Faith and Modesty

Nayyereh Towhidi

Imam Sadiq (AS): “There is no Iman (true faith) in the person who has no Haya’a (sense of modesty and shyness(.”

As inferred from the above Hadith, the sense of shyness (regarding improper actions) is intertwined with one’s faith, and that the absence of this Divine gift (Haya’a) in an individual indicates his/her being devoid of the belief in God and in His Messengers (AS). All of us now and then come across some people who are indeed very rude and do not feel ashamed because of their wrong conduct neither in presence of the others or when they are alone. And obviously we try to keep a distance between ourselves and such shameless persons because we know that they are not to be trusted with anything and that they easily act dishonestly and harm the others recklessly. And likewise modest, polite and disciplined people are those whom wise, informed people trust and befriend, because among others every wise person knows that such qualities are invaluable virtues making their possessors trust-worthy and worthy of companionship.

Here it is very interesting and beneficial to reflect upon a remark of Imam Ali (AS) regarding Haya’a or shyness: “the most valuable Haya’a (shyness) is to be shy before God”. Clearly this shyness is most particularly valuable in connection with sins and prohibited tendencies, namely one feels shy of his/her OmnipresentCreator to commit what He has forbidden and so one avoids sinning against his/her God. Obviously, being shy of God can strongly prevent one from trampling upon the rights of the others in any ways and so we can conclude that those who trample upon the rights of the whole mankind through making and selling atomic and chemical weapons are totally faithless, and disbelieving people. If they had even a little faith in God and the last Day and some sense ofshame of sinning, they would never allow themselves to do so even for lots of money or possessions. Likewise, we can easily conclude that those who make murderous groups such as Da’esh, Al-Qaedah, Al-Nusra and the like are not only not Muslims but also are devoid of even the least bit of faith in God and in His Messengers (AS). They have no doubt sworn oath of allegiance to Satan, though they most shamelessly call themselves followers of Islam.

In another Hadith, Imam Ali (AS) considers being shy of God as the main cause of elimination of many wrongdoings. From this illuminating remark, certain life-giving advices can be inferred, including the fact that the very virtue of being conscious and shy of God prevents one from committing many sins. Also Imam Ali (AS) refers to another condition of shyness; that is being sure of one's inner self and soul. In this connection, the Imam (AS) has also stated that “honor” totally depends upon shyness before oneself and feeling inwardly ashamed about wrong-doings.

Also, we have been taught by our Divine teachers about feeling shy (regarding the prohibited acts) before the other people and in the society. As inferred from related Ahadith, such sense of shyness is closely connected to the above-mentioned. Imam Hasan Al-Askari(AS) has been quoted as saying: “The one who is shameless before the people is also shameless before Allah.” This fact is quite easy to understand, because obviously the one who is shameless before those whom he/she can see with his/her physical eyes, will feel no shame of God Whom he/she does not see with those eyes. This point has also been clearly expressed by Imam Ali (AS)who elsewhere has been quoted as saying: “The worst of people is the one who is shameless before the people.”

Thus, we can conclude that the more indecency and indecent trends and acts like wearing indecent revealing clothes by the women, alcoholic drinks, narcotics and cheating prevails in a society, the faster that society rushes towards ruin, since the repetition of evil-doings can also cause shamelessness. That is why Islam so strongly emphasizes the duties of ‘commanding the others to do good’ and ‘forbiddingthem evil-doing.’

It goes without saying that the enemies of Islam know about the evil consequences of the prevalence of shamelessness and indecency in societies and so, for years they have been engaged in spreading corruption through pornography, misguiding films, various sorts of harmful drugs and drinks and the like, particularly targeting the youth and the women in Muslim countries.They know that if they succeed in corrupting a society, they can easily dominate and plunder their whole belongings, without even bothering to embark on a military attack; they know that shamelessness is inconsistent with the sense of honor – the very sense which urges the youth to defend their country with their strength against the savage aggressors like the Zionists-backed  Da’esh.

In the same vein, it can be concluded that any society in which humane values including chastity, modesty and respect for the rights of others are wiped out, is in no way fit for human life, since in such a polluted atmosphere only wild animals can have sort of existence.

So it is our duty to prevent ourselves and/or the others from being indifferent to anything vice and dishonorable, since such indifference paves the way for the spread of corruption and injustice and thus the ruin of humanity. Pondering on a Prophetic Hadith is useful here: “Command each other to do good and to prohibit each other from doing evil, for otherwise the worst of people will gain power and dominate you. Then the good people among you will pray to God for His help against those bad rulers, but their prayers will not be heard by God.” This Hadith, plus many others teaches us that our just being chaste and nice is by no means enough to guarantee the health and growth of our society and that, all of us have certain duties in relation to the conduct of the others too.

So, let us look out for the devils’ temptations and plots against all, in particular against the youth and never turn blind eyes to any deviation. Never let your dear daughters and sons get attracted to what the enemies of God present to them in the media, since otherwise you might end up regretting your negligence. Remember that as Imam Ali (AS) has stated, “The youths’ hearts are as fertile farms, ready to grow any seed sown in them.”