Haya’ in Front of Allah
Haya’ is a compulsory and core value that should permeate our lives. It may be expressed in different ways depending on the context, but we should hold to the essence of this keystone quality. Haya’ should be a part of our relationship with Allah and should extend to all of our interactions.
Allah says in the Quran, “Do whatever you will. Indeed, He sees all that you do.” (Al-Fussilat 41:40) We worship Allah as though we see Him, because we know that although we can’t see Him, He sees us. Truly and deeply knowing Allah as Al-Baseer, the All-Seeing, should instill a deep sense of haya’ in front of Him. This is especially true of deeds that we perform when no human sees us. Many times, the company of other people suffices as a restraint in our actions. We worry about our image and what people think of us. The true test of haya’ lies in those actions which no one but Allah witnesses.
Allah created human beings with fitrah, natural inclinations. Our inborn fitrah can direct us towards haya’ and good morals. Our fitrah is programmed to feel an uneasiness when codes of morality are violated. The believer is most in touch with his or her fitrah, and is keen to act in accordance with this natural disposition. Haya’ is a quality that for some people comes naturally, and some may need to struggle to instill it in some aspect of their life. It’s possible to revive and kindle this great quality of haya’, just as it is possible to ruin by consistently neglecting it. Nurturing haya’ in our hearts is part of the process of our spiritual development and building our relationship with Allah.
