A special characteristic of Islam is that it itself explains the wisdom of its law.
SOCIAL SYSTEM OF ISLAM
SYED ABUL ALA MAUDUDI
ISLAMIC PUBLICATIONS (PVT) LIMITED 13-E SHAH ALAM MARKET, LAHORE
BASIC
CONCEPTS
A special characteristic of Islam is that it itself explains the
wisdom of its law. For instance, Islam has explained the wisdom of the
principles and laws of nature on which it bases its law for regulating mutual
relationships between man and woman.
Real
Significance of Sex
The first thing that has been stated and explained in this
connection is:
“All things We made in Pairs.” (Al-Qur’an, 51: 49).
This verse makes a reference to the universality of the sex-law
and the Master Engineer of the Universe Himself divulges the secret of His
Creation. He says that the universe has been designed on the relationship of pairs.
In other words, all the parts of this great machine have been created in pairs,
and all that one can see in this world is indeed the result of the mutual
interaction of these pairs.
Now let us consider the nature of the sex-relationship. This
relationship itself implies that one partner in the pair should be active and
the other receptive and passive, one prompt to influence and the other ready to
be influenced, one prepared to act and the other willing to be acted upon. This
relationship between the active functioning and the passive functioning,
influencing and influenced, acting and being acting upon, is the sex-relation
between the partners of a pair. This is the basic relation which gives rise to
all other relations functioning and operating in the world. All the exists in
this world has been created in pairs, and the real and basic relationship
signifying “activity” and “passivity”, though it has assumed different forms in
different states of the creation. One form of this relationship, for instance,
is that which exists among the elements; another is that found among the
inorganic substances; another that seen in the organic life; and still another
that which exists among the animal species. All these sex-divisions, so to say,
are different in form and nature and object of their creation, but the basic
sex-relation is common to them all. In each species of every class, it is
essential that for the relationships, one member of the pair should possess the
ability to set and the other the inclination to be acted upon.
Nor that the meaning of the verse has been specified, three basic
principles of sex-law can be deduced from it:
1. The principle according to which is running Allah has created
this world and the way according to which He is running its great System cannot
be unholy and vile. It indeed is and ought to be holy and sacred. Though the
opponents of the scheme may hold it as dirty and despicable and so shun it, the
Maker and Owner of the Factory cannot desire that His Factory should cease to function.
He will naturally want that all the parts of His Machine should continue
working in order to fulfill the purpose for which they have been designed.
2. The existence of both the active and the passive partners is
equally important for the purposes of the Factory. Neither the “activity” of
the active partner is in any way exalted nor the “passivity” of the passive
partner in any way debased. The excellence of an active partner is that he
should possess the ability to act and also the masculine qualities, so that he
may effectively perform the active part of his duty in the sex-relation. In
contrast to this, the excellence of a passive partner is that she possesses the
feminine qualities to an extent that she may carry out the passive part of the
sex-relation well. As a matter of fact, only a foolish, unskilled person can
think of removing even a minor part of an ordinary machine and employing it for
a function for which it has not been actually designed. In the first place, he
will not succeed in his objet; and if he tries seriously, he will only succeed
in breaking the machine itself. Similar is the case with the great machine of
the world. Only the foolish, inexperienced people can think of replacing the
active partners in it by the passive partners, and vice versa. But the Master
of the Machine can never commit such a folly. He will employ the active part in
its right place and develop it accordingly, and employ the passive part in its
own right place, and arrange to develop in it desired qualities of passivity.
3. Activity in itself is naturally superior to “passivity” and
femininity. This superiority is not due to any merit in masculinity against any
demerit in femininity. It is rather due to the fact of possessing natural
qualities of dominance, power and authority. A thing that acts upon something
else is able to do so an account of its being dominant, more powerful and
impressive. On the other hand, the thing that submits and yields, behaves so
simply because it is by nature passive, weaker and inclined to be impressed and
influenced. Just as the existence of both the active and the passive partners
should be dominant and able to produce the desired effect and the passive
partner yielding and inclined to be receptive. For if both the partners are equally
powerful and neither is dominant, there will be no question of submission, and
the act will not take place at all. If the cloth is as hard as the needle,
sewing cannot take place. If the soil is not soft enough to yield to the
dominance of the pick and plough, no cultivation and construction becomes
possible. In short, all actions that take place in the world cannot take place
unless there exists a passive partner for every active partner, and the passive
partner possesses the qualities for performing the active part of his sex duty.
In contrast to this, the passive partner should naturally be soft, tender,
elegant and impressionable, in short womanly, for these qualities alone can
help her perform her passive role successfully. People who do not know this
secret have both regarded the natural superiority of the active partner as
something meritorious in itself and debased the passive partner, or they have
wholly overlooked this superiority and endeavor to produce in the passive
partner qualities that properly belong to the active partner only. But the
Engineer who has designed these parts fits them in the machine in such a manner
that both become equally endowed and honorable, yet dominant and yielding as
required by their respective natures, so that they may fulfill the purposes of
their sex-relation. They both should not become as hard as stone that they may
not meet to break each other instead of combining and co-operating for fruitful
purposes.
These principles can be deduced from the basic fact of division
into the male and female. The human male and female, being physical entities,
do their natures require that these principles should govern all their relationships.
As will be explained later, these have been fully utilized in the social law
that has been framed by the Creator of the heavens and earth.
Man’s
animal nature and its demands
When we consider the matter a little more closely we find that man
and woman are not only physical entities but they are living organisms also.
Let us now see what is the natural object of their being a sexual pair. The
Qur’an says:
“He has given you wives from among yourselves to multiply you, and
cattle male and female.” (42: 11)
“Your wives are your
farms”. (2: 223)
In the first verse, mention has been made of the pairs of man and
animal together, and of the common object intended thereof, that is, the
propagation of the species as a result of their sex relationship.
In the second verse, man has been considered separately from the
other animal species, and it has been indicated that the relation between the
partners of a human pair is that of a cultivator and his farm. This is the
biological fact and the most appropriate illustration from the biological
viewpoint of the relationship between the man and the woman.
These verses furnish us with three more principles:
1. Allah has created man also as male and female, like all other
animals, for the purpose of perpetuating the human race. This is a clear demand
of man’s animal nature and cannot be overlooked. God has not created the human
species to allow only a handful of its individuals to nourish and tend
themselves on the earth and disappear. He indeed wants it to survive till an
appointed time. He has placed sex urge in the animal nature of man so that
human beings join as pairs and procreate to keep His earth humming with life.
Therefore, a law given by God cannot be such as will crush and suppress the
sexual urge, and inculcate its hatred and teach total abstinence from it. On
the contrary, such law will also fully provide for the satisfaction of this
urge of human nature.
2. By comparing the man and the woman to the cultivator and the
farm, it has been indicated that the natural relationship of the partners of
the human pair is different from that of the other animal pairs. Apart from the
human aspect, the physical structure of the human pair from the animal point of
view also has been so designed as to help bind then in an abiding relationship
like the one found between a cultivator and his farm. Just as it is not enough
for a cultivator only to sow seeds but also to water his field, manure it and
look after it, so woman also is not such a farm that an animal would by the way
cast a seed in her, and the let her grow it into a tree! But in fact when she
becomes pregnant she stands in need of being carefully looked after and cared
for by her cultivator.
3. The sex attraction in a human pair is biologically of the same
nature as is found in the other animal species. Every member of a species feels
itself inclined instinctively towards every member of the opposite sex. The
powerful urge of procreation placed in them by nature causes all those members
of the opposite sexes who possess the ability to procreate attracted mutually.
Therefore, the Law made by Supreme Creator cannot disregard this weak aspect of
man’s animal nature, for it possesses such a strong inclination forwards sexual
anarchy as cannot be controlled without resort to special measures like checks
and balances. If man once loses control of himself nothing can save him from
becoming a brute animal, rather “the lowest of the low” even among animals.
“We molded man into a most noble image, then we reduced him to the
lowest of the low: except the believers who did good works” (Al-Quran, 95: 4-6)
Human
Nature and its Demands
As we have pointed out above, animal nature is like the base and
foundation on which the superstructure of humanity has been built. For the sake
of man’s survival and propagation, both as an individual and as species, Allah
has endowed his animal nature with an urge, and the ability to realize that
urge, for each and every thing that is necessary for the purpose. And the
Divine Will does not mean that any of these urges should be curbed, or any of
these abilities are necessary, and without them man and his species cannot
possibly survive. The Divine Will, however, is that man should not behave like
a mere animal while satisfying his urges and employing his abilities, but he
should be human in his behavior in so far as the demands of his human and super-animal
nature are concerned. For this purpose Allah has ordained the Shar’iah
injunctions in order to regulate the conduct of man. He also warned man that if
he transgresses the limits set by Him and drifts into existences, he will be
working for his own doom.
“He that transgress Allah’s bounds wrongs his own self.” (Al-
Qur’an, 65: 1)
Now let us examine the traits and demands of human nature as
stated in the Qur’an with regard to sex.
1. The kind of mutual relationship, with which partners of the
human pair have been endowed, has been stated as follows:
“He created for you mates from among yourselves that you may find
rest and joy in them, and created between you love and mercy.” (30: 21)
“They are (like) a garment
to you and you are (like) a garment to them.” (2: 187)
The verse, which mentions together the creation of the pairs of
man and animal, also states the object of the creation of sex as propagation,
but in the above verse, a higher function of the woman is to provide for the
man a place of peace and comfort in this world, which is ridden with struggle,
toil and hardship. This is the home life of man whose significance and
importance has been overlooked by the Westerners in pursuit of material gains.
The fact however, is that this aspect of like is as important and necessary as
any other aspect of civilization for the well-being of the social and community
life of man.
2. This sex relation not only demands mutual love between the male
and the female but also it demands that they should have a deep spiritual
relation with their offspring, the direct result of their sex relationship. The
Divine Will has endowed man, and especially the woman, with such a physical
structure and natural course of pregnancy and sucking that the love of
offspring becomes her very nature. The Qur’an says:
“His mother bears him with much pain and he is not weaned before
he is two years of age.” (31: 14).
“With much pain his mother bears him, and with much pain she
brings him into the world. He is born and weaned in thirty months.” (46: 14).
The man also loves his offspring though his love is not as intense
as of the mother.
“Men are tempted by the lure of women and offspring.” (3: 14).
This natural love helps establish blood and marital relations.
From these relations then spring up families and class and nations whose
inter-relationships give birth to civilization.
“It was He Who created man from water and gave him kindred of
blood and of marriage.” (25:45).
“Man! We have created you from a male and a female and divided you
into nations and clans that you may be able to recognize one another.” (49:
13).
Thus the ties of blood and the natural of descent and marriage
provide indeed the very basic and natural foundation for the human society. And
the strength of these relations depends on the certainty and indomitability of
parentage and purity of descent.
3. Another demand of the human nature is that if a person leaves
wishes it to go to his offspring and near relations with whom he is bound in
ties of blood all his life.
“……………according to the Book of Allah, those who are bound by ties
of blood are nearest to one another (in the matter of inheritance)”. (8”: 75).
“Allah does not regard your adopted sons as your own sons.”
(33:4).
This shows how important the purity of descent is for the purpose
of the division of inheritance.
4. Sense of modesty is a part of human nature. Man by nature wants
to cover and conceal some part of his body. This urge has impelled him from the
earliest times to adopt one or the other sort of dress. The Qur’an in this
regard strongly refutes the modern prevalent theory. It asserts that the urge
to conceal those parts of the human body which possess sex attraction for the
opposite sex is quite natural with man. Of course, Satan urges him to reveal
these parts:
“But Satan tempted them, so that he might reveal to them their
shameful parts that had been hidden from each other.” (7: 20)
“When the tasted of the tree, their shameful parts became visible
to them and they began to cover themselves with the leaves of the Garden.” (7:
22)
These the Qur’an says that Allah has given man clothing so that he
may cover his shameful parts therewith and also appear attractive. But it does
not demand that one should cover one’s shameful parts only: it also demands
that while doing so one should fear Allah too:
“O children of Adam! We have sent down to you clothing in order to
cover shameful parts of your body and serve as protection and decoration: and
the best of all garments is the garment of piety.” (7: 26)
These are the basic concepts of the Social System of Islam.
Keeping these concepts in view, one should study the whole system which has
been built on them. During this study one should note well how Islam has
maintained balance and logical consistency while applying these concepts to the
practical details of life. The common weakness of all man-made laws that we
have studied is that their basic concepts are not in harmony with their
practical details. In other words, their principles and their practical details
contradict each other; the spirit of their fundamentals differs radically from
that of their application in the details of actual practice in the day to day
affairs of life. Man invents a theory of high principles in the armchair, but
when he brings it into the real world and tries to apply it to the practical
problems of life he is so baffled by the complexity of affairs that he forgets
his own theory. None of the man-made laws has been found to be free from this
weakness. Now let us examine, and examine as critically as we can, the law
which was presented before the world by an unlettered unschooled desert
dwellers of Arabia, even without the help of a legislature or select committee.
We shall see that this Law is absolutely free from all sorts of logical in constituencies
and contradictions.
SOCIAL SYSTEM OF ISLAM---II
FUNDAMENTAL
PRINCIPLES
The most important problem of social life is as we have mentioned
elsewhere, how to regulate the sexual urge into a system and prevent it from
running wild. For without this, it is not possible to keep control over the
community life, or even if that becomes possible, there is no way to save the
community from mental and moral decay and disintegration. In order to achieve
that purpose, Islam has organized the relations between the husband and the
wife and reduced them to a system.
“Prohibited
Relations”---(Muharramat)1
1 That is, those relations between whom marriages is forbidden in
the Law of Islam.
To start with, the law of Islam prohibits those men and women for
each other who are bound by nature to live together in close relationship. For
instance, the following relations cannot marry each other in Islam: mother and
son, father and daughter, brother and sister, paternal aunt and nephew,
maternal uncle and niece, maternal aunt and nephew, maternal uncle and niece,
step-father and daughter, step-mother and son, mother-in-law and son-in-law,
father-in-law and daughter-in-law, wife’s sister and brother-in- law(during
sister’s lifetime) and foster relations. (4: 23-25). By prohibiting them for
each other, Islam has so cleansed the men and women of these relations that
they cannot even imagine being sexually attracted mutually, except for those
morally depraved people of animal nature whose animosity does not allow them to
be bound by any moral discipline.
Prohibition
of Adultery
Besides the above prohibitions, Islam has also forbidden to take
as wives those women who are already married.
“And forbidden to you are the wedded wives of other people.” (4:
24).
Then, as for the rest of women, it has been made unlawful to have
any sexual relations with them:
“Approach not adultery, for it is foul and indecent.” (17: 32).
Marriage
Thus, by imposing restrictions Islam has closed all the ways
leading to sexual anarchy. But for the satisfaction of man’s animal nature and
propagation of the human race it was inevitable that at least one door for
sexual satisfaction must be kept open. This was done by giving permission for
marriage. Islam ordained that the sexual desire must be satisfied, not by
unlawful sexual liaison nor secretly, nor openly and immodestly, but through
the prescribed course so that the whole society comes to know, and it is
established beyond doubt, that such and such a man and woman are now meant for
each other.
“It has been made lawful for you to seek in marriage with your
wealth any other women than those specified, provided that you keep them in
wedlock and not in license……
“You may marry them with the permission of their guardians...So
that they live a decent life in wedlock and not in license, not may have secret
illicit relations.” (4: 24, 25)
According to this principle of moderation, the sexual relation
which was forbidden and unlawful outside marriage has not only been declared
lawful within marriage but also has been commended as good. It is enjoined on
the Muslims and its avoidance is regarded with disfavor. Marriage is looked
upon as a virtuous deed; so much so that if a woman observes a non-obligatory
fast, or busies herself in worship or recitation of the Qur’an with a view to
evading the unlawful desire of her husband, she commits a sin. Here are a few
sayings of the Holy Prophet that amply illustrate the point:
1. You should marry, for that is the best way of saying yourself
from casting evil eyes, and of safeguarding yourself from casting evil eyes,
and of safeguarding yourself against sexual immorality. The one who does not
possess the means to marry should fast, because fasting curbs sexuality.”
