Women in Society
Contents
The family in Islam is a unit in which a man and woman unite
to share life together according to the rules and regulations
laid down by the Shari'ah. They become as close to each other as
a garment is to the body. The husband's honour becomes an
integral part of his wife's honour, and vice versa. They share
each other's prosperity and adversity. Thus in Islam the bridal
couple are united as husband and wife in the presence of
witnesses seeking Allah's blessings to increase in mutual love
and compassion and agreeing to care for each other in sickness
and adversity. This fundamental principle of Islamic marriage,
understood and observed by the spouses, is the basis of the
institution of Muslim marriage. In the family, the man is
charged with the duty of being the leader of the family and the
woman is assigned the duty of looking after the household.
Even if the man has more responsibility than the woman and
thereby has a degree over her, it does not make a husband
inherently better than his wife. The Qur'an contains a
verse which says:
And in no wise covet those things in which Allah has
bestowed His gifts more freely on some of you than others: to
men is allotted what they earn, and to women what they earn...
(4:32)
Commenting on this verse Sheikh Muhammad 'Abduh says that it
does not imply that every man is better than every woman or vice
versa, but it emphasizes that: "each sex, in general, has
some preferential advantage over the other, though men have a
degree over women . " What is this "degree"? There
are different views about it. One view is that it means the
qualities of leadership, surveillance and maintenance which are
bestowed on men. Another view is that it signifies the
tolerance with which men must treat their wives even when in
extremely bad moods. Yet another view is that it is
man's natural gift from Allah for judging matters pertaining to
his family and managing the problems affecting it. However,
the consensus of the scholars is that the "degree" comprises the
principle of guardianship and nothing more.
Muhammad 'Abduh feels that guardianship has four elements:
protection, surveillance, custody, and maintenance. 'Abd
al-'Ati considers that over and above these four elements is the
element of obedience. According to 'Abd al-'Ati obedience
consists of the following aspects:
- A wife must neither receive male strangers nor accept
gifts from them without her husband's approval.
- A husband has the legal right to restrict his wife's
freedom of movement. He may prevent her from leaving her home
without his permission unless there is a necessity or
legitimate reason for her to do otherwise. However, it is
his religious obligation to be compassionate and not to
unreasonably restrict her freedom of movement. If there
arises a conflict between this right of the husband and the
rights of the wife's parents to visit her and be visited by
her, the husband's right prevails in the wider interest of the
family. Yet the Shari'ah recommends that he be considerate
enough to waive his rights to avoid shame within the family.
- A refractory wife has no legal right to object to her
husband exercising his disciplinary authority. Islamic law, in
common with most other systems of law, recognizes the
husband's right to discipline his wife for disobedience.
- The wife may not legally object to the husband's right to
take another wife or to exercise his right of divorce. The
marital contract establishes her implicit consent to these
rights. However, if she wishes to restrict his freedom in
this regard or to have similar rights, she is legally allowed
to do so. She may stipulate in the marital
agreement that she too will have the right to divorce or that
she will keep the marriage bond only so long as she remains
the only wife. Should he take a second wife, she will have the
right to seek a divorce in accordance with the marriage
agreement.
Modesty is a virtue which Islam demands of Muslim men and
women. The most powerful verses commanding the believers to be
modest occur in Surah al-Nur and begin with the words:
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 aware of what they do. (24:31)
The rule of modesty is equally applicable to men and women. A
brazen stare by a man at a woman or another man is a breach of
correct behaviour. The rule is meant not only to guard women,
but is also meant to guard the spiritual good of men. Looking at
the sexual anarchy that prevails in many parts of the world, and
which Islam came to check, the need for modesty both in men and
women is abundantly clear. However it is on account of the
difference between men and women in nature, temperament, and
social life, that a greater amount of veiling is required for
women than for men, especially in the matter of dress. A
complete code of modesty is laid down in the Qur'an as follows:
And say to the believing women that they should lower their
gaze and guard their modesty; and 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 save to their husbands, or
their fathers or their husbands' fathers, or their sons or
their husbands' sons, or 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 desire, or small children who have no sense of sex;
and that they should not stamp their feet in order to draw
attention to their hidden ornaments. And O believers! Turn all
together towards Allah, that you may attain bliss. (24:31)
A key term in the above verse is zinat. It
means both natural beauty and artificial ornaments. The
word as used in the above verse seems to include both meanings.
