Jumu'ah Khutbah | Mufti Azeemuddin Ahmed | Importance of Hayaa

ووفقنا لما تحب وترضى من القول والعمل والنية والهدى، إنك على كل شيء قدير، آمين رب العالمين

Beloved brothers and sisters, dear listeners and dear guests of the house of Allah سبحانه وتعالى

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

The Foundation of Faith

We thank almighty Allah who has blessed us with the beautiful gift of Iman and who has blessed us with the beautiful characteristics and akhlaq that a believer is supposed to have through the virtue of which a person remains a human being, a person remains steadfast on those beautiful principles no matter how challenging and how disturbing the era a person may be going through.

This is our peg, this is our foundation, this is what keeps us firm. It is the fear of Allah, the love for Allah, the taqwa that a believer has.

The Challenge of Our Times

When we sit and speak about the degradation of the ummah, when we speak about the various movements, progressive movements that are ruining the deen and the humanity of people across the globe as well as in our school districts, as well as through social media and various video games, the type of innocence being completely lost at every degree, at every level. And as parents who come to learn about this, it's very heartbreaking, it's very shocking and you wonder what should you do? How do you save your kids from that? How do you make them unlearn what they have been taught through first grade, second grade, what they are learning and watching and hearing online? How do you assist them to do that which is almost impossible to unlearn those type of things?

It's a very difficult and depressing type of conversation when we speak about these issues which probably most of us end up doing so, or we should be aware of at least what's happening around us when we meet together in the holidays and things of that sort.

The Solution: Islam as Our Anchor

So what's the solution? How do you run away from this? How do we get out of this? Where's the exit out of this? Well the exit, that conversation as depressing as it may be ends on a positive note when we think about the fact that Alhamdulillah all praise belongs to Allah who has guided us to Islam and if it wasn't for Islam we would have never been guided to this. If it wasn't for Allah guiding us to Islam we would have never found any type of direction.

This moral compass that Allah has given you and I, and we know the morality doesn't change, values don't change, the definition of what's right and wrong, virtue and evil doesn't change. It's always consistent and constant. Just like the sun rises and sun sets at a set time and there's no changes in that. Every single day there's no rebellion of the sun and the moon. Similarly, as solidified as that is, the Islamic values, morals that Allah has given us.

So Alhamdulillah when you think about that you say okay, at least I'm not going down that lizard hole. Hopefully my children are not going down that. That's what we hope. Because what is the anchor? Islam is that anchor. Akhlaq of Rasul ﷺ is the anchor. The Quranic teachings is that anchor.

But if we did not have those Quranic teachings what would stop us? Ask yourself. What would stop us from leaving the deen? From leaving the value system that we have? We're looking and maybe at times wondering have people lost their minds? We would have also lost our minds. Had it not been for Islam. Had it not been for the beautiful example that we find in the life of Rasul ﷺ.

Every single aspect of Rasul ﷺ when we read it. Whether it's 2023 or 2050 or beyond. It will always remain fresh for a believer. That this is the example we have.

Allah is the Protector of the Believers

And so Allah mentions:

Allah is the caretaker of the believers. Who takes them out from layers of darkness and brings them out to Noor. Meaning a believer may find himself or herself surrounded in layers of darkness. The way you may find yourself today. You may find your children surrounded by darkness. And you wonder what am I gonna do? And the answer is اللَّهُ وَلِيُّ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا - Allah is the friend, Allah is the caretaker. He will snatch you out of that. He will snatch you out of that. And he will bring you out into the one Noor. He will bring you into the one Noor of Islam.

And those who do not want to befriend Allah, the disbelievers have their caretaker. Their friend. The one who looks after them is Shaytaan.

The disbelievers have the Taghut looking after them. And even if they were surrounded by Noor. Say they were born in Mecca. They were born in Medina. They were born at the feet of a great center of learning. He will take them and snatch them out of any Noor they have and bring the darkness of kufr into their mind and their heart.

Adjusting Our Spiritual Clothing

So as a believer, we should never give up no matter how challenging it becomes outside. Look the temperatures dropped. Alhamdulillah we're here. We just covered up with an extra layer of clothing. We made it. We adjusted ourselves. A believer needs to realize that the temperature and weather may change, but we have to adjust our clothing. We have to adjust our spiritual clothing. We have to add extra packaging to our values. Extra packaging to our Iman. And ensure that our faith does not get extinguished.

As Allah says:

They are hoping and wishing to extinguish the Noor of Allah. But Allah has already declared that He will ensure that the Noor of His will remain intact. It will never be allowed to extinguish. That's gonna happen.