Al-Tirmizi).
2. “By Allah, I am the best among you in the matter of fearing
Allah and avoiding His displeasure. But in spite of that I observe fast and
break it, offer prayers and sleep at night, and marry woman. This is my way,
and whosoever shuns my way does not belong to me. “ (Al-Bukahri).
3. The woman should not observe a non-obligatory fast without the
permission of her husband”. Al Bukhari).
4. The woman who passes a night with a view to evading the desire
of her husband is cursed by the angels till she attends on him.” Al-Bukhari).
5. “When one of you happens to see a woman and is attracted by
her, he should go to his wife, for she has the same as she (the other woman)
had.” Al-Tirmizi).
The Shari’ah, by enjoining these injunctions, which to close all
the ways leading to sexual anarchy, and intends to restrict sexual relation to
marriage only. It does not like any sexual feelings to be aroused outside
marriage. If, however, such feelings are aroused naturally or incidentally,
they should be satisfied mutually between the husband and the wife. This is the
only way for man to protect himself against all sorts of unnatural,
self-created sexual excitements and to conserve his energy for the service of
society. It desires that the sexual love and attraction which Allah has created
in every man and woman for the purpose of running this factory should be
exclusively employed in creating and establishing the family. Thus, married
life is commendable in every way as it meets the ends of human nature, animal
instinct and Divine Law alike. On the contrary, avoinding marriage is in every
way blameworthy, for it must entail one of the two evils; either man will not
meet the ends of the law of nature at all and waste his energy in fighting
against it, or, overwhelmed by his instinctive demands, he will be compelled to
satisfy his desires by unlawful, illicit ways.
Organization
of Family
After making the sexual urge a means of the creation of the family
and the stability thereof, Islam turns to consolidate the family. Here also it
keeps in view all the aspects of the laws of nature as mentioned above. The
principles of justice and fairplay that Islam has adopted while determining the
rights of the husband and the wife have been fully explained in my book, the
Rights of the Spouses. If one goes through this book, one will find that Islam has succeeded in
establishing all possible equality between the sexes. But it does not believe
in the kind of equality that is oppose3d to the laws of nature. As human
beings, women are the equals of men in their rights:
“Wives have the same rights as the husbands have on them”. But man
being active partner has been justly regarded by Islam as superior to woman:
Of course, men are a degree above them (women)” (2:28)
Thus, taking into account the natural relations between the active
and the passive partners, as exist between the man and the woman, Islam has
organized the family on the following principles:
Man as
provider
Man’s position in the family is that of a provider. In other
words, he is in charge of the family, and its protector and is responsible for
its conduct and affairs. It is obligatory on his wife and children to obey him,
provided that it does not involve them in the disobedience of Allah and His
Prophet. He is responsible for earning a living for the family and providing it
with the necessities of life:
1. “Men are the governors of the affairs of women because Allah
has made men superior to women and because men spend of their wealth on
them”.(4: 34)
2. “A virtuous woman is obedient, and guards their (husbands)
rights carefully in their absence under the care and watch of Allah.” (4: 34)
3. “The man is the ruler over his wife and children, and is
answerable to Allah for the conduct of their affairs.” (Al- Bukhari)
4. “When a woman steps out of her house against the will of her
husband, she is cursed by every angel in the heavens and by everything other
than men and jinn by which she passes, till she returns.” (Kashf-al-Ghamama by
She’erani).
5. “As for those women whose defiance you have reason to fear,
admonish them and keep them apart from your beds and beat them. Then if they
submit to you, do not look for pretences to punish them”. (4: 34)
6. “Do not obey the person who does not obey Allah”. (Reported by
Ahmed).
7. “None should be obeyed in the disobedience of Allah”. (Reported
by Ahmed).
8. “Obedience is obligatory only in what is good and lawful.” (Al-
Bukhari)
9. “And We have exhorted man to show kindness to his parents. But
if they order you to worship as god others than Me that of which you have no
knowledge, do not obey them.” (29: 8)
So the family has been organized in such a way as to have a
governor. The one who tries to disrupt the family discipline has been
admonished by the Holy Prophet thus :
“One who tries to sow seeds of discord between a woman and her
husband does not belong to us”. (Kashf-al-Ghamama by Se’rani).
Woman’s
Sphere of Activity
In this organization the woman has been made queen of the house.
Earning a living for the family is the responsibility of the husband, and she
is answerable for the conduct of her duties”. (Al- Bukhari)
She has been exempted from all outdoor religious obligations. For
instance, it is not obligatory on her to offer the Jumu’ah (weekly
congregational) prayers. (Abu Da’ud). It is also not obligatory on her to go
for Jihad, though, if the occasion demands, she may go and serve the fighters
in the cause of Allah. She is also not required to join the funeral prayer; she
has rather forbidden to do so. (Al- Bukhari). She has been exempted from
attending the mosques and joining in congregational prayers. Though under
certain conditions she may visit the mosque, yet as a principle it has not been
approved by the Shar’ah.
The woman has not been allowed to go on a journey except in
company with a mahram.2 (Al-Tirmizi). In short, islam has not approved that a
woman should move out of her house without a genuine need. The most appropriate
place for her, according to the Islamic law, is her home. The Quranic verse,
“Stay in your houses …3 clearly points to the commandment. But in this regard
no restriction has been imposed, because sometimes it becomes really necessary
for women to go out of their homes. For instance, a woman may have nobody to
look after her, or she may have to go out for earning a living on account of
the poverty, insufficient income, sickness, infirmity or such other handicaps
afflicting the male protector of the
2 A mahram (male) in respect of a woman in her father, or brother,
or son, or any other relative with whom she cannot enter into matrimony.-Tr.
3 Some people say that this Commandment was only meant for the
wives of the Holy Prophet, because the verse begins with: “O wives of the
Prophet….But the question is; which of the instructions in the verse can be
taken to be specifically meant only for the wives of the Holy Prophet? The
verse says: “If you fear Allah, do not be too complaisant in your speech, lest
the lecherous-hearted should lust after you. Show discretion in what you say.
Stay in your homes and do not display your finery as women used to do in the
days of ignorance. Attend to your prayers, give alms to the poor, and obey
Allah and His Apostle….. Allah seeks only to remove uncleanness from you and to
purify you”.. (33: 32-33)
Now, one may ask, which or the instructions here is such as not
meant for the guidance of the common Muslim women also? Should the Muslim women
not try to become God-fearing and righteous? Should they be soft of speech with
strangers so as to allure them? Should they go about displaying their finery as
was done in the days of ignorance? Should they abstain from offering prayers
and paying zakat, and disobey Allah and His Prophet? Does Allah seek to keep
them unclean? If all these instructions are meant for all Muslim women, why
should “Stay in your homes....” only be taken to be specially meant for the
wives of the Holy Prophet?
Most probably the misunderstanding arose on account of the words
with which the verse begins: “Wives of the Prophet! You are not like other
women”. But as the context clearly shows, it is just like addressing a child of
a responsible family, saying, “You are not like other children that you should
roam the streets and behave unbecomingly. You should always be decent”. Such an
observation in not intended to suggest that it is commendable for other
children to roam about and behave indecently and that they are not required to
conduct themselves like gentlemen. The object in fact is to establish a
criterion of good etiquette, so that every child who wants to live like good
children tries to attain this ideal. The Quran has adopted this way of
instruction women for a specific purpose. In the pre-Islamic days the Arab
women were as in disciplined and free as European women are today. They were
gradually being made used to the culture of Islam through the Holy Prophet, and
for that purpose their undue freedom was being curbed by enjoining moral and
social restrictions. Therefore, to begin with the life of the wives of the Holy
Prophet was specially regulated so as to serve as model for other women living
in the houses of the common Muslims. This is exactly the view that Allama Abu
bakr-al-Jassas has expressed in his Ahkamul-Qur’an. He writes:
“This injunction, though revealed for the Holy Prophet and his
wives, is meant to be for a general application. It is applicable to all the
Muslims just as it was to the Holy Prophet, may be an exception which were
specially meant for his person”. (vol III, p. 55) family. For all such cases,
the law has been made sufficiently flexible. The Holy Prophet has told women:
“Allah has permitted you to go out of your houses for genuine
needs.” (Al-Bukhari).
But such a permission which has been granted under special
circumstances and genuine needs alter the basic principles of the Social System
of Islam which restricts the woman’s sphere of activity to her home. This permission
indeed is a sort of concession which must per force be treated as such.
Restrictions for women
An adult woman has been given sufficient freedom with regard to
her personal affairs, yet her freedom is restricted as compared to that of an
adult male. For instance, a man is free to undertake a journey at will, but a
woman, whether she is married, unmarried or a widow, cannot travel unless she
is accompanied by a mahram:
1. “It is unlawful for a woman who believes in Allah and the Last
Day that she should travel for three days or more unaccompanied either by her
father, or brother, or husband, or son, or some other male mahram”.
2. According to Abu Hurairah, the Holy Prophet said: “A woman
should not travel for a day and night, unless she is accompanied by a male
mahram”.
3. Again, according to Abu Hurairah, the Holy Prophet said: “It is
not lawful for any woman that she travels for a night, unless accompanied by a
male mahram”. (Abu-Da’ud)
These traditions differ about the distance and duration of the
journey. But that in fact indicates that the time taken in a journey is not
important. What is important is that a woman should not be given such freedom
of moving alone as may land her in a trouble. That is why the Holy Prophet has
not specified the duration of the journey, but has mentioned different
durations according to the requirements of the time and occasion.
Then man is entitled to full freedom in respect of his marriage.
He can marry any woman, whether Muslim or Scriptuary, and can keep a slave girl.
But the woman is not wholly free in this regard. She cannot marry a non Muslim.
“They are not lawful for the disbelievers, nor are the
disbelievers lawful for them”. (60: 10)
She cannot have sexual relations with her slave. The Qur’an has
allowed man to have sexual relations with his slave-girl, but the woman has not
been given any such permission. During the time of C’aliphe Umar, a woman
misinterpreted the verse, “whatever your right hands posses….” And had sexual
relations with her slave. When the Caliph got the report, he put the case
before the Central Advisory Council of the Companions. They all gave the
unanimous verdict: “She misinterpreted the Book of Allah”. Another woman asked
Caliph Umar for permission to indulge in a similar act. He punished her
severely and remarked:
“Arabia is secure till such time that her woman are secure”.
(Kashf-al-Ghamma by Sh’erani)
The woman can choose her husband from among the free Muslim men.
But in this regard also it is necessary that she should respect the opinion of
her father, grandfather, brother or other guardians, though they have no right
to give her away to somebody against her will. The Holy Prophet said:
1. A girl has a greater right to decide about herself than her
guardian”.
2. Do not give an unmarried girl away unless she has consented”.
But it is also not proper for a woman to marry anybody she pleases
against the wish of the responsible people of her family. This is why the
Qur’an has addressed males only on the question of marriage. For instance, while
dealing with the marriage of males, it says:
“Do not marry idolatrous women”.
“Marry them with the permission of their guardians”.
Then while the laying down instructions for the marriage of women,
it again addresses males:
“And marry such of you (from among women) as are single”. (2: 32)
“Wed not your women to idolaters until they believe”
This shows that just as a married woman has to obey and be looked
after by her husband, so an unmarried woman has to obey and be looked after by
the responsible men of her family. But this dependence of her on others does
not in any way deprive her of her freedom of action and will. It only implies
that the responsibility of protecting the social system from chaos and
disruption and of safeguarding the interests and morals of the family from
internal and external mischief has been placed on the shoulders of man. In
return for this, the woman has been made duty bound to obey the man who has to
shoulder this responsibility, whether he is her husband, father, or brother.
WOMAN’S RIGHTS
Thus Islam while recognizing the natural superiority of one
partner over the other, has also specified that “men are a degree above women”.
It works on the foundation that the biological and psychological defferences
between the man and the woman do exist; it keeps those differences as they are,
and it employs those differences for determining their place and
responsibilities in the social system.
The next important question is of the woman’s rights. In this
regard Islam has observed the following three guiding principles:
First, it enjoins that the authority that the man has been given
for maintain order in the family should not be abused, lest the relation
between the ruler and the ruled turns into that of the master and his slave.
Second, it exhorts that the woman should be afforded all such
opportunities as may enable her to develop her natural abilities to the maximum
within the social framework, so that she may play her role effectively in the
development of civilization.
Third, it makes it possible for the woman to attain to the highest
rung of progress and advancement, as a woman. To become the man is none of her
rights. It is neither good for her nor for the society to be trained for the
masculine life, nor can she succeed in the manly life.
Keeping these principles in view, Islam has granted the woman vast
social and economic rights, elevated her status, and provided such moral and
legal safeguards in its system for the protection of her rights and status that
the like of these cannot be found in any old or modern social system of the
world.
Economic
rights
Man’s economic stability is the foremost factor that gets him a
status in society and through it he is able to maintain that status. All laws,
except the law of Islam, have weakened the economic positions of woman, and
this economic helplessness is the chief factor that has reduced her to virtual
slavery in the society. Europe wanted to change her condition, but the result
was that she was mad an earning hand like the man, which led to a still greater
evil. Islam follows the via media. It grants the woman very extensive rights of
inheritance. She gets her share of inheritance from her father, husband,
offspring and other near relatives. 4 Besides, she is entitled to receive
nuptial money from her husband. All the wealth that she thus receives is her
own property and she possesses full proprietary rights over it without any
right of interference by her father, husband, or any other relative. Then if
she invests her money to business, or earns with her own hand, she is the sole
owner of the fruits of her labour. In spite of all this, her husband is under
obligation to support her. However wealthy the wife may become, the husband is
in no case absolved of his responsibility to support her. Thus, the economic
position of the woman has become so secure in Islam that cannot often than not
she is economically better off than the husband himself.
4 Her share in inheritance is half against that of the man. The
reason is that she is entitled, by right, to obtain subsistence and nuptial
money which the man is not entitled. Supporting the woman is not obligatory
only on her husband, but in case the husband is not there, it becomes
obligatory on her father, brother, son or other guardians to support her. Thus,
when the woman is not required to shoulder the responsibilities that the man
has to shoulder, her share in inheritance should not be equal to his.
Social
Rights
1. The woman has been granted full freedom in the choice of her
husband. Nobody has got the right to give her way in marriage without her wish
and consent. And if she marries a Muslim by her fee choice, nobody can stop her
from doing so. If, however, she selects a man who is not her equal in the
family status, the elders reserve their right to object.
2. She has been given vast legal rights to obtain separation from
a husband who is cruel, impotent or whom she abhors.
3. The husband has been instructed to use the authority granted
him over the wife with discretion in a large-hearted and magnanimous manner.
The Qur’an says:
“Treat your women kindly” (4: 19), and “Forget not magnanimity in
your mutual dealings”. (2: 237)
The Holy Prophet said: “The best among you are those who are good
to their wives and kind to their people”.
Islam does not give only moral instructions. If the husband abuses
his authority the wife reserves every right to have recourse to the law.
4 Widows and divorced women and all such women whose marriage has
been annulled by law, or who have been legally separated from their husbands,
have been granted an unfettered right to remarry. Their previous husbands, or
any relatives, do not retain any right whatever over them. This is a right
which women in most of the European and American countries have not yet been
able to get.
5 Absolute equality has been established between the man and the
woman in so far as civil and penal laws are concerned. The Islamic law does not
recognize any distinction between them in so far as protection of life and
property, honour and reputation is concerned.
Female
Education
Woman have not only allowed to obtain education in religious and
mundane branches of knowledge, but their education and cultural training has
been considered as important as that of men. Women also used to take lessons in
religion and morality from the Holy Prophet along with men, though they had
separate arrangements for the purpose. The wives of the Holy Prophet,
especially Hazrat Aisha, not only taught women, they taught men also. Many an
illustrious Companion and follower of the Companions learnt the Qur’an, Hadith
and Islamic Jurisprudence from Hazrat Ayesha. Besides educating free men and
the nobility, the Holy Prophet had enjoined the Muslims to educate their
slave-girls, too. A Tradition says:
“If a person has a slave-girl, then he educate her liberally and
trains her in the manner and culture, then sets her free and marries her, he
has a double reward (from his Lord)”. (Al-
Bukhari).
