What is the meaning of Surah an-Nur ayah 31?
The Arabic text of this ayah is:
Wa qul li al-mu'minat yaghdudna min absarihinna wa yahfazna furujahunna wa laa yubdina zenatahunna illa maa zahara min haa wal-yadribna bi khumurihinna ala juyubihinna; wa laa yubdina zenatahunna illa li bu'ulatihinna aw aba'ihinna aw aba'i bu'ulatihinna aw abna'ihinna aw abna'i bu'ulatihinna aw ikhwanihinna aw bani ikhwanihinna aw bani akhawatihinna aw nisa'ihinna aw maa malakat aymanu hunna aw at-tabi'ina ghayri ulu'l-irbat min ar-rijal aw at-tifl alladhina lam yazharu ala awrat an-nisa wa laa yadribna bi arjulihinna li yu'lama maa yukhfina min zenatahinna. Wa tubu ilaAllahi jami'an, ayyuha al-mu'minun la'allakum tuflihun
A translation of this is:
And say to the faithful women to lower their gazes, and to guard their private parts, and not to display their adornment except what is apparent of it, and to extend their headcoverings (khimars) to cover their bosoms (jaybs), and not to display their adornment except to their husbands, or their fathers, or their husband's fathers, or their sons, or their husband's sons, or their brothers, or their brothers' sons, or their sisters' sons, or their womenfolk, or what their right hands rule (slaves), or the followers from the men who do not feel sexual desire, or the small children to whom the nakedness of women is not apparent, and not to strike their feet (on the ground) so as to make known what they hide of their adornments. And turn in repentance to Allah together, O you the faithful, in order that you are successful
As we can see, this ayah contains six commands for the Muslim sister, which I will list briefly, inshallah.
1) Lower the gaze.
2) Guard the private parts.
3) Not display the adornment "except what is apparent of it".
4) Draw the khimar to cover the jayb.
5) Not display the adornment except to the people listed in the ayah.
6) Not stamp the feet so as to give knowledge of hidden adornment.
Three of these commands relate to behavior, which are lowering the gaze, guarding the private parts, and not stamping the feet. The other three relate to dress. It can also be noted that commands 3 and 5 are actually parts of the same command. Thus there are two basic rules for the dress of the Muslim sister:
A) Not display the adornment except "what is apparent of it" except to the people listed in the ayah.
B) Draw the khimar to cover the jayb.
There are three things that need to be explained in this:
1) What does "what is apparent of it" refer to?
2) What type of garment is the khimar?
3) What is the woman's jayb?
Inshallah, I will deal with each of these questions in turn.
What does "what is apparent of it" refer to?
There is a difference of opinion on this, and was even among the Sahaba (rAa). The opinion of Abdullah ibn Masud (rAa) is that "what is apparent of it" refers to the outer surface of the woman's garments. This would not permit any of her body to be seen whatsoever (uncovering one or both eyes is a concession to necessity).
The other opinion is that "what is apparent of it" refers to the face and hands and/or to the decorations that are worn on the face and the hands. This is the opinion of Aisha Umm al-Muminin (rAa), Anas ibn Malik (rAa), Abdullah ibn Abbas (rAa), and Miswar ibn Makhrama (rAa) - these are all Sahaba - and also of Ata (rAa), Qatada (rAa), Sa'id ibn Jubayr (rAa), Mujahid (rAa), al-Dahhak (rAa), and al-Hasan (rAa) - these are all Tabi'un (rAa). Almost every tafsir (commentary on the Quran) will include some if not all of these authorities for this opinion.
Among the commentators themselves, some of the most respected have followed the "face and hands" opinion. Among these are Imam Tabari, Imam Zamakhshari, Imam Fakhr ad-Din Razi, and Imam Qurtubi. Here is what they have written in their own words.
Imam Abu Jafar Tabari: "The strongest and most accurate view is that which says that the exemption
refers to the face and the hands. Also included are kohl, rings, bracelets, and makeup. We say that this is the strongest and most accurate opinion because all scholars are unanimous that everyone who needs to pray must cover the awra in his or her salat. A woman may reveal the face and the hands in her salat, while she must cover the rest of her body. What is not awra is not haram to be revealed"
from his tafsir of Surah an-Nur ayah 31, this is in Volume 18, pages 118-119 of Jami Bayan Ta'wil al-Qur'anImam Abu'l-Qasim Zamakhshari: "Why is the woman permitted to display 'what is apparent of it'? Because to conceal that would cause her inconvenience. A woman is forced to deal in commodities with her hands. She is compelled by genuine need to expose her face especially at the times of giving evidence, litigating in court, and marriage. She is compelled to walk the streets and expose her feet, especially poor women. This is the meaning of 'illa maa zahara min ha', that is, what the situations of ordinary life compel her to expose"
from his tafsir of Surah an-Nur ayah 31Imam Fakhr ad-Din Razi: "Since the showing of the face and hands is necessary, the jurists had no choice but to agree that they are not awra"
from his tafsir of Surah an-Nur ayah 31Imam Abu Abdullah Qurtubi: "Since the normal case is that a woman’s face and hands are revealed by the force of habit and for worship, as this is required in salat and hajj, then it is appropriate to say that the exemption
applies to these"
from his tafsir of Surah an-Nur ayah 31
From this, we can see that the predominant opinion on the meaning of "what is apparent of it" is that it refers to the face and hands. In the context of the ayah, it means that around non-mahram men, women are allowed to display their faces and their hands. This is the exemption that Allah SWT has given. Everything else must be covered.
What type of garment is the khimar?