Every one of us sitting here, we have a portion of that Noor. If we have that little lantern of Iman in our heart. And these blistering cold winds of darkness are trying their best to extinguish that Noor from our hearts and the hearts of our children. But as a believer, we don't get fazed by this. We don't get depressed. We don't fall into despair.

But instead, we become even more energized. That someone is picking a fight with us. Someone is trying to attack us. We don't run away. We said we will stand our ground. And we will defend our faith. We will defend our faith with words. We will defend our faith with our actions. We will defend our faith with our character.

And if we cannot, then we will take shelter. As Rasulullah ﷺ has mentioned, towards the very end of times during the time of Isa ﷺ, believers will take shelter in their forts. Believers will take shelter at the top of the mountain peaks because it will just be too bad. Too much violence. Too much fitna and fasad and kufr will be the order of the day. And in order for a person to protect his faith, he will take his flock of sheep and go on the top of the mountain. That time has not come yet. But a person will have to do that if he cannot stay afloat in the community.

The Beautiful Trait of Haya

My beloved friends, but what is one of those most amazing anchoring traits of a believer that if I have this, my spouse has it, my children have it, my siblings have it, then I will remain firm? This is the beautiful characteristic of al-haya. Modesty. Loosely translated as modesty. But this is that beautiful trait that if a person, the higher, the stronger the degree of haya within a person, the greater the protection they will have from every ism, from every effort of the left to change our deen, to change our understanding of morality, to change our moral compass.

If a person has haya, haya will ensure that this is that extra layering on the iman and the faith of a believer that will not allow him to be affected by this winds outside, by this cold winds of fitna and fasad.

The Pure Goodness of Haya

Rasulullah ﷺ has mentioned in a hadith that haya only brings goodness. When you think about qualities outside or good things, a person gets a promotion at a job. So that's great, isn't it? But yes, you'll make more money, but with that comes added stress, added headaches, extra hours, a lot of offline things that you have to take care of. So when you talk about good things in this world, a person says, I want to get a luxury car. Great, but on top of that, the maintenance of that, the insurance of that, everything, even the type of gasoline you can use, all of that goes up. It's not just a one time thing.

So hence like this, if you think of any example of something nice or enjoyable that you want to get, it comes with its negative points. Even a great meal will come with a lot of extra carbs and a lot of extra calories, etc.

There's one thing that there's not going to give you any, there's no negative connotation to it. There's nothing evil about it. It's 100% pure, no cons, only pros. And that is al-haya. That the more haya a person has, the better it will be.

Once Rasulullah ﷺ saw one person advising his friend to say that you've got too much haya. You've got too much haya, you need to reduce it a little bit. What did he mean by that? He probably was meaning that your level of haya is so high that it's creating within you extreme levels of shyness and bashfulness to the extent that you're not able to demand your own rights. Probably that's what he was saying.

And so Rasulullah ﷺ corrected him and said no. Do not stop him. Do not stop him. Do not speak down about haya because haya is only good. It's only good and only brings goodness.

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 24)

Leave him, for indeed haya is an integral part of iman.

That even if it means that extra added haya will make a person not speak up and say when someone is taking it, okay take it. Fine, that's okay. Because the benefits that he will get by being that type of person who is hayi is so great that definitely in the long run he will be a winner.

Even if someone ends up, like for example a person comes and steals, let's say food from you. You have a box and someone just grabs it. For five dollars, you've got food. Someone says I'm hungry, you took it, what are you going to do? Your haya would say really? I'm not going to go run after a person for five dollar food. He probably was very hungry. He probably was very desperate, why would he do that? So yes you have a right to say give me my food back. But your haya would then you say it's not appropriate for me to go after a beggar or someone who's really just want to eat food. You know, why am I going to go and try to demand the money back, what happened? Your haya stopped you from speaking, but that's good because now alhamdulillah you got the reward of sadaqah. Feeding someone who's in need, feeding sadaqah. Giving food to a hungry stomach. And that's great.

The Human Quality of Haya

Ibn Qayyim rahmatullahi alayhi is explaining in haya and how virtuous this is. He said:

The characteristic of haya is from amongst the most virtuous of characteristics. It has the loftiest status. It has the highest output, highest benefit. Then he said haya and modesty, this is the specific intrinsic quality of being human.

So that person who does not have haya, he does not have an ounce of humanity within him, all he has is the flesh, the blood and the external appearance of human beings. And just like he doesn't have an ounce of humanity besides blood and flesh, similarly, he does not have any goodness in him. You know when you say a person is great, he's got a lot of money, a lot of positions, everything. But what else?

The Importance of Hayaa in Islam

He does not have hayaa. So if someone says he does not have hayaa, then you say لا خير فيه - there is no khair. Brothers, just close the door.

