|
|
-
Injunctions of the Qur'an
-
Ahadith of the Holy Prophet
-
Discussion in the Light of Qur'an and Hadith
-
Views of the Scholars
I ‑
INJUNCTIONS OF THE QUR'AN
The Qur'an
commands the believers, both men as well as women, to lower their gaze
and keep modest. However, the women have been obliged to fulfil certain
additional responsibilities in the matter of dress, adornment, etc. The
relevant verses are:
-
Say to the
believing men that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty:
that will make for greater purity for them: and Allah is well acquainted
with all that they do. (24:30)
-
And say to
the believing women that they should lower their gaze and guard their
modesty; that they should not display their beauty and ornaments except
what (must ordinarily) appear thereof: that they should draw their veils
over their bosoms and not display their beauty except to their husbands,
their fathers, their husbands' fathers, their sons, their husbands'
sons, their brothers or their brothers' sons. Or their sisters' sons,
or: their women, or the slaves whom their right hands possess, or male
servants free of physical needs, or small children who have no sense of
the shame of sex; and that they should not strike their feet in order to
draw attention to their hidden ornaments. And O ye Believers! turn ye
all together towards Allah, that ye may attain Bliss. (24:31)
-
O ye who
believe! Let those whom your right hands possess, and the (children)
among you who have not come of age ask your permission (before they come
to your presence), on three occasions, before morning prayer: the while
ye doff your clothes for the noonday heat; and after the late‑night
prayer: These are your three times of undress: outside those times it is
not wrong for you or for them to move about attending to each other:
thus does Allah make clear the Signs to you: for Allah is‑full of
knowledge and wisdom. (24:58)
-
Such
elderly women as are past the prospect of marriage,‑ there is no blame
on them if they lay aside their (outer) garments, provided they make not
a wanton display of their beauty: but it is best for them to be modest:
and Allah is One Who sees and knows all things. (24:60)
-
O Consorts
of the Prophet! Ye are not like any of the (other) women: if ye do fear
(Allah), be not too complaisant of speech, lest one in whose heart is a
disease should be moved with desire: but speak ye a speech (that is)
just. (33:32)
-
There is no
blame (on these ladies if they appear) before their fathers, or their
sons, their brothers, or their brothers sons, or their sisters' sons, or
their women, or the (slave) whom their right hands possess. And
(ladies), fear Allah: For Allah is witness to all things. (33:55)
-
O
Prophet! Tell thy .wives and daughters, and the believing women, that
they should cast their outer garments over their persons (when abroad):
that is most convenient, that they should be known (as such) and not
molested: and Allah is Oft‑Forgiving; Most Merciful. (33:59)
[Back
to the start of this chapter]
II ‑
AHADITH OF THE PROPHET
Ahadith of
the Prophet regarding purdah are:
-
Ayesha
reported that Asma'a daughter of Abu‑Bakr came to the Messenger of Allah
while there were thin clothes on her. He approached her and said: O
Asma'a! when a girl reaches the menstrual time, it is not proper that
anything on her should remain exposed except this and this. He hinted on
her face and palms. (Abu Daud)
-
Jaber
reported: My maternal aunt was divorced thrice. She then intended to get
fruits of her palm trees. A man threatened her for her coming out. She
came to the Prophet who said: Yes, take fruits of your palm trees. It is
perhaps you will make gift or do some good act. (Muslim)
-
Jaber
reported that the Messenger of Allah said: Behold! a man must not pass a
night near a married woman who had consummation, except his being her
husband or one within the prohibited degrees. (Muslim)
-
Jabir‑b‑Abdullah
reported: I asked the Prophet about glance at a strange woman. He
ordered me to turn away my glance. (Muslim)
-
Umme
Atiyya reported: The Messenger of Allah commanded us to bring out on Id‑ul‑Fitr
and Id‑ul‑Adha young women, menstruating women and purdah‑observing
ladies, menstruating women kept back from prayer, but participated in
goodness and supplication of the Muslims. I said: Messenger of Allah,
one of us does not have an outer garment. He said: Let her sister cover
her with her outer garment. (Muslim)
-
Bahaz‑b‑Hakim reported that the Messenger of Allah said: Protect your
private parts except from your wife or what your right hand possesses. I
asked: O Messenger of Allah! inform me in case a man is alone. He said:
Allah is then more to be ashamed of. (Tirmizi, Abu Daud, Ibn Majah)
-
Omar
reported from the Prophet who said: 'A main shall never keep alone with
a woman except that the third between them is the devil. (Tirmizi)
-
Abu Saeed reported that the Messenger of Allah said: No man shall look to
the private parts of a man and no woman to the private parts of a woman,
nor a man shall be with another man underneath the same cloth, nor a
woman with a woman underneath the same cloth. (Muslim)
-
Oqbah‑b‑A'mer
reported that the Messenger of Allah said: Be careful of coming to a
woman. A man asked: O Messenger of Allah, inform me about husband's
relations. He said: Husband's relations are (as it were) death.