Women are asked not to make a display of their figures, not to
wear tight clothing that reveals their shapeliness, nor to
appear in such dress except to:
- their husbands,
- their relatives living in the same house with whom a
certain amount of informality is permissible,
- their women, that is, in the strict sense, their
maid-servants who are constantly in attendance on them, but in
a more liberal sense, all believing women,
- old or infirm men-servants, and
- infants or small children who have not yet got a sense of
sex
While Muslim men are required to cover the body between the
navel and the knee, every Muslim woman is asked to cover her
whole body excluding the face and hands from all men except her
husband. The following traditions of the Prophet (peace be upon
him) give us further guidance in the matter:
"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. "When a woman
reaches puberty no part of her body should remain uncovered
except her face and the hand up to the wrist joint."
'A'isha reports that once she appeared got up in finery
before her nephew, 'Abdullah ibn al-Tufail. The Prophet (peace
be upon him) did not approve of it. "I said, 'O Apostle of
Allah, he is my nephew.' The Prophet replied, 'When a woman
reaches puberty 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
the wrist joint as to leave only a little space between the
place he gripped and the palm."
Asma', the sister of 'A'isha and daughter of Abu Bakr, came
before the Prophet in a thin dress that showed her body. The
Prophet turned his eyes away and said, "O Asma'! When a woman
reaches puberty, 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. Hafsah, daughter of 'Abdur-Rahman,
once came before 'A'isha wearing a thin shawl over her head and
shoulders. 'A'isha tore it up and put a thick shawl over her.
The Messenger of Allah also said, "Allah has cursed those
women who wear clothes yet still remain naked." The khalif,
'Umar, once said, "Do not clothe your women in clothes that
are tight-fitting and reveal the shapeliness of the body."
The above-mentioned traditions make it explicitly clear that the
dress of Muslim women must cover the whole body, except for the
face and hands, whether in the house or outside, even with her
nearest relatives. She must not expose her body to anybody
except her husband, and must not wear a dress that shows the
curves of her body. Some scholars, like Muhammad Nasiruddin al-Albani,
are of the opinion that, because modern times are particularly
full of fitnah (mischief), women should go as far as to cover
their faces because even the face may attract sexual glances
from men. Shaikh al-Albani says, "We admit that the face is not
one of the parts of the body to be covered, but it is not
permissible for us to hold to this taking into consideration the
corruption of the modern age and the need to stop the means for
further corruption."
It is respectfully submitted, however, that in the light
of the Prophetic traditions it suffices to cover the body,
leaving out the face and hands up to the wrist joints, since
this is the specified Islamic covering and it may sometimes be
essential for a woman to go about her lawful engagements with
her face uncovered. However if a woman prefers to put on
the veil (burqah), she should not be discouraged as this may be
a sign of piety and God-consciousness (taqwah). The rules on
dress are slightly relaxed when a woman reaches old age and her
sexual attractions have faded. The Qur'an says:
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 the
One who sees and knows all things. (24:60)
However, if a woman is old but still has sexual desires, it
is not lawful for her to take off her over- garments. Women at
whom people are not possibly going to cast sexual glances but
rather look at with respect and veneration are entitled to make
use of the relaxation and go about in their houses without
wearing an over-garment.
Islam requires its male and female adherents to avoid illicit
sexual relations at all costs. Because the desire to have sexual
relationships originates with the look that one person gives
another, Islam prohibits a person from casting amorous glances
towards another. This is the principle of ghadd al-basar
(lowering the eyes). Since it is impossible for people to have
their eyes fixed constantly to the ground and inconceivable that
a man will never see a woman or a woman will never see a man,
Islam absolves from blame the first chance look, but prohibits
one from casting a second look or continuing to stare at a face
which one finds attractive at first sight.
The following traditions of the Prophet (peace be upon him)
offer us guidance in this regard: Jarir says,
"I asked the Prophet what I should do if I happened to cast
a look (at a woman) by chance. The Prophet replied, 'Turn your
eyes away.' " According to Buraidah, the Prophet told the
future fourth khalif, 'Ali, not to cast a second look, for the
first look was pardonable but the second was prohibited.
