by Umm Isam – Content Writer
The Prophet (sa) stated: “Allah Glorified and Sublime be He, is modest and concealing, and He loves modesty and concealment.” (At Tirmidhi and Abu Dawood)
As-Sitteer, is one of Allah’s (swt) beautiful names that is not mentioned in the Quran but has been introduced to us by the above Hadeeth.
Who is As-Sitteer?
He is the Concealer of sins. The name As-Sitteer is derived from the word Satr, which refers to covering. Allah (swt) is Azeem-us-Sitteer, the Best Concealer, and Katheer-us-Sitteer, the Repeated Concealer of faults. His name denotes continuity and frequency in concealment.
Physical Concealment- Clothes and coverings
As-Sitteer’s Divine Mercy doesn’t leave its slaves naked, vulnerable and ugly. He has beautified and protected mankind with clothes.
Allah (swt) has granted a covering to all His creation. Observe the animals with skin, feathers or fur for protection and beauty. Similarly, all fruits and vegetables have some peel or shell to retain their nutrition and taste.
Allah (swt) has honoured the believing women with a dress code that protects them from society’s false standards, lust and judgment. It is a huge psychological relief that allows appreciation of women for who they are and not what they must look like to please others.
Similarly for the deceased, As-Sitteer has ordained the Kafan (layers of unstitched fabric) to conceal their bodies and any flaws. A believer’s honour does not end with his or her life. It must be protected even after his or her demise.
In the Hereafter, the best garment for the believers in Jannah will be according to their Taqwa (mindfulness of Allah swt) and good deeds that they performed in their worldly life. Likewise, for the transgressors, a garment of fire will be prepared. May Allah (swt) protect all. Ameen
Allah (swt) hates nudity and obscenity. He warns those who support or encourage sinful culture. In the same way, He detests slander, gossip and carrying tales that disgraces His slaves (deceased or alive) in any way and He promises to punish the perpetrators severely, if they do not repent and reform.
Spiritual Concealment- faults and sins
Allah (swt) loves us so much that He keeps our sins hidden because As-Sitteer knows that we will be embarrassed if others know about our flaws. He will also conceal the sins of believers on the Day of Judgment from others.
A chance to repent
The main reason for hiding our sins is to allow us time to ask for Allah’s (swt) forgiveness and move on in life with a clean heart and soul. People are not so generous and do not forgive others easily for their mistakes but As-Sitteer does. His ‘apparent’ mercy for a believer is granting him Islam, and ‘hidden’ mercy is concealing the believers’ sins and not punishing them hastily.
Perfect and perpetual concealment
As a believer, we must have faith that only Allah (swt) has the power to hide our dark and evil side. No one can offer us refuge after committing crimes or ensure us that we will not be exposed.
When someone asked Hassan Al Basri: “I know someone’s sin, should I tell everyone?” Hassan replied: “No! Never!”
Hide our own sins
It is hateful to Allah (swt) when someone boldly commits sins and announces them to the world or discusses his flaws and takes everyone’s advice about them, as is the case these days on social media forums. The Prophet (sa) refers to them as the Mujahireen- those who publicly commit sins and flaunt them. As-Sitteer wants us to be respected and graceful just like covering our body with clothes that beautify us.
Abu Huraira (rta) reported: The Messenger of Allah, (sa) said: “Everyone from my nation will be forgiven except those who sin in public. Among them is a man who commits an evil deed in the night that Allah has hidden for him, then in the morning he says: O people, I have committed this sin! His Lord had hidden it during the night, but in the morning he reveals what Allah has hidden.” (Bukhārī and Muslim)
Revealing other’s flaws
A believer does not disgrace anyone. He only talks good about others or stays silent. It angers As-Sitteer when we backbite, expose other people’s sins, or accuse others of faults falsely. In Shariah, slander can lead to legal proceedings too. Allah (swt) expects us to defend the honour of others.
Once a man proposed marriage to a woman. Her brother informed the suitor that his sister had once committed adultery. When Omar (rta) came to know about this, he was furious. He stated: “Why did you do that? She could have asked Allah (swt) to forgive her.”
Honesty that reveals a sinful past is not required in marital relationships. They damage present and future relationships. Hence, As-Sitteer allows silence in such matters to maintain a person’s honour. Allah knows best.
As Sitteer loves modesty
Allah (swt) loves the people of Sitteer who dress modestly as commanded in the Quran, instead of revealing their body or its contours. Allah (swt) wants the believers to behave with dignity rather than indecency. He commands us to use respectful language instead of foul words. He orders us not to see or hear about immodesty.
As-Sitteer guides us
Allah (swt) has placed a need in our Fitrah to cover ourselves. When Adam (as) and Hawwa (as) disobeyed Allah (swt) due to Shaitan’s whispers, Allah (swt) removed their clothing as a punishment and they immediately looked for leaves to cover themselves as a natural response. It is our desire that tempts us to uncover and reveal ourselves and we must control ourselves. As-Sitteer grants us the guidance, comfort and time to realize and improve our actions. He restores the path to modesty for those who wish to invoke As-Sitteer, using His divine name.
How should Modesty be enacted?
- We must cover our bodies with the appropriate Islamic dress and feel dignified.
- We should never tell our friends or anyone else about our sins.
- Instead, we must ask As-Sitteer (swt) to forgive us and help us overcome our sins.
- We should not discuss other people’s faults and make fun of them.
- We should never encourage others to commit sins by watching, hearing or acting immodestly.
Dua for Concealment
ﺍﻟَّﻬُﻢَّ ﺍﺳْﺘُﺮْ ﻋﺎﻭْﺭَﺗِﻰْ
“Allah hummastur Auraatina” (Abu Dawood)
O Allah! Hide our weakness.
May Allah (swt) enable us individually and as a nation to become people of modesty, grace and accountability. Ameen
About author