(Bukhari, Muslim)
-
lbn
Mas'ud reported from the Prophet who said: A woman is (like) a private
part. When she goes out (not properly dressed), the devil casts glance
at her. (Tirmizi)
-
Ali
reported that the Prophet said to him: O Ali, don't keep your thigh
exposed and don't look at the thigh of any living man, or of a dead man.
(Abu Daud, Ibn Majah)
-
Omme
Salamah reported that she and Maimunah were near the Prophet when the
son of Omme Maktum came to him. The Prophet said: Screen from him. I
asked: O Messenger of Allah, is he not ‑a blind man who does not see us?
The Holy Prophet said: Are you blind and do you not see him? (Ahmad,
Tirmizi, Abu Daud)
-
Anas
reported that the Prophet came to Fatimah with a slave whom he gifted
her. There was a piece of cloth over Fatimah. When her head was covered
with it, it did not reach her legs: and when her legs were covered with
it, it did not reach her head. When the Messenger of Allah saw what she
was covering with, he said; There is no sin for you therefor. He is,
your father and he is your slave. (Abu Daud)
-
Ayesha
reported: Never have I looked to or seen the private parts of the
Messenger of Allah. (Ibn Majah)
-
Hasan
reported a defective tradition. It reached me that the Messenger of
Allah said: Allah curses one who looks with lust and who is looked upon.
(Baihaqi)
-
Omme
Salamah reported that the Messenger of Allah was near her when within
the house there was are eunuch (working as servant in house). The eunuch
said to Abdullah‑b-Omayyah, brother of Omme Salamah: O Abdullah, if
tomorrow Allah gives you victory over Tayef, I shall point out to you
the daughter of Ghilan with four folds of fat with front and in eight
behind. The Messenger of Allah said: They (servants like that eunuch)
should never come to you. (Bukhari, Muslim)
-
Abu Hurairah reported that the Apostle of Allah said: No woman shall make a
journey to the distance of one day and one night except with a man
within the prohibited degree (Mahrant). (Bukhari, Muslim)
-
Alqamah
reported from his mother who said: Hafsah, daughter of Abdur Rahman,
went to Ayesha with a thin veil over her. Ayesha tore it off and dressed
her with a thick veil. (Malek)
-
Ayesha
reported: The riders were passing by us while we were with the Apostle
of Allah in Ihram. When they came by us, one of us let down her
veil over her face from her head. When they had passed on, we removed
it. (Abu Daud)
[Back
to the start of this chapter]
III ‑
DISCUSSION IN THE LIGHT OF QUR'AN AND HADITH
The
injunctions of the Qur'an and Sunnah regarding modesty and observing of
purdah are elaborated and discussed as follows: ‑
l.
Observance of modesty is as much obligatory for men as it is for the
women. Verse 30 of chapter 24 of the Qur'an makes it obligatory on men
to keep modesty. The following rules emanate from this verse.
a) The men
should lower their gaze. They should cast down their looks. In other
words it means that they should restrain their gaze and avoid looking at
women intentionally or purposely. The men have been thus commanded to
avoid gazing or looking at the women or at the satar of others or
at indecent scenes.
There are
so many Traditions reported in Hadith literature, according to which the
Prophet (peace be upon him) strictly forbade his followers to cast their
gazes at the women intentionally and unnecessarily. According to one
Hadith, the Holy Prophet told Hadrat Ali: "Do not cast a second look
after the first look. The first look (chance look) is pardonable but not
the second one (which is generally intentional)." In another Tradition
quoted in Abu Daud, it is related that Hadrat Muhammad (peace be upon
him) turned the face of his young cousin Fazal‑b‑Abbas to the other
side, on one occasion, when the latter was fixing his gaze at a woman.
The Prophet of Islam once declared: "Evil look at the other woman is the
adultery of the eyes …" (Bukhari, Muslim). However, when it is really
necessary to look at a woman, the same. is permitted. The Prophet
permitted to see a woman when one wants to marry her. Jurists have held
that a physician can look at his female patient, a judge can look at a
woman witness and in similar occasions, when it is very essential, a man
can look at a woman.
b) They
should observe modesty or they should be modest. According to the
literal translation of the relevant Arabic words, the men should guard
their private parts. Guarding the private parts means: firstly that they
should not indulge in unlawful sex activities like fornication, adultery
etc., and secondly they should abstain from exposing their private parts
(satar) before others. In other words, the men should keep chaste
and avoid exposing their Satar.