So this is subhanAllah, the best way that when you're addressing, when you're understanding someone, when you're praising someone's quality, you're saying that he's got a whole bunch of qualities but he's just immodest. He speaks his mind and he shows pictures of himself inappropriately. He does all that stuff but he's a great guy? No, there's no great guy, there's no ounce of greatness. And the person who has no sense of decency and modesty, he is absolutely not a great person by any means. That is what our deen is teaching us.

Ibn Qayyim's Teaching on Hayaa

And that's what Ibn Qayyim says:

If it wasn't for the quality and the characteristic of hayaa, no guest would ever be honored at the home, no promises would be fulfilled, no trust would be taken care of, no needs of anyone would be taken care of.

Understanding Hayaa Beyond Translation

This is that concept that hayaa, we have to explain it now what it is, because there is no proper translation in the English language. Any word you think of in English - bashfulness, shyness, timidness, modesty - all of these words have connotations that are not found in hayaa. Connotations that are not the best.

So why? Because some of these words mean that a person has got hayaa, but along with that, he's so shy that he will not be able to correct someone that is doing something wrong. If the orders of Allah being broken, he won't speak up. He'll just turn the other way. Because why? He's shy, he's timid, he's bashful. He won't be able to stand up for someone's rights. He won't be able to show the valor and courage that is required on a battlefield.

The Prophet's Perfect Example of Hayaa

Rasulullah ﷺ had the highest levels of this modesty, bashfulness and all this stuff, but along with that, he had the greatest amount of chivalry as well. He had the greatest amount of courage as well. He had the greatest amount of leadership qualities as well. There's not an ounce of timidness, there's not an ounce of that type of shyness there.

But if someone would speak something inappropriate, Rasulullah ﷺ's face would turn red. His face would turn red out of anger and shyness. What is this? What kind of thing is someone inappropriately saying? If they're saying something inappropriate against Allah or inappropriate against another human being, the Prophet ﷺ would not be able to accept that.

The Prophet ﷺ's degree of hayaa - he's the one who's the most vocal when something is wrong. He stands up against the Meccan society, one man against everyone. Not the Meccan society, the entire world. And says this is inappropriate: shirk is inappropriate, burying daughters alive is inappropriate, khamar is inappropriate, drawing lots in haram way is inappropriate, gambling is inappropriate.

The Hadith of Uthman and Hayaa

Yet Rasulullah ﷺ, as you see in one hadith, he is sitting at home and he has his shin exposed. And Abu Bakr ﷺ walks in and he sits relaxed in that same manner. Umar ﷺ walks in, he sits relaxed in that manner. Uthman ﷺ walks in and he fixes up his lower garment, covers up his shin and sits upright.

Aisha ﷺ, his wife, says: "Ya Rasulullah, when Abu Bakr walks in, when Umar ﷺ walks in, you did not change your posture. Why is it that when Uthman ﷺ walked in, you changed your posture?"

Rasulullah ﷺ responds: "Shall I not show a higher sense of modesty in front of a man who even the angels have hayaa from?"

What does this mean here? Rasulullah ﷺ is sharia. What he does, everything is right. There is no such thing as Rasulullah ﷺ doing something improper. So what Rasulullah ﷺ did with the shin exposing - the shin is absolutely fine. But the sense of hayaa is that I don't want anyone in my surroundings to feel uncomfortable. I'm okay with sitting in my home relaxed like this, but he knew the temperament of Uthman ﷺ that Uthman ﷺ would feel uncomfortable sitting in front of the Prophet ﷺ, his father-in-law and the Prophet ﷺ, with the shin exposed.

To accommodate the personal nature of Uthman ﷺ, Rasulullah ﷺ sits up straight and covers himself even further. That is what hayaa does.

Hayaa Goes Beyond the Basics

The hayaa is not just doing the basics. Hayaa is not just "I'm forced to cover myself in a certain manner in a certain place." No, hayaa is you go above and beyond in order to make sure not only what's halal and what's wajib and fard is taking place, but if there's anyone in front of us, they should not feel uncomfortable.

For example, a simple concept: you have guests coming over to the house. Now to open the door wearing pajamas and a t-shirt - is that permissible? Yes, it's permissible, but is that what hayaa would dictate? Absolutely not.

Hayaa of a person says that my clothing in my bedroom should be different from the clothing in my family room and living room, even with family. And the clothing I have in the family room and living room is different from when guests come over. And it's going to be different than when I go visit someone. Who teaches that? Hayaa teaches that.

It's not about what's permissible and not permissible. It's about what does hayaa tell us. So if a person has hayaa, he doesn't need to be told anything. It's common sense, and common sense, subhanAllah, as they say, is no longer common.

