Praise be to Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah. To proceed:
The authentic Sunnah describes Allah as “Hayyiy Sitīr.” Scholars have differed as to whether “Al-Hayyiy” and “As-Sitīr” should be counted among the Beautiful Names of Allah. Some affirmed them as two Names, while others understood the text as describing Allah and reporting about Him without necessarily considering every such expression to be one of His Names. As for affirming the attributes of modesty and concealment for Allah, this is established by the texts, in a manner befitting His Majesty, without likening Him to His creation or asking how the attributes are. According to those who affirm these as Divine Names, it is permissible to supplicate to Allah using them, just as one may invoke Him through what these attributes entail.
The Beautiful Names of Allah are not established merely through reasoning or preference for certain meanings. Rather, they are established through what has come in the Qur’an and Sunnah. Therefore, Allah is not given a name except one established in the revealed texts.
The Sunnah describes Allah as “Hayyiy Sitīr.” Among the evidence is the hadith of Ya‘la ibn Umayyah, may Allah be pleased with him, who reported that the Prophet ﷺ saw a man bathing in an open place without a garment. He ascended the pulpit, praised and glorified Allah, and then said:
“Indeed, Allah is Hayyiy and Sitīr; He loves modesty and concealment. So when one of you bathes, let him conceal himself.”
Narrated by Abu Dawud (4012), an-Nasa’i (406), and Ahmad (17970). It was authenticated by an-Nawawi, ash-Shawkani, and al-Albani, and graded hasan by the researchers of al-Musnad.
A group of scholars held that “Al-Hayyiy” and “As-Sitīr” are among the Beautiful Names of Allah, basing this on the hadith mentioned above. Among those who included them among the Names of Allah were al-Halimi, al-Bayhaqi, al-Qurtubi, Ibn al-Qayyim, Ibn ‘Uthaymin, and others.
Other scholars held that the hadith is speaking about Allah by describing Him with modesty and concealment, and that not everything mentioned in reports about Allah necessarily constitutes one of His Beautiful Names. For this reason, some scholars did not include these two expressions among the Beautiful Names.
Thus, the issue concerns the scholarly disagreement over the criteria for establishing a Divine Name, not disagreement over whether Allah is described with modesty and concealment.
The attribute of modesty is established for Allah in the Qur’an and Sunnah. Allah says:
“Indeed, Allah is not shy to present an example—even that of a mosquito or smaller.” [Qur’an 2:26]
And He says:
“And Allah is not shy of the truth.” [Qur’an 33:53]
The Prophet ﷺ also said:
“Indeed, your Lord is Hayyiy and Generous. He is shy before His servant when he raises his hands to Him to return them empty and disappointed.”
Allah’s modesty is an attribute befitting His Majesty and perfection; it is not like the modesty of created beings. It is not interpreted according to the limitations and characteristics of human beings. Rather, the attribute is affirmed as it came, while denying any likeness between the Creator and His creation.
Likewise, describing Allah as Sitīr indicates the perfection of His concealing of His servants and His love of concealment.
According to the view that “Al-Hayyiy” and “As-Sitīr” are among the Beautiful Names of Allah, it is permissible to supplicate to Him using them, saying:
“O Hayyiy, O Sitīr, conceal me.”
It is also permissible for a servant to invoke Allah through what these attributes entail, saying:
“O Allah, I ask You by virtue of the fact that You are Al-Hayyiy, As-Sitīr, to conceal my private matters.”
Or:
“O Allah, You are Hayyiy and love modesty; You are Sitīr and love concealment, so conceal me in this world and the Hereafter.”
This is supplication using established Names and Attributes of Allah.
One of the greatest effects of knowing Allah’s Names and Attributes is that their meanings should appear in a person’s conduct.
Allah loves modesty and concealment. Therefore, a Muslim should stay away from immoral acts, preserve what is between himself and his Lord, and avoid deliberately exposing the faults of others or disgracing them.
A Muslim should conceal his fellow Muslims’ faults when they deserve to be concealed, avoid searching for their private shortcomings, and forgive and pardon as much as possible.
Ibn al-Qayyim, may Allah have mercy on him, explained the connection between a servant’s treatment of Allah’s creation and receiving a corresponding reward:
“He is, Exalted is He, Merciful and loves those who show mercy… and He is Sitīr and loves those who conceal the faults of His servants…”
Whoever conceals a Muslim’s fault in circumstances where concealment is legislated, that can be among the reasons Allah conceals his faults.
The authentic Sunnah describes Allah as “Hayyiy Sitīr,” and the attributes of modesty and concealment are established for Him in a manner befitting His Majesty. Scholars have differed as to whether “Al-Hayyiy” and “As-Sitīr” should be counted among the Beautiful Names of Allah: some affirmed them as Names, while others regarded them as attributes and expressions used in reporting about Allah. According to those who affirm them as Names, it is permissible to supplicate to Allah using them, such as saying: “O Hayyiy, O Sitīr, conceal me.” Most importantly, knowledge of these attributes should appear in a Muslim’s life through modesty, concealment, avoiding immoral acts, and refraining from exposing people’s faults.
And Allah knows best.