In common usage, the words "head" and "face" are distinct. Unless specified otherwise, the word "head" is not taken to refer to the face, but instead refers to the rest of the head, while the word "face" is specially used to designate the face. An example of this is the process of wudu; the Quran and hadiths mention washing the "face" separately from wiping the "head", and we do not again run our hands over the face when we get to the stage of wiping the head. In order to say that the khimar is a garment which covers the face, therefore, it must be specified that it covers the "face". If the khimar just covers the "head" then the general meaning is that it covers the hair. If you think about how we use these words, inshallah you will see that I am correct.
Keeping this in mind, here are some definitions of the khimar and what it means in classical Arabic:
Imam Abu'l-Fida ibn Kathir: "Khumur is the plural of khimar which means something that covers, and is what is used to cover the head. This is what is known among the people as a khimar."
The dictionary of classical Arabic, Aqrab al-Mawarid: "[The word khimar refers to] all such pieces of cloth which are used to cover the head. It is a piece of cloth which is used by a woman to cover her head."
Shaykh Muhammad al-Munajjid on Islam Q&A: "Khimaar comes from the word khamr, the root meaning of which is to cover. For example, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Khammiru aaniyatakum (cover your vessels).” Everything that covers something else is called its khimaar. But in common usage khimaar has come to be used as a name for the garment with which a woman covers her head; in some cases this does not go against the linguistic meaning of khimaar. Some of the fuqahaa’ have defined it as that which covers the head, the temples and the neck. The difference between the hijaab and the khimaar is that the hijaab is something which covers all of a woman’s body, whilst the khimaar in general is something with which a woman covers her head."
Shaykh Muhammad Nasiruddin Albani: "The word khimaar linguistically means only a head covering. Whenever it is mentioned in general terms, this is what is intended."
Now, in case my argument presented above about "covering the head" versus "covering the face" does not seem convincing, we can also look at what some tafsirs say about the exact meaning of the commandment in Surah an-Nur ayah 31 regarding the khimar:
Imam Abu Abdullah Qurtubi: "Women in those days used to cover their heads with the khimar, throwing its ends upon their backs. This left the neck and the upper part of the chest bare, along with the ears, in the manner of the Christians. Then Allah commanded them to cover those parts with the khimar."
Imam Abu'l-Fida ibn Kathir: "'Draw their khumur to cover their bosoms' means that they should wear the khimar in such a way that they cover their chests so that they will be different from the women of the jahiliyyah who did not do that but would pass in front of men with their chests uncovered and with their necks, forelocks, hair and earrings uncovered."
Both Imam Qurtubi and Imam ibn Kathir are agreed that the women of jahiliyyah (in imitation of the Christian women, according to Imam Qurtubi) used to wear the khimar to cover their hair, but they threw its ends upon their backs. This sloppy way of wearing the khimar exposed the forehead, ears, neck, and upper chest. Subsequently, Allah SWT ordered them to draw their khimars to cover themselves. It is easy to see how pulling the ends forward again and pulling the khimar tightly around the circle of the face then fastening it at the throat, letting the ends fall downwards, would cover the forehead, ears, neck, and upper chest, as Imam Qurtubi and Imam ibn Kathir have specified. It should also be easy to recognize in this a description of the headscarf of the Muslim sister.
The point is, neither Imam Qurtubi nor Imam ibn Kathir describes that the khimar was to be pulled over the face, even though each specifies a variety of anatomical features of the woman.
This should be strong evidence that the word khimar means HEADSCARF. Its linguistic meaning is a headcovering, not a face veil, and the information provided by both Imam Qurtubi and Imam ibn Kathir clearly shows that the khimar is to be worn as a HEADSCARF not as a face veil.
What is the woman's jayb?
Actually, the quotes from Imam Qurtubi and Imam ibn Kathir provide a pretty good explanation of what the jayb is. The usual translation of the term is "bosom". The word "jayb" has also given its name to a certain type of mathematical curve
As well, Surah al-Qasas ayah 32 in Arabic reads "Usluk yadaka fii JAYB ka takhrur bayda'a..." which means "Thrust your hand into your chest and it will come out white..." (this is a story about the prophet Musa, alayhi salam).
Shaykh Muhammad Nasiruddin Albani says that the word "jayb" is related to the word "jawb" which refers to something cut out, and he says that in this context it refers to the neckline of the woman's dress.
In any case, all of these definitions clearly point to the bosom, the upper chest, or the neck and upper chest. They certainly do not mean "face" or "entire body"!
Surah an-Nur ayah 31 gives two basic commands in regard to women's dress. The first of these commands is that the Muslim sister shall cover all of her beauty except "what is apparent of it" whenever non-mahram men are present. The majority opinion on the meaning of "what is apparent of it" is the face and hands.
The second command is to draw the khimar to cover the jayb. In classical Arabic, the khimar is the headcovering or headscarf, and the jayb is the bosom or more generally the neck and upper chest. Imam Qurtubi and Imam ibn Kathir have provided a precise description of how the khimar is to be drawn to cover the jayb, and why this was necessary. Neither the word "khimar" nor the word "jayb" has anything to do with the face.
Therefore, the first command (to cover the beauty) contains a specific exemption that the majority of scholars have taken to refer to the face and the hands. And the second command (regarding the wearing of the khimar) does not mandate the covering of the face either.
In conclusion, I feel that there is a very strong case to be made that Surah an-Nur ayah 31 does not make niqab fard, but in fact allows the display of the face and hands.
p/s:
asify jiddan...saya tak dapat nak muatkan ayat 31 surah ini dalam bahasa arab kerana laptop saya ni masih belum format arabic.....
Ever since the history of mankind began, man has been practicing different forms of worship and piety.