This shows that in so far as the acquisition of knowledge and
cultural training is concerned, Islam does not allow any distinction between
man and woman. It, however, recognizes a difference in the type of education
meant for the man and the woman respectively. From the Islamic point of view,
the right sort of education for woman is that which prepares her to become a
good wife, good mother and good housekeeper. Her sphere of activity is the
home. Therefore, she should be trained primarily in those branches of knowledge
which make her more useful in that sphere. Besides, she needs to be educated also
in those sciences which help her become a good human being, morally as well as
culturally, and which widen her outlook. Thus, it is obligatory for every
Muslim woman to acquire knowledge and cultural training. If, However, a woman
possesses extraordinary abilities of the intellect, and is desires of acquiring
higher education in the other branches of knowledge as well. Islam does not
stand in her way, provided that she does not transgress the limits prescribed
for her by the Shari’ah.
Real
Emancipation of Woman
There are briefly the rights of the woman granted by Islam. But
the mere mention of these rights does not convey the idea of how highly has
Islam honoured civilization bears evidence her status in society. The history
of human civilization bears evidence that woman was regarded as an embodiment
of depravity, shame and sin in the world. This birth of a daughter to
embarrassed a father that he could not raise his head for shame. The in-law
relations were looked custom of disposing of daughters by killing them had
become common among many nations. Besides the illiterate, ignorant people, the
learned scholars and religious leaders also disputed for generations the
question whether woman was a human being, and whether God had granted her a
soul. In Hinduism, the woman stood debarred from being educated in the Vedas.
Buddhism did not recognise salvation for the one having sex relations with the
woman. Christianity and Judaism looked upon woman as the source of all evil
committed by man in the world. In Greece, the housewives were neither entitled
to receive any education, nor training in culture, nor social rights. Only the
prostitute was entitled to all these blessings. The condition in Rome, Iran,
China, Egypt and other centres of human civilization was not any different.
Centuries of inhuman treatment and universal contempt meted out to the woman
had disgraced her in her own eyes. She herself had developed the mentality that
she had no right and was not entitled to any place of honour in the world. The
man himself to be perfectly within his right to treat her harshly, and she
educated all this as part of her natural obligations. She had become slavish
and prided herself on being called the “maid” of her husband; her religion was
to extol and worship him as her god and lord.
It is Islam which revolutionized this state of affairs not only
legally and practically but also intentionally. Islam has indeed changed the
mentalities of both the man and the woman. The concept of giving the woman her
rights and a place of honour in society has in fact been created in man’s mind
by Islam. The slogans of women’s rights, women’s education and women’s
emancipation that one so often hears these days are in fact an echo of the
revolutionary call raised by the Holy Prophet of Islam (peace be upon him) who
changed man’s ways of thinking for all times to come. It was the Prophet of
Islam who first taught the world that woman is as much a human as man.
“Allah created you of a single soul, and from the same soul
created his mate”. (4: 1).
God does not distinguish between the man and the woman: “the men
shall have their due share according to what they have earned and the women
according to what they have earned”. (4: 32).
The high places of honour and distinction that man can attain by
virtue of his faith and righteous deeds are also attainable by woman. If a man
becomes Ibrahim bin Adham, nothing can prevent a woman from becoming Rabi’ah
Basriah.
“Their Lord answered their prayers (and said): “I never let go to
waste the labour of any one that works among you, whether male or female, for
in My sight all of you are alike”. (3: 195).
“And those who do good works, whether men or women, provided that
they are Believers, will enter into Paradise and they will not be deprived in
the least of their rightful rewards”. (4: 124).
Then it was the Holy Prophet of Islam who warned the man and
infused the feeling in the woman that she had the same rights on him as he had
upon her.
“Wives have the same rights as the husbands have on them in accordance
with the well-known principles”. (: 228).
Again, it was the Holy Prophet of Islam who raised the woman from
disgrace and shame to the place of honour and dignity. He told the father that
the birth of a daughter did not bring him any shame; bringing her up and
educating her was rather a means of his salvation.
1. The man who brought up two daughters, so that they attained
maturity, will appear at my side on the Day of Judgement as are my two adjacent
fingers”. (Muslim).
2. “A man of whom only daughters are born, and he brings them up
properly, the same daughters will become covering for him against Hell”.
(Muslim).
3. “The best blessing among the blessings of the world to a man is
a virtuous wife”. (Nasai).
4. “Two things in the world please me that most: the woman and the
perfume; and in salat is the solace of my eyes”. (Nasai).
5. “Nothing among the choicest blessings of this world is better
than a virtuous wife”. (Ibn-i-Majah).
The prophet of Islam taught the son that the one who most deserved
his respect, veneration and kind treatment after Allah and His Prophet, was his
mother;
“A man asked: “O Prophet of Allah, who deserves to be treated well
by me most of all?” The Prophet said: “your mother” He asked: ‘Who then?” The
prophet said: ‘Your mother’. He asked: ‘Who then?” The Prophet said: ‘Your
mother’. He asked ‘Who then?”. The Prophet said: ‘then your father’.”
(A-Bukhari).
Allah has forbidden you to disobey your mothers and deprive them
of their rights”. (Al-Bukhari).
Again, it was the Holy Prophet who pointed out that woman is by
nature emotional and sensitive and inclined to extremes. She has been created
by Allah with that nature and this is her merit, not her demerit. This trait of
her character can be usefully employed in the service of humanity. But if the
man tried to straighten and harden her like himself he would break her instead.
“The woman is like a rib. If you try to straighten her you would
break her. But if you employed her usefully, you would benefit from her in
spite of her crookedness”. (Al-Bukhari).
Likewise, the Holy Prophet of Islam was the first, and indeed the
last, man who not only changed the mentality of man about woman but also of the
woman herself, and created the right type of mentality based not on emotions
but on real knowledge and reason in place of the un-Godly, un-Islamic mentality
of ‘ignorance’. Then he did not rest content with reforming the people
spiritually but also made arrangements to safeguard by law the rights of woman
against the encroachments of man. Moreover, be produced this awakening in the
woman that she had her own legal rights for the protection of which she could
go to the law.
The women had found such a merciful, sympathetic and strong
supporter of their rights in the person of the Holy Prophet that they would
freely approach him with all sorts of complaints against bad treatment of their
husbands. The men, on the contrary, were cautious and careful not to give their
wives any chance to complain against them to the Holy Prophet. ‘Abdullah bin
Umar has reported that during the lifetime on the Holy Prophet the Companions
treated their wives most politely for fear that a commandment concerning them
might be sent down, and not until he has passed away they began talking with
them freely. (Al-Bukhari).
According to a tradition contained in the Collection by Ibn-i-
Majah, the Holy Prophet had forbidden maltreatment of women. Once Hazrat Umar
complaint that the women had grown insolent and sought permission to have
resort to beating to set them right. The Prophet granted the permission. The
same day seventy women were beaten in their houses by the husbands who had long
been awaiting such permission. The next day all the women thronged the Holy
Prophet’s house with their complaints. The Prophet called the people together
and addressed them thus:
“Today seventy women have visited the people of Muhammad’s house
complaining against the harsh treatment of their husbands. The men who have
misbehaved in that manner are certainly not the best among you”.
The effect of this moral and legal reforms was that the woman
attained such a high status in the Islamic society that it has no precedent in
history. The Muslim woman indeed has the right to attain the highest place of
honour and advancement materially, intellectually and spiritually, both in
religious and mundane, spheres open to the Muslim male. Her sex does not stand
in her way at any stage. The world of today, even in this 20th century, falls
far short of this Islamic standard. Human intellectual development has not so far
touched the mark set by Islam. Whatever rights the woman has been granted in
the West have been granted her not for her own sake but as if she was the man.
The woman is still inferior in the western eyes as she was in the past ages of
ignorance. In the west a real genuine woman has yet to have respect as the
queen of a home, the wife of a husband, the matron of children. The so-called
respect that she enjoys today is in fact for her being the he-woman or the
she-man who is psychologically a woman, but mentally a man, and who pursues
masculine activities in life. Obviously, this respect is for manhood, not for
womanhood. Another manifestation of the female inferiority complex is that the
western woman fondly puts on the male dress, whereas no men even think of
putting on the female dress in public. To be the wife is disgraceful for
hundreds of thousands of western women, but to be the husband is not
disgraceful for any man. Women feel honoured when engaged in manly jobs,
whereas no man feels inclined for the rearing of children and housekeeping,
which are purely womanly duties. It can, therefore, be said without fear of
contradiction that the west has not honoured the woman because the place of
pride in her own natural sphere in society and civilization, and thus raised
the status of womanhood in the real sense. The Islamic civilization segregates
men and women and employs them respectively for the purposes Nature has created
them for, affording them equal opportunities of attaining success and honour
and progress in their own natural spheres. It regards both womanhood and
manhood as two equally necessary components of humanity. Both are equally
important for the development of civilization. The services rendered by both in
their respective spheres are equally useful and valuable. Neither manhood is
respectable now womanhood disgraceful. Just as a man will attain respect and
progress and success if he remains the man and performs the duties of the man,
so a woman will attain respect and progress and success if she remains the
woman and performs the duties of the woman. She remains the woman and performs
the duties of the woman. A righteous civilization would be that which grants
the woman all the human rights in her own natural sphere, which gives her a
place of pride in society, and which develops her latent abilities and opens
few vistas of progress and success before own sphere of activity.
Social System of Islam-III
Safeguards
This was an outline of the Social System of Islam. Before we
proceed further, let us again have a look at the main features of this system:
1. The object of this system is to keep the social environment as
clean as possible of all sorts os sexual excitements and stimulations, so as to
enable man to develop his physical and mental abilities in a pure and peaceful
atmosphere, so that he may play his role effectively in the building up
civilization with conserved energies.
2. Sex relations should be restricted to marriage only. Not only
should sexual lawlessness outside marriage be curbed, but as far as possible
dispersion of sexual ideas should also be controlled.
3. Woman’s sphere of activity should be segregated from that of
man’s. they should be entrusted with separate responsibilities in the social
life according to their respective natures and mental and physical abilities.
And their mutual relationships should be so organized that they co-operate with
other within the lawful limits, and do not transgress limits to interfere with
the duties of the opposite sex.
4. Both man and woman should be given all the human rights, and
both should be provided with all possible opportunities for advancement, but
neither should be allowed to transgress the limits prescribed for his or her
sex in the society.
The social system which is built on these bases needs to be
strengthened by a few safeguards also, so that ii is able to function with all
its potentialities. Islam has provided three kinds of such safeguards:
1. Self-purification.
2. Punitive laws, and
3. Preventive Measures.
These safeguards have been provided in accordance with the true
spirit and objectives of the Social System, and they all together help it
function effectively.
By the process of self-purification man is so educated and trained
that he automatically begins following and obeying the system, whether there is
or is not an external force to compel him for obedience.
The punitive laws prevent the commission of all such crimes as may
disintegrate the system of destroy any of its bases.
The preventive measures help organize life in such a manner that
it is automatically safeguarded against all sorts of unnatural excitement and
artificial stimulation, and thus, the possibilities of sexual anarchy are
reduced to the minimum. Those people who are not reformed spiritually and who
are not scared of the penal laws can be thwarted only by the preventive
measures. Those measures raise such barriers in their way that despite their
inclination towards sexual lawlessness it becomes really difficult for them to
commit the act practically. Moreover, it is these measures which practically
segregate the male and the female spheres of activity, which make the family
system function on the truly Islamic pattern, and which safeguard the bounds
proscribed by Islam for the preservation of the distinction between the lives
of the men and women.
Self-purification
A sound faith in Islam is the basic factor which requires its
followers to obey the laws of its system. A person who believes in Allah, His
Book and His Prophet is the one for whose compliance the Shari’ah enjoins its
injunctions. For the sake of one’s personal guidance it is enough for one to
know that a certain command is a Command of Allah and that a certain
prohibition is a prohibition by Him. Therefore, when a believer comes to know
from the Book of Allah that He forbids indulgence in obscenity and sexual
promiscuity, his faith requires that he should not only abstain from indulging
in it practically but also keep his heart clean of all inclinations towards it.
Similarly when a Muslim woman comes to know that Allah and His Prophet have
given her a particular position is the social system she is required by her
faith to accept that position willingly and remain satisfied with it. Just as
in the other spheres of life, the correct and complete obedience to the Islamic
injunctions rests on one’s faith in Islam, so it is in the moral and social
sphere as well. That is why man has first been invited to believe in Islam and
have a sound faith in it, and then given moral and social instructions for his
guidance in life.
This scheme for spiritual reform underlines not only the moral
theory but the whole System of Islam. In the moral sphere Islam has adopted a
highly practicable and sound process of educating its followers, and we now
briefly describe it in the following pages.
HAYA
As pointed out above, adultery, theft, lying, and all other sins
which man commits under the impulse of his animal nature, run counter to his
human nature. All such acts have been described by the Qur’an by the
comprehensive word munkar ( منکر ) which is
“unknown or little known” in its literal sense. These acts have been called
munkar because they are unknown and repugnant to human nature. Obviously when
they are against human nature and man commits them under the impulse
of his animality, there must be in the human nature itself something which
prevents man from approaching this sins. The Divine law-giver has specified
this. It is HAYA.
Literally Haya means shyness. As an Islamic term, Haya implies
that shyness which a wrong doer feels before his nature and before his God.
This shyness is the force which prevents man from indulging indecency and
obscenity. If however he commits a sin under the impulse of his animal nature,
the same shyness makes him feel the pangs of conscience. The moral teachings of
Islam aim at awakening this dormant feeling of shyness in human nature and try
to develop it as a man’s mental makeup, so that it may serve as a strong moral
deterrent against all evil inclinations. This exactly is the explanation of the
Hadith which says: “Every religion has a morality, and the morality of Islam is
Haya”.
Another Hadith touches on the same subject: The Holy Prophet said:
“When you do not have Haya, you may do whatever you please”. For
when a person does not have the deterrent of Haya in him, his desires which
spring from his animal instinct will lay complete hold of him he will not
hesitate to indulge in any sin.
The feeling of Haya is inherent to man though in a crude form. It
abhors all sins by nature; but it lacks knowledge. Therefore, it does not know
exactly why it abhors a particular sin. This lack of knowledge gradually
weakens its feeling of abhorrence with the result that man begins committing
sin under the impulse of his animality, and the repeated commission of sins at
last destroys his sense of modesty altogether. The moral teachings of Islam aim
to educate Haya. It not only acquaints it with the manifest sins, but also lays
bare before it all the evils of desire and intention in the innermost heart of
man. Thus it warns it of all possible mischiefs of the evil spirit, so that it
may abhor them consciously and with conviction. Then the moral training further
sharpens the sensitivity of the educated “Haya” with the result that it is
enabled to detect even the slightest inclination of the mind towards evil and
sin. So much so it doesn’t let go unwarned even the most minor laps on the part
of one’s intention and desire.
The sphere of Haya in the Islamic morality is so vast that it
encompasses all aspects of human life. Thus the aspect of man’s social life
which is related to sex has also been reformed by Islam by means of Haya. Islam
detects even the slightest lapses of the human self in sexual affairs and warns
Haya of their presence and exhorts to be vigilant. It is not possible to go
into details but a few illustrations are necessary.
Hidden
motives
In the eyes of law, adultery implies physical union only, but from
the moral point of view every evil inclination towards a member of opposite sex
outside marriage amounts to adultery. Thus enjoying beauty of the other woman
with the eyes, relishing the sweetness of her voice with the ears, drawing
pleasure of the tongue by conversing with her, and turning of the feet over and
over again to visit her street, all are the preliminaries of adultery, nay,
adultery itself. Law can’t have jurisdiction over such an act, for its springs
from the hidden motives of man. It can only be detected by his own conscience.
