Ghayrah is an Arabic word which means a person's dislike of another's sharing in a right. It has a sense of earnest concern or zeal over something and can be considered a kind of protective jealousy. In Islam, there are different kinds of ghayrah: that which relates to Allah and which relates to a Muslim. Allah's discontent is with sharing the obedience of his servant which rightfully belongs to him. For a Muslim it is the uneasiness in his heart which moves him to guard his family from indecency.
Background
The term is based on the following Quran verses: Men who do not have ghayrah are known as a dayyuth. Being a dayyuth is a major sin and a description of what is deemed an evil characteristic can be found in Az-Zahabi's book of Major Sins. Mohammed and his companions were known to have very strong ghayrah. Although it is claimed that the concept of ghayrah is the source of honor killings in the Islamic world, Salafi scholar Muhammad Al-Munajjid asserts that punishment of any crime is reserved for the Islamic ruler. As it is a Muslim man's role as the guardian of his family, he is responsible for those in his custody and it is his duty to observe the conduct of his wife and children; although this does allow him to be overly suspicious or exceed the acceptable standards of supervision. For conservative Muslims, the enforcement of the wearing of the hijab by a Muslim man's wife and daughters and the prevention of the free mingling between the sexes for those under a Muslim man's guardianship are necessary actions under the concept of ghayrah to preserving one's honor. Per Salafi scholar Al-Munajjid, if a Muslim man suspects that certain family members will commit an immoral act, he is allowed to tie up or otherwise detain them in order to prevent the action. Salafi scholar Muhammad Al-Munajjid indicates that the concept also applies to protecting Muhammad from blasphemy although the determination of guilt and application of the penalty is to be solely applied by Islamic authorities.
Linguistic Meaning
Hans Wehr's Arabic dictionary defines ghayrah as: jealously; zeal, fervor, earnest concern, vigilant care, solicitude ; sense of honor, self-respect. It can be defined as a person's dislike of another's sharing in a right.
Ghayrah in the Hadith
Narrated By Abu Huraira: The Prophet; said, “Indeed, Allah has ghayrah, and the faithful believer has ghayrah, and the ghayrah which Allah has is provoked when a believer commits that which Allah has forbidden.”
Asma' relates, "When az-Zubayr married me, he had neither land nor wealth nor slave", so Asma' had to work very hard kneading dough, going far off to get water. "And I used to carry on my head," she continues, "the date stones from the land of az-Zubair which Allah's Messenger had endowed him and it was a distance of two miles from Madinah. One day, as I was carrying the date-stones upon my head, I happened to meet Allah's Messenger, along with a group of his Companions. He called me and told the camel to sit down so that he could make me ride behind him. I felt shy to go with men and I remembered az-Zubair and his ghayrah and he was a man having the most ghayrah. The Messenger of Allah understood my shyness and left. I came to az-Zubair and said, "The Messenger of Allah met me as I was carrying date-stones upon my head and there was with him a group of his Companions. He told the camel to kneel so that I could mount it, but I felt shy and I remembered your ghayrah." So Asma' declined the offer made by the Prophet. Upon this az-Zubair said, "By Allah, the thought of you carrying date-stones upon your head is more severe a burden on me than you riding with him."
Narrated ‘Abdullah bin Masud: RasulAllah said: “There is none having a greater sense of ghayrah than Allah. And for that He has forbidden the doing of evil actions.”
"The foundation of the Religion is ghayrah, and the one without ghayrah is one without Religion, for ghayrah protects the heart and enlivens the limbs, and shields one from evil and lewdness, and lack of ghayrah kills the heart so that the limbs die, so that there remains not even shielding from . And the example of ghayrah in the heart is the example of the strength that shields one from sickness and fights it off, so if the strength leaves, he will be faced with the sickness, and will not find anything to protect himself from it, so it will establish itself and destroy him.”
Al-Mugheerah mentions that Saʿd ibn ʿUbaadah said: "If I find a man with my wife I will take this sword and smite his neck". And the Prophet said, "Are you amazed about Saʿd’s ghayrah?" He said: "By Allaah, I have more of this than Saʿd, and Allaah has more of it than me".
the Messenger of Allah said: "There is a kind of protective jealousy that Allah loves and a kind that Allah hates. As for that which Allah loves, it is protective jealousy when there are grounds for suspicion. And as for that which He hates, it is protective jealousy when there are no grounds for suspicion."