There was no nation on the earth unattached to a religion and performing its rites in one-way or another. This is because piety is an instinct, a natural feeling deeply rooted in man's being. It can neither be hushed, nor muted in an individual's conscience, nor can the human conscience be prevented from sensing it, or going towards it.
Yet, the instincts of piety and worship have not always been guided by soundness and purity; rather they, in most instances, have been deviated expressions and abnormal practices of worship; religion, in its pure state, is that which is represented by monotheism, the path announced by the prophets and heralded by the apostles, for maintaining the correct mode of worship and to lead the caravan of mankind towards the shores of goodness and peace.
So, the observer of the history of religious myth, and of devious worship in man's life, finds a variety of religious expressions. He finds heliolatry, astrolatry, idolatry, zoolatry, pyrolatry, worship of monarchs, etc.
Analyzing the rise of these deviated religions, and studying the elements, which conspired in developing them, one finds them all connected to a superstitious interpretation of the universe and the afterlife. This in turn discloses the lowness of those peoples knowledge and their ability to fabricate fancy fables that stemmed from their own ignorance and superstition. These rites also illustrate the social customs and the imaginative traditions of those peoples, and their stifled mental and moral capabilities.
History is full of such religions, rituals and superstitious rites. Taken as a whole they reveal man's ignorance and the lowness of his conscience and feelings in such a way as to cause both astonishment and disgust. Some used to slay their sons in sacrifice to their imagined gods, presenting them as offerings at the alter of a false sacredness. They supplicated and requested the idols grace and the blessings of those stony, silent structures.
History tells us of many ignorant nations, peoples and civilizations such as the Babylonians, the Sumerians, the Chaldeans, the Pharaohs, the Greeks, the Assyrians, the Persians, the Romans, the Arabs (of Jahiliya). History also stresses that all those exterminated nations had some sort of worship, religion, and rites which they used to practice, but they were unnatural, superstitious and deviated forms.
The Glorious Qur'an notes abundantly the dark and tragic side of the lives of the perished primitive ignorant groups. It draws our attention to the missions of the messengers and prophets, the inviters to true worship and the saviors and reformers of humanity as a whole.
Considering these facts and other historical evidences, we realize that the existence of religion and worship in the course of man's history is clear proof that religion is not a passing phenomenon, nor is it an imaginary compensation for his sufferings from the hardships of his painful life. Neither is it an expression of his failure in understanding the universe and life and in logically and scientifically explaining them; nor is it an opiate for the downtrodden and subjecting them to the injustice of oppressors and exploiters as Marx, the founder of Collapsed Communism, asserted by saying that "Religion is the opium of the people".
All these assumptions and biased interpretations, which are being presented by the propagators of materialism and infidelism, with the purpose of falsifying the objectives of religion and destroying the mental and spiritual fundamentals on which it is based, are but futile and refutable allegations which are disproved by objective historical evidence.
Herein, we reiterate some of the numerous and most important realities that the mind has but to accept: -
1. The Natural Proof:
By this we mean man's instinctive inclination towards religion. This is an inborn proclivity (tendency) found in man since his existence on earth. It explains the genuine driving force and the inner compulsion present in man's constitution, pushing him towards worshipping a being greater than himself.
He feels the mighty superintendence dominant over the whole of existence. He feels the need to be patronized, to appeal to something grand and holy, to which man may expose his desire for worship. This exercise grows and changes man's internal being in an attempt to understand the existence of a truth that is the greatest truth. This practice is accompanied by an anxious quest for this truth, which fills man's soul and attracts him to it, as he feels its richness and the possibility of its filling up all the dimensions of the vacancy, contrasted with his own feelings of deficiency. He feels its superiority over the whole world, whose boundaries he is inclined to cross and beyond which he wants to eternalize his being. This world is unable to respond to the absolute expansion in his soul, nor can it be a substitute for that truth which is sought by him. Thus, he always tends to proceed ahead to the truth which is much more eminent than this tangible world, comprehending that this truth has all the ability to satisfy his innate longing which presses upon both his conscience and sub-conscience.
This innate feeling is a true objective one, because it is a natural instinctive tendency. Its existence in man is supported by three objective facts. They are:
All these feelings are accepted scientific facts proved by psychological studies, in the same way as the intuitive truths and the verbal utterances coined by man to refer to these essential, innate feelings are.
If we comprehend that being religious is a native force deeply rooted in man's self, we will also comprehend that man's devotional tendency is a fact, not legend or superstition. This is because man's natural genesis knows nothing of superstition, nor of legends.
It is in this respect, as it is in respect of his other instincts and tendencies born in him, such as the instincts driving him to knowledge, sex and food.
The mythical and legendary aspect of human life, expressed through different forms and peculiar rituals, appears only when man suffers from a state of loss and of deviation from the true Allah. In this condition man's imagination plays havoc and he draws a picture of religion and of god as was typical during the era of Jahiliyah (Pre-Islamic Ignorance). The Qur'an, confirming this fact, says: "They are Hanifs (tend) to Allah, not polytheists", which Imam Al-Sadiq (A.S.) explained, saying that. Allah's creation never changes. He has made them to instinctively know Him."
Imam Ali (A.S.), in a speech explaining piety and the inborn inclination to worship Allah, explicitly says:
"Allah sent prophets - after Adam - with revelations to guide mankind, when many people broke their given promises to Allah and went against their word, forgot their duties and divine rights and began accepting others as their gods and worshipping them, Satan had instigated them to give up the ways of Allah and forsake His worship. Allah sent His apostles successively, one after another, so that they may remind the human beings of the duties which nature has cast upon them as part of the plan of their existence and in redemption of the pledges made by their souls in the spiritual world on the day of creation. These Prophets were to draw the attention of humanity towards the blessings and bounties bestowed by Him, to convey His message to them, to teach them to intelligently and wisely use the treasures hidden in their intellect..." He further adds: "The best thing that the beseechers plead with Allah the Exalted is faith in Him and His Messenger and fighting (the Polytheists) for His sake, as this is the highest degree of Islam, and the word of unity which is in the innate nature..."