According
to a Tradition, the Prophet (Allah's peace be upon him) prohibited the
believers to expose their satar except before their wives. (Abu
Daud)
For males,
the satar is the part of man's body from the navel to the knee
and this part of the body is not to be exposed intentionally before
anybody. Thigh is included in satar and on some occasion the
Prophet of Islam declared: "Do not expose your thighs"‑ (Abu Daud).
2. Rules
regarding the observing of modesty by the women have been laid down in
the verse 31 of chapter 24 of the Qur'an as follows: ‑
a) The
believing women should lower their gaze and should not intentionally
gaze at men or at the satar of others or at the indecent scenes.
According
to the traditions of the Prophet of Islam, the commandments regarding
restraining of gaze in case of women are rather less strict as compared
to those regarding restraining of gaze by men. It is reported that a
deputation of some negroes carne to Al‑Madinah in 7 A.H. and they gave a
performance of physical skill in the courtyard of the mosque of the
Prophet and the Prophet (peace be upon him) himself showed that
performance to his wife Hadrat Ayesha. Similarly according to another
Tradition, the Holy Prophet instructed a divorcee Fatimah‑b‑Qais to
observe her Iddah in the house of a blind man.
b) They
should be modest, protect their chastity and guard their private parts.
Guarding of private parts means abstaining from indulging in illicit sex
gratification and also to avoid exposing their private parts or
satar. Satar of a woman is the entire body except her face and
hands.
Hadrat
Ayesha reports a Tradition that her sister Asma once came in thin
clothes and the Prophet Muhammad (may Allah's peace be upon him) turned
his face away from her and remarked: " O, Asma when a girl attains
maturity, she is not permitted to expose any part of her body except
face and hand."
c) The
women should not display their adornment except that which is displayed
of itself. Adornment means ornamentation and decoration and, to use the
modern terminology; make‑up. The women have been prohibited to display
their make‑up except that which is apparent and which is beyond their
control to hide. It means that they cannot intentionally display their
adornment except that which becomes exposed without any Intention or
purpose on their part.
The words
"what is apparent" or "which is displayed of itself" have always
generated a lot of controversy and difference of opinion among the
Muslim scholars and jurists. Even the Companions ‑of the Prophet of
Islam had different views about the interpretation of this expression.
`What is apparent' or `which is displayed of itself', according to
Abdullah‑b‑Abbas, means all those parts of the body which
normally
remain exposed like hands and face. So, in his view, the hands and face
can be kept exposed and need not be covered. On the other hand Hadrat
Abdullah‑b‑Masud and his followers hold that hands and face and the
adornment of these parts cannot be exposed. The view of Ibn Abbas has
been accepted by the Hanafi jurists and their followers and according to
them the woman can keep uncovered their hands and face along with
adornments of these parts of the body.
d) The
women should draw their veils on their bosoms. It means the women should
cover their bosom properly with a wrapper and should not keep exposed
any part thereof.
e) The
women should not reveal. their adornment except before the following:
I.‑ Their
husbands. II.‑ Their fathers. It includes grandfathers and great
grandfathers on paternal and maternal side. III.‑ Their husband's
fathers: It includes grandfathers and great grandfathers on maternal and
paternal side of their husbands. IV.‑ Their sons. It includes their
grandsons through their sons as well as daughters. V.‑ Their husbands
sons, including grand sons. VI.‑, Their brothers. VII.‑ Their brother's
sons, including. grandsons. VIII.‑ Their sister's sons, including
grandsons. IX.‑ Their female associates: such women who are familiar or
who are known or who are friends etc. X.‑ Their slaves. XI.‑ Male
servants who lack sexual vigour and are not interested in sex matters.
XII.‑ Children who have no knowledge of sex.
f) The
women should not stamp their feet on the ground so as to reveal their
hidden adornment. So the sound of ornaments should not be audible.
3. The
Qur'an in its verse 59 of chapter 33 commands the women to draw their
cloaks close round them when they go abroad. The purpose of this
injunction has been disclosed in the latter part of this verse in the
words: "...so that they may be recognised (as decent and noble ladies)
and not annoyed (being taken as women of ill repute)."
