What is the difference between shyness (khaljal) and modesty/dignified shyness (haya'), and how can one get rid of the former and acquire the latter?

Shyness is modesty (Haya'), and its essence is a disposition that motivates one to do good and abandon what is ugly. It brings nothing but good, for modesty and faith are intertwined.

Modesty (Haya') has several categories:

1. Modesty before Allah: This is achieved by reflecting on Allah's blessings, His greatness, and His awareness of the servant. 2. Modesty before the angels: This is by recalling their constant companionship with humans and their awareness of their actions. 3. Modesty before people: This is when a person feels ashamed of falling short in their rights or appearing in an unseemly manner. 4. Modesty before oneself: This is when a person feels ashamed of accepting imperfection for themselves.

It is important to differentiate between modesty and weakness. Abandoning enjoining good and forbidding evil, or abandoning what the Shari'ah encourages, is not modesty; rather, it is incapacity and humiliation. True modesty prevents its possessor from falling short in the rights of others and from doing what is inappropriate.