Lessons in Haya (The story of Prophet Moses (Musa elay salam))

Showcasing the shyness of a shepherdess

 Allah mentions good people in the Qur’an and highlights their good points when He is pleased with them, so that we indirectly identify the stamp of approval He has given in order to incorporate that behavior in our own actions.

In the following incident from the life of Prophet Musa, Allah describes a shy young woman’s praiseworthy demeanor. The verses quoted are from Surah Al-Qasas (28: 23-28) and the explanation is from Ibn Kathir’s Tafsir.

 “And when he arrived at the water (a well) of Madyan,” which means, when he reached Madyan and went to drink from its water, “for it had a well where shepherds used to water their flocks,” meaning he found there a group of men watering, “and besides them he found two women who were keeping back,” which means, they were stopping their sheep from drinking with the sheep of those shepherds, lest some harm come to them. When Musa saw them, he felt sorry for them and took pity on them.

 “He said: “What is the matter with you?” meaning, ‘why do you not water your flocks with these people?’

 “They both said: “We cannot water until the shepherds take…” meaning, `we cannot water our flocks until they finish.’

 “And our father is a very old man,” which means, “this is what has driven us to what you see.”

 “So he watered (their flocks) for them, then he turned back to shade, and said: ‘My Lord! Truly, I am in need of whatever good that You bestow on me!”’

 “Towards the shade,” Ibn Abbas, Ibn Mas`ud and As-Suddi said: “He sat beneath a tree.”

Ata’ Bin As-Sa’ib said: “When Musa said: ‘My Lord! Truly, I am in need of whatever good that You bestow on me!’ the women heard him.”

 When the two women came back quickly with the sheep, their father was surprised that they returned so soon. He asked them what had happened, and they told him what Musa had done. So he sent one of them to call him to meet her father. Allah says:

 “Then there came to him one of them, walking shyly” – meaning, she was walking like a free woman, as it was narrated from Umar Bin Al-Khattab: “She was covering herself from him with the folds of her garment.”

 Umar said: “She came walking shyly, putting her garment over her face. She was not one of those audacious women who come and go as they please.” This chain of narrators is Sahih.

 “She said: ‘Verily, my father calls you that he may reward you for having watered (our flocks) for us.’”

 This is an example of good manners: She did not invite him directly lest he have some suspicious thoughts about her. Rather she said: “My father is inviting you so that he may reward you for watering our sheep,” i.e., give you some payment for that.

 Imam Sa’di says in his Tafsir, “This (description) points to her proper upbringing and her good character, for indeed Haya is from the most honorable of manners, and is a special trait in women. It also shows that Musa did not assist them to receive a payment; but rather, it was because of the honorable and strong nature of his soul and his upright manners.”

 “So when he came to him (the father) and narrated the story,” means, he told (the father) about his story and why he had to leave his country.

 “He said: ‘Fear you not. You have escaped from the people who are wrongdoers.’”

 “And said one of them: ‘O my father! Hire him! Verily, the best of men for you to hire is the strong, the trustworthy.’” One of the two daughters of the man said this, and it was said that she was the one who had walked behind Musa.

 Umar, Ibn Abbas, Shurayh Al-Qadi, Abu Malik, Qatadah, Muhammad Bin Ishaq and others narrated that her father asked her, “What do you know about that?” She replied, “He lifted a rock which could only be lifted by 10 men, and when I came back with him, I walked ahead of him, but he said to me, walk behind me, and if I get confused about the route, throw a pebble so that I will know which way to go.”

Lessons for us in Haya

 • The two women strove to prevent their sheep from mingling with those of the other shepherds. They were ready to wait, adding to their already difficult task of herding the sheep (a job usually performed by men), so that they would have more privacy and ease whilst watering their sheep. This shows to us modern-day Muslim women that places in which crowds of men are found thronging to get to something should be avoided till there’s a lull, in which we can achieve our objective without fear of being touched/shoved/ pushed by the crowd of men.

  • The women had the confidence of speaking to a non-Mehram man when he asked them a question about their situation. This shows us that when the need arises, women should possess the self-confidence to speak to a non-Mehram in a business-like, dignified manner.

 • Neither of the women endeavored to stick around to chat with Musa after he did them a favor that saved them a lot of trouble and time. Rather, just as he shied away from them, and returned to the tree’s shade without asking for any compensation, they also likewise hurried back home to their father, after the errand for which he had sent them was done. This is a vital point to be noted, especially for the single youth of today. Even in situations when you need to interact with members of the opposite gender to get help with something, you should not hang around chit-chatting or flirting after the favor has been done.

 • As the shyness of both the old man’s daughters and Prophet Musa (peace be upon him) (all three of whom were single) shows, Haya entails that we minimize any unnecessary communication with the opposite gender, even in situations when we are thrown together out of necessity and are unsupervised by elders or Mehrams.

 • For Muslim women, this incident shows that returning home after outdoor errands have been done is something they should hurry in doing. Loitering around in public places without necessity goes against another Qur’anic command that was sent down by Allah, when addressing the wives of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him): “And stay quietly in your homes…” (Qur’an, 33:33)

 • When Prophet Musa (peace be upon him) was to be summoned, the daughter came walking with shyness. The word “Istihya” implies that her gait and demeanor was one “seeking Haya.” In Arabic grammar, words based on the structure of “Istif’al” imply the action of “seeking” in their meaning. (For e.g. “Istighfar” means seeking forgiveness) . So her manner of approaching Musa was such that she sought Haya. This proves that when the need arises a woman can become an intermediary between men, especially for a noble/good cause, but she should seek the maximum possible Haya when she appears before a man who is not her Mehram.

 • This daughter also advised her father after Prophet Musa finished telling his story. Furthermore, her father took her counsel and accepted her testimony. Women should not feel shy in sharing knowledge to their Mehrams, in consultation and decision-making, or when negotiating the terms of a contract. Haya should, by no means, negate self-confidence and elocution.

- Muslim Matters