The Holy Prophet has elucidated this point as follows:
“Eyes commits adultery, and their adultery is evil look; hands
commit adultery, and their adultery is the use of violence; feet commit
adultery, and their adultery is moving towards sin; the adultery of the tongue
is (lustful) talk; and the adultery of the heart is the evil desire. In the end
the sexual organs either confirm all this (by their action) or disapprove it.”
The evil
look
The evil look is the worst culprit in this regard. The eyes (from
looking at the other women) and guard their shameful parts; this is a pure way
for them; surely, Allah knows full well what they do. And (O Prophet), tell the
believing women to restrain their eyes (from looking at the other men) and
guard their shameful parts”. (24: 30- 31).
The Holy Prophet says:
“Sons of Adam, your first (unintentional) look is pardonable. But
beware that you do not cast the second look”. (Al-Jassas).
He said to Hazrat Ali:
O Ali, do not cast a second look after the first one. The first
look is pardonable, but not the second”. (Abu Daud).
Hazrat Jabir asked the Prophet what he should do if he happened to
cast a look by chance. The Prophet instructed him that he should turn his eyes
away forthwith. (Abu Daud).
Urge the
Display
The feminine urge for the display of beauty is another evil which
is linked up with the evil look. This urge is not always prominent; it is
generally hidden in the depths of the heart. It often finds expression in the
selection of pleasing, gauzy and bright cloths, fancy hairdos and such other
apparently insignificant aspects of the female behaviour as cannot be
enumerated. The Quran has comprehensively turned them all as
Tabarruj-i-Jahiliyyah ( .(تبرج جاھلیہ All beautification and make-up which
is meant to please and entertain others than the husband is Tabarruj-i-Jahiliyyah.
No law can be made to check and control this tendency, as it springs from the
woman’s own heart. She herself can only search her heart to detect any hidden
evil desire. If it is there it has to be eradicated according to the following
Divine Commandment:
“….and do not go about displaying your fineries as women used to
do in the days of ignorance, …(33: 33).
Only that decoration is Islamic which is free from the element of
the evil motive. But as soon as it is corrupted by the evil motive is becomes
un-Islamic.
The voice
The voice is another agent of the evil spirit. There are countless
mischiefs which are caused and spread by the voice. A man and a woman may
apparently be absorbed in innocent talk, but the hidden motive sweet, and the
accent and the words more and more appealing. The Qur’an detects this hidden
motive:
…. if you are God-fearing, do not talk in soft voice, lest the man
of the unhealthy heart should cherish false hopes from you. If you have to
speak (to the other men), speak in an unaffected way (as people ordinarily
do)”. (33: 32).
It is the same evil desire which finds pleasure and satisfaction
in reading or listening to stories about other people’s lawful and unlawful sex
relations. To satisfy the same urge, lyrical poetry is written and imaginary
love romances described which take the people’s fancy and spread in society
like wild fire. The Qur’an admonishes man about this also.
“Those people who desire to spread indecency and obscenity among
the believers have a grievous torment in store for them in this world and in
the Hereafter”. (24: 19).
The mischief caused by the voice has many other aspects and in
each aspect there is one or the other evil motive at work. Islam has detected
all these motives and warned man to beware of them. For instance, a woman is
not allowed to describe the features of other women before her husband:
“A woman should not have too close an intimacy with another woman.
Lest she should describe her before her husband in a manner as if he himself
saw her”. (Al-Tirmizi).
Both man and woman have been forbidden to describe their secret
sex affairs before other people, because this also causes in- decency to spread
by creating evil desire in the hearts. (Abu-Daud).
The sound
Sometimes attention is attracted not by the word of mouth but by
some other device. Such devices also spring from the evil motive and Islam
disapproves of them all:
… and they should not stamp the ground in walking, so as to reveal
their hidden decoration (ornaments, etc. by their jingle)”. (24: 31).
The
perfume
The perfume also acts as a messenger between two evil spirits.
This is the finest and subtlest means of communication which may be trivial in
the eyes of others but the Islamic haya too sensitive to let it slip undeleted.
It does not allow a Muslim woman to wear scented cloths and pass on the ways or
sit in gatherings, for even if her beauty and make-up are hidden, her perfume
is spreading about and causing emotional stimulation. The Holy Prophet said:
The woman who uses perfume and passes through the people is
promiscuous”. (Al-Tirmizi).
When a woman from among you wants to go to the masque, she should
not use perfume”. (Mu’atta and Muslim).
“Males should use that perfume which does not give color but has a
strong smell; and the females should use that perfume which gives color but has
a light smell”. (Abu-Daud).
Nudity
Islam has given such a correct and psychological interpretation of
the sense of modesty in respect of covering the shameful parts of man’s body as
has no parallel in any civilization. For instance, the men and women of the
most civilized nations in the world today do not feel any hesitation to uncover
any part of their bodies. For them the dress is a means of decoration and not
of covering of the nakedness. But from the Islamic point of view, covering of
the shameful parts is more important than mere decoration. Islam enjoins its
followers, both male and female, to cover all those parts of their bodies which
have attraction for the opposite sex. That is why nudity is an indecency which
can never be tolerated by the Islamic Haya. Not to speak of others, Islam does
not approve that even a husband and his wife should expose their shameful parts
before each other. The Holy Prophet says:
1. “When one of you goes to his wife; he should mind his shameful
parts. They should not both strip their clothes off their bodies and become
naked like donkeys”. (Ibn Majah).
2. Hazrat A’isha says that she never saw the Holy Prophet naked.
(Al-Tirmizi).
Over and above all this, the Islamic Haya does not approve that
one should strip oneself naked even when alone, for “Allah has a greater right
that one should observe Haya before Him”. (Al-Tirmizi).
The Holy Prophet says:
“Mind, you never be naked, for you are being attended by the
angels of God who never leave you alone, except at the time when you have to
attend to the call of nature or when you to your wives. Therefore, you should feel
ashamed of them and have regard for them”. (Al-Tirmizi).
According to Islam, the dress which shows the body and reveals the
shameful parts is no dress at all. The Holy Prophet said:
“Those women who remain naked even after wearing clothes, allure
others and are allured by others, and walk coquettishly with the head turned to
one side, will never enter paradise, nor even its scent”. (Muslim).
It is not possible to treat the subject in an exhaustive manner
here. A few instances that we have presented above are meant to give an idea of
the standard and spirit of Islamic morality. As must have become clear by now,
Islam aims to cleanse the society of al kinds of excitements that may lead to
indecency and obscenity. All these feelings arise from man’s inner self which
is the breeding place for the germs of indecency and obscenity and wherefrom
spring motives which though trivial on the surface lead to great iniquities in
the long run. The ignorant people regard them indeed and so overlook them, but
the wise know that they are indeed the real cause of all moral and social
ailments that afflict a civilization and bring it to ruin. Therefore, the moral
teaching of Islam aims to create a strong feeling of Haya in the inner self of
man himself with a view to enabling him to censor the doings of his self and
eradicate by his own will even its slightest inclination towards evil.
PUNITIVE LAWS
The basic principle of the punitive law of Islam is that unless a
person practically commits a crime leading to disruption of the social system,
he should not be proceeded against legally. But when he has actually committed
such a crime, it is not proper and advisable to make him a habitual offender by
awarding light punishments. Therefore, on the one hand, the Islamic Law requires
extremely strict conditions5 for establishing the crime so as to protect people
against its application.i But on the other, as soon as the crime established,
it inflicts such a heavy punishment on the culprit as not only disables him to
repeat the crime and not to encourage the people instead to commit crimes and
go on receiving punishments over and over again.
5 In the Islamic Law of Evidence, conditions to establish the
crime are on the whole very strict, but the conditions required to establish
fornication are the strictest. To establish this crime, the Law requires at
least four witnesses as against two in the case of all other crimes.
Punishment
for Fornication
As pointed out above, fornication is morally the most heinous
crime that a person can commit. The one who commits it in fact proves that his
humanity has been overwhelmed by his animality, and he is not fit to live as a
virtuous member of the human society. From the social point of view, it is one
of those horrible crimes which cut at the very root of human civilization.
Therefore, Islam has held fornication as a punishable offence for its own sake,
whether it is accompanied by some other offence as the use of violence or
encroachment upon somebody else’s legal rights, or not.
The Qur’an says:
“The fornicators shall each be given a hundred lashes, and let not
compassion for them keep you from carrying out the sentence of the Divine Law,
if you truly believe in Allah and the Last Day. And let a number of the Muslims
witness their chastisement”. (24: 2)
In this matter, the Islamic Law differs radically from the Western
law. The Western law does not hold fornication by itself as a crime; it becomes
a crime only when it is committed forcibly, or with a married woman. In other
words, according to the Western law fornication by itself is no crime; the real
crime is rape, or the act of encroachment on the rights of the husband. In
contrast to this, the Islamic Law looks upon fornication by itself as a crime,
and regards rape or the act of encroachment as additional crimes. This basic
difference between view-points of the two systems of law gives rise to the
difference in the punishment of the offence. In case of rape, the Western law
rests content with the sentence of imprisonment only; in case of fornication
with a married woman it requires the fornicator to pay compensation to the
husband. This punishment cannot act as a deterrent; it rather encourages the
people. That is why fornication is on the increase in the countries where this
law is in force. In contrast to this, the Islamic Law punishes fornication and
adultery so severely that the society is automatically cleansed of this crime
for a long time. That is why it has never become common in the countries where
the Islamic punishment for it is inflicted. Once the Shari’ah punishment is
carried out, it so terrible the whole population that no one can dare commit it
for years to come. In a way it performs a psychological operation on the minds
of those having criminal tendencies, and this reforms them automatically.
The Western people abhor the infliction of a hundred lashes. This
is not because they dislike the idea of physical torture. It is because their
moral sense has not yet fully developed. At first they regarded fornication as
something indecent; now they look upon it as a fun, as a pastime, which amuses
two persons for a little while. Therefore, they want that the law should
tolerate this act, and should not regard it seriously unless the fornicator
encroaches upon somebody else’s freedom or legal rights. Even in case of such
an encroachment they regard it as a crime affecting the rights of one person
only. Hence, they think that a light sentence or payment of compensation is
sufficient punishment for the crime.
Obviously, a person who holds such a view about fornication will
look upon a hundred lashes for it is as a cruel punishment. But if his moral
and social sense had developed, he would realize that fornication, whether it
is committed with willingness or force, and whether with a married woman or
with an unmarried one, is in each case a social crime that affects the whole
society. This will nautrally make him modify his view about punishment, so that
the society is saved from the ill-effects of fornication. He will have to admit
that since the motives leading to fornication lie deep in the animal nature of
man and since they cannot be eradicated by mere imprisonment or inflicting of
penalties, strict measure have to be adopted for their complete eradication.
For it is better to subject one or a couple of persons to severe physical
torture for the purpose of safeguarding hundreds of thousands of people against
countless moral and sociological evils than to inflict light punishments on the
criminals and so jeopardize the well-being of not only the society but also of
the coming generations.
There is another reason for regarding the implication of a hundred
lashes as cruel. As pointed out above, the Western civilization emerged as a
result of the urge of favoring the individual against the society, and it has
been built up on an exaggerated notion of the rights of the individual.
Therefore, even if an individual harms the society to his heart’s content, the
Western people do not feel ill at ease; they rather put up with it willingly in
most cases. But when the individual is proceeded against with a view to
protecting the rights of society, the shudder with horror and all their
sympathies go with the individual as against society. Moreover, like all
ignorant people, the Western people also have the special characteristic of
regarding feelings as more important than reason. Therefore, when they see the
individual, as a particular case, being severely dealt with, they feel outraged
at the sight of his suffering. But they do not seem to comprehend the far-reaching
consequences of the damage that is done to society and the coming generations,
too.
Punishment
for Calumny
The evil caused by calumny is similar to that caused by
fornication itself. Accusing a lady of fornication not only damages her
reputation but also it creates bad blood between the families. It renders
parentage doubtful, spoils conjugal relations and ruins the mental peace of
scores of other people also for years to come. Therefore, the Qur’an has
enjoined severe punishment for this offence as well:
“As for those who accuse virtuous women (of fornication) and then
do not bring four witnesses as a proof thereof, give them each eighty lashes,
and do not accept their evidence in future: they themselves are the
fornicators”. (24: 4).
Social system of Islam-III
PREVENTIVE MEASURES
Thus, on the one hand, the punitive law of Islam curbs fornication
and adultery by force, and on the other, it protects the righteous element of
against calumny. Whereas the moral teachings of Islam cleanse man from within
so that he does not feel inclined towards sin, its punitive law regulates his
external behavior so that in case his moral training remained defective, his
evil inclination taking practical shape may be suppressed by force. Besides
these, certain other measures have also been adopted to reform the self. These
measures have been so employed in reforming the social system that the
weaknesses of the individual on account of his defective moral training may not
develop into practical action. They aim to create a social environment that is
unfavorable for the development of evil inclinations and emotional
disturbances. Thus they help to weaken factors leading to sexual anarchy and
eradicate all forms of indecency that might land the social system in
confusion.
Now we shall consider these measures one by one and deal with them
at length.
Injunctions
for clothing and covering of nakedness
In this regard, Islam has first of all eradicated nudity and
specified shameful parts which the males and the females have to cover. As
regards dress, the conduct of the so-called civilized nations of today is not
any different from that of the Arabs of the pre-Islamic period. The Arabs would
freely strip themselves naked before each other.6 Even while having bath and
attending to the call of nature they did not bother to have a covering. So much
so that they performed ceremony of moving round Ka’aba in a naked state, and
considered as an essential part of the worship.7 More than that women the woman
would perform this ceremony in perfect nakedness.8 The dress they wore was such
as left a part of their breasts, arms, back and shins uncovered.9 Almost
similar of the conditions prevalent in Europe, America and Japan in respect of
dress these days. In the Eastern countries also there is no other social system
which may have specified the bounds of nakedness. Islam alone taught man the
first lessons of civilization in this regard. The Quran says:
6 According to Hadis, Hazrat Miswar bi Makhramah was carrying a
stone towards the Holy Prophet when the garment covering lower part of his body
fell down on the way. He did not care and carried on with the load. When the
Holy Prophet saw him he told him to go back and cover his body and refrain from
moving naked in the future. (Muslim).
7 Ibn Abbas, Mujahid, ta’us and zzuhri have related that people
used to perform the ceremony of moving round Ka’abah in the naked state.
8 This custom has been described in the collection of Hadis by
Muslim. A woman would move round the Ka’abah in a naked state, and then would
say to those present, “who will give me a garment with which I may cover my
body?” to meet such a request from a woman considered to be an act of charity.
9 See tafseer e kabir commentary on v, 31 of sura an Nur.
“O children of Adam! We have sent to you clothing in order to
cover the shameful parts of your body, and to serve as protection and
decoration. (7: 26).
According to this verse, covering the body has been made
obligatory for every male and female. The Holy prophet gave strict orders to
the effect that no person should appear naked before any other person.
1. Accused is the one who casts a look at the shameful parts of
his brother. (Ahkam al Quran by al jassas)
2. No man should look at a naked man and no woman should look at a
naked woman. (Muslim).
3. By God it is better for me to be dropped from the skies and
torn in two than that I should look at the shameful parts of somebody or that
somebody look at my shameful parts. (Al Mabsut).
4. Beware, never strip yourself of clothes, for with you is the
One Who never leaves you alone, except at the time when you attend to the call
of the nature or have intercourse. (Al-Tirmizi).
5. When one of you goes to his wife, he should cover his nakedness
even at that time; he should not make himself naked like donkeys: (Ibn Majah).
According to another tradition, once the Holy Prophet went to the
pasture meant for the camels of Zakat, and saw that the camel- herd was lying
naked on the ground. The Holy Prophet ordered his removal forthwith, and said:
“We have no use for a person who is shameless”
Boundaries
of Satar ( ستر ) for males
Besides these general instructions, Islam has also specified those
parts of the body which the males and the females must cover. Such a part as is
obligatory to cover is termed as satar by the Shari’ah. For the males, the
satar is the part of body between the navel and the knee, and it has been
enjoined that one should neither uncover this part before another person, not
should one look at this part of anybody else:
1. “Whatever is above the knee should be covered, and whatever is
below the navel should be covered” (Darqutni).
