Haya (Islam)

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Haya (Arabic: حياء, romanized: Hayāʾ, roughly corresponding to "bashfulness", "decency", "modesty", "shyness") is an Arabic word that means "natural or inherent, shyness and a sense of modesty".^[1] In Islamic terminology,^[2][3] it is mainly used in the context of modesty. Haya encourages Muslims to avoid anything considered to be distasteful or abominable.^{[4][5][6][7][8]} Haya plays an important role in Islam, as it is one of the most important parts of Iman.^[9] The antonym of Haya in Arabic is badha'a (بذاءة, immodesty) or fahisha (فاحشة, lewdness or obscenity).