However, there are certain circumstances in which it is
permissible for a man to look at another woman. Such
circumstances may arise when a woman is obliged to be treated by
a male doctor, or has to appear before a judge as a witness, or
when a woman is trapped inside a burning house, or is drowning,
or when a woman's life or honour is in danger. In such cases,
even the prohibited parts of the body of the woman may be seen
or touched, and it is not only lawful but obligatory on a man to
rescue her from danger, whatever physical contact it may entail.
What is required by Islam in such a situation is that as far as
possible the man should keep his intentions pure. But if in
spite of that his emotions are a little excited naturally, it is
not blameworthy for him to have looked at such a woman, since
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.
The Shari'ah also allows a man to look at a woman with the
object of reaching a decision about whether he should marry her
or not. The following traditions explain the matter further:
Mughirah ibn Shu'bah says,
"I sent a message to a woman asking for her hand. The
Prophet (peace be upon him) said to me, 'Have a look at her
for that will enhance love and mutual regard between you.' "
Abu Hurairah says that he was sitting with the Prophet when a
man came and said that he intended to marry a woman from among
the Ansar (Helpers). The Prophet asked him if he had seen her.
He replied in the negative. The Prophet told him to go and have
a look at her because the Ansar often had a defect in their
eyes. According to Jabir ibn 'Abdullah, the Prophet said that
when a man sent a request to a woman for her hand in marriage,
he should have a look at her to see if there was anything in her
which made him inclined to marry her.
It is thus clear that no man is prohibited from having a look
at a woman as such, but that the real idea behind the
prohibition is to prevent the evil of illicit intercourse.
Therefore what the Prophet has prohibited is only such casting
of the eyes as is not essential, as does not serve any social
purpose, and as is loaded with sexual motives. This command
applies to both Muslim men and Muslim women and is not confined
to only one sex.
Maulana Abu'l-A'la Maududi has made a fine psychological
distinction, however, between women looking at men and men
looking at women. The man, he says,
"...is by nature aggressive. If a thing appeals to him, he
is urged from within to acquire it. On the other hand, 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 Legislator (the Prophet) does not regard a
woman's looking at other men to be as harmful as a man's
looking at other women. In several traditions it has been
reported that the Prophet (peace be upon him) let 'A'isha see
a performance given by negroes on the occasion of the 'Id.
This shows that there is no absolute prohibition on women
looking at other men. What is prohibited is for women to sit
in the same gathering together with men and stare at them, or
look at them in a manner which may lead to evil results. "
The Prophet (peace be upon him) told Fatimah, daughter of
Qais, to pass her 'iddah (waiting term), in the house of Ibn
Maktum, the same blind Companion from whom Umm Salamah had been
instructed to observe purdah. Qadi Abu Bakr ibn al-'Arabi has
related in his Ahkam al- Qur'an that Fatimah, daughter of Qais,
wanted to pass her waiting term in the house of Umm Sharik. The
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 Maktum who was blind, where she could stay without
observing purdah.
This shows that the real object of the Prophet was to reduce
the chances of any mischief occurring. That is why the lady was
not allowed to stay in a house where the chances of possible
mischief were greater but allowed to stay in a house where they
were less. On the other hand, where there was no such need,
women were prohibited from sitting in the same place face to
face with other men.
The real object of ghadd al-basar (lowering the eyes) is to
stop people with evil intentions from casting lewd looks at
others. It is common knowlege that a person turns their eyes
towards another person innocently in the beginning. If the
latter is attractive, the former may go on casting glances and
thus drift towards the precipice of sexual attraction and
ultimately fornication or adultery. Islam encourages
regulated love in order to build up happy family lives since it
is healthy families that provide the blocks to construct a
healthy society; but it abhors promiscuity which ruins people's
family lives and seriously damages people through the ultimate
disaster of illicit sexual relationships developing between its
adherents. Islam blocks the path that finally leads to
active temptation by prohibiting the casting of looks by one
person at another except when they do so by chance.
