Ghayrah

Ghayrah ( ar, غَيْرَة) (sometimes transliterated as ghayra, ghira, gheerah or gheera) is an Arabic word which means a person's dislike of another's sharing in a right (which belongs to the former). It has a sense of earnest concern or zeal over something and can be considered a kind of protective jealousy.Seekers Hub: "The Protective Jealousy (Ghayra) of Spouses"
January 18, 2012 In Islam, there are different kinds of ghayrah: that which relates to God and which relates to a Muslim. God'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 are the protectors and maintainers of women" (Quran - Surah An-Nisa: 34)

:"Oh you who believe, Protect yourselves and your families from a fire whose fuel is men and stones." (Quran - Surah At-Tahrim: 6):

Men who do not have ghayrah are known as a '' dayyuth'' ( ar, دَيُّوث). 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 (Al-Kaba'ir). Mohammed and his companions were known to have very strong ghayrah.World of islam Glossary: Gheera
retrieved January 2, 2014
It is claimed that the concept of ghayrah is the source of honor killings in the Islamic world.OnIslam: "Are Muslim Men Jealous or Selfish? - Selfish Jealousy Vs. Honorable Protectiveness" by Zainab bint Younus
10 February 2015 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 not allow him to be overly suspicious or exceed the acceptable standards of supervision.
retrieved February 12, 2015 For conservative Muslims, the enforcement of the wearing of the hijab by a Muslim man's wife and daughtersSaudi Gazette: "Beauty, virtue and obligation of Hijab"
12 February 2015 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.

Linguistic meaning

Hans Wehr's Arabic dictionary defines ghayrah as: jealously; zeal, fervor, earnest concern, vigilant care, solicitude (على for); sense of honor, self-respect. It can be defined as a person's dislike of another's sharing in a right (which belongs to the former).

Ghayrah in the hadith

*Narrated By Abu Huraira: The Prophet; said, “Indeed, God has ghayrah, and the faithful believer has ghayrah, and the ghayrah which God has is provoked when a believer commits that which God has forbidden.” l-Bukhari (4925) and Muslim (2761)*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 God'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 God'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 God understood my shyness and left. I came to az-Zubair and said, "The Messenger of God 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 God, the thought of you carrying date-stones upon your head is more severe a burden on me than you riding with him." (related in Sahih Bukhari)
*Narrated ‘Abdullah bin Masud: RasulAllah said: “There is none having a greater sense of ghayrah than God. And for that He has forbidden the doing of evil actions (illegal sexual intercourse etc.).” (related in Sahih Bukhari)
*"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 he minor things 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 ithin himand destroy him.” ( Ibn Qayyim, Ad-Daa’ Wad-Dawaa’)
*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 God, I have more of this than Saʿd, and God has more of it than me". (related in Sahih Bukhari)Al BaSeerah: "My Family, My Home, My Jannah" by the Shaykh Abdullaah Al-Ghudyaan
Mar-Apr 2009 ~ Rabi` al-Awwal-Rabi` ath-Thaanee 1430
*the Messenger of God said: "There is a kind of protective jealousy that God loves and a kind that God hates. As for that which God 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." (Sunan ibn Majah Book 9, Hadith 2074)

References

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Islamic terminology
Jealousy
Arabic words and phrases
ar:غيرة