The Practice of Veil in Islam – Its Obligation and Utility

Urdu Section

13 Jul 2009, NewAgeIslam.Com

The Practice of Veil in Islam – Its Obligation and Utility

Maulana Nadeem Al-Wajidi explains in this article (Translated from Urdu by Syed Raihan Ahmad Nezami) why in his and other Islamic scholars' view the veil is essential for Muslim women. Supporting his arguments from Quranic verses and Hadees, he explains why a woman should not only be veiled from head to toe but no more than one of her eyes should preferably be allowed to see the world, and that too, of course, from behind the netting in the veil. An essential read for both kinds of readers: those who want to confirm themselves in their view that women have to be kept under leash, practically imprisoned in their houses in order to save them from prying male eyes and their Satanic conduct; and also those who want to see what nuts our maulanas are and what kind of primitive world they live in and to what extent they can go to disparage the great, forward-looking religion of Islam which essentially freed women from slavery at a time when almost the entire world was mired in backwardness and ignorance and women were treated as chattel, if at all they were allowed to be born -- Editor URL: http://www.newageislam.org/NewAgeIslamArticleDetail.aspx?ArticleID=1544 ----------------     The Philosophy of the Veil in Deen-e-Hanfiah by Maulana Nadeem Al-Wajidi Translated from Urdu by Syed Raihan Ahmad Nezami               The veil (burqa and hijab) is being banned in France. At present, a hot debate on this topic involving numerous intellectuals and religious scholars around the world has started. This has been raised due to the following unprecedented and controversial statement by Nicolas Sarkozy, the French president given in the parliament.   "President Nicolas Sarkozy declared in French Parliament that the Islamic burqa is not welcome in France, branding the face-covering, body-length gown as a symbol of subservience that suppresses women's identities and turns them into "prisoners behind a screen." In a high-profile speech to lawmakers in the historic chateau at Versailles, Sarkozy said the head-to-toe Muslim body coverings were in disaccord with French values — some of the strongest language against burqas from a European leader at a time when some Western officials have been seeking to ease tensions with the Muslim world…"The burqa is not a religious sign, it's a sign of subservience, a sign of debasement — I want to say it solemnly," he said. "It will not be welcome on the territory of the French Republic."   Islam is quite often criticised by the West for the use of the veil. Western intellectuals point out that the Muslim males move outside freely, but the Muslim females are imprisoned behind the net, even if they come out of their home they are covered from head to toe. This is more a symbol of subjugation rather than a true expression of the Muslim faith. Isn't it an atrocity over the female half of the humanity, they ask. This is a great tragedy related to the veil used by the Muslim women.  The Western communities and the modernists have proved to be quite generous in their criticism of the Islamic veil. The truth is – they are unable to see any good in any of the tenets and practices of Islam. Indeed, they are even allergic to the bearded Muslims.   Last year, an honourable Indian judge had dismissed a public petition filed by a Muslim student criticizing the practice of beard and asserted that there is no scope for Talibanism in India. Further he said n his controversial verdict; in future any Muslim girl may file a petition for the right to use the veil. Actually this unprecedented ruling by the honourable judge is linked to a great conspiracy that is spread from the West to the East as well.   Post 9/11, great positive repercussions have occurred in the Western milieu. On the one hand, the Muslims are returning to their own Islamic fold whereas the non-Muslims are also taking more interest in Islam. Indeed non-Muslims are converting to Islam in large numbers.  In these conversions the percentage of women is higher than that of men. Many of these converted women are those who have been particularly impressed by the Islamic practice of the veil.  About 15 years ago, hardly any woman in Europe or America was seen to be veiled, but now, veiled women are a common sight at public places.Western leaders are perplexed at the tremendous popularity of the veil. President Sarkozy's statement is a testimony to this set back. Otherwise he would have felt no need to take such a stern action.   Can anyone ask these stupid people what danger to the French government or the society is posed by the veil? If they are talking about safeguarding the rights of women; first, they should make their women folk respected and dignified in the way Islam gives them respect and dignity. Only then they should they talk about women's rights. It's a known fact that the status of women in Western countries is simply that of an object of decoration or sexual satisfaction. The reality is:  the Western society is still fully male-dominated. The men wish to keep the women uncovered or even undressed to fulfil the sex-thirsty lust of their eyes and heart.  