The Shari'ah has placed restrictions on men meeting strange
women privately. Similarly no man other than her husband is
allowed to touch any part of a woman's body. The following
traditions of the Prophet (peace be upon him) are worth noting
in this connection:
"Beware that you do not call on women who are alone," said
the Messenger of Allah. One of the Companions asked, "O
Messenger of Allah, what about the younger or the elder
brother of the husband?" The Prophet replied, "He is death." (Tirmidhi,
Bukhari and Muslim)
"Do not call on women in the absence of their husbands,
because Satan might be circulating in any of you like blood."
(Tirmidhi).
According to 'Amr ibn al-'As, the Prophet forbade men to call
on women without the permission of their husbands. (Tirmidhi)
"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." (Tirmidhi)
The Prophet said,
"The one who touches the hand of a woman without having a
lawful relationship with her, will have an ember placed on his
palm on the Day of Judgment." (Takmalah, Fath alQadir)
'A'ishah says that the Prophet accepted the oath of
allegiance from women only verbally, without taking their hands
into his own hand. He never touched the hand of a woman who was
not married to him (Bukhari). Umaimah, daughter of Ruqaiqah,
said that she went to the Prophet in the company of some other
women 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 that he take their hands as a mark of allegiance.
The Prophet said, "I do not take the hands of women. Verbal
affirmation is enough." (Nasa'i and Ibn Majah).
According to Maulana Maududi these commandments apply in
respect of young women. He says, "It is lawful to sit with women
of advanced age in privacy and touching them is also not
prohibited. It has been reported that Sayyiduna Abu Bakr used to
visit the clan where he had been suckled and shook hands with
the old women. It has been reported that Sayyidina 'Abdullah ibn
Zubair used to have his feet and head pressed gently for relief
by an old woman. This distinction between old and young women
itself shows that the real object is to prevent such mixing of
the sexes as may lead to evil results.''
It is most unfortunate, however, that in spite of this
guidance from the Prophet (peace be upon him) many Muslims have
adopted the Western system of shaking hands with women, using
these traditions in respect of old women as a justification.
This is clearly an unreasonable extension of the permission. It
is, therefore, submitted that the Muslims the world over, and 'ulama
in particular, must pause to reflect and stop this un-Islamic
practice which has crept into our society. There cannot be a
better form of greeting than uttering 'as-salamu 'alaikum
' (peace be upon you) and greeting back with 'wa
alaikum as-salam '(and peace be upon you too).
The Shari'ah wants people to live in their houses in peace
and privacy. It therefore commands a Muslim, when visiting
friends, relatives or strangers not to enter their houses
without seeking their permission. The Qur'an particularly
forbids him to enter their houses without alerting the women of
the house so that he does not surprise them in a condition in
which he would not normally see them. However, children do not
have to seek such permission until they reach the age of puberty
and sexual awareness stirs in them:
When your children attain puberty, they should ask for
leave before entering the house, just as their elders asked it
before them... (24:58)
The Holy Qur'an also gives categories of people who should
not 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. (33:33)
At the beginning of Islam, the Arabs could not grasp the real
significance of these commands. Therefore they used to peep into
houses from the outside. Once when the Prophet (peace be upon
him) was in his room, a person peeped through the lattice. The
Prophet said:
"If I had known that you were peeping, I would have poked
something into your eye. The command to ask permission has
been given to safeguard people against the evil look."
(Bukhari) Then the Prophet publicly announced: "If a person
peeps into somebody else's house without permission the people
of the house will be justified if they injure his eye."
(Muslim)
No matter how urgent the need is, no-one is allowed to enter
anyone else's house without permission. The Qur'an says:
...and when you ask women for an article, ask for it from
behind a curtain; this is a purer way for your hearts and
theirs. (33:53)
These restrictions also apply to household servants. Once
Bilal or Anas asked Fatimah, the daughter of the Prophet, to
hand him her child. She handed it to him by stretching her hand
from behind a curtain. It is noteworthy that both these men were
the personal attendants of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and
he used to affectionately address them as "Ya Bunayya" (O my
son). The real purpose behind those restrictions is to safeguard
men and women against evil inclinations. By keeping a safe
distance between them, the Shari'ah ensures that they do not
grow too familiar and free with one another which may make them
drift towards sexual intimacy.