2. “The male should cover that part of his body which is between
the navel and the knee”. (Al-Mabsut)
3. Hazrat ‘Ali bin Abi Talib has reported that the Holy Prophet
said: “Do not uncover your thigh before another person, not look at the thigh
of a living or a dead person”. (Tafsir e Kabir).
This is the general command which excludes none but the wives. The
Holy Prophet says:
“Guard your satar from all except your wives and your slavegirls”.
(Ahkam-al-Quran, vol. III, p. 37).
Boundaries
of Satar for Females
The bounds of satar for the females are wider. They have been
enjoined to cover their whole body except the face and the hands from all
people, including father, brother and all male relatives, and excluding none
but the husband. The Holy Prophet said:
1. “It is not lawful for any woman who believes in Allah and the
last Day that she should uncover her hand more than this —and then he placed
his hand on his wrist joint. (Ibn Jabir).
2. “When a woman attains maturity no part of her body should
remain uncovered except her face and the hand up to the wrist.”. (Abu Daud).
3. Hazrat Aisheh says that she appeared before her nephew,
Abdullah bin Al Tufail, with decorations. The Holy prophet did not approve it.
I said, “O Prophet of Allah, he is my nephew”. The Holy Prophet replied: “when
a woman attains maturity it is not lawful for her to uncover any part of her body except the
face and this” – and then he put his hand on his wrist joint so as to leave
only a little space between the place he gripped and the palm. (Ibn Majah).
4. Hazrat Asma’, daughter of Abu Bakr, who was the Holy Prophet’s
sister-in-law, came before him in thin dress that showed her body, the Holy
Prophet turned his eyes away and said: “O Asma, when a woman attains maturity,
it is not lawful that any part of her body be seen, except this and this”—and
then he pointed to his face and the palms of his hands. (Takmilah,
Fath-al-Qadir).
5. Hafsah, daughter of Addul Rahman, came before Hazrat Aisha and
she was wearing a thin wrapper over her head and soulders. Hazrat Aisha tore it
up to pieces and put a thick wrapper over her. (Muatta, Imam Malik).
6. The Holy Prophet said: “Allah has cursed those women who wear
clothes and still remain naked”.
7. Hazrat Umar says “Do not clothe your women in such clothes as
are tight fitting and reveal all the outlines of the body”. (Al-Mabsut).
All these conditions show that except for the face and the hands
the whole female body is included in satar which a wman must conceal in her
house even from the nearest relatives. She cannot expose her satar before
anybody including her father, brother or nephew, except her husband, and she
cannot wear a dress that shows her satar.
All the commandments in this regard are meant for the young women.
They become applicable as soon as a woman attains maturity and remain in force
for her until she losese all sexual attraction. At this age the severity of
commandments is also relaxed.
The Quran says:
There is no harm if the old women who have no hope of marriage lay
aside their over-garments, provided that they do not mean to display their
decoration. But if they abstain from this, it is better for them…” ;(24: 59).
The Holy Prophet said: “Protect the Muslims as far as possible
against the application of the Law. Let the culprit off if he can possibly be
let off. For the imam’s making a mistake in forgiving is better than his making
a mistake in applying the Law”. (Al-Tirmizi).
Here the reason for relaxation has been clearly mentioned. “…who
have no hope of marriage” implies the age at which sexual inclinations die out,
and sexual attraction also disappears. Nevertheless, the condition that “they
do not mean to display their decoration” has been imposed as a safeguard. That
is, if an old woman has a sexual desire hidden in her heart, it is not lawful
only for those old women whose advanced age has rendered them careless of the
restrictions of the dress, and who cannot possibly be looked at except with
respect and reverence. Such women are allowed to go about in their houses
without the over-garment.
Regulations
for Entrance
The next restriction imposed by Islam is that the male members are
forbidden to enter the house without alerting the female members, so that they
do not see them in a condition in which they should not normally see them. The
Quran enjoins:
“When your children attain puberty, they should ask leave before
entering the house, just as their elders asked it before them…” (24: 58).
Here the reason for the commandment has also been stated. The need
to ask permission arises at the age of puberty, when the feeling of sex becomes
active. It is not, therefore, necessary to ask permission before attaining this
age. Besides this, the other people also have been prohibited to enter anybody
else’s house without permission:
“O Believers, do not enter houses other than your own, until you
have taken permission; and when you enter a house, greet the people therein
with salutation…” (24: 27).
The object is to demarcate the house from the outside world, so
that men and women may live in peace inside the house against the gaze of other
people. At first the Arabs could not grasp the real significance of these
commands; therefore, they would often peep into houses from outside. Once the
Holy Prophet was present in his room, when a person peeped through the lattice.
The Prophet said:
“If I had known that you are peeping, I would have thrust
something into your eye. The command to ask permission has been given to
safeguard people against the (evil) look.” (Al- Bukhari).
Then the Holy Prophet publicly announced:
“If a person peeps into somebody’s house without permission, the
people of the house will be justified if they injure his eye.” (Muslim).
Then the people were taught if they had to ask for something from
somebody else’s house, they should not straightaway enter the house, but should
ask for it from outside from behind a covering.
“…and when you ask women for an article, ask for it from behind a
curtain; this is a purer way for your hearts and for theirs…” (33: 53)
Here also the object of imposing the restriction has been stated
in these words: “…this is a purer way for your hearts and theirs”. The aim is
to safeguard the males and the females against sexual inclination and
excitement by keeping them at safe distances, so that they do not grow too
intimate and free with each other.
These commandments are meant not only for the other people but
also for the servants of the house. Once Hazrat Bilal or Hazrat Anas asked
Hazrat Fatima, daughter of the Holy Prophet, to hand him her child. She Handed
it by stretching her hand from behind a curtain. (Fath-al-Qadeer), whereas both
these gentlemen were the personal attendants of the Holy Prophet and lived with
him like the other people of his house.
PROHIBITION
OF TOUCHING OR HAVING PRIVACY WITH WOMEN
The third restriction is that a man, other than the husband, is
neither allowed to have privacy with a woman, nor is he allowed to touch any
part of the body, no matter how closely is he related to her. According to ‘Uqbah
bin Amir, the Holy Prophet said:
1. “Beware that you do not call on women in privacy”. One of the
Ansar asked, “O Apostle of Allah, what about the younger or the elder brother
of the husband?” The Holy Prophet said, “He is death!” (Al-Thirmizi, Al-Bukhari
and Muslim).
2. “Do not call on women in the absence of their husbands, because
Satan might be circulating in any one of you like blood”. (Al-Tirmizi).
3. “According to Amr bin As, the Holy Prophet fobade men to call
on women without permission of the husbands”. (Al- Tirmizi).
4. “From this day no man is allowed to call on a woman in the
absence of her husband, unless he is accompanied by one or two other men.”
(Muslim).
Likewise, the prohibition of touching the body of a woman:
1. The Holy Prophet said: “The one who touches the hand of a woman
without having a lawful relation with her, will have an ember placed on his
palm on the Day of Judgement”. (Takmilah, Fath-al-Qadir).
2. Hazrat Aish says that the Holy Prophet accepted the oath of
allegiance from women only verbally without taking their hand into his own
hand. He never touched the hand of a woman who was not married to him.
(Al-Bukhari).
3. Omainah, daughter of Roqaiah, says that she went to take the
oath of allegiance. He made them promise that they would abstain from idolatry,
stealing, adultery, slander and disobedience to the Prophet. When they had
taken the oath, they requested him to take their hand as a mark of allegiance.
The Holy Prophet said: “I do not take the hand of women. Verbal agreement is
enough”. (Nasai, Ibn Majah).
These commandments apply in respect of the young women. It is
lawful to sit with the women of advanced age in privacy and touching them also
not prohibited. It has been reported that Hazrat Abu Bakr used to visit the clan
where he had been suckled and shook hands with the old women. It has been
reported about Hazrat Abdullah bin Zubair that he used to have his feet and
head pressed gently for relief by an old woman. This distinction between the
old and the young women itself points out that the real object is to prevent
such mixing of the sexes together as may lead to evil results.
DISTICTION
BETWEEN MAHRAM AND NON MAHRAM MALES
These commandments apply to all men, whether mahram or non-mahram
other than the husband. The woman not allowed to uncover her satar before any
of them, just as the man is not allowed to uncover his satar before anybody.
All males have to enter the house with the permission and none of them is
allowed to sit with a woman in privacy or touch her body. (there is, however, a
difference in the matter of touching the body of a woman between the mahram and
the non-mahram males. A brother, for instance, can give his sister a hand in
getting on or off a conveyance. obviously, a non-mahram male cannot be allowed
to do that. when the Holy Prophet returned from a journey, he would embrace
Hazrat Fatimah, his daughter, and kiss her head. similarly, Hazrat Abu Bakr
used to kiss the head of his daughter, Hazrat Aisha.
The Islam has made distinction between the mahram and the
not-mahram males. The Quran and Hadith clearly point out the limits of freedom
and intimacy of relationship that can be had with the mahram males only, but
not with the non- mahram males in any case. This is what has commonly been
described as P
COMMANDMENTS OF PURDAH
The verse of the Quran that enjoin Purdah are translated as
follows:
“(O Prophet), tell the believing men to restrain their eyes (from
looking at the other women) and guard their shameful parts; this is a purer way
for them; surely, Allah knows full well what they do. And (O Prophet), tell the
believing women to restrain their eyes (from looking at the other men) and
guard their shameful parts, and not to display their decoration except what is
unavoidable. They should draw their over- garments close on to their breasts,
and should not display their decoration except before their husbands, fathers,
father- in-law, sons, step-sons, brothers, nephews (sons of brothers and
sisters), their own women, male attendants lacking sexual urges, or boys who
are not yet conscious of the feminine secrets. Moreover (tell them that) they
should not stamp the ground in walking so as to reveal their hidden decoration
(ornaments, etc.., by their jingle) …. (24: 30-31).
..O wives of the Prophet, of course you are not like other women;
if you are God fearing, do not talk in a soft voice, lest the man of the
unhealthy heart should cherish false hopes from you. If you have to speak (to
the other men), speak in an unaffected manner, (as ordinary people do). And
remain in your houses, and do not go about displaying your fineries as women
used to do in the days of ignorance….” (33: 32-33). “O Prophet, enjoin your
wives and daughters and the women of the Muslims to let down over them a part
of their outer garments; it is expected that they will be recognized, and thus
not molested …. (33: 59).
Now let us consider these carefully. On the one hand, men have
been instructed only to restrain their eyes and guard their morals against
indecency. On the other hand, women have not only been enjoined like men to
observe commands but they have been given some additional instructions also for
observance in social life. This clearly shows that for the protection of their
morals it is not enough for the women to “restrain their eyes” and “guard their
shameful parts” only but they have to obey some other laws also. Now we should
see how the Holy Prophet and his Companions enforced their brief instructions
in the Islamic Social System, and how their sayings and actions explain and illustrate
the meaning of these instructions in the actual practical life.
RESTAINING
THE EYES
The first Command that the males and the females have been given
is to observe Ghadd-i-Basar ( غص بصر ), which means “restraining the
eyes” in the literal sense. But this does not clarify fully the meaning of the
original. The Divine
Commandment does not mean that the people should always cast down
their looks and should never look up, but it aims to warn them to beware of the
adultery of the eyes as pointed out in the Hadith above. Enjoying the beauty
and decoration of the other women by men and making evil results. Mischief
always starts like this. Therefore, this way has been closed first of all, and
this is what is meant by Ghadd-i-Basar.
Obviously, a man who lives in this world with his eyes open will
see each and every thing. It is not possible that a man will never see a woman
or that a woman will never see a man. That is why the Law-Giver has absolved
from blame the first chance look. But what has been prohibited is that one
should cast a second look and stare at the face which one finds attractive at
first sight. The instruction is this regard is as follows:
1. Hazrat jarir says, “I asked the Holy Prophet what I should do
if I happen to cast a look by chance”. The Holy Prophet replied, “Turn your
eyes away”. (Abu Daud)
2. According to Hazrat Buraidah, the Holy Prophet told Hazrat Ali
not to cast a second look, for the first look was pardonable but the second was
prohibited. (Abu Daud).
3. “On the Day of Judgment, molten lead will be poured into the
eyes of the man who looks at the charms of a woman lustfully”. (Takmilah,
Fath-al-Qadir).
But sometimes one has to have a look at the other woman, e.g., a
female patient who may be under the treatment of a doctor, or a woman who has
to appear before a judge as a witness or as a party. Then one may have to help
a woman who is left in a burning place, or a woman who is drowning in water, or
a woman whose life or honor is in danger. In such cases, even the shameful
parts can be seen required, and the body can also be touched. So much so that
it is not only lawful but obligatory to rescue a drowning or a burning women
even by carrying her in one’s lap. The Law- giver commands that as far as
possible one should keep one’s intention pure at such an occasion. But if in
spite of that one’s emotions are a little exited naturally, it is not sinful.
For one’s looking at the other woman and having contact with her body was not
intentional, but was necessitated by circumstances, and it is not possible for
a man to suppress his natural urges completely. (for further details, please
see explanatory notes on v. 30 of Surah An-Nur (24) in the Commentary by Iman
Razi: Ahkam-al-Quran by al-Jassas. And al-Mabsut, Kitab-al- Ihsan).
Likewise, it is not only lawful to have a look at a woman before
marriage but this has been enjoined by the Shari’ah. The Holy Prophet himself
had a look at a woman for this purpose.
1. Mughirah bin Shabah says, “I sent a message to a woman asking
for her hand. The Holy Prophet said to me, “Have a look at her, for that will
enhance love and mutual regard between you”. (Al-Tirmizi).
2. According to Sahl bin Sad, a woman came to Holy Prophet and
said that she intended to offer herself in marriage to him. Hearing this, the
Holy Prophet raised his eyes and looked at her. (Al-Bukhari).
3. Abu Hurairah says that he was sitting with the Holy Prophet
when a man came and said that he intended to marry a woman from among the Ansar
(Muslims of Madinah). The Holy Prophet asked him if he had seen her. He replied
in the negative. The Holy Prophet told him to go and have a look at her,
because the Ansar had generally some defect in their eyes. (Muslim).
4. According to Jabir bin Abdullah, the Holy Prophet said that
when a man sent a message to a woman asking for her hand, he should have a look
at her to see if there was anything in her which made him inclined to marry
her. (Abu-Daud).
If one considers these exceptions carefully, one will find that
the Law-giver does not mean to prohibit at all having a look at the other
women, but his real object is to prevent the incidence of evil results. That is
why he has prohibited only that easting of the eyes which is not necessary,
which does not serve any social purpose, but is charged with sexual motives
instead.
This command applies both to the males and to the females.
According to a Hadith related by Hazrat Umm Salamah, one day she was sitting
with the Holy Prophet along with Hazrat Maimunah (Hazrat Aisha according to
another report) when Hazrat Ibn Umm Maktum, who was a blind man, called on the
Holy Prophet. The Holy Prophet told them to observe Purdah from him. Hazrat Umm
Salama said, “Is he not a blind man? Neither will he see us, nor recognize us”.
The Holy Prophet said, “Are you also blind? Do you not see him?” (al-Tirmizi).
There is however, a fine psychological distinction between a
woman’s looking at men and a man’s looking at women. The man is by nature
aggressive. If a thing appeals to him, he is urged from within to acquire it.
On the contrary, the woman’s nature is one of inhibition and escape. Unless her
nature is totally corrupted, she can never become so aggressive, bold and
fearless as to make the first advances towards the male who has attracted her.
In view of this distinction, the Law- giver does not regard the woman’s looking
at the other men to be as harmful as the man’s looking at the other women.in
several Traditions it has been reported that the Holy Prophet had himself shown
Hazrat Aisha the performance given by the Negroes on the Id occasion. (this
Tradition has been related in the Collections by Bukhari, Muslim, Nasai and
Ahmed in different waysl some people have tried to explain the difference by saying
that the event took place most, probably during the childhood of Hazrat Aisha
whe the Commandments for Purdah had not yet been sent down. But according to
Ibn Hibban, this event took place in the year 7 A H, when a deputation from
Abyssinia had visited Madinah. If it is correct,
Hazrat Aisha was fifteen or sixteen years of age at this time.
