Allah The Almighty is Bashful and Likes Bashfulness

22/01/2018| IslamWeb

It was narrated on the authority of Salman that the Messenger of Allah said: "Allah is Bashful and Most Generous, He is too Bashful to let someone go empty-handed after raising his hands in supplication." [Abu Dawood]

It was narrated on the authority of Ya‘la ibn Umayyah that the Messenger of Allah said: "Allah is Bashful and conceals (faults), He likes bashfulness and concealment (of faults). So, when one of you performs Ghusl (ritual bath), he should conceal himself." [Abu Dawood]

Ibn Al-Qayyim said, "As for the bashfulness of Allah The Almighty toward His slave, it is another kind of bashfulness which is unperceivable and in a manner which cannot be formulated by minds. It is a form of bashfulness that features generosity, kindness, giving and magnificence. Allah The Almighty is Bashful and Most Generous, and is too Bashful to let someone go empty-handed after he raises his hands in supplication. Likewise, He is too Bashful to torture an old man after he becomes old in Islam." [Madarij As-Salikeen]

Al-Mubarakfoori said, "(Allah The Almighty is Bashful): bashful in Arabic is “Hayiyy” and it signifies that He is extremely bashful. To describe Allah The Almighty as Bashful is interpreted in a way that befits Him, like His other divine attributes, we believe in them without formulating a manner for any of them." [Tuhfat Al-Ahwathi]

Although Allah The Almighty is perfectly free of need of all creatures, being the Most Generous, He is too bashful to expose the disobedient person, expose him to scandal or punish him. Rather, Allah The Almighty shields that person through providing him with the means that maintain his being unexposed, pardons him, forgives him, endears Himself to him by bestowing favors upon him and does not let someone go empty-handed after humbly raising his hands.

In Faydh Al-Qadeer, Al-Munawi said, "At-Toorbishti said, 'Allah likes bashfulness and concealment because they are two attributes that urge the slave to adopt the morals of Allah The Almighty."

Ibn Al-Qayyim Al-Jawziyyah said. "Whoever has a similarity with Allah The Almighty in one of His attributes, that attribute will lead him to Allah The Enter, enter him upon [the presence of] his Lord, bring him closer to His mercy and make him beloved to Allah The Almighty. Allah The Almighty is Merciful and He likes those who are merciful, Generous and likes those who are generous, Knowledgeable and likes those who are knowledgeable, Strong and likes those who are strong believers who are more beloved to Him than weak believers, Bashful and likes those who are bashful, Beautiful and likes those who are beautiful, is One and likes what is odd (in number)."

‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar said, "No slave (of Allah The Almighty) will have perfect faith until he realizes that Allah The Almighty sees him and hence he will not do anything in secret which will expose him on the Day of Resurrection."

Al-Junayd said, "Bashfulness is to realize the favors (of Allah The Almighty) and simultaneously realize one's negligence. This would result in a state called bashfulness, which is in essence a moral that urges abandoning evils and prevents showing negligence towards the rights of Allah The Almighty."

Hadeeths on bashfulness

Due to the importance of bashfulness in Islam and the encouragement to people to acquire this characteristic, there are many Hadeeths (narrations) about bashfulness:
It was narrated that the Prophet said:

• "Among what has reached the people from the words of the first prophethood: If you are not bashful, then do as you wish." [Saheeh Al-Jami‘]

• "Each religion has a (distinctive) moral call, and the (distinctive) moral call of Islam is bashfulness." [Ibn Majah]

• "Bashfulness is all goodness." [Muslim]

• "Bashfulness brings only good." [Al-Bukhari]

• "Bashfulness is a part of faith." [Muslim]

• ”Bashfulness and faith are inseparable; when one of them is missing, the other is also missing." [Al-Hakim]

• "Faith consists of more than sixty branches, and bashfulness is a branch of faith." [Al-Bukhari]

• "Bashfulness is a part of faith, and faith is in Paradise.Obscenity is a part of harshness, and harshness is in Hell." [At-Tirmithi]

• "Bashfulness and talking less are two branches of faith, and obscenity and loquaciousness are two branches of hypocrisy." [Ahmad]

• Indecency disfigures everything and bashfulness enhances the beauty of everything." [Ahmad]

It was narrated on the authority of Salman Al-Farisi that he said, "When Allah The Almighty wants to destroy a slave, He takes bashfulness away from him, and when bashfulness is taken away from him, you will not find him but hateful and hated by others. When he is hateful and hated by others, He (Allah The Almighty) takes trustworthiness away from him and you will not find him but traitorous and looked upon as a betrayer. When he is traitorous and looked upon as a betrayer, He takes mercy away from him and you will not find him but harsh and rude. When he is harsh and rude, He takes the essence of faith away from him; and when He takes the essence of faith away from him, you will not find him but a cursed devil." [Jami' Al-‘Uloom wal-Hikam]

Sufyan ibn ‘Uyaynah said, "Yahya ibn Ja’dah said, 'When you see a man who lacks bashfulness, know that his lineage is not pure." [Rawdhat Al-‘Uqalaa’]