The Qur'an lays down the code of conduct for women in the
following words:
And play your role by being in your houses and do not keep
exhibiting your beauty and decorations like what used to
happen in the Jahiliyyah period (before Islam). (33:33)
Abu Bakr al-Jassas says in explaining this verse,
"This verse points out the fact that women are ordered to
play their role in the house and are forbidden from loitering
outside of their houses."
It was revealed when the Muslim ummah was being formed in
Madina as an example for the coming generations of Muslims. It
sought to put an end to the Jahiliyyah practices of the pagan
Arabs. The khalif 'Umar remarked:
"By Allah, we did not give any position to women in the
Jahiliyyah period until such time that Allah sent His command
in respect of them and apportioned for them the role that was
to be theirs." (Muslim)
Under this apportionment women were given the role of making
their own homes the centers of their attention rather than going
about exhibiting their physical charms and worldly possessions.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said that the following type of
women constitute one of the categories of the dwellers of Hell:
"Those women who seem naked even when dressed and those who
walk flirtingly and those who plait their heads like the humps
of camels, thus inviting people's attention, will not enter
Paradise nor will they smell its fragrance even though its
fragrance can be smelt from a very long distance." (Muslim).
Islam, however, does not prohibit beautification (zinat) on
the part of women as long as it is not done in a way that
injuriously interferes with the limbs or the body. In ancient
times there were many kinds of defacement practiced on the
bodies of men and animals, partly on account of superstition or
pagan custom and partly on account of the craze for fashion and
display. Examples of this were tattooing, sharpening or spacing
the teeth, shaving or plucking the hair, wearing hair pieces,
etc. Many of these practices still survive and are, in fact,
getting more and more refined.
Since all these practices change or seriously interfere with
the natural creation of Allah, the Prophet (peace be upon him)
cursed those who indulged in them for the purpose of mere
beautification. One report says,
"The Messenger of Allah cursed women who tattooed, and
those who got themselves tattooed, those who engaged in
sharpening the teeth (as a mark of beauty) and those who had
their teeth sharpened." (Bukhari and Muslim)
The Messenger of Allah cursed women who had spaces made
between their teeth in order to increase their beauty, thus
changing the creation of Allah. A third report says,
"The Messenger of Allah cursed the women who plucked hair
and those who were employed to pluck the eyebrows." (Abu Dawud)
This method of beautification would include the modern
practice of shaving the eyebrows and then painting on new ones,
or shaving certain hair and leaving the eyebrows to look like
two inverted crescents.
However, if a woman has some obtrusive hairs on her face
which are a problem and embarrassment for her, she may remove
them. When 'A'ishah was approached by the young wife of Abu
Is'haq who wished to remove her facial hairs in order to look
beautiful for her husband, she advised her to do so. (Reported
by atTabarani) On this basis some Hanafi jurists are of the
opinion that there is no harm in removing the hairs from a
woman's face and applying cosmetics if it is done with the
permission of the husband, in order to please him and with a
good intention. But Imam alNawawi opposes even removing the
hairs on a woman's face because he considers the practice
similar to plucking hair.
A fourth report says:
''A'ishah reported that the Messenger of Allah (peace be
upon him) cursed women who wore hair pieces and the women who
aided in this practice." (Bukhari)
This method of beautification would include the modern
practice of wearing wigs. It consists of using a plait of one
woman's hair or artificial hair and joining it to another
woman's hair with the object of making the woman's hair appear
very long and beautiful. Mu'awiyah, while holding a plait of
such hair in his hands during his address to the Muslims,
castigated the 'ulama:
"Where are your learned men gone? (meaning why did they not
stop women from using such hair) I heard the Messenger of
Allah stop them from using this." He also said, "Undoubtedly
the Israelites destroyed themselves when their women adopted
such things." (Bukhari)
The Shari'ah also requires women to abstain from displaying
their "decorations" except to a restricted circle of people. The
Qur'an says:
And say to the believing women that they should lower their
gaze and guard their modesty; and 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 save to their husbands, or
their fathers, or their husbands' fathers, or their sons, or
their husbands' sons, or 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 desire, or small children who have no sense of sex;
and that they should not stamp their feet in order to draw
attention to their hidden ornaments. And O believers! Turn all
together towards Allah, that you may attain bliss. (24:31)
Thus, the following people fall in the exceptional category
to whom decorations can be displayed by a woman:
- Her husband.