Moreover, according to a report in Bukhari, the Holy Prophet tried to cover
Hazrat Aisha time and again with an over- garment. This shows that the
injunctions for Pardha had already been ordained.) this shows that it is not
prohibited absolutely for women to have a look at the other men. But what is
prohibited is to sit in the same gathering together with men and stare at them,
or look at them in a manner as may lead to evil results. The Holy Prophet told
Fatimah, daughter of Qais, to pass her waiting term (that is, the term during
which a widow or a divorced woman is not allowed to remarry. –Tr.) in the house
of Umm Sharik. The Holy Prophet did not approve of this for the reason that the
house was visited by many people. Therefore, he told her to stay in the house
of Ibn Umm Maktum who was a blind man and she could stay there without
observing Purdah. This shows that the real object before the Holy Prophet was
to reduce the chances of mischief. That is why the lady was disallowed to stay
in a house where the chances of possible mischief were greater but allowed to
stay in a house where they were less. And the lady had to stay somewhere. On
the contrary, where was no such need, the ladies were prohibited to sit in the
same place face to face with the other man.
All this is based on sound wisdom. The person who is capable of
penetrating to the core of the Shari’ah can easily understand the wisdom of the
Commandment of Gadd-al-basr and also the reasons for its rigidity and laxity in
different circumstances. The only object of the Law-giver is to stop the people
from casting the evil looks. Eyes are cast very innocently in the beginning and
this is appeared and supported very cleverly by the devil in man, who says,
“This is to satisfy your aesthetic taste which nature has endowed you with.
When you are allowed to enjoy other manifestations of the beauty of nature for
the sake of pure pleasure, why can’t you enjoy the human charms for the sake of
spiritual pleasure?” Thus, the devil in man spurs on the desire of seeking
pleasure to the limit that the aesthetic taste develops into a craving for
physical union. Who can dare deny the fact that all sexual evil that has been
caused primarily by the evil look? Who can claim that his emotional reaction on
seeing a charming young member of the opposite sex is the same as that caused
by a beautiful flower? If the opposite sex is the same as that caused by a
beautiful flower? If the two kinds of reactions are different, as they surely
are, and one of the two is more or less sexual in nature, how can one be
justified in demanding the same sort of freedom to gratify one’s aesthetic urge
in the one case as it exists in the other? The Law-giver does not mean to curb
man’s aesthetic urge. What he wants is that one should choose one’s partner
carefully according to one’s aesthetic craving. Then one may enjoy him or her
as much as one may please, for if one will make others the object of one’s attention
than that partner, one will involve oneself in indecency and obscenity. Even if
one remains immune from sexual promiscuity on account of one’s self-control or
other barriers, one can’t save oneself from corruption of thought. One will
waste most of one’s energies through the eyes: one will pollute one’s heart by
lamenting the chances one lost in the past to commit sins; one will get
involved time and again in false love and pass sleepless nights, dreaming of
love affairs; and most on one’s vitality will go waste in the throbbing and
excitement of the heart. Is it not a great loss? And is it not the result of
casting the evil look? That is why the Law-giver has instructed to restrain the
look from wandering. That is why casting of the look at a member of the
opposite sex without genuine need has been prohibited as it is likely to lead
to evil results. But if there is a genuine need or a social necessary, casting
of the look is lawful in spite of the likelihood of mischief. As for the female
however, the law is a bit flexible. She may look at a man even if there is no
genuine need, provided that there is no likelihood of mischief. In contrast to
this, a man is not allowed to look at a woman, unless of course, he casts a
chance look.
PROHIBITION
OF DISPLAY OF FINERIES
The command for restraining the eyes is for both males and
females. But there are a few more injunctions for women only. The first
injunction is that they should abstain from displaying their “decorations”
outside a restricted circle.
Before considering the object and details of this command, let us
first refresh our minds about the Divine injunctions with regard to clothing
and satar as explained above. The whole body of a woman, except the face and
the hands, is satar which she is not allowed to uncover even before her father,
uncle, brother, or son. More than that, it is not approved that a woman should
uncover her satar even before another woman. (just as it is unlawful for a man
to look at any part of a man’s body between the navel and the knee. So it is
unlawful for a woman to look at the same part of a woman’s body. Looking at the
other parts is disapproved, though not unlawful). Keeping this is in view, let
us consider the limits set to the display of decorations:
1. The woman has been allowed to display her decoration before her
husband, father, father-in-law, son, step-son, brother, and nephew (son of
sister).
2. She has also been allowed to display her decoration before her
slaves (but not before the slaves of others).
3. She may also appear with decoration before such men as are
under her control and command and can have no evil inclinations towards her.
(Hafiz Ibn Kathir explains this Command as follows:
“This means the laborers, servants and other suordinates who are
not the equal of the women of a house nor clever and cunning, but simple men
who do not cherish sexual desire for the women”. (Tafsir: Ibn Kathir, vol. III,
p. 285).
There can be two possible ways in which sexual desire may not be
cherished. First, one may have no sexual desire at all, as it is in the case of
men of advanced age, mentally deranged and feeble-minded men, or eunuchs by
birth. Secondly, one may have sexual urge and desire, but one may not be able
to cherish it for the women of the house where one is employed as a laborer or
servant, or which one visits for alms, due to one’s inferior status.
Thus, the Command will apply to both categories of men. But it
should be borne in mind that the men before whom the women of a house are
allowed to appear with decoration must necessarily be under the command and
control of that house, and they should not even think of cherishing sexual
desire for the women of the house. This is, however, the responsibility of the
governor of the house to see that the men who were confided in and allowed to
enter the house for them should be cancelled. In this connection, the most relevant
is of that eunuch whom the Holy Prophet had permitted to enter the houses, but
then, he not only cancelled his permission but also ordered him to leave Madinah.
This eunuch lived in Madinah and used to call on the wives of the Holy Prophet.
One day he was sitting in the house of Hazrat Umm Salamah and talking to her
brother, Hazrat Abdullah. In the meantime, the Holy Prophet came and as he
entered the house, he heard him say to Abdullah “If Taif taken tomorrow, I will
show you Badiah, daughter of Ghailan Thaqafi….” And then he gave minute details
of her body so as to allure the hearer. Hearing this, the Holy Prophet
remarked, “O enemy of God, it seems you have examined her too closely!” Then he
said to his wives, “I find that he is aware of the feminine secrets; he should
not, therefore, visit you anymore.” The Holy Prophet did not rest content with
this, but turned him out of Madinah and ordered him to stay at Baida. For he
found from the description he gave of the satar of the daughter of Ghailan that
because of his feminate nature women became as free with him as they would with
any of other women. And this furnished him with the opportunity of becoming
aware of the feminine secrets which he would describe before men in a manner as
could lead to evil consequences. (Bazl-al-Majhid: Kitab-al-Libas).
4. She may also display her decoration before such children as may
not yet developed sexual feelings, or, according to the Quran, “such boys as
may not yet aware of the feminine secrets”.
5. She is also permitted to appear with decoration before the
women with whom she has every day social relations. The words used in the Quran
imply such women as are noble of character, or have family or blood relations,
or are of equal rank. All other women besides these who may not be well- known,
or may be of doubtful character, or notorious on account of their evil ways,
are excluded from the permission, for contact with them easily lead to evil
results. That is why Hazrat ‘Umar wrote to Hazrat Abu Obaidah bil al-jarrah,
Governer of Syria, to prohibit the Muslim women from going to baths with the
women of the people of the Book. [Ibn jarir: Commentary on v. 31 of Surah
An-Nur).
This did not mean to create any religious distinction. It only
aimed at safeguarding the Muslim women against the influence of the women whose
moral and cultural background was not fully known, or if known to some extent,
it was objectionable from the Islamic point of view. However, the Muslim women
have been allowed to mix freely with those non-Muslim women who are noble of
character, chaste and well mannered.
If we consider these limits carefully, we can draw two conclusions:
First, the decoration that can be displayed in this restricted circle does not
include the female satar. It means the ornaments, decent clothing, use of
collyrium and henna, hairdos and all other decorations that women are by nature
fond of showing in their houses.
Second, this kind of decoration can either be displayed by a woman
before the males for whom she is permanently unlawful, or before those who lack
sexual desire, or those who are incapable of becoming a source of evil. That is
why permission has been restricted in the case of women to “their own women”,
in the case of men to those “lacking sexual urges”, and in the case of children
to those “who are not yet aware of the feminine secrets”. This shows that the
Law-giver means to restrict the display of decoration of emotional excitement
or sexual anarchy on account of the female charms and decorations.
Woman has been prohibited to display her fineries before all other
men, outside this circle. So much so that she is not allowed even to stamp the
ground in walking, lest her hidden decoration should be revealed by its jingle,
and thus attract attention. The decoration which she has been commanded to
conceal from the other men is the same which she has been allowed to display in
the above mentioned circle. The object is clear. That is, if women are allowed
to appear in full make-up freely before men who neither lack sexual desires,
nor are immune from sexual urges because of permanent unlawfulness, the
consequences warranted by human nature will inevitably follow. It cannot,
however, be claimed that such a display of fineries shall turn every woman into
a prostitute, not that every man shall become an adulterer. But, at the same
time nobody can deny that if women go about in full make-up and mix freely with
men, it is likely to result in countless open and secret moral and material
disadvantages for the society.
Today women in Europe and America are spending the major portion
of their own and their husband’s incomes on makeup and decoration, and the
rising expenditure on this account is becoming more and more unbearable. (in
connection with a recent exhibition of cosmetics, the experts stated that the
English women were spending about £20,000,000 and the American women about £
125,000,000 annually on decoration, and that 90% of women were fond of some
sort of makeup.) Is not this craze the gift of the lustful eyes that eagerly
wait to greet decorated ladkies in the bazars and streets, offices and social
gathering? The question is: Why is this craze for beautification among women
becoming more and more catching every day? —Most surely, it is due to the
feminine urge to win the approbation of men and to fascinate them. (the craze
for beautification among women is now costing them even their lives. Their
ideal is to become as light and slim as possible by avoiding to put on even an
ounce of extra flesh. Every girl endeavors to keep herself within the beauty
measurements set by experts for the shin, the thigh, the breast, etc, as if the
sole object of her life was to appear more and more attractive and appealing to
others. To achieve this object, she goes on a restricted diet and deprives
herself of the nourishing food. She lives only on lemon juice, bitter coffee
and other light refreshments, and uses such drugs without medical advice,
mostly against medical advice, as may render her slim. Many women have lost
their lives in the craze. In 1937, a famous actress of Budapest died suddenly
of heart failure, and soon after her tragic end three women met similar fate.
It was reported that these women were used to taking patent drugs for reducing
weight and lost their lives in the craze for “slimness”. Zabo, the famous
Hungarian singer, collapsed on the stage while performing before thousands of
audiences. She was in fact worried about her figure and had succeeded in
reducing herself by 60 lbs in two months’ time by artificial devices. This had
rendered her abnormally weak and she could not survive for long. Then came the
turn of actress Emola who reduced herself to an extent that she become a mental
case and had to be lodged in the asylum. Reports about well-known ladies are
published in the news- papers, but who can calculate the extent of damage being
done to health and life in every country every day in the craze for
beautification? Is it women’s emancipation or their servility? It is indeed on
account of this so-called emancipation that the female has become increasingly
servile to the monster of the male’s passion. It has rendered her so slavish as
to deprive her of freedom to eat, freedom to drink and freedom to care for
health. So much so that her sole object of life seems to be living or dying for
the sake of the man’s pleasure and enjoiment). But what for? Is it an innocent
urge? Does it not spring from the hidden sexual desires which crave for their
fulfilment outside their lawful, natural sphere by similar desires no the other
side? If one denies this, then one may perhaps have no hesitation to deny that
underneath a volcano over-shadowed by smoke there is always something called
lave forcing for an outlet. One may act and behave as one may please, but one
should not close one’s eyes to facts.
These facts are no longer hidden; they have become manifest and
their results are as clear as the sun. Even so they are acknowledged
consciously or unconsciously by everybody in daily life. Islam, however, checks
such trends and means to nip the mischief in the bud. That is why it looks with
concern upon the seemingly “innocent” display of decoration, which eventually
sends the whole society to its doom. According to a Hadith, “A woman who freely
mixes with the other people and shows off her decoration is without light and
virtue”. (Al- Tirmizi).
The Holy Qur’an prohibits the display of decoration by women
before the other people except what is unavoidable. People have tried to
exploit this exception to serve their own “theories”. But the difficulty is
that these words do not allow much scope for misinterpretation. What the
Law-giver means to say is that a woman should not display her decoration before
others on purpose, but she is not show off nor display one’s fineries before
others, not even by causing it to jingle in order to attract attention. On the
contrary should try one’s utmost to hide one’s fineries, but if in spite of
that some part of it remains uncovered, God will not take one to ask for it.
Obviously, the outer garments with which one hides one’s decoration will remain
uncovered. Similarly, one’s stature, physical build and figure cannot be
hidden. Then one many have sometimes to uncover one’s hand or a part of one’s
face for a genuine need. This is not prohibited, for it is not done with a
desire to show off. One cannot possibly avoid it. If a mean person draws
pleasure from it, he will suffer for his own evil intention. The woman who
performed her moral and social duty as well as she could be absolved from all
blame.
This is the correct meaning of the verse in question. Though the
commentators hold different views about its interpretation, yet all their
differences boil down to the meaning as explained above.
According to Ibn Masud, Ibrahim Nakh’I and Hasan Basri, the
external decoration implies those garments which the woman puts on to cover the
internal decoration, for instance, the over-garment or the veil.
According to Ibn Abbas, Mujahid, Ata, Ibn Umar, Anas, Zahhak, Saad
bin Jubair, Auzai and the Hanafite Imams, it means the face and the hand
including the articles meant for their decoration, for instance, henna, rings,
collyrium, etc.
Saad bin al-Musayyab hold that the face only is excepted and he is
supported in this view by Hasan Basri also in one of his sayings.
Hazrat Aishah opines that the face should be covered and holds
that the external decoration implies the hand, bangles, rings, etc.
Miswar bin Makhramah and Qatadah allow the uncovering of the hands
along with their decoration, but it appears that they only favour the
uncovering of the eyes and not the whole face. (All these saying have been
taken from the Commentary by Ibn Jarir and Ahkkam-al-Jassas).
If we consider these differences carefully, we shall find that
according to all these commentators, Allah has allowed the exposure of that
decoration which is unavoidable, or which one has to reveal for a genuine need.
On the contrary, no one has supported the view that the face and the hands
should be displayed on purpose. What they have tried to interpret according to
their lights and in view of the genuine needs of women is how far the face and
the hand may be displayed if so required, or what cannot be helped. Let us not
restrict “except what is unavoidable” to any of these conditions. A Muslim
woman who means to follow the Commands of Allah and His Prophet faithfully, and
who is also not prepared to get involved in a scandal, can herself decide
according to her own conditions and requirements whether she should cover or
uncover her face and hand, when and to what extent. In this regard, the
Law-giver has neither specified any laws nor is it wise and proper to devise
such laws in view of the different circumstances and conditions of the people.
A woman who is required by circumstances to go out and work will
have to uncover both her face and her hands at times. Such a woman is allowed
to do so as and when required by the occasion. On the contrary, the woman whose
circumstances are different is not allowed to do so intentionally, without a
genuine need.
Thus, according to the Law-giver, it is sinful to display anything
with a view to showing off one’s charms. But if something is displayed which is
unavoidable, it is not sinful. Moreover, if one is required to uncover any part
of one’s body under a genuine need, on is allowed to do so. Now the quest
arises: what is the Command about the face itself, irrespective of the
difference of circumstances? Does the Law-giver approve its uncovering or disapprove
it? May one uncover it only if required under inevitable circumstances, or is
it something which may not at all be hidden from anybody? Answers to these
questions have been given in v. 59 of Surah Al Ahzab (33).
