More on Hijab
Tuesday, July 08, 2008
In all there
are seven ayat that you should look at completely thoroughly and they are:
S. Noor, 24th sura, ayat 30 and 31
Sura Ahzab, 33rd sura, Ayat, 32, 33, 53, 55 and 59.
I mentioned in my previous note about "exempt" for which I am sorry
as I did not know what better way I could adopt without going into detail.
What it meant was that male persons at home like father brother,male children,
male servants are people that come and go in the house including where women
are located and women are allowed to observe only the "satar" and not
wear a "burqua" or Jalbab (which is used for perdah when women go out
of home). So if she has face and hands and feet open it is OK in front of these
persons (I have not given complete list)
Now that must be understood that "satar" has always been compulsory
for men and women
Man: covering from navel to knees ( inclusive of them)
Woman: whole body except hands and face (and according to some feet also)
Coming back to hijab or perda, there is no doubt that segregation of sexes and
keeping at home or wearing Jalbab when going out, keeping a curtain from
unknown men are all forms of hijab. At present it seems that head-cover (called
Khimar with plural khumur) combined with ordinary clothes (Not gaudy or flashy
or showy) serves the same purpose, as long as it covers the whole body
including the head and neck and bosom(which the women tend to show off
particularly in the western way of dressing) and clothes are not tight or thin.
Staying at home and only going out when needed is a good suggestion. It is
only, that now-a-days women need to go out more often ( because of the changes
in life style.) But to enforce staying at home to the extent that it affcts the
health is taking it too far, just as going out for no reason may be too far in
the other direction). To go out with all the make up and wearing perfume and
showy clothes for show-off only is just as bad.
Voice of women is "closed" as perdah which is stretching the meaning
of those words of aya 32 of sura ahzab. What is being said that ".../ be
not complaisant of speech, lest one whose heart is a disease, be moved to with
a desire, but speak ye a speech (that is) just" Clearly here the way of
speech is being told and not that you should not speak at all because the voice
is under perdah"
My thinking is over but I wish to refer to two things. One which M.Maudoodi has
discussed at length in his book on "perdah" and that is "ghoongat"
which is in the translation of aya 59 of 33rd sura. All others like M.
Junagadhi, M. Shafi, Usmani they all call it" chader ka pallu chehray per
latka liya karain" (meaning ghunghat), when they go out.
Allama Yusuf Ali and Assad mention that they should cover their body with
chader (jalbab).
I shall quote Assad, you may not agree with him (for those who dont know him,
he is the Jew who was trained in Hebrew scripture, also bible and then studied
Quran after learning Arabic, eventually accepting Islam): (Noor, 31--Illa ma
zdahara minha)
"...what may (decently) be apparant thereof...."
Then in discussion he says, ".... several of the earliest Islamic
scholars, and particularly by Al-Qiffal (quoted by Razi), as "that which a
human being may openl;y show in accordance with the prevailing custom
(al-A'dataljariyah), although the traditional exponents of Islamic law have for
centuries been inclined to restrict the definition of "what may (decently)
appear thereof"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 aa well as women to lower their
gaze....."
As for the translation of 59th aya of 33rd sura he says, "......that they
should draw over themselves some of their outer garments (when in
public)......."
Yusufali also says, ".... they should cast their outer garments over their
person (when abroad)......" And Farooq-e-Azam Malik also says draw the
outer garment on their person.
Ibn-e-Katheer (I have Urdu translation) also mentions covering of face. They
all mention about one Muslim (who did not meet the prophet during his life)
that hedemontrated the outer garment covering the whole body and face except
one eye with which to see.
Then there is discussion about free women and slave women.
I have great respect for Mauddodi but sometimes during discussion he uses
extremely strong words which worry me. However I'll quote one last word from
him, at the end of discussion of "commandments of Perdah" After
quoting the propher PBUH
"Ask for the verdict of your conscience and discard what pricks"
"That is why Islam cannot be properly followed without knowledge. It is a
rational law and to follow it rightly one needs to exercise reason and
understanding at every step"
That is so true.
So If you are living in the west and customary thing is to wear dress that
covers the body without showing curves and cover head also, it appears that it
shows you care about the injubnctions of perdah. Secondly if not covering the
head and hair is felt by you it is customary these dyas, you may not wear
hijab, though I personally am in favor of head cover because of this being
"satar", but I would not brand you being "indecent" if you
are not wearing it. You can be a good Mulim without hijab also.
I have more to say about dress of men IA next time.
Posted by bsc
at 5:56 PM
http://saugoree.blogspot.com/2008/07/more-on-hijab.html