2. The Scientific Proof:
By this we mean the testimony of the sciences and knowledge, presented through their programs, ways of thinking, conclusions, and the results of their researches, which have discovered the composition of matter and the nature of life, and which interpreted the genesis of the universe and existence. All of these are reason enough to believe in a Creator, Innovator, Organizer, and Manager of this universe, and to reject the idea of things happening at random, haphazardly and by mechanical evolution. These concepts of things happening at random are the results of the preaching of the apostates and materialists, in the adolescent period of science, as a theory explaining existence and life.
3. The Historical Proof:
This can be discerned in the long history of religion and messages; in the numerous prophets and messengers, ever since the dawn of humanity till this day. Mankind, even during the darkest periods of ignorance and blindness, and with every era and generation, has beheld some guiding prophet, a preaching messenger, and a changing message, as an expression of Allah's grace, His beneficency to His servants.
This successive coming of the prophets, spread over a long time, generation after generation, alongside man's progress, and parallel to his historical existence, is an explicit proof of the truthfulness of the Prophet's mission and the soundness of their preaching. Otherwise, there would not have been such an enormous number of prophets during different historical stages, all of them proclaiming a similar truth and forwarding the same principles. It is incredible that so great a number of men, in diverse ages, nations and places, should falsely claim to be prophets, and yet they should all be identical in their message. Were the preaching's of those prophets false and groundless, contradictions and differences would have been quite obvious in them. Every message would have borne its special specifications, contradicting those of the other, and the objectives of those prophets and their concepts of Allah, religion and the hereafter would have also been contradictory. Actually, it is the contrary, which we see. We discern a unity of call in the messages of all those prophets; the call to believe in the Oneness of Allah, to have faith, to believe in the other world, to be interested in reforming mankind and in correcting its conduct and the order of its life. This confirms the unity of the source, Allah, and the unity of the call and goal.
4. The Objective Proof:
This proof can be inducted by scrutinizing the message of religion and monotheism, and the final code of divine laws (the Islamic laws). By induction and studying the Islamic laws individually, in detail and aims, one can recognize the truth of the divine message, and discover its humanistic and reformative side, its keen interests in the welfare of man and in delivering him, regardless of color, social position, time and place. Then, one would realize the falsity of the accusations attributed to religion, as a consequence of explaining it vis-Ã -vis the ignorance of the materialist interpretation, some aspects of which we related earlier. We know religion to be a message of deliverance, a call to salvation and luminous sign on the dark road. Its purpose is to save mankind, to break the bonds of slavery and open the channels of light and a happy life before a straying humanity.
"Those who follow the Apostle-Prophet the Ummi, (one who neither reads not writes), whom they find written down with them in the Torah and the Gospel (who) enjoins them good and forbids them evil, and makes lawful to them the good things and makes unlawful to them impure things, and removes from them their burden and the shackles which were upon them; so (as for) those who believe in him and honor him and help him, and follow the light which has been sent down with him, these it is that are the successful." Holy Qur'an (7:157)
"But the chiefs of those who disbelieved from among his people said: We do not consider you but a mortal like ourselves, and we do not see any have followed you but the most abject among us, at first thought, and we do not see in you any excellence over us: nay, we deem you liars. He said: O my people! Tell me if I have with me clear proof from my Lord, and He has granted me mercy from Himself and it has been made obscure to you; shall we compel you to (accept) it while you are averse from it? And, O my people! I ask you not for wealth in return for it; my reward is only with Allah and I am not going to drive away those who believe; surely they shall meet their Lord, but I consider you a people who are ignorant: And, O my people! Who will help me against Allah if I drive them away? Will you not then mind? And I do not say to you that I have the treasures of Allah; and I do not know the unseen, nor do I say I am an angel; nor do I say about those whom your eyes scorn (that) Allah will never grant them (any) good - Allah knows best what is in their souls - for then most surely I should be of the unjust." Holy Qur'an (11:27-31)
"And do not drive away those who call upon their Lord in the morning and the evening, they desire only His favour; neither are you answerable for any reckoning of their, nor are they answerable for any reckoning of yours, so that you should drive them away and thus be of the unjust." Holy Qur'an (6:52)
Thus, the Glorious Qur'an presents verses speaking of the aims of religion, of its role in man's life, of its attitude towards the poor and the deprived who are the followers of the prophets, and the first to respond to the call of Faith, the call of rescue, liberation and delivery. It also clarifies the attitude of the proud, arrogant and influential against the weak, and the calls of the prophets and their objectives. It likewise registers the prophet's reactions towards the proud whose thoughts are filled with conceit and haughtiness. In this way the Qur'an proves to us that religion supports the weak and the deprived, and is the power that strikes justly and sincerely at the greed and the pride of the criminal despots, so that we may realize that religion is not a means of persecuting the poor, nor is it the peoples opium, a passing phenomenon in man's life, or a social activity, like other costumes and traditions which appear for a short span or specific period, then disappear altogether without a trace. Nor is it an illusion used by man to convince himself of another world that compensates for his failure in this present one.
Religion is a law inseparable from man's nature just as the laws of physics and life are inseparable from matter and living beings. This is because the Creator of the world has given man the longing for his Creator and directed man towards Him.