COVERING
THE FACE
The above-mentioned verse says:
“O Prophet, enjoin your wives and daughters and the women of the
Muslims to let down over them a part of their outer garments; it is expected
that they will thus be recognized and not molested…...” (33: 59).
This verse especially enjoins the covering of the face. This may
be done either by drawing a part of the outer garment in front of the face, or
by a veil, or in some other way. The Qur’an says that when the Muslim women go
out thus covered, the will be considered as respectable women, and not as lewd
ones, and therefore nobody will think of molesting them.
All the commentators of the Qur’an have given this same meaning to
this verse. Hazrat Ibn Abbas, commenting on this verse, says:
“Allah has enjoined on the Muslim women that when they go out of
their houses under some necessity, they should cover their faces by drawing a
part of their outer-garments over their heads.” (Commentary by Ibn Jarir, vol.
XXII, p. 29).
Imam Muhammad bin Sirin asked Hazrat ‘Ubaidah bin Sufyan bin
al-Harith how one should follow and practice the Command of covering the face.
Hazrat ‘Ubaidah put on an outer-garment himself and gave a demonstration by
covering his forehead and nose by Ibn Jarir and Ahkam-al-Qur’an, vol. III, p.
457).
Allamah Ibn Jrir Tabari, commenting on this, expands it like this:
“O Prophet, enjoin your wives and daughters and the woman of the
Muslms that when they go out of their houses under some necessity, they should
refrain from wearing clothes like the slave-girls, leaving the head and the face
uncovered, but they should draw a part of their outer- garments in front of
their faces, so that no evil person may molest them, and all may know that they
are respectable women.” (Reference as quoted above). Allahmah Abu Bakr al-
Jassas says:
“This verse shows that the young woman while going out of the
house should hide her face from the other people, and cover herself up in such
a manner as may express modesty and chastity, so that the people with evil
intentions might not cherish false hopes from her.” (Ahkam-al-Qur’an, Vol. III,
p. 458).
Allahmah Neishapuri syas in his Gharaib-al-Qur’an:
“In the beginning of the Islamic era, women used to come out in
the shirt and the wrapper only as the women of the days of ignorance did, and
the dress of the respectable women was not any different from that of the women
of inferior status. Then they were enjoined to put on the outer- garments and
cover the head and the face so that might know that they were respectable
women, and not immodest ones”. (Ibn Jarir, Vol. XII, p. 32).
Imam Razi says:
“In the days of ignorance, women of the Arab nobility and the
slave-girls moved about freely and they were teased by the evil-doers. Allah
enjoined on the respectable women to cover themselves up with the
outer-garment, and said, “…it is expected that they will thus be recognized and
not molested”. This may have two meanings: first, they will be recognized as
respectable women from their dress, and will not be teased; second, it will be
known that they are not promiscuous. For the women who covers the face, though
it is not obligatory to cover it, cannot be expected to uncover her satar which
is obligatory to cover before the other person. Thus, who cannot be expected to
do anything indecent”. (Tafsir-i-Kabir, Vol. VI, p. 591).
Qazi Baidavi says:
“…to let down over them a part of their outer garments” means that
they should draw a part of their outer-garment in front of their face and cover
themselves up with the rest of it. “… it is expected that they will be
recognized….” Means that they will distinguished from the slave-girls and the
singers. “… and thus not molested” means that the people Baidavi, Vol. IV, p.
168).
These quotations clearly show that right from the time of the
Companions of the Holy Prophet down to the eight century (A. H.) the one and
the same meaning has been attached to this verse, that we have given above.
Then from the Traditions also we come to know that after the revelation of this
verse, Muslim women of that period had started wearing the veil, and the practice
of moving about with the uncovered face had been discarded. In Mu’atta and the
other Collections of Hadith by Abu Daud, Tirmizi, etc., it has been related
that the Holy Prophet had forbidden the women to wenr the veil over the face
and the gloves on the hands while in Ihram. (Seamless garment that is put on
during the Hajj days.) This clearly shows that during the blessed period of the
Holy Prophet, the veil and the gloves were in common use for covering the face
and the hands. Their use was forbidden only when a women was dressed for
pilgrimage. But this did not mean that women should make an open show of their
faces during course of Hajj. In fact, it aimed to prohibit them from making the
veil a part of the humble pilgrim’s dress as they usually made it. And we learn
from other Traditions that while in Ihram, the wives of the Holy Prophet and
the common Muslim women concealed their faces from the other people even
without the veil. According to Abu Daud, Hazrat Aishah says:
“We, the women, were with the Holy Prophet, in Ihram, and the
riders passed by us. So when they appeared before us, we drew our
outer-garments from the head in front of the face, and when they rode past us,
we uncovered our faces”.
According to Mu’attah of Imam Malik, Fatimah, daughter of Munzir,
says:
“We used to cover our faces with outer-garment while in Ihram.
Once Hazrat Asma’, a daughter Abu Bakr, was with us, but she did not prohibit
us from this, (that is, she did not say that the prohibition of wearing the
veil while in Ihram also applied to the covering of our faces during Hajj
days.)”.
According to a tradition related by Hazrat Aishah in Fath-
al-Bari, Kitab-al-Hajj.
“A women dressed in Ihram should draw her outer- garment over head
in front of her face”.
THE VEIL
A person who considers carefully the words of the Quranic verse,
their well-known and generally accepted meaning and the practice during the
time of the Holy Prophet, cannot dare deny the fact that the Islamic Shari’ah
enjoins on the woman to hide her face from the other people, and this has been
the practice of the Muslim women ever since the time of the Holy Prophet
himself. Though the veil has not been specified in the Qur’an, it is Quranic in
spirit. The Muslim women living at the time of the Holy Prophet to whom the
Qur’an was revealed had made it a regular part of their dress outside the
house, and even at that time it was called Niqab ( نقاب ), the veil.
Yes! This is the same “veil” which Europe loathes and detests, and
the very vision of which weighs heavily on the Western conscience, and which is
regarded as a mark of oppression, narrow-mindedness and barbarism. Yes, this is
the same thing that is mentioned first of all in pointing out the ignorance and
backwardness of an Eastern nation. So much so that when a person has to
describe the cultural and social advancement of an Eastern nation, the first
thing that he mentions with great satisfaction is that it has discarded the
“veil”. Now if the Muslim so feels, let him hang his head with shame. For it is
not something that was devised and adopted late; it was indeed devised by the
Qur’an itself and established by the Holy Prophet himself as a social custom.
But the mere hanging of the head will be of no avail. If the ostrich buries its
head in the sand, it cannot do away with the hunter. Likewise, even if the
Muslim hanged his head, he cannot cancel the Quranic verse, not with
misinterpretation, this “shameful blot” will become all the more glaring. When
under the influence of “Westernism”, he has begun to look upon it as something
shameful, the only honorable course for him will be to discard
Islam itself which enjoins the covering of the face with such
“loathsome” a thing as the veil. People enamored of “progress” and
“civilization” cannot sincerely follow a religion that prohibits the
respectable women from becoming society women, which inculcates Haya, modesty
and chastity, and which forbids the queen of the house to become the “object of
“progress” and “civilization” cannot be achieved unless the woman can spare a
couple of hours every time she wants to move out of the house and applies
herself exclusively to self- decoration and make-up by perfuming her body,
putting on highly attractive matching clothes, enhancing the glamour of the
face and arms, using lip-stick and other beauty aids, and setting her eye-brows
and blackening her eye-lids, so that when she goes out thus equipped she may bewitch
all and sundry.
As we have repeatedly pointed out above, the objectives of Islam
and Western civilization are poles apart. Therefore, the person who interprets
the Islamic injunctions from the Western point of view commits a blunder, for
the Western criterion of judging the value of things is radically opposed to
that adopted by Islam. The things which are held as highly important and
valuable in the West are indeed of little or no value in the eyes of Islam, and
vice versa. Thus the person who believe in the Western criterion will feel that
every Islamic thing needs to be altered and modernized. That is why, when he
begins to interpret the injunctions of Islam, he distorts them. And even after
their distortion he is not able to apply them properly to life as he is
obstructed time and again by the clear injections of the Qur’an and Sunnah.
Therefore, the proper thing for such a person to do would be that before he
considers the practical measures, he should examine how far the objectives
themselves for the realization of which these measures have been devised are
acceptable. For if he does not agree with the objectives, why should he take
the trouble of discussing, and then distorting, the means of realizing them?
Why should not one discard the religion itself whose objectives one does not
believe in? if, however, one believes in the objectives, the only thing that
remains to be decided is whether the practical measures devised to realize them
are suitable or not, and this is by no means a difficult thing to decide. But
such an approach can be adopted only by the honest, sincere people. As for the
hypocrites, they are the meanest and most wretched of all God’s creation. It
suits them to declare that they believe in one thing, whereas they actually
believe in something quite different.
Indeed, all the disputes about the veil spring from this
hypocrisy. People have tried their very best to prove that the present form of
Purdah was a custom of the pre-Islamic communities, and that the Muslims
adopted this custom of ignorance long after the time of the Holy Prophet. The
question is; Where was the necessity of carrying out this historical research
in the presence of a clear verse of the Qur’an, the established practice of the
time of the Holy Prophet, and explanations given by the Companions and their
pupils? Objectives this trouble was taken in order to justify the objectives of
life prevalent in the West. For without this, it was not possible to advocate
the Western concepts of “progress” and “civilization” that have got deeply
fixed in the minds. Since wearing of the veil runs counter to these objectives
and does not in any way fit in with the Western concepts, efforts were made by
means of historical research to blot out the tradition that is based on the clear
laws of Islam. This open hypocrisy that had already been shown in the case of
many other problems has again been shown in the matter of the veil as well. It
is again due to the same unprincipled behavior, bankruptcy of reason and the
lack of moral courage that these people have dared to refute the Qur’an by
their so-called historical research, despite their profession of Islam. Had
they been honest and sincere, they would either have discarded their concepts
in favor of Islam (provided that they wanted to remain Muslims), or they would
have openly discarded Islam which prevents them from making “progress”.
The person who understands the aims of the Islamic law and also
has some common sense cannot fail to see that following women the freedom to
move about with uncovered faces runs counter to the objectives held so dear by
Islam. The face is the most impressive thing in the human body. It is the index
of the natural human charms, the most attractive part and the one possessing
great sex appeal for others. To understand this one does not require any
extensive knowledge of psychology. If one searches one’s own heart, asks for
the verdict of one’s own eyes, and analyses one’s own psychic experiences, one
will have to admit (provided that one is not hypercritical) that of all
decorations of the body, the natural charm placed by the Creator in the
structure of the face has the greatest sex appeal. That is why if one has to
marry a girl, one desires to see her face, if nothing else. If one is shown the
whole figure of a girl but not her face, on is not satisfied. This shows that
the beauty of the face is by far the most important thing in the human body.
Now that this fact has been established, let us proceed further.
It is not intended to prevent sexual anarchy and emotional dispersion in the
society, then the female should have the freedom to expose the breasts, the
arms, the shins and the thighs, besides the face, as in the modern Western
civilization. In this case, all those restrictions and limits which have been
imposed by the Islamic Law of Pardah will be out of the question. But if, on
the other hand, the object is to curb indecency and obscenity then nothing can
be more unreasonable than to close all the minor ways to indecency but to fling
the main gate wide open.
One may ask: Why has then Islam allowed uncovering of the face
under genuine need? The reply is that the law of Islam is not a one-sided,
irrational law. On the one hand, it safeguards the morals of man; on the other,
it takes into account his genuine needs also, and thus strike a balance between
the two sides of life. It intends to eradicate immorality, but at the same time
it does not restrain a person from satisfying his genuine needs. That is why it
has not given the women an absolute command in respect of covering the face as
in respect of covering the satar and hiding the decoration, because this does
not restrain her from attending to the needs of life. Therefore, it was
enjoined on the woman to cover the face with the veil, and this command has
been relaxed by the exception “except what is unavoidable”, so that she may
uncover the face if required under necessity, provided that she does not mean
to display her charms. Then, on the other side, men were enjoined to “restrain
their eyes”, so that if a modest woman uncovered her face under necessity, they
would cast their looks down and refrain from stating at her in an indecent way.
If one carefully considers these injunctions for Purdah, one will
find that the Islamic Purdah is not a custom of ignorance, but it is a rational
law. A custom of ignorance is something rigid: it does not permit of
modification or change under any circumstances. If it covers a thing, it covers
it forever, and it cannot be uncovered whatever may happen. It contrasts to this;
a rational law is flexible. It permits of exceptions in its rules according to
the time and occasion. Such a law cannot be followed blindly: it demands
discrimination. A sensible follower can decide for himself where he should obey
the general rule and where under the law he is allowed to avail himself of the
exceptions in views of “genuine needs”. Then he himself can settle the
question: How far in a particular situation can he make use of the exception
and how can he keep in view the object Believer alone can be true judge, as has
been said by the Holy Prophet:
“Ask for the verdict of your conscience and discard what pricks
it”.
That is why Islam cannot be property followed without knowledge.
It is a rational law, and to follow it rightly one needs to exercise and
understanding at every step.
DIVINE LAWS FOR THE MOVEMENTS OF WOMEN
After fixing the bounds for satar and clothing, the final
Commandment given to women is:
1. “….and remain in your houses, and do not go about displaying
your fineries as women used to do in the days of ignorance….” (33:33)
2. “…. they should not stamp the ground in walking so as to reveal
their hidden decoration (ornaments, etc. by their jingle) …...” (24: 31)
“…. Do not talk in a soft voice, lest the man of the unhealthy
heart should cherish false hopes from you …. “. (33: 32).
Due to the variant readings of the word ( قرن ) (qarna) in the first-quoted verse,
the two different renderings will be as follows:
“Stay in or stick to your houses”.
“Remain in your houses with dignity and peace”.
Tabarruj ( تبرج ) has two
meanings:
1 to display decoration and charms, and
2 to walk in a coquettish manner displaying the charms of gait.
The verse implies both these meanings. In the pro-Islamic days of
ignorance, woman used to come out fully decorated as they are coming out now in
the modern age of ignorance. Then the gait adopted by them was such as allured
the hearts of onlookers. Qatadah, who was a follower of the Companions, and a
famous commentator of the Qur’an says:
“Their gait was coquettish; therefore, Allah forbade them to walk
in that manner”.
And one need not to go back to history in search of this picture.
One has only to visit a place frequented by women clad in the Western style,
and one will witness the “coquettish gait” of the Pre-Islamic days of
ignorance. Islam forbids this. It says that the real place for the woman is the
house and she has been exempted from the outdoor duties so that she may lead a
dignified and peaceful life at home and carry out her domestic responsibilities
efficiently. She has, however, been allowed to go out of the house to fulfil
her genuine needs, but while going out she must observe complete modesty.
Neither should she wear glamorous clothes that attract attention, nor should
she cherish the desire to display the charms of the face and the hand, nor
should she walk in a manner as may invite the attention of others. Moreover,
she should not go out wearing such ornaments as jingle and please the other
people. She should not speak to them without necessity, and if she has to
speak, she should not speak in a sweet and soft voice. If the woman observes
these laws and limits she may go out of the houses as and when required.
This is in brief the teaching of the Qur’an. Now let us refer to
Hadith and see how the Holy Prophet enforced this Divine teaching in the
society, and how the Companions and their women practiced these laws.
PERMISSION
TO LEAVE THE HOUSE
It has been related in the Traditions that even before the
Commandments of Pardah came down, Hazrat ‘Umar had requested the Holy Prophet
to enjoin his wives to observe Purdah. Therefore, when once Hazrat Saudah, a
wife of the Holy Prophet, came out of the house Hazrat Umar saw her and said
aloud, “Saudah, I have recognized you”. By this he meant that somehow the women
should be prohibited from coming out of the house. After this, when the
Commandments of Purdah were sent down, Hazrat ‘Umar felt relieved and started
more often chcking the women for coming out of the houses. Thus, he again
encountered Hazrat Saudah outside the house and remonstrated with her. She
complaine to the Holy Prophet, who said:
“Allah has permitted you to go out of the house for genuine
needs”. (This is the gist of many Traditions on the subject contained in the
Collections of Hadith by Muslim and Al-Bukhari).
