all. A total stereotype of stupidity

Coy Princesses Note the expressions on their faces, the way they are smiling and if u have seen the movies the voices are all shrill and fluttery. Batting eyelashes.

Filmi Shy Then we have desi filmi idea of being modest! Hai Allah mujhe sharam aa rahi hai

Shy Brides Brides go to all lengths to “seem” modest and shy

HAYA is not as simple as it seems

Concept of HAYA in Islam Concept of Haya is NOT simple or straight forward It is like a ray of light that has colours hidden in it We see the colours when the light passes through a prism We see the colours of Haya through the prism of the Quran and Sunnah

Narrated by Abu Huraira (ra): The Prophet (pbuh) said, "Faith (Belief) consists of more than sixty branches (i.e. parts). And Haya is a part of faith." (Bukhari)

The Prophet (PBUH) said: “Haya and Imaan are two companions that go together. If one of them is lifted, the other is also lifted” (Haakim).

Concept of HAYA in Islam attitude dress worship speech dealings Islam has a very comprehensive definition of HAYA. It is not one-dimensional. It covers every aspect of our lives.

رحمان رحیم حیا modesty حیات life Our manufacturer who is Rahman and Raheem gave us life and to safe guard that life he gave us certain protective devices: one of them is Haya (the other is fear).

Lets try to understand how Haya is our protective device Lets try to understand how Haya is our protective device. All appliances come with a circuit breaker so that when there is surge in electricity they don’t blow up or go bust.

Hard hats and helmets are protect our heads from damage in case of an accident

A surgeon wears protective gloves, mask and clothes.

A fire fighter/fireman must wear special protective clothing … A fire fighter/fireman must wear special protective clothing …. The list is endless these are just a few examples

Car manufacturers have seat belts fitted in cars to protect lives

Lets see what happens when we don’t wear a seat belt

Seat belts save lives and protect us from serious injury – this is a proven fact that no one can argue with.

Haya Our Seat Belt Haya is the seat belt for our thoughts. It is an inner protective device that Allah has fitted within us to save us from serious damage in this world and the Hereafter.

It is accepted wisdom that thoughts are the first step to action …

“From the words of the previous prophets that people still find are: ‘If you feel no Haya, then do as you wish’” (Bukhari).

MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT “MODESTY”

Modest = stupid & dumb we think any one who is modest/shy is basically dumb. We have confused modesty/haya with social shyness or being awkward.

Then we see all the comparisons that show modest = simple, plain, unpopular . Plain Jane. Head hung low, studious, dressed simply, not very popular in school.

As opposed to MISS CHEERLEADER. Every girls dream to be one As opposed to MISS CHEERLEADER. Every girls dream to be one. After all she gets the cute guys. This American high school culture is portrayed in films, TV and taken very seriously by us.

WOW !!! Clark Kent SUPERMAN Shy, mousy - BORING Even super heroes begin as being awkward and simple in other words “modest”. Only when they shed that personality and clothes do they become SUPERMAN WOW !!! Shy, mousy - BORING

Cannot speak confidently, get confused, start stuttering infront of strangers

MODESTY is for …

Modesty = Dressing “conservative” HAYA

Modesty is a disease!

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) is published by the American Psychiatric Association

Shyness: How Normal Behaviour became a sickness By Christopher Lane (Yale University Press, Paperback, 9780300143171, 272pp.) Publication Date: November 2008 Some, say that normal shyness has been medicalized by an over-enthusiastic drug industry and the psychiatrists who wrote the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). He holds that what used to be considered a virtue and the sign of modesty and a contemplative mind, has become a diagnosable mental illness.

Christopher Lane unearths the disturbing truth: with little scientific justification and sometimes hilariously improbable rationales, hundreds of conditions —among them shyness — are now defined as psychiatric disorders and considered treatable with drugs.

Very one-dimensional concept, therefore simplistic solutions offered.

Narrated on the authority of Anas bin Malik (ra), the Prophet (pbuh) said: When lewdness is a part of anything, it becomes defective; and when haya is a part of anything it becomes beautiful. (Tirmidhi)