Hayā’ in Arabic conveys the meaning of shame, though the root word of hayā’ is closely associated with life and living. The Prophet ﷺ stated, “Every religion has a quality that is a characteristic of that religion. And the characteristic of my religion is hayā’,” an internal sense of shame, which includes bashfulness and modesty.

Most adults alive today have heard it said when they were children, “Shame on you!” Unfortunately, shame has come to be viewed as a negative word, as if it were a pejorative. Parents are now advised never to “shame a child,” never correct a child’s behaviour by causing an emotional response. Instead, the current wisdom suggests that people always make the child feel good regardless of his or her behaviour. Eventually, what this does is disable naturally occurring deterrents to misbehaviour.

-— Shaykh Hamza Yusuf