"Then set your face upright for religion in the right state - the natural disposition..." Holy Qur'an (30:30)
Yet, this natural or inborn disposition, as such, is subject - through ignorance and obstinacy - to deviation, impurity, and diversion from the path of true religion, as is the case with many of man's instincts and inclinations which deviate from their natural orbit, causing man, to follow diverse types of harmful and perverted customs. Hence the coming of apostles and religions to set right such deviations, restore man's natural inclination to Allah, the Exalted, and satisfy the natural instinct in man for truthful worship upon which rests mankind's happiness. This natural inclination is, actually, the starting point for receiving the principles of religion and adhering to them.
Once again we repeat here that this natural disposition in man cannot be looked upon as a legendary or mythical idea, since legends and myths are the offspring of an invalid imagination and illusion that subvert man's thinking. Man's native inclinations are a true case, met in the world of reality by an actual existence to which they turn, and which is the source of its satisfaction. Thus, the existence of Allah and worshipping Him becomes an outstanding fact, a counterpart of which, inside man, is the deep tendency to worship and the natural direction towards this Great Originator.
Superstition and myth originate when man is ignorant of his actual destination, and his mind is void of any clear vision. The Glorious Qur'an calls such deviation of beliefs as.
"...they are gone away from us, nay, we used not to call upon anything before..." Holy Qur'an (40:74)
"Have you then considered him who takes his low desire for his Allah, and Allah has made him err having knowledge..." Holy Qur'an (45:23)
"And when Abraham said: My Lord! Make this city secure, and save me and my sons from worshiping idols: My Lord! Surely they have led many of mankind astray; then whoever follows me, he is surely of me; and whoever disobeys me, You surely are Forgiving, Merciful." Holy Qur'an (14:35-36)
Thus, the Glorious Qur'an considers the abnormal and superstitious expression of man's ignorant inclination as erroneous and straying, since it is imaginary, and unreal, and a wandering expression that would not realize man's objective. Hence the saying of the Qur'an: "...they are gone away from us, nay, we used not to call upon anything before..." Holy Qur'an (40:74)
MIND'S NEED FOR RELIGION
It is not possible to separate man's way of thinking from his way of living and his dealing in life. Man is a wise and understanding being who thinks for himself, wants to comprehend his surroundings and tries to know the beginning and the end of everything, in order to be able to understand the mysteries of the world and the beings around him. He tries to discover:
Man has always been looking for convincing answers to these questions. The answer to them either leads him to happiness and welfare, or wretchedness and misfortune.
The answer, though short in their form and brief in their expression, are yet great in their meanings, important in their reality and deep in their effects.
It is these answers, which define how man should live, behave, understand life and estimate the importance of his own existence.
By providing correct answers one may resolve an important crisis of thought-the crisis from which man has long been suffering, unable to find correct answers he has been tormented by anxiety and uncertainty and forced to wander through as abyss of erring.
Therefore, the right answers form the basic principles of the philosophy of life, and soundly evaluate life and man's existence. The correct answers to these questions have always been confined to two contradictory theories, both in their truth and in the resulting constructions that are based upon them. The two answers are: The first given through religion, lighting the path of righteousness and faith with rational proof; the second given by error and denial, aiming at invoking mist to obliterate clear visibility, to envelope man's conscience and prevent is from directing itself towards Allah, the Beginning and the End of existence. Religion's answer offers, through its call and message, and interpretation of the universe and life, and an explanation of man's existence, and of his links with them; while the other answer bases its explanation in retort to the idea of faith, denying its reasoning and explanation. Religion bases its interpretation and viewpoint on believing that this universe, life and man have a Creator, a Lord, a God head; and that man's existence on this earth is neither a meaningless and aimless one, nor is it random happening. Life and man have their goals and values exceeding the time span of man's existence on the earth's surface. He has a supreme objective to pursue, embodying it through his attitudes, his deeds and his general activities in a world that goes beyond perception and the time spent in this world. It is the other eternal world and the eternal extension of the absolute:
"Whoever disbelieves, he shall be responsible for his disbelief, and whoever does good, they prepare (good) for their own souls". Holy Qur'an (30:44)
"And all have ranks according to what they do..." Holy Qur'an (6:132)
In this way, religion presents to man a correct explanation of his existence, and gives him a lasting vision that plucks out the roots of his doubt, mental anxiety and fear of perishing, losing, and uselessness in this life.
Thus, by this explanation, religion opens to man the door to the expanses of life. He then organizes his life according to a perfect and unified ideological basis, taking him to results and objectives in life free of disorder, contradiction and objectives in life free of disorder, contradiction and disappointment. It offers him, besides other things, a sound ideological program, perfect in its order and movement, leading him to understand life and to adhere to a defined and explicit conduct.
The believer believes in the existence of a Just, all-knowing, all-powerful and Wise Creator. He further believes in the Day of Judgement and in the responsibility rested upon him for all of his deeds, and he expects rewards on the Day of judgement for his good deeds in this world. Therefore, he behaves according to this belief, and on this basis he forms every detail of his life, such as his ideas, attitudes, feelings and relations, formulating them within this unified ideological frame.