With the popularity of the veil they are afraid. If the veil keeps gaining popularity at the present speed, one day it will certainly become accepted by all Western women. They would realize that it won't only provide them security but also guarantee their dignity. If that happens, the object of male recreation and sexual pleasure will not only disappear from their sight but also go beyond their reach.   France is the most fashionable and liberal country socially and culturally among the Western communities. It is considered the paradise of modern fashion world. It is synonymous to exposure and female nudity which has been practiced for centuries in the name of fashion. The woman who is the least-dressed and exposes the nicest curves of her naked body more and more – is considered to be the most enchanting and fascinating. She is loved for inciting the sexual desire of the lusty people. The vulgarity in the cat-walk and the red carpet shows in the name of fashion shows are demonstrated before the renowned personalities of the society who watch the provocative and alluring events which are also shown live to millions of viewers throughout the world. -          This is called exceptional honour and dignity given to Western women. -          This is the extraordinary liberty that is being strongly advocated by the French president and the media.   The president of a nudity-stricken country can't tolerate that some women of his country may hide their physical charm and beauty behind the veil and lead an honourable life. Nicolas Sarkozy himself is quite notorious for his lust and vulgarity. He has been in love several times from his college life to the present age of 54 years; he had to marry in some cases and some romances were the reasons behind his divorces. Last year he married a famous model and singer and he was acclaimed by one and all. As a reward he is continuing to hold the highest post of the president.   How can the veil that is considered to be the model of dignity and sanctity be tolerated in such a country whose president is of such a disreputable character?   How can veiled women be tolerated in such a society, which legalizes illegal relations and illegitimate children, which considers the nudity of a woman a sign of dignity and pride? In connection with the prohibition over the veil, it is being propagated that it is the sign of slavery and surveillance. One question arises here: what will the ban on the right to be dressed up be called? Is it not interference into someone's liberty to choose her dress particularly when she chooses to wear a dress that is approved by her faith? Everyone must believe in the dictum: "One's faith is one's own".   France is a democratic country where every citizen has got many civil rights. One of these is the right to live in accordance with his/her own choice without affecting anyone. The prohibition on the veil is severely hampering the citizen's right to live – especially when it is not harming anyone. On the other hand nudity is damaging the society, negatively influencing the people, particularly the youth and the children. Nudity in France is considered laudable whereas the covering of the body is being projected as a crime. The irony of this story is that the veiled women consider wearing the veil as their fundamental right and want to feel happy, safe, respectable and dignified behind it.   The veil is being banned in a country where Christian nuns already put on loose dresses and also cover their heads as a religious sign of sanctity, but the Muslim women are being prohibited from using the veil. Obviously it's racial discrimination between the women of two religions In case, nudity is considered liberty, exposure is dignity and moving around half-dressed is human right; then why does the imaginary photo of Hazrat Miriam (May Allah be pleased with her) has a scarf on its head and the body is fully covered with clothes. President Sarkozy must ponder over the appearance of her imaginary photo. The loose dress and the scarf of the nuns must be banned. Nuns are spread all over the Western world including in France, but he can't dare to invite the wrath of the Christian world. We know that nudity is neither the teaching of any religion nor the rule of any democracy. It's only the anti-Islamic feelings behind it that is working here due to the fear of the rising popularity of Islam among the ruling communities of the Western countries.    President Sarkozy's statement that the veil is not a religious tenet is stupid. Mr.  Markande, the honourable judge of the Indian Supreme Court too similarly formed his opinion that beard is not a religious tenet, having observed the majority of Indian Muslims being beardless. It may be asserted - now as in the past – that the existence and the practice of any tenet are two different things. As millions of people don't follow the national laws, it doesn't mean those laws don't exist.   