The Arabic
word 'Jalabeeb' is the plural of 'Jalbab' which means
cloak or gown or outer garment. A lot of heat has been generated about
the interpretation of this verse. The Orthodox opinion is that the word
`Jalbab' means veil and it should cover the face also. But the
liberal commentators interpret it to mean that the women should wrap up
their gowns or outer garments covering their heads, necks and bosoms but
hot faces and hands.
According
to the Ulema, a Muslim woman cannot come out of her house unless she is
properly covered with a veil which should cover her face also. On the
other hand some scholars, who are not that orthodox, believe that the
injunction does not include the covering of the face. According to them
the women may come out of their houses properly dressed and covering
themselves with sheets or gowns but they need not cover their faces,
hands and feet.
4. Verse 60
of chapter 24 of the Holy Qur'an relaxes the conditions regarding
purdah in respect of the old women who are past the prospect of
marriage and no longer capable of exciting the passions of men.
According to the verse, it is no sin for them if they discard their
outer clothing in such a way as not to display or exhibit their ~
adornment or make‑up. However this permission cannot be used by those
women who still have sexual desires or who want to attract others by
displaying their embellishments.
5. The
verse (AI‑Qur'an 24:58) fixes three times of privacy for the believing
couples ‑ Before Fajr prayer, noon and after Isha prayer ‑ and in these
three times, even the personal servants and children should not come to
them without first obtaining permission. Verses 32 and 55 of chapter 33
address the wives of the Prophet and, according to some scholars, do not
pertain to the women in general.
[Back
to the start of this chapter]
IV ‑ VIEWS
OF THE SCHOLARS
Some
opinions. of eminent scholars regarding the injunctions of the Qur'an
and Sunnah pertaining to purdah are cited below for the benefit
of the readers.
1. To
represent the view‑point of Ulema, an extract from "The Meaning of the
Qur'an" written by Maulana Abul A'la Maududi is presented. Maulana
writes:
"Jilbab
is a large sheet and idna' is to draw close and
wrap up, but when this word is used with the associating particle
'ala, it gives the meaning of letting something down from above.
Some modern translators, under the influence of the West, have
translated this word "to wrap up" so as to avoid somehow the command
about covering of the face. But if Allah had meant what these gentlemen
want to construe, He would have said: yudnina ilai‑hinna and not
vudnina ‘alaihinna. Anyone who knows Arabic knows that
yudnina ‘alaihinna cannot merely mean "wrapping up." Moreover, the
words min jalabib‑i hinna also do not permit of this meaning. It
is obvious that the preposition min here signifies a part of the
sheet, and this also that wrapping up is done by means of a whole sheet
and not merely by a part of it. The verse, therefore, clearly means
this: The women should wrap themselves up well in their sheets, and
should draw and let down a part of the sheet in front of the face."
He further
quotes the following scholars to support his point of view: "Ibn 'Abbas
also has made almost the same commentary. In his statements which have
been reported by Ibn Abi Hatim and Ibn Marduyah, he says: "Allah has
commanded the women that when they move out of their houses for an
outdoor duty, they should conceal their faces by drawing and letting
down over themselves a part of their sheets, keeping only the eyes
uncovered." The same explanation of this verse has been given by Qatadah.
and Suddi.
All the
great commentators who have passed after the period of the Companions
and their immediate followers have given the same meaning of this verse.
Imam Ibn Jarir Tabari, in his commentary of this verse, says: "The
respectable women should not look like the slave‑girls from their dress
when they move out of their houses, with uncovered faces and loose hair;
they should rather draw and let down over them a part of their sheets or
outer‑garments so that no evil person may dare molest them." (Jami’ al‑Bayan,
vol. XXII, p. 33)
‘Allama Abu
Bakr al‑Jas as says: "This verse points out that the young woman has
been commanded to conceal her face from the other men; when moving out
of the house she should cover herself up well to express chastity and
purity of character so that people of doubtful character do not cherish
any false hope when they see her." (Ahkam al‑Qur'an, vol. III, p.
458).
‘Allama
Zamakhshari says: "It means that they should let down a part of their
sheet over themselves, and should cover their faces and wrap up their
sides well." (Al‑Kashshaf, vol. II, p. 221)`
2. The
other view‑point is represented by Justice Aftab Hussain in his book
"The Status of women in Islam". He writes: "If the women are required to
be covered from head to toe as the religious scholars would like them to
be on their visit to public places no occasion would arise for the
menfolk acting according to the injunction in verse Q. 24: 30. A woman
can see men from inside her covering. But in that case by complying with
the letter of the injunction and keeping her gaze lower she incurs the
risk of stumbling or knocking against other passers by: Evidently the
two verses assume that the male and female can see one another which is
possible only when ‑the woman is not in a veil or does not cover her
face. The raison d'etre is that both the sexes should remain
chaste and with this object in view they should avoid gazing at one
another. The responsibility is reciprocal and not of the women alone to
observe strict veiling of her face in order to save men from
opportunities of being attracted towards them."