- Her father, including maternal and paternal grandfathers.
- Her husband's father. He is also like her own father.
- Her son, including grandsons from her son's side or her
daughter's side.
- Her husband's son by another woman, provided that he is
staying with her, and she is looking after him as her son.
- Her brother, whether full, consanguine, or uterine (that
is to say, real or step).
- Her brother's son.
- Her sister's son.
- Muslim women and other women of good character.
- Her female slaves or servants. However, some 'ulama even
include male slaves or servants in the excepted category.
- Men who have no sexual desire (e.g. eunuchs).
- Children who have not yet developed sexual feelings.
- Her uncle, whether paternal or maternal.
It is noteworthy that the above verse of the Noble Qur'an
does not mention uncle, but uncle is included in the exceptional
category on the basis of a tradition of the Prophet (peace be
upon him). The Prophet said, "The uncle (maternal or
paternal) is of the same degree as one's father." (Muslim)
Let us here give a little more consideration to the women to
whom another woman is permitted to display her finery. These are
the women with whom she has blood or family relations. It should
be borne in mind that the foregoing Qur'anic verse implies only
women of good character. Other women who may not be well known
to her or who are notorious for their evil ways or who may be of
doubtful character are excluded from this permission, because
contact with them might easily lead to disastrous results. That
is why the khalif 'Umar wrote to Abu 'Ubaidah ibn al-Jarrah, the
Governor of Syria, to prohibit the Muslim women from going to
the baths with the women of the Ahl al-Kitab (the People of the
Book). (At-Tabari, Ibn Jazir) According to Ibn 'Abbas too:
"...a Muslim woman is not allowed to display herself before
the women of the unbelievers and non-Muslim poll-tax payers (Ahl
al- Dhimmah) any more than she can display herself before
other men." (At-Tabari).
This distinction between women on grounds of character and
religion is intended to safeguard Muslim women against the
influence of women whose moral and cultural background is either
not known or is objectionable from the Islamic point of view.
However, the Shari'ah allows Muslim women to mix freely with
non- Muslim women who are of good character. It is important to
note that permission to display zinat does not include
permission to display those parts of the body which fall within
the female satr. Thus zinat covers decorations, ornaments,
clothing, hair- dos, etc. that women are by nature fond of
showing in their houses. But tight jeans, short blouses,
sleeveless dresses are not counted as zinat for they also reveal
that satr.
The Shari'ah further requires a woman not to stamp on the
ground while walking, lest her hidden decorations should be
revealed by their jingle, and thus attract the attention of
passers-by. Writing about these restrictions, Maulana Maududi
says:
"It cannot, however, be claimed that a display of fineries
will turn every woman into a prostitute, nor that every man
who sees her will 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 society."
As against this view, the Egyptian scholars, notably 'Abbas
Mahmud al-'Aqqad, are of the view that these restrictions were
only imposed on the wives of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and
other Muslim women are not bound by them. 'Aqqad says, "We
should discuss this point in the light of the fact that the
command to stay at home was merely addressed to the wives of the
Prophet (peace be upon him) with particular reference to them
without referring it to Muslim women in general. It is for this
reason that the verse begins with the statement of Allah: O
women of the Prophet, you are not like other women. (33:32)
It is respectfully submitted that this view of Al-'Aqqad
needs reconsideration. There are a number of verses in the
Qur'an which, though apparently laying down "dos" and "don'ts"
for our Prophet and for the other Prophets (peace be upon all of
them) preceding him, contain clear messages for Muslims in
general, nay for all mankind. And Al-'Aqqad contradicts himself
when he quotes the following verse of the Holy Qur'an:
O you who believe! Do not enter the Prophet's house until
leave is given you for a meal, (and then) not (so early as) to
wait for its preparation; but when you are invited, enter; and
when you have taken your meal, disperse, without seeking
familiar talk. Such (behaviour) annoys the Prophet. He is
ashamed to dismiss you, but Allah is not ashamed (to tell you)
the truth. And when you ask his womenfolk for anything you
want, ask them from behind a screen; that makes for greater
purity for your hearts and for theirs. Nor is it right for you
that you should annoy Allah's Apostle, or that you should
marry his widows after him at any time. Truly such a thing is
an enormity in Allah's sight. (33:53)
This verse apparently lays down a code of manners for the
believers when entering the house of the Prophet (peace be upon
him) and taking food there. After quoting this verse, Al-'Aqqad
says:
"And this is part of the etiquette of visiting people with
which all visitors should be well disciplined.' In other
words, he agrees that this ayat, which is specific to the
house of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and taking food
there, in reality contains rules applicable to all believers
who want to enter somebody else's house. If from this special
case a rule of general application can be deduced by Al- 'Aqqad,
there seems no reason why he should refuse to deduce a rule of
general application for Muslim women from the verse addressed
to the wives of the Prophet.
