CHASTITY (IFFAT) BEGETS TWELVE VIRTUES (I)

1– Shame (hayâ): Feeling of shame when one commits evil deeds.

2– Meekness (rifq): Literal meaning of this word is pitying and helping others, but its special meaning in the knowledge of ethics is obedience to the rules of Islam.

3– Guidance to the right path (hidâyat): Striving to be a goodnatured Muslim.

4– Being peaceful (musâlamat): At times of altercation and turmoil, a Muslim with this virtue wants to be agreeable and does not want to argue or be harsh.

5– Tranquility: Having control over the nafs; controlling the desires of the nafs when it overflows with appetite. 

6– Fortitude (sabr): To avoid prohibited actions (harâms) and base desires of the nafs, which will protect from conduct causing disgrace. There are two types of patience. The first is having patience against committing sins. The devil, evil company, and the human nafs encourage a human being to commit sins. It is a very blessed act, which yields a lot of thawâb, to resist their temptations patiently. The patience which is dealt with in this context is of this kind. The second kind of patience is to remain calm and not to yell when a disaster strikes. Most people understand this type of patience when patience is mentioned. This
type of patience also causes plenty of thawâb. It is obligatory (fard) to exercise both types of patience.

7– Contentment (qanâ’at): To be content with the minimum with respect to the necessities of life (nafaka) such as eating, drinking, dress and shelter and not asking for more. We do not mean not accepting a given property. That is called (taqtîr) and it is a vice. Neither wisdom nor Islam likes it. Contentment is a good
virtue or habit. [The things that are necessary for survival, e.g., to avoid death or to protect one’s organs from being perished, are called “darûrat”. Alternately, the things that are in excess of survival but still necessary for sustenance and protecting the body from distress are called “ihtiyâj”. The things that are beyond the “ihtiyâj,” e.g., things used for enjoyment or pleasure or for the protection of one’s honor and value are called ornament (zînat).