The Decline of Modesty Across Cultures

It was before that a person didn't even need to be a Muslim. You look at the way dressings of Hindus just 50 years ago in India and Pakistan, undivided India. What it was? Every single one would cover their hair, they would have a dupatta, they would have a scarf. It was part even of the Victorian culture - women would cover their heads. And even of course in weddings, you would see the libas and the clothing, what type of clothing that would be filled with modesty and hayaa.

Across the cultures, across religions. What happened? Of course they lost their morals, ethics and values because they're not anchored to deen. They're anchored to various other things. When that thing was lifted, they lost their moral compass.

And then those of us who are not anchored - we're anchored strongly enough with Islam, but Allah forbid, just recite the kalima لا إله إلا الله محمد رسول الله, are not aware of its true meanings and are not fully anchored. What happens? We say we gotta go with the flow. Let's look at how the dressings are. Let's look at how people are covering or not covering. And now everyone else is doing it. This is how it is nowadays.

And now, subhanAllah, people will tell you: go to India, Pakistan, they go to a clothing store. Many women will say that they will go in a clothing store for one hour and come back without buying anything because they can't find anything appropriate. In a Muslim country, in a Muslim place! This is this? You're selling this to a Muslim? For my daughter, for myself? No, absolutely not.

That has become the norm. It's hard, you have to go to a special section, for a special store to find clothes that are made with hayaa.

The Prophet's Prophecy About Immodest Clothing

And this is exactly what Rasulullah ﷺ prophesized, that there will be a time that will come: نساء كاسيات عاريات. And Rasulullah ﷺ said there will be clothing, they will be wearing clothing, but in reality they will be naked because that's how the type of the clothing will be. He prophesized that.

And so that filth has come straight into our own, straight into our marriages, our cultures, our weddings, our get-togethers, and our normal dressing. When we are supposed to be leading the people, we are not wishy-washy. We're not confused about where we came from, where we're going. We're not confused about our ethics, values and our moral code. We know it's clearly set in stone from the Quran and Sunnah of Rasulullah ﷺ. Nothing will change it, and it's consistent and constant regardless of what happens around us.

Those Muslims who are connected back with the Sharia, they will not only remain firm, but they are the only ones that the world can have some hope with, that they will retain humanity.

Hayaa as the Essence of Humanity

Remember what I said: it's not the issue about Islam here, it's the issue of humanity. Because humans who don't have hayaa are no longer humans. When Nabi ﷺ described how people will fulfill their desires at the end of times, he explained it, he gave the example that they will fulfill their desires the way donkeys do on the street. If you've seen overseas, if you've lived in an area where there's donkeys, you know exactly what I'm speaking about.

This is what Rasulullah... Because why? Animals naturally do not have hayaa. That's the difference between animals and human beings. Humans are the only ones who have prophets amongst them. Humans are the only ones that the angels desire to be like, that the angels wish that they could have their status.

Allah has said: "We have honored the children of Adam."

"We've created him in the very most beautiful forms."

And then when this human being loses his hayaa, loses his internal conscience of what's right and what's wrong, internal sense, moral compass and his modesty, Allah said:

"Then we will drag him down," and himself, he's dragged himself down أَسْفَلَ سَافِلِينَ - to be the lowest of the low. An animal even won't think of doing such things like this.

Following the Path of Previous Nations

What type of things? What Rasulullah ﷺ has mentioned:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 3456)

"You will follow the ways and the practices of the people prior to you," i.e. the Christians and the Jews. Because the companions asked: "Do you mean by that the Christians and the Jews?" He said, "Who else? You're gonna follow them. Everything they do, you'll do the same."

Not the Christians and the Jews of that time, because obviously they were different from what we see now. And to the extent that if they enter a lizard hole, you'll enter a lizard hole. Why would you do that? Why is a six foot man putting his head inside a lizard hole? Makes no sense, exactly. But you'll do it, you'll think it's sensible because other people are doing it.

Everything that's happening right now in the left agenda in our schools - it's not even agenda right now, it's mission accomplished. Right? It's not even hidden anymore. What is it? 20, 30 years ago, or even 10 years ago, it would seem absolutely nonsensical. But now it's become, if you speak against it, you're nonsensical. You'll be cancelled.

SubhanAllah, I just learned from one of our guest speakers here at the winter retreat that in Canada, this is an issue of human rights. You can get in jail for even speaking against this. SubhanAllah, it's crazy, just across the border. Right, these are the type of things that are happening.

Nabi ﷺ was saying, you will do what they're doing, including entering a lizard hole, which makes no sense. And if it means if they end up fulfilling their desires with their own mothers openly, you will do the same. These are the words of who?