What a wonderful expression is used by the Qur'an in reference to this fact, describing the faithful elite who recognize the value of life and know the meaning of existence. The Holy Qur'an says:
"...and reflect on the creation of the heavens and the earth: Our Lord! Thou have not created this in vain! Glory be to You; save us then from the chastisement of the fire:" Holy Qur'an (3:191)
As to the answer of the second group, it is the viewpoint expressed by the disbelievers. They view this world and this life only from inside, disregarding all ties and connections with the invisible world and the Creator, having built their opinion on a faithless interpretation denying the existence of the Creator, the Innovator; they have sentenced mankind to lasting annihilation and transformation into dust, mixing with the elements of the earth, (lost in every nook and cranny) without return or resurrection. In this way the living feelings of man are pushed down to lowest pitch of death, despair and eternal destruction. It is a disaster that befalls the optimistic and hopeful feelings, and man becomes a prey of despair, goes astray, and submits to decay and decline. Life becomes an arena for conflict and a chance to partake of transient sensual pleasures and appetites, accompanied by a complete death of any feeling of happiness or knowledge of the meaning of life. Life, to them, is but a period of futile misery, with no hope or expectation and since there would be no other world, no divine justice, no punishment, no reward, no responsibility, no retribution, and no immortality, man is reduced to the level of the plants of the earth and the worms of the ground. Thus, this interpretation has done away with all human values.
There is no doubt that man has never been subjected during his lifetime to a more dangerous catastrophe than the deluge of this devastating one which sentences him to live and die within this terrestrial prison, returning to the terrible soil of destruction. So, what would, then, life mean? What would be its value? Why does not man do whatever he wants, even if such practices meant misery for others and ended their lives with the most horrible types of torture? They say that man's life does not go beyond this limited secular period, which is lost in the timelessness of the universe, which swallowed millions of generations and consumed the entire ancient humanity. How wonderfully the Qur'an illustrates this tragedy of the intellect, which the rejecting and ignorant mind imagined, while trying to fabricate its argument and speak its ideology:
"Far, far is that which you are promised with. There is naught but our life in this world; we die and we shall not be raised again." Holy Qur'an (23:36-37)
And how exact is the Qur'an in drawing the tragic picture to which this miserable, straying man reached: "...(as for) those who have lost their souls, they will not believe." Holy Qur'an (6:12)
"Say: Shall We inform you of the greatest losers in (their) deeds? (They are) they whose labor is lost in this world's life and they think that they are well versed in skill of the work of hands. These are they who disbelieve in the revelations of their Lord and the Day of Resurrection We assign no weight to them." Holy Qur'an (18:103-105)
So, as the Qur'an describes them, it is these folk of disbeliever's who have lost themselves, and lost their lives, turning life into a hell of misery, instead of making it a blessing and full of happiness, just because they deceive themselves with their distorted understanding of life and existence, and think that it does them good, while actually it takes them away from the path of Allah and His message. They think that they have discovered the right path and have put their feet on the right track. But it is this self-deceit to which the Qur'an refers by saying:
"The life of this world is made to seem fair to those who disbelieve, and they mock those who believe..." Holy Qur'an (2:212)
So, what other disaster to which man is subjected can be more devastating than losing oneself, leading to the loss of humanity, the loss which befalls man because of this mental wandering, ideological abnormality, and systematic deviation.
Therefore, no sane man doubts the necessity of abolishing this ideology and changing this materialistic way of comprehending life, and resorting to a realistic way of thinking, that is coordination with the cosmic reality of nature, thought and society.
This way of thinking is not to be found except in mental reasoning, through mind's innate originality and exact theoretical activity. Mind is the actual thinker, the conscious power that moves according to the general universal existence, and co-ordinates with it, since it a part of it - the highest example of its movement and order.
This is why the Qur'an addresses the mind and argues with it as it is the only force in harmony with the logic of the Qur'an, and is able to comprehend its course and hear its call. It says:
"...thus do We make the signs distinct for a people who understand." Holy Qur'an (30:28)
"...Most surely there are signs in this for a people who reflect." Holy Qur'an (39:42)
When the mind is given freedom of thinking and contemplation, away from influences, deviations, and factors of misinterpretation, it will be able to discover the mental climate, which assists its growth, and to properly understand life. That climate is the way of the Qur'an and religion. Only under its light the mind can explain life and estimate it as required. In this way man would discover his inefficiency ad his need to follow the path of religion and to be guided by it.
Until the Imperialists invaded Muslim Countries and the Muslims started mixing with non-believers, all our Muslim women walked in this world with great respect and dignity. The non-believers were finding it very difficult to come anywhere near the border of our Muslim sisters purity. The Hijab (Islamic dress for women) did not only protect them from those evil eyes of non-believers but also gave them freedom and independence from being misused by them.
The non-believers planned to destroy their barrier through removal of Hijab (Hejab, Hijaab) and unfortunately, many of our sisters, without realizing what shame and destruction they were bringing to themselves, removed the Hijab (Muslim Veil) and exposed themselves.
When imperialists invaded China, they were not faced with Hijab but were confronted with other obstacles and the Chinese refused to co-operate with them. In order to crush this resistance, the imperialists flooded China with opium and made it available to the Chinese free of charge. Once the Chinese were addicted, free distribution of opium ceased and it was given only to those who fulfilled their demands.
Removal of the Hijab had exactly the same effect. At one time, you were independent and lived with dignity, but now you are nothing but a slave of your evil desire and behave worse than a Kafir (infidel). By removing your Hijab (An Act of Faith), you have destroyed your faith. Islam means submission to Allah (SWT) in all our action. Those who refused submission cannot be called Muslims. Allah (SWT) states in Holy Qur'an: "And say to the believing women that they cast down their looks and guard their private parts and do not display their ornaments except what appears thereof, and let them wear their head-coverings over their bosoms, and not display their ornaments except to their husbands or their fathers, or the fathers of their husbands, or their sons, or the sons of their husbands, or their brothers, or their brothers' sons, or their sisters' sons, or their women, or those whom their right hands possess, or the male servants not having need (of women), or the children who have not attained knowledge of what is hidden of women; and let them not strike their feet so that what they hide of their ornaments may be known; and turn to Allah all of you, O believers! So that you may be successful." Holy Qur'an (24:31)
Also, Imam Jafar Sadiq (as) says: Modesty is the symbol of faith and whoever has no modesty (Hijab), has no religion.