Moreover, this view seems to get support from a tradition
of the Prophet in which he said: "...a woman who freely mixes
with other people and shows off her decorations is without
light and virtue " (At-Tirmidhi)
Hence we may conclude that no Muslim woman should display her
zinat (decoration) before others intentionally, but she is not
held responsible for something which cannot be helped e.g. her
stature, physical build, gait. etc. nor for uncovering her hand
or face when there is a genuine need to do so and without any
intention of attracting men. In such cases it is the
responsibility of Muslim men not to cast evil glances at women
with the intention of drawing pleasure from them. The Qur'an
ordains:
Say to believing men to lower their eyes. (24:30)
Very often, a man may receive male visitors and guests in his
house. In such a situation the question may arise whether the
wife of the host can come forward to serve food and drink to
them. If a woman's husband is not present when his guests
arrive, she should not serve them. However, if her husband is
present and the guests are known friends, relatives and
well-wishers, a woman may come forward to serve them with food
and drink provided that she is properly dressed and her manners,
movements and method of talking are such that they are not
likely to encourage evil in them or arouse their passions and
thereby become a source of fitnah (mischief).
We have a very good example in the following:
"When 'AbdurRashid al-Sa'adi got married, he invited the
Prophet (peace be upon him) and his Companions. His wife, Umm
Asyad, prepared the food alone and served it herself. She
soaked some dates in a stone bowl overnight, When the Prophet
finished eating, she offered him the water, after stirring it
well, as a present." (At-Tirmidhi and Abu Dawud)
If a woman is not properly dressed, it is better that she
does not come forward to serve guests. In this case she should
pass out the food and drinks to her husband and he should
entertain the guests and visitors on his own.
A Muslim woman should not use public baths (hammam) or
swimming pools because these places are likely to be a cause of
her exposing herself to evil influences. The following tradition
treats this point:
"Some women from Homs or from Sham (now the area of
Damascus) came to 'A'ishah. She asked, 'Do you enter the
public baths? I heard the Messenger of Allah saying that a
woman who undresses anywhere else other than in her own house
tears off the satr which lies between her and her Lord .' "
(At-Tirmidhi and Abu Dawud)
If the public baths and swimming pools are mixed, with both
men and women using them, it is all the more objectionable. At
one stage the Prophet (peace be upon him) forbade both men and
women to enter public oath- houses but later he allowed men to
use them on the condition that they were never naked. "The
Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace,
forbade all men to enter public baths but later allowed them to
enter them wearing waist-wrappers."
If a wealthy man builds a private pool on his own property
there is no harm in him and his wife using it together. However,
if he has more than one wife, he should not bathe with more than
one at a time, and, if he has grown-up sons, they should not
bathe together with their mothers or step-mothers.
Places in which men and women dance together are totally at
odds with the ethos of Muslim society and the Shari'ah does not
tolerate the participation of Muslim men and women in this
activity because it may so easily prove the first step towards
greater evils such as adultery and fornication. Dancing is most
certainly not compatible with the simple, purposeful lives that
all Muslims should lead. Mixed gymnasiums where women remove
their clothes and wear skin- tight costumes for doing physical
exercises are also against the dictates of the Shari'ah.
The Prophet of Allah (peace be upon him) granted permission
to Muslim women to attend the mosque and pray standing behind
the rows of men. He even advised the Companions: "Do not
prevent the female servants of Allah from going to the mosque."
And husbands were specifically told by him: "When your womenfolk
ask you for permission to attend the mosque, do not prevent
them."