The veil and the beard should almost compulsorily be observed in Islam; some people may not observe them, but due to their non-acceptance its existence can't be questioned. The people who are abiding by the rules for the veil and the beard, are performing their duties towards Islam, and the rest are committing sins. The veil is an Islamic order approved by "Kitab-o-Sunnah", in this respect there are seven Aayat-e-Kareemah" in Quran-e-Kareem and seventy traditions (Rawayats) of the prophet Hazrat Muhammad (Peace be upon Him) available to prove its status. Ummat-e-Muslimah's opinion is unified on the issue of the veil; no one in the reign of the Sahaba-e-Karam (May Allah be pleased with them) and the followers or even in the later ages, would have imagined that the veil is not compulsory for the women. Presently some the so-called modernist Muslim scholars as well as the followers of western culture have started questioning the practice and utility of the veil. President Sarkozy's statement too should be seen in the same context.   Going back to the age of illiteracy at the initial stage of Islam, people used to enter into other's houses without any permission. They even used to enter into the house of the prophet Hazrat Muhammad (Peace be upon Him) without any hesitation. This practice interfered with the requirements of privacy and was uncultured. So it was banned by the Almighty Allah-e-Kareem in favour of the Ummat-e-Muslimah – which is considered to be the very first command for the adoption of the veil in the view of all the Islamic scholars.   According to Quran-e-Kareem,    "O you who believe! Enter not the Prophet's (Peace be upon Him) houses, unless permission is given to 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 sitting for a talk. Verily such (behaviour) annoys the Prophet (Peace be upon Him), and he is shy of (asking) you (to go); but Allah is not shy of (telling you) the truth. And when you ask (his wives) for anything you want, ask them from behind a screen: that is purer for your hearts and for their hearts. And it is not (right) for you that you should annoy Allah's Messenger (Peace be upon Him)".    (Surah Al-Ahzab, Verse-53)     Though, in the light of the following Aayat-e-Kareemah, the pious wives have been particularly mentioned, but the Islamic scholars are unanimous in their opinion that its application is common and compulsory for all the categories of women. The same style and the language have been used at various places in the Quran-e-Kareem. According to this Aayat, the veil has been made compulsory for women that was not so earlier – the reason that is mentioned for the veil is – it's the best source of purity and sanctity of your hearts and theirs.  It has a great logic behind its generalization, if the veil was considered compulsory for the purity of the hearts of pious wives and for the group of the Sahaba-e-Karam (May Allah be pleased with them) as pure as the angels – the common Muslim must abide by this rule to the utmost as they are more prone to fallacy and need to be more careful for the purity of the heart and soul.   Uncontrolled and passionate mixing of men and women enhances the chances of transgression; it is being observed that 99% of immoral and sinful activities are due to the unrestricted relations between the opposite sexes. A perfect system to have control over the vulgarities and the depravities is present in Islam only. To avoid such a shameful situation, the unnecessary meeting of men and women should be prohibited.   According to the Quran-e-Kareem, Muslim men should talk to the pious wives from behind a screen, who should stay inside their houses and are not allowed to roam around like the women in the age of illiteracy who moved outside uncovered. Muslim men and women should keep their eyes downward while dealing with the other sex. Muslim women too are advised to speak in a rather harsh voice while talking to a stranger in any emergency to discourage any unnecessary issues raised by the opposite sex. There arose a question after the revelation of Aayat Hijab – women can't remain confined to their houses all the time. They need to go outside in some urgency, then the following Aayat-e-Kareemah was revealed which explains the terms and conditions of the Islamic veil.   "O Prophet! Tell your wives and your daughters and the women of the believers to draw their veils all over their bodies (i.e. screen themselves completely except the eyes or one eye to see the way). That will be better, that they should be seen (as free, respectable women) so as not to be annoyed".   (Surah Al-Ahzab, Verse-59)   This Aayat-e-Kareemah concerning the veil is of basic significance as it refers to all women in general, not only the pious wives clarifying the particular conditions of the veil. It is also clarified here - that hiding of the face is also a must, clearing the general doubt that the veil is for the head and body only, and not for the face. In this Aayat-e-Kareemah a word "jalbab" is used – lexical meaning "to cover". According to the famous literary scholar Allama bin Manzoor, "Jalbab is a covering used by a woman to cover her body from head to toe, it also means "mulhafah" which may cover her completely (Arab literature – feminine "jalab"). Even if we ignore the dictionary meaning of "jalbab", the general idea and the sense behind the covering is that the women should cover themselves completely to hide their identity.   According to Abdullah bin Abbas a renowned Sahabi (companion of the Prophet -Peace be upon Him), "the Muslim women must cover their heads and the faces while going out, except one eye to see the way".  (Fatah Al-Taqdeer Lilshookani, 307/7)   All Islamic scholars have unanimously accepted that head, forehead and the face must be included in the state of the veil excluding one eye or the both. The present day veil is prepared on the above-mentioned pattern with a net in front of eyes to make women able to look through it; the same pattern of the veil is described in various Ahadeeth-e-Kareemah – that is used even in the state of "Ihram".   According to Hazrat Ayesha (May Allah be pleased with her), "During Hajj days, we accompanied the prophet Hazrat Muhammad (Peace be upon Him) in the state of Ihram, whenever a stranger met on the way, we used to pull our clocks over our face, later on, we kept it at its normal place". (Abu Daud, 254/1)   With this explanation all the doubtful clouds must be cleared, and the people who don't include the face in the covering area, are mistaken as simply using the scarf on the head will not serve the purpose. Hazrat Abdullah bin Mas'ood has copied the statement of the prophet Hazrat Muhammad (Peace be upon Him), "A woman is an object for finding, when she goes out, the Satan starts staring over her".  (Tirmizi, 576/3 Hadeeth No1173)   It's possible only when the face is uncovered, but these days human-like Satans are frequently doing this satanic activity. The veiled women are of course more secure from the satanic seduction and atrocity than the unveiled women. The Fuqaha-e-Islam have also included the face of women within the area of the body to be covered.  (Al-Mughni bin Qadama, 498/9)   In general, the Sahabiyat-e-Karam (May Allah be pleased with them) used to maintain the veil to the utmost in every situation during the life-time of the prophet Hazrat Muhammad (Peace be upon Him). They maintained privacy through a veil at the time of conversation or even if they exchanged something. According to Hazrat Ayesha Siddiqa (May Allah be pleased with her), once a woman wanted to hand over a slip to the prophet Hazrat Muhammad (Peace be upon Him), but He didn't accept and asserted, "I don't know whether it's the hand of a man or woman"  (Abu Daud, 475/2, Musannad Ahmed bin Hanbal, 262/6)   Finally, it is proved by this Rawayat that the Sahabiyat-e-Karam (May Allah be pleased with them) used to sit behind the curtain in the sittings (Majlis) of the prophet Hazrat Muhammad (Peace be upon Him) if required to interact. Hazrat Qaes bin Shammash (May Allah be pleased with him) asserts that a lady named Umm Kholud went to meet the prophet Hazrat Muhammad (Peace be upon Him) under the veil to enquire about her son who had been martyred in a particular mission; someone asked her surprisingly that she was under the veil even in that tragic situation, she replied that she had lost her son, not her shame. (Abu Daud, V-1, P-326)   This incident proves the complete compliance of the practice of the veil after its revelation by the Sahabiyat-e-Karam (May Allah be pleased with them) to the extent – that they didn't forget to cover themselves under the veil even at the time of extreme sorrow and grief whereas a general woman loses her sense and becomes insane at the time of a tragedy and forgets everything in panic, not to talk of the practice of the veil. It means the veil is compulsory at every occasion, in any situation – happiness or sorrow.   A large section of the modern and educated Muslim women and the Muslim scholars have opposed vehemently this nonsensical ban and called it against the religious freedom. The need and the significance of the veil is being accepted by the people of all walks of life who are expressing their opinion through the media. Our society can be saved from the destruction caused by the Western culture only by popularizing and practicing the teachings of Islam in which the veil is of utmost importance.   The popularity of the veil will reduce many evils and remove vulgar practices from the society. It should be hoped by the grace of the Almighty Allah Kareem that the ban being imposed in France will be ineffective and Muslim women will succeed in defending their religious and democratic rights. Insha-Allah! Translated from Urdu by Syed Raihan Ahmad Nezami, Najran, Saudi Arabia URL: http://www.newageislam.org/NewAgeIslamArticleDetail.aspx?ArticleID=1544