There are many sisters who have failed to understand the actual meaning of Hijab.
To observe proper Hijab is to dress up oneself modestly and appropriately covering all parts of body except face and forearms, without showing one's figure or curves and without using any sort of make-up.
Allah (SWT) has given equal rights to both men and women; He forbids either sex claiming supremacy over the other.
Allah (SWT) states in Holy Qur'an: "O mankind! We created you from a single (pair) of a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that ye may know each other (not that ye may despise (each other). Verily the most honoured of you in the sight of Allah is (he who is) the most righteous of you. And Allah has full knowledge and is well acquainted (with all things)." Holy Qur'an (49:13)
Hijab is one of the righteous deeds and it is a sign of honor and equality with men and stands as a shield of protection against evil man.
The woman in Islam is bestowed with respect and honour and a Muslim gives great importance to his wife. Our Holy Prophet Muhammad's (saw) Hadith says the best of you are those who are best in resting their wives.
The status of wife is so respectable that she is not bound to do any house-hold work unless she does it willingly and with affection; but if her husband forces her to do any work; he will have to answer to Allah (SWT) for his conduct. Also, she is not bound to earn and maintain the house of her husband. Her work shall always conform to the laws of Islam (Shariat). Unlike the Western world, the Muslim wife is a queen in her husband's house. The first thing a husband does for his wife is to provide a servant and a cook according to his ability and when she becomes a mother, she receives greatest respect from her husband. Contrary to this, is considered a sin by Allah (SWT).
One of the most common phrases in Islam is the 'Paradise lies at the feet of the mother'. And Allah (SWT) states in Holy Qur'an: "And your Lord has commanded that you shall not serve (any) but Him, and goodness to your parents. If either or both of them reach old age with you, say not to them (so much as) "Ugh" nor chide them, and speak to them a generous word." Holy Qur'an (17:23)
Allah (SWT) has given great impedance to women and for that reason He orders their children to address them in terms of honor.
What kind of dignity a non-believer has by the way; they conduct their life and expose themselves. They have removed the shield of protection, that modesty of Hijab and left themselves unprotected and that is the cause for the assault, which takes place once every ten seconds in rape and murder around the world. But those true Muslims who observe proper Hijab are protected from such assaults and not one ease or this type is ever heard of.
Moreover Hijab also gives the women an air of authority, dignity and respect, which a non-believer can never claim to possess. Only those who are well behaved can expect admiration and high esteem from others and definitely, those who try to attract men can never be called a well-behaved person.
Those who reject Hijab and wish to attract men are suffering from inferiority complex. They believe men are superior and in order to overcome this feeling, they use their feminine charms. But why should a Muslim woman have such a feeling when she is fully aware of her equality with men?
Hijab, therefore, has such benefits as a guard against any assault, equality with men, air of respect and honor and most important of all, obedience to Allah (SWT) which is equivalent to blood of martyr. Hijab requires women to avoid any sort of attraction to men.
We have many Muslims sisters who are more concerned to please themselves and their non-believer friends than Allah (SWT). Let us not forget the purpose of our existence, which is to cultivate love and affection for Allah in our heart and not for anything else. How can we create that love when we disobey Him? Adoration and affection come from the heart and those who truly love Allah (SWT) will not do anything contrary to this.
Some of our sisters come up with the excuse that the non-believers laugh at them if they observe Hijab and they feel degraded. They may laugh for a little while but after some time, they will have no choice but to respect the Muslim women observing Hijab for their discipline and principles which could not be shaken by their little laugh.
Let us not forget the famous phrase: He who laughs last laughs the longest.
A Muslim sister lives for the future and not for the day; we can all look forward to be in Heaven for believing and obeying Allah (SWT).
Hijab is one of the commandments of Allah (SWT). The Holy Prophet Muhammad (saw) said that those women who do not observe proper Hijab are blatantly defying the commandment of Allah (SWT). Ahlul Bayt (as) suffered hardships and offered unparalleled sacrifices to bring original Islam to us. Discarding Hijab puts their sacrifices in vain. And the pleasure of Allah (SWT) is the greatest bliss. But for those who disobeyed, what punishment is awaiting them but Hell-Fire!
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Hijab (Hejab, Hijaab): Hijab (Islamic dress for women) supplement
Allah (SWT) states in Holy Qur'an: "Not for (idle) sport did We create the heavens and the earth and all that is between! If it had been Our wish to take (just) a pastime, We should surely have taken it from the things nearest to Us, if We would do (such a thing)." Holy Qur'an (21:16-17)
The above verse amply emphasizes the seriousness with which Allah (SWT) created this world and everything that exists therein, including the human beings. Allah (SWT) created us for a specific and important purpose and it is the duty of every Muslim to lead a disciplined life, realizing the seriousness of this purpose.
Human beings must distinguish themselves from animals by decent and disciplined behavior. But how many of us take this life with the seriousness it deserves? All of us originated from one father and one mother and belong to one big family, but it is unfortunate that many of us live without any sense of collective responsibility. We are one community and the action of one-person will not only reflect on other individuals but also the whole community.
In no other religion in the world is human life to be considered to be so sacred that one man's murder is considered to be the murder of the entire human race, and whoever saves a life it is as if he had saved the lives of all mankind.