Of course this permission to attend the mosques was on the
condition that women strictly observed the various restrictions
imposed upon them by the Shari'ah regarding dress, etc., and it
is known that the Prophet (peace be upon him) considered it
preferable for women to pray in their own homes rather than
attend the mosques. This is borne out by the following incident.
Once the wife of Abu Hamid Sa'adi pleaded with the Prophet to
be allowed to attend his mosque (the Prophet's Mosque in Madina)
as she was very fond of offering prayers behind him. He told
her,
"What you say is right, but it is better for you to offer
prayer in a closed room than in a courtyard. Your prayer in a
courtyard is better than on a verandah, and your offering
prayer in the mosque of your own locality is better than your
coming to our mosque for it." Thereafter she appointed a room
for offering prayers and continued offering prayers there till
her death, never even once going to the mosque.
There is a clear tradition of the Prophet (peace be upon him)
encouraging women to offer their prayers inside their houses:
"The best mosques for women are the inner parts of their
houses."
Since the Prophet had not forbidden women to attend the
mosques, they continued to come to the mosques. But after his
death it became increasingly clear that it was not in keeping
with the dignity and honour of Muslim women to come to the
mosques for prayers, especially at night, because men, being
what they were, would tease them. Therefore the Khalif 'Umar
told women not to come to the mosques, but to offer their
prayers inside their own houses. The women of Madina resented
this prohibition and complained to 'A'isha. But they received a
fitting reply from her: "If the Prophet knew what 'Umar
knows, he would not have granted you permission to go out (to
the mosque)."
'A'isha also prevented women from going to the mosques. When
she was told that the Prophet (peace be upon him) had permitted
them to attend the mosques, she replied:
"Had the customs and manners which women have adopted since
the Prophet's death been there in his lifetime, he too would
have prevented them."
Now, what 'A'isha said by way of admonition was in the
context of what happened immediately after the death of the
Prophet. But what is happening today 1350 years after his death
is much more serious in the context of modern fashions and
manners. It would probably have shocked 'A'isha beyond measure
and she would have reinforced her admonition. Be that as it may,
the fact remains that our Prophet did grant permission to women
to attend the mosques. In the modern world a new situation has
arisen. There are many Muslims living in Western countries, and
Western culture and fashions have affected women, even in the
East. In addition, the economic tyranny of today has forced many
women to work in factories and offices to earn their living.
These developments have largely contributed to making many
Muslims neglectful of their prayers. We Muslims have to find
ways and means of encouraging Muslim women to be particular
about their prayers. With due respect to what the khalif, 'Umar,
and the Mother of the Believers, 'A'isha, said, it appears to
this humble writer that such a way can be found by reverting to
the original Prophetic tradition, that is to say, permitting
Muslim women to attend the mosques to offer their prayers,
subject to all the restrictions laid down by the Prophet (peace
be upon him) about their dress etc.
People generally learn by example. Therefore the chances are
that, if women started coming to the mosque for prayer, a social
pressure would start building up that would make Muslim women
feel the urge to come to the mosque to offer their prayers and
give up their neglectful attitude. However, it goes without
saying that proper arrangements would have to be made for Muslim
women to attend the mosques. They must not be allowed to mingle
with the men, and their rows must be kept separate from those of
the men, preferably behind them, because this is what was
approved by the Prophet (peace be upon him).
It is reported by Abu Hurairah that the Prophet (peace be
upon him) said:
"The best row for men is the first, and the worst for them
is the last. The best row for women is the last, and the worst
is the first." (Muslim)
It is well known that, in the time of the Prophet, women were
permitted to attend the mosques subject to the condition that
they satisfied the various restrictions imposed on them by the
Shari'ah, such as the putting on of a jalbab (a large sheet used
for covering the entire body), wearing simple and dignified
clothes, not using any perfume, avoiding ostentatious display of
ornament, etc. Therefore, if the suggestion of this writer is
accepted, efforts will have to be made to persuade Muslim women
who want to attend the mosques to start complying with the
traditional restrictions on dress, etc. But what has been
suggested above should in no way be taken to mean that all women
should be required to attend the mosque and indeed those who
feel that their houses are as good as the mosque should be
encouraged to offer their prayers there.
Prof. Abdur Rahman I. Doi Professor and Director, Center for
Islamic Legal Studies, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaira, Nigeria.
index
|
Back |