To
reinforce his, point of view, Justice Aftab Hussain further writes,
relying. upon the earlier commentators like Ibn Jarir and Imam Razi:
"Ibn Jarir after reproducing the conflicting views in his commentary of
the Qur'an adopted the liberal view that the exception to the injunction
of concealment of adornments is of the hands and face. He said that the
utterance nearer the truth is of those persons who hold it (the
injunction about ma zahara minha) to mean face and the two hands
which include eye powder, rings, wrist bracelet, and palm dye. "We
consider this .view truer because of the Ijma'a of the Ummah that it is
necessary for every person offering prayer to hide his satr (privities).
The prayer is not correct without its concealment. As for women it is
lawful for her - rather it is necessary for her‑that during her prayer
she should keep her face and hands exposed. It is obligatory on her that
she should hide the rest of her body. It is stated about the Prophet (PBUH)
that he held it discretionary with women to keep half of their hands up
to the elbows exposed. Now that this is proved by the Ijma'a of the
learned, it becomes evident that it is lawful for a woman to keep
uncovered those parts of the body which are not her satr in the
same manner as it is for men to cover their satr because it
cannot be prohibited to uncover what is not satr. And since it is
lawful for the women to expose their face, hands and feet it is evident
that by laying down illa ma zahara minha Allah has made an
exception in their respects, because these parts of the body are
(always) subject to exposure (during the discharge of their functions)."
Imam
Fakhruddin Razi said that the entire body of a woman should be covered
before a stranger except her face and hands since she is obliged to open
her face and hands at the time of entering transactions of sale and
purchase.
3. Maulana
Fazl‑ul‑Karim in `Al‑Hadith' writes about Purdah as under: "It
appears therefore from what has been stated above that Islam adopts a
via media between the total casting off of the veil followed by free
intermingling of sexes both outside and inside houses on one hand and .
the imprisonment within four walls of a house on the other. Purdah
is a Persian word and connotes that it is a national local custom.
It came into vogue during the Ommeyyade Caliph Walid II (Short history
of the Saracens. p. 69). What the Qur'an enjoins on both men and women
is decent dressing and deportment. Purdah, as popularly
understood, is possible only among the upper and the middle classes. On
the other hand, the labouring class of women who toil hard for their
daily food are not expected to observe it."
4. Muhammad
Asad in his commentary of the Qur'an explains his point of view
regarding "what may be apparent" or "which may be displayed of itself"
used in Verse 31 of Chapter 24 as under: "Although the traditional
exponents of Islamic Law have for centuries been inclined to restrict
the definition of "what may [decently] be apparent" to a woman's face,
hands and feet‑and sometimes even less than that‑we may safely assume
that the meaning of illa ma zahara minha is much wider, and that
the deliberate vagueness of this phrase is meant to allow for all the
time‑bound changes that are necessary for man's moral and social growth.
The pivotal clause in the above injunction is the demand, addressed in
identical terms to men as well as to women, to "lower their gaze and be
mindful of their chastity": and this determines the extent of what, at
any given time, may legitimately ‑ i.e., in consonance with the Qur'anic
principles of social morality‑be considered "decent" or "indecent" in a
person's outward appearance."
Explaining
verse 59 of chapter 33 he writes:
"The
specific, time‑bound formulation of the above verse (evident in the
reference to the wives and daughters of the Prophet), as well as the
deliberate vagueness of the recommendation that women "should draw upon
themselves some of their outer garments (mill jalabibihinna)"
when in public, makes it clear that this verse was not meant to be an
injunction (hukn: ) in the general, timeless sense of this term
but, rather, a moral guideline to be observed against the ever‑changing
background‑ of time and social environment. This finding is reinforced
by the concluding reference to God's forgiveness and grace."
5. Allama
Abdullah Yusuf Ali. comments on verse 24: 31 thus: "The need for modesty
is the same in both men and women. But on account of the differentiation
of the sexes in nature, temperaments and social life, a greater amount
of privacy is required for women than for men, especially in the matter
of dress and the uncovering of the bosom."
Commenting
upon verse 59 of chapter 33 he says: "The times were those of insecurity
and they were asked to cover themselves with outer garments when walking
abroad. It was never contemplated that they should be confined to their
houses like prisoners."
[Back
to the start of this chapter] |
|