Allah (SWT) states in Holy Qur'an: "For this reason did We prescribe to the children of Israel that whoever slays a soul, unless it be for manslaughter or for mischief in the land, it is as though he slew all men; and whoever keeps it alive, it is as though he kept alive all men." Holy Qur'an (5:32)
When Allah (SWT) commanded our sisters to observe Hijab, it was because of the universal damages that would be caused by refusing to observe it. It is not a matter of individual behavior, as many people may think. A woman going out exposing her charms attracts men, which sets off a chain of undesirable events, causing lot of harm to several people. Thus, the indecent behavior of one person affects the community as a whole. Although the person, who originally caused the damage, is to be blamed for all the consequences, other members of the community are also responsible to some extent for allowing such a thing to happen. Therefore, it becomes a collective responsibility of all of us to ensure that such damages are not caused.
For example, some people were sailing in a boat, which they jointly owned when one of them stated making a hole in the place which was allocated to him in the boat. When others tried to stop him, he argued that it was his part of the boat and he was free to do whatever he wished. But if he was allowed to continue, the boat would sink and all of them would be drowned.
Discarding Hijab will harm not only one's own self but also millions of others. Exposure of physical charm of our women may destroy many homes and cause innumerable rapes and murders for which we all are responsible.
It is pertinent to relate one of the several heart-breaking stories caused by discarding Hijab: A young innocent man, who saw the photograph of an attractive woman, was immediately infatuated by her physical charm. Unfortunately, he had neither wealth nor position to get closer to her. To fulfill his desire, he though of getting money quickly by any means and resorted to stealing.
Finally, he ended up in prison for robbing a few people and killing one.
Who is to be blamed for all the consequences but the person who caused them? Had that woman observed Hijab and refrained from displaying her attractions, these crimes would not have taken place.
Our Holy Prophet Muhammad (saw) has said that on the Day of Judgment, such people would be brought forward for trail on charges of quasi-crimes in which they had a share of responsibility. They would plead that they did not commit those crimes, but then they would be told that they removed their Hijab and attracted this person, which made him indulge in those crimes.
Allah (SWT) states in Holy Qur'an: "Except those who believe and do good and remember Allah much, and defend themselves after they are oppressed; and they who act unjustly shall know to what final place of turning they shall turn back." Holy Qur'an (26:227)
Liberation or Sexploitation
Look at the glossy cover of any magazine or advertisements on TV and newspaper, you will find that most of these advertisements have scantily dressed women in alluring poses to attract the attention of men. This proves that the Western society considers woman only as a sex symbol.
The liberation of women in Islam is far superior to Western liberation as it allows women to live with respect, dignity and equality in society.
Equality does not mean aping and behaving like men or dancing to their carnal tunes; that would be an act of inferiority in the face of one's own femininity.
A truly liberated woman always dresses decently and modestly. A true woman will never degrade her body and sell her dignity to the highest bidder. No woman is truly liberated if she is still the slave of her wayward conscience, bodily lust or infidelity.
However, in Islam, women, whatever their role as mothers, wives, sisters or daughters, command respect and have a constructive role to play in society. The Hijab itself gives an aura of freedom to the womankind, facilitating their movement and protecting them from provocation and wanton greed of the human wolves. Removal of the Hijab makes you vulnerable to the lust of men.
By removing your Hijab, you have destroyed your faith. Islam means submission to Allah (SWT) in all our actions. Those who refuse submission cannot be called Muslims.
What is Hijab? (Hijaab (Muslim Veil), Hejab (An Act of Faith), Islamic dress for women)
There are many sisters who have failed to understand the actual meaning of Hijab. Hijab technically means covering. Islam desires the preservation of social tranquility and familial peace. Hence, it asks women to cover themselves in their inter-actions with men, whom they are not related to.
Why is Hijab necessary? (Hijabs, Hijab Pictures, Hijab Girls, Hijabi Fashion)
The dangerous consequences of the Western culture of nakedness and permissiveness are before us. We should think twice before blindly trying to imitate Western life-styles.
How should women observe Hijab correctly?
Basically, the dress of ladies should cover the whole body except the face and hands (i.e. palms and fingers). Hair should not be exposed because Islam considers it as half of the total beauty of women. The Hijab could be of any form and color, a one-piece chader or a three-piece ensemble, as long as it is not tight fitting and does not attract people's attention.
Baseless objections against Hijab
What are the disadvantages of discarding Hijab?
What are the advantages of observing Hijab?
Hijab (Modesty) is also for Muslim Men
"Say to the believing men that they cast down their looks and guard their private parts; that is purer for them; surely Allah is Aware of what they do." Holy Qur'an (24:30)
To cast down one's glance, means not to look in a fixed way, not to stare. The sentence means, "Tell the believers not to stare at or flirt with women."
Allah (SWT) has given equal rights to both men and women; He forbids either sex claiming supremacy over the other. Allah (SWT) states in the Holy Qur'an: "The most honored of you in the sight of Allah is (he who is) the most righteous of you." Holy Qur'an (49:13)
| 1,900 raped every day in America |
Washington: Nearly 1,900 women are raped every day in America, according to a study released on Thursday that paints a much grimmer picture than US Justice Department figures announced earlier this week. The National Victim Center, which promotes the rights of victims of violent crime, said 1.3 adult women are raped every minute and 683,000 US women are raped each year, based on a survey of more that 4,000 women, including 579 rape victims. One in eight adult American women has been raped, bringing the total of rape victims to at least 12.1 million, it said. The survey indicated that 61 per cent of all rape cases involve women under 18 and that 29 percent of all rapes occurred when the victim was less than 11 years old. Reuters (Source: MID-DAY Bombay 25-4-92) al-qurqn and as-sunnah is very complete for us to follow.... |
