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http://maxpages.com/str8upislam/Wake_Up_Call
In the modern society or so called advanced and civilized society which has no moral values, man has dropped the idea of sin from their lives. They have attributed a new name to sin “the necessity of life”. Like wise, clubs, drinking and taking drugs(narcotics), mingling with the opposite and same gender and common law marriages are not sins anymore, but these are the products of the modern world.
Islam is a Deen( a Way of Life and also a religion). That is why it gives us lessons to maintain Haya and sharam all the time and everywhere, whether we are among the people or alone.
In Islamic terms, Haya implies the shyness a wrong-doer feels in his own nature and before Allah( SWT). This shyness is the force which prevents man from indulging in indecency and obscenity. If, however, he commits a sin under the impulse of his animal nature, the same shyness makes him feel the pains of conscience. The moral teachings of Islam aim at awakening this dormant feeling of shyness in human nature and try to develop it as a part of man’s mental make-up, so that it may serve as a strong moral deterrent against all evil inclinations.
The hadith, which says," Every religion has a morality and the morality of islam is Haya". In another place Prophet(saw) said, “Haya is the vital part of Islam”. The Quran mentions it as the highest quality of a Muslim.
Another hadith on the same subject, the holy Prophet (SAW) said, “When you do not have Haya, you may do whatever you please”. When a person does not have the deterrent of Haya, his desire will spring from his animal instinct and lay complete hold of him and he will not hesitate to indulge in sin.
The feeling of Haya is inherent in man, though in crude form. It abhors all sins by nature, but it lacks knowledge. This lack of knowledge gradually weakens its feeling of abhorrence and repeated commission of sin at last destroys his sense of modesty altogether. Quran refers to the people who get themselves deprived of this instinct(HAYA) as
“Deaf, Dumb and Blind, they will not return (to the right path)”.(2:18)
The concept of Haya is vast and it is not possible to cover the details. However, following illustrations may help us to understand the sources of corruptions in our lives.
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Hidden Motive: Every evil inclination towards a member of the opposite gender outside marriage amounts to adultery. Thus enjoying the beauty of the other woman with the eyes, relishing the sweetness of her voice with the ears, drawing pleasure of the tongue by conversing with her, all are not just the preliminaries of adultery, but the adultery themselves.
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The Evil Look: The evil look is the worst culprit in this regard.
The Quran says " O Prophet(SAW) tell the believing men to refrain their eyes (from looking at the other women) and guard their shameful parts; to lower their gaze". In other place, the Holy prophet(SAW) has ordered his wife to observe purdah even from a blind man, Ibn Umme Maktoom. -
Urge for Display: the feminine urge for the display if beauty is another evil which is linked up with the evil look. This urge is not always prominent; it is generally hidden in the depths of the heart. It often finds expression in the selection of pleasing and bright
clothes, fancy hair-dos, and many other seemingly insignificant female acts. “All beautification and make-up which is meant to please and entertain other than the husband is sheer ignorance. This tendency, springs from the woman’s own heart. She herself can only search her heart to detect any hidden evil desire. If it is there, it has to be eradicated according to the following Divine Commandment, " and remain in your houses, and so not of about displaying your fineries as woman used to do in the days of ignorance…” (33:33) -
The Voice: The voice is another agent of the evil spirit. A man and a woman may apparently be absorbed in innocent talk, but the hidden motive of the heart is at work. The Quran detects this hidden motive and ordains “if you are God-fearing, do not talk in a soft voice, lest the man of the unhealthy heart should cherish false hopes from you”. lyrical poetry, love songs and imaginary love romance are written which take people’s fancy and spread in the society like a wild fire. The Quran warns man “those people who desire to spread indecency and obscenity among the believers have a grievous torment in store for them in this world and in the hereafter”.(24:19)
“Both man and woman have been forbidden to describe their own gender affairs before other people, because this also causes indecency to spread by creating evil desire in the hearts.”( Abu Daud)
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The Sound: Women should not stamp the ground in walking, so as to reveal their decoration (by their jingle).(24:31)
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The Perfume: The perfume also acts as a messenger between two evil spirits. This is the finest and most subtle means of communication which may be trivial in the eyes of others but the Islamic Haya is too sensitive to let it slip undetected. “the woman who uses perfume and passes through the people is promiscuous.( Mixed, indiscriminate)”
(AlTirmidhi) -
Nudity: Islam hates nudity. The men and women of the most civilized nations in the world today do not feel any hesitations to uncover any parts of their bodies. For all these people, the dress is a means of decoration and not for covering . In Islam, nudity is an indecency which can never be tolerated by the Islamic Haya. The Holy
Brother and Sister: If you lose Haya, you will lose Iman. Protect your Haya by refraining from indecencies. Shaitaan gains control over you through indecencies. Give up the company of indecent people because they are the agents of Shaitaan. Please remember, SIGN OF HAYA MEANS SIGN OF IMAN.
May Allah(SWT) protect us from the traps of Shaitaan. Ameen.