This shows that the Divine injunction, “Remain in your houses”.
Does not mean that women should not at all step out of the four walls of the
house. They are allowed to go out under necessity. But this permission is
neither unconditional, nor unlimited. Women are not allowed to move about
freely and mix with men in social gatherings. From the viewpoint of Shari’ah,
genuine needs are those needs which require women to come out and work outside
the house. Obviously, it is not possible to determine every aspect of the
permission to come out of the houses for all women for all times and occasions.
The Law-giver, however, has made rules to regulate the movements of women in
the normal circumstances of life and enjoined to those circumstances. One
should study these rules and form an idea about the spirit and trend of the law
of Islam, and then should determine for one’s personal guidance the limits of
Purdah, and the grounds of relaxation therein, according to one’s special
circumstances. To explain this, we shall present a few illustrations in the
following pages.
PERMISSION
TO VISIT THE MOSQUE
It is well known that the foremost obligatory duty in Islam is to
offer the prescribed prayers, as far as possible; in the mosque in
congregation. But in this regard, the Commands for the males are different from
those for the females. For the males the best prayer is that which is offered
in the mosque in congregation, whereas for the females the best prayer is that
which is offered inside the house in seclusion. Imam Ahmad and Tabarani have
reported the following Hadith from Umm Humaid Saidiyyah:
She said, “O Prophet of Allah, I desire to offer prayers under
your leadership”. The Holy Prophet said, “I know that; but your offering the
prayer in a corner is better than your offering it in your closet; and your
offering the prayer in your closet is better than your offering it in the
courtyard of your house; and your offering the prayer in the courtyard is
better than your offering it in the neighboring mosque; and your offering it in
the neighboring mosque is better than your offering it in the biggest mosque of
the town”. (women can better understand the wisdom as to why they have been
instructed to offer the prayer in seclusion. Women have to discontinue offering
prayers for some days during every month on account of the menses. Thus, the
reason for discontinuance which no modest woman would like even her brothers
and sisters to know become known. Many women stop offering prayers permanently
for this reason. The law- giver, therefore, has instructed them to offer
prayers in privacy, so that nobody could observe when they offered the prayer
and when they discontinued offering it. But this is only an instruction, not a
command. Women may arrange their congregational prayers separately under the
leadership of a woman. Umm Waraqah, daughter of Naufal, had been authorized by
the Holy Prophet to lead women in prayers (Abu Daud). According to Darqutni and
Baihaqi, Hazrat Aishah led women in prayers while standing in the same line
with them in the middle. This shows that when a woman las to lead the prayer,
she should not take her position in the front but should stand inside the line
along with other women).
Another Hadith on this subject has been related from Ibn Masud in
the Collection by Abu Daud. The Holy Prophet said:
“It is better for a woman to offer her prayers in her closet than
in the main room of the house, and it is better for her to offer her prayers in
her hiding-place than in her closet”.
Obviously, the order here has been reversed. For the males, the
prayer of the least value is that which is offered in seclusion, and of the
greatest worth that which is offered in the biggest congregation. But for the
females, on the other hand, the prayer offered in seclusion is of greater worth
than the prayer in congregation; so much so that a prayer offered in seclusion
by them has been regarded as of greater value and worth than even the greatest
blessing for a Muslim that is, a prayer offered in congregation in the Mosque
of the Prophet under the leadership of Muhammad himself (may Allah’s peace be
upon him), the greatest of the Prophets of Allah. The question is: what is the
reason for this discrimination? Obviously, nothing than this that the Law-giver
has disapproved women’s coming out of the houses frequently and mixing with the
males in congregations.
The Islamic Prayer, of course, is a holy worship and the mosque a
sacred place. The Law-giver has expressed his real intention by pointing out
the worth and value of the prayers offered at different places, so that the
mixing of the sexes may be prevented, but he has not prohibited women at all
from coming to such a sacred place as the mosque for such a pious purpose as of
offering the prayers. The words of the Hadith in which women have been
permitted to come to the mosques point to the great wisdom of the Law-giver. He
said:
1. “Do not prohibit the slave-girls of Allah from coming to the
mosques of Allah. When a wife of one of you asks for permission to go to the
mosque, she should not be refused the permission”. (Al-Bukhari and Muslim).
2. “Do not prevent your women from coming to the mosques, though
their houses are better for them”. (Abu Daud).
These words clearly show that the Law-giver does not prohibit women
from going to the mosques, because it is not a sin to go to the mosques for
offering prayer, but at the same time they cannot be allowed to mix with the
males for moral reasons. Therefore, women have been allowed to visit the
mosques but the males have not been instructed to send their women to the
mosque for bring them along with them. What has been enjoined is that if they
al all ask for permission to go to the mosque for offering a prayer of less
spiritual merit than the one of greater merit in the house, they should not be
refused the permission. Hazrat ‘Umar who was fully conscious of the spirit of
Islam understood well the wisdom of this instruction of the Law-giver. It has
been reported in Muatta that he always had a conflict in this regard with his
wife ‘Atikah, daughter of Zaid. He did not want her to go to the mosque, but
she always insisted on going. Whenever she asked for permission, Hazrat ‘Umar
would keep quiet, strictly in accordance with the command of the Holy Prophet.
Thus, he ould neither stop her not permit her in clear words. But she was also
a lady of her will. She would say, “By God, I will go to the mosque till I am
forbidden in clear words”. (besides the wife of Hazrat ‘Umar, many other women
also visited the mosque to join in congregational prayers in the time of the
Holy Prophet. According to Abu Daud, the number of such women generally rose so
high that they had to stand in two rows).
CONDITIONA
OF VISITING THE MOSQUE
The permission to visit the mosque has been made conditional. The
first condition is that women should not go to the mosque in the day-time, but
they may join in those prayers which are offered in the dark, that is the Night
Prayer and the Dawn Prayer. According to Ibn ‘Umar, the Holy Prophet said:
“Let the women come to the mosque at night”. (Al-Tirmizi,
Al-Bukhari).
According to Nafi, the famous pupit of Hazrat ibn Umar, night-time
has been specified because women can easily observe Purdah in the dark. Hazrat
Aishah says that the Holy Prophet was in the mosque when a woman from the clan
of Muzainah came, walking in a coquettish manner, with full decoration. The
Holy Prophet said:
“Do not use any perfume or scent in the night when you want to
join the prayers in the mosque. Come in a simple dress. The women who uses perfume
will not have her prayer rewarded by Allah”. (Muatta, Muslim and Ibn Majah).
Thirdly, women should not mix with the males in the congregation,
nor should they stand in the front rows. They should stand separately behind
rows of men. The Holy Prophet said:
“The best place for men is in the front rows, and the worst at the
rear, whereas the best place for women is at the rear, and the worst in the
front rows”.
That is why he enjoined that in congregational prayers man and
woman should not stand side by side even if they were the husband and the wife,
or the mother and the son. Hazrat Anas says, “Mulaikah, my maternal
grandmother, invited the Holy Prophet to a meal. After it was over, the Holy
Prophet rose for prayers. Yatim and I stood behind him and Mulaikah stood
behind us”. (Al Tirmizi). According to another Tradition from Hazrat Anas, the
Holy Prophet offered prayers in his house, when he and Yatim stood behind him
and Umm Sulaim, his mother, stood behind them. (Al-Bukhari). Hazrat Ibn Abbas
says, “Once the Holy Prophet stood up for prayers. I stood beside him and
Hazrat Aishah stood behind us”. (Nasai).
Fourthly, women are not allowed to raise their voice during the
prayer. Therefore, if the Imam has to be warned of some error men should say
subhan-Allah (Allah be glorified), but women should only tap their hands.
(Al-Bukahri and Abu Daud).
Despite these conditions, when Hazrat ‘Umar felt that there was a
danger in the mixing of the sexes in congregations, he fixed a separate door of
the mosque for use by women, and forbade men to use that door for entrance and
exit. (Abu Daud).
RULES FOR
WOMEN DURING HAJJ
The second congregational duty in Islam is the performance of Hajj
which is obligatory both for men and for women. But women have been prohibited from
mixing with men as far as possible while moving round the ka’abah. According to
a tradition related by ‘Ata’ in the Collection by Al- Bukhari, women used to
move round the ka’abah with men during the time of the Holy Prophet, but they
did not mix with them. According to a tradition related by Ibrahim Nahki in
fath-al-Bari, Hazrat ‘Umar had forbidden the males and the females to mix
during the ceremonial rounds of the ka’abah. Once when he saw a man in the
midst of women, he caught hold of him and whipped him. (Vol. III, p. 312).
According to Muatta, Hazrat Abdullah bin ‘Umar used to send the members of his
family in advance from Muzdalifah to Mina, so that the women could offer the
Dawn Prayer and perform the stone- throwing ceremony before the people arrived.
Similarly, Asma, a daughter of Abu Bakr, used to leave for Mina early in the
morning when it was still dar, as that was the common practice among women
during the time of the Holy Prophet.
PARTICIPATION
IN FRIDAY AND ID PRAYERS
The importance of religious congregations of Friday and on the Id
occasions in Islam cannot be exaggerated. Keeping in view the importance of
these congregational prayers, the Law- giver waived the first condition for
joining in the daily prayers, that is, the prohibition to join in the day-time,
though women have exempted from the obligation of offering the Friday Prayers.
(Abu Daud). Their participation in the Id Prayer is also not compulsory. But if
they so desire they may join in these prayers, provided that they observe the
other conditions for them for joining in the congregational prayers. Traditions
show that the Holy Prophet himself used to take his wives to the religious
congregations on the Id occasions.
According to Umm ‘Atiyyah, the Holy Prophet used to take unmarried
young girls and married and menstruating women would keep away from the
prayers, but would join in the invocation, (A-Tirmizi). According to Ibn Abbas,
the Holy Prophet took his and wives to the Id congregations. (Ibn majah).
ATTENDING
FUNERALS AND VISITING GRAVES
Attending the funeral of a Muslim is a duty, though optional, and
the instructions exhorting the Muslims to attend funerals are well known to the
people who care. But these instructions are meant only for the males. As for
women, they have been prohibited, though not strictly, from attending funerals.
Traditions show that women were sometimes allowed to attend funerals, but the
law-giver did not approve of this. A tradition related by Umm ‘Atiyyah in the
Collection by Al-Bukhari says: “We were prohibited, though not strictly, form
accompanying funeral procession”. According to Ibn majah and Nasai, once the
Holy Prophet was attending a funeral when he saw a woman. Hazrat ‘Umar reported
her, but the Holy Prophet said: “O ‘Umar, leave her alone”. It appears that the
woman was a near relative of the dead person and had accompanied the funeral
under the intensify of grief. The Holy Prophet had a regard for her feelings
and forbade Hazrat ‘Umar to reprove her.
Similar is the injuctions about visiting the graves. Women are by
nature soft-hearted, and they keep the memory of the dead oned fresh in their
minds for a long time. That is why the Holy Prophet did not like to suppress
their feelings completely, but instructed that frequenting the grave by women
was prohibited. According to a tradition related by Hazrat Abu Hurairah in the
Collection by Al-Tirmizi, “The Holy Prophet cursed the woman who visited the
graves frequently”. (Tradition with the same content have been reported by
Hazrat ibn Abbas and Hassan bin thabit in the Collection by Ibn Majah). Hazrat
Aishah went to the grave of her brother, Hazrat Abdur Rahman bin Abu Bakr, and
said, “By God, if I had been present at the time of your death, I would not
have visited your grave today”. (Al-Tirmizi). According to Anas bin Malik, when
the Holy Prophet saw a woman crying over a grave, he did not forbid her, but
said “Fear God, and have patience”. (Al-Bukhari).
Now let us consider these instructions carefully. The Islamic
prayer is a holy worship; the mosque is a sacred place, pilgrim to the ka’abah
performs the ceremonies with the purest thoughts; and the person attending a
funeral and visiting a grave has the thought of death foremost in his mind, and
is overwhelmed by grief. At all such occasions, sexual feeling are either
wholly absent or suppressed by the pure feelings. But in spite of that the
Law-giver did not approve that the male and the female should mix in such
social and religious gatherings. Though he allowed women to go out of the
houses in view of the solemnly of occasions, purity of the purpose and their
delicate feelings—sometimes even took them along with him—he imposed such
restrictions of Purdah as would guard against the least probabilities of
mischief. The he ruled that except for Hajj it was better for women not to
attend the other religious congregations.
It is obvious that the Law which has such trends cannot be
expected to allow that the two sexes should mix in schools and colleges,
offices and factories, parks and places of entertainment, theatres and cinemas,
and cafes and ballrooms as and when they please.
PARTICIPATION
IN BATTLE
Now that we have seen the strictness of the laws of Purdah, let us
see where and why they are relaxed. Imaging for a while that the Muslims are
engaged in war and emergency has been declared. Circumstances demand that the
whole collective strength of the nation should be mustered in defense. Under
such extreme conditions Islam enjoins the Muslims women also to contribute
their due share to the war effort. But it keeps in view the fact that woman was
created for motherhood and not for killing and shedding blood. Therefore, to
equip her with the weapons of war is to distort her very nature. That is why
Islam allows women to take up arms only in self-defense, but it does not favor
carrying them in the battle-field and recruiting them in the forces. It employs
them only to give first aid to the wounded, take water to the thirsty, cook
food for the soldiers, and guard the camp in their absence. In order that they
may carry out these duties effectively, restrictions of Purdah have been
considerably relaxed. In fact, they have been allowed by Shari’ah to wear the
same sort of dress, with a little modification, as is worn by the Christian
nuns now-a-days.
Traditions show that the wives of the Holy Prophet and the other
Muslim women used to give first aid to the wounded and water to the thirsty at
the battle-field. This practice remained in force even after the commandments
of Purdah had been ordained. (Al-Bukhari). According to Al-Tirmizi, Umm Sulaim
and certain other women from among the Ansar accompanied the Holy Prophet to
many a battle-field. According to Al-Bukhari, a woman requested the Holy
Prophet to pray for her that she might accompany those people who were to go
the naval battle. He prayed “O Allah, let her be one of them!” On the occasion of
the battle of Uhd, when the soldiers of Islam had been compelled to retreat,
Hazrat Aishah and Umm Sualim brought leather-bags full of water on their backs
and took water to the fighters. Hazrat Anas says that he saw them running to
and from with their trousers tucked up; so much so that the lower part of their
shins could be seen. Al-Bukhari). Hazrat ‘Umar has related this Saying of the
Holy Prophet about another woman, named Umm Sulait:
“During the battle of Uhd, wherever I looked, to the right or to
the left, I saw Umm Sulait fighting desperately to protect me”.
In the same battle, Rubai, Daughter of Muawwaz, accompanied by a
party of women was busy giving first aid to the wounded, and the same women
were also carrying the wounded back to Madinah. (Al-Bukhari). In the battle of
Hunain, Umm Sulaim was seen moving about with a dagger in hand. The Holy
Prophet asked, “What is this for?” She replied, If some unbeliever come near
me, I will rip open his belly”. (Ibn Majah).
Umm ‘Atiyyah took part in seven battles and was responsible for
guarding the camp, cooking food for the soldiers, and nursing the wounded and
the sick. (Ibn Majah). According to Hazrat Ibn Abbas, the women who performed
such war services were awarded prizes from the booty. (Muslim).
This shows that the Islamic Pardah is not a custom of ignorance
which cannot be relaxed under any circumstances. On the other hand, it is a
custom which can be relaxed as and when required in a moment of urgency. Not
only is a woman allowed to uncover the face and the hand but even if she has to
uncover a part of her satar under necessity, there is no harm. But as soon as
the necessity is over, she has to observe the normal rules of Purdah. Just as
this Purdah is not a Purdah of ignorance, so the relaxation allowed in
observing it is not like the license of ignorance. The Muslim woman cannot be
compared with the European woman who came out of the house in view of the
emergency created by war, but even after the war was over, she refused to return
to her natural sphere.
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