Havkale is a pillar of itiṣām (holding fast, clinging). Its primary benefit is the unity of actions; its secondary benefit, according to the relation with actions, is the unity of attributes; and its third benefit is the annihilation of everything other than Allah.
In this way, a state of istiġnā (self-sufficiency, independence) emerges that cannot be attained otherwise. (Ravza, 305)
(See also: itiṣām)
ḥayā' (modesty, shame before Allah): The sign of ḥayā' from Allah is not forgetting that one belongs to Allah, and to observe (murāqaba) Him to the extent that one is aware of His nearness and knowledge of all one's actions. (Ādāb, 145)
It is said that ḥayā' requires melting away; ḥayā' is the melting of the qalb (the heart) because Allah is aware. It is also said that ḥayā' is the constriction of the qalb in the face of the majesty (ʿaẓama) of the Lord.
When a man sits to preach to the people, two angels come and say to him: "First preach to yourself what you preach to your brother; otherwise, be ashamed before your Lord, for He sees you."
When Junayd was asked what ḥayā' is, he replied: "To see the blessings of Allah... to see one's own faults... From the combination of these two perceptions, a ḥāl (spiritual state) arises, and that is called ḥayā'."
Vāsitī says: "One who breaks his covenant and oversteps the bounds cannot taste the pleasure that comes from the nearness of ḥayā'. Also, the one who has ḥayā' sweats profusely, which is a sign of the virtue within him; as long as there is something in his nafs (the lower self), a person turns away from ḥayā'."
I heard Abū ʿAlī Daqqāq say: "Ḥayā' is to abandon the claim of being a ṣāḥib (possessor) in the presence of Allah." (Qushayrī, 108)
Dhu'n-Nūn al-Miṣrī says: "Tawba (repentance) is of two kinds: tawba of ināba (returning) and tawba of istijāba (being answered). The tawba that the servant performs out of fear of Allah's punishment is the tawba of ināba; the tawba performed out of ḥayā' from Allah's generosity is the tawba of istijāba."
Repentance out of fear (khawf) arises from the unveiling of majesty (jalāl); repentance out of ḥayā' arises from the witnessing of beauty (jamāl). In this ḥāl (state), one is burning in the fire of fear in majesty, while the other is shining in beauty from the light of ḥayā'. For this reason, one is in intoxication (sakr) because of it, while the other is in dahsha (awe). The people of ḥayā' are in sakr; the people of fear are in sobriety (ṣaḥw). (Hujwīrī, 356-357)
Ḥayā' is a middle ground between shamelessness and being like a woman (i.e., overly shy). It is said that ḥayā' is something that does not afflict the nafs during the fear that arises from a fault.
It is said that ḥayā' is the fear a person feels due to a fault committed in the presence of someone more virtuous.
It is said that ḥayā' is blushing when committing evil. In this way, the nafs is protected from the blame that the Truth (al-Ḥaqq) would direct at it. In summary, ḥayā' is used in the sense of refraining from evil and from what a person considers evil. (Minhāj, 75)
Among the (spiritual) states, ḥayā' is to restrict the qalb from its ḥāl. This restriction is due to the requirements of proximity (qurb). Some Sufis, in the state of qurb (nearness), look at His greatness and awe, and thus fear and ḥayā' dominate them. Others look at Allah's grace and eternal beneficence, and thus love (maḥabba) and hope (rajāʾ) dominate their qalb... (Ādāb, 21)
Ḥayā' has both a general and a specific attribute. Its general attribute is as the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "Have ḥayā' of Allah as is His due!" They said, "We have ḥayā', O Messenger of Allah!" When ḥayā' was mentioned, he replied: "Not like that! Whoever has ḥayā' of Allah as is His due, his head..."