[Assam] 'Born Muslim' Assamese girls and others may find this gentle touch on a misconception informative.

[Bartta Bistar]

Does Islam require a Muslim woman to veil her face?
http://www.bangladesh-web.com/view.php?hidDate=2007-01-25&hidType=FEA&hidRecord=0000000000000000147091

Friday January 19 2007 17:30:48 PM BDT

ABM Nurul Islam

The October 15, 2006 issue of the Daily Star, Dhaka carried a photo of a
British Muslim woman, fully veiled except for her eyes, protesting in
Blackburn with a placard that read: " Jack Straw: Oppressor of Muslim
Women". Jack Straw, MP is in the news because he requests Muslim women to
remove their face cover when they come to meet him in his surgery. Question
is: " Is Jack Straw the oppressor or are the Muslim women oppressing
themselves out of misconception?" Let us examine.

1. Quranic prescription of dress for Muslim women is contained basically in
two verses: 33:59 and 24:31. [Verse 24:60 deals specifically with dress
concessions for elderly woman that is not our focus here]. In verse 33: 59,
Allah says (translation by A. Yusuf Ali [1]):

"O prophet! tell thy wives and daughters and the believing women that they
should cast their outer garments over their persons (when abroad): that is
most convenient that they should be known (as such) and not molested: and
Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful."

Yusuf Ali in his commentary [2] on the above verse states: "The object was
not to restrict the liberty of women, but to protect them from harm and
molestation." Nor was it a must. That is, if a Muslim woman sincerely tries
to observe this rule, but owing to human weakness, falls short of the ideal,
then "Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful"".

The critical Arabic word in the original verse is Jilbab that has been
translated by A. Yusuf Ali as an outer garment; a long gown covering the
whole body; or a cloak covering the neck and bosom.

Maududi interprets the same verse as: "All the Muslim women were enjoined to
cover their faces with their sheets if and when they had to go out of their
houses." [3]

Whatever may be the interpretation for the word Jilbab, it is quite obvious
that the requirements are quite strict.

In verse 24:31, Allah lays down:

"And say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and guard
their modesty; that they should not display their beauty and ornaments
except what (must ordinarily) appear thereof; that they should draw their
veils over their bosoms and not display their beauty except to their
husbands……….." [1]

It is seen clearly from the above verse that (1) Allah does not specifically
ask for covering of the hair or face, (2) does allow display of certain
parts of beauty and ornaments (that must ordinarily be exposed) and (3)
specifically calls for covering of the bosoms only. Moreover, Allah has not
set any details of what to be seen or not to be seen of the women possibly
to allow space for different cultures, climates and environments that would
ultimately come under the umbrella of Islam.

Since the verse 33:59 is much stricter compared to verse 24:31, it is
important to know their chronological order in revelation. Sura 33 (The
Clans) was revealed in A.H. 5. As regards Sura 24 (Light), there is some
controversy about its exact period of revelation. However, Maududi
conclusively shows [3] that the majority of Islamic scholars accept that it
was revealed in the latter half of 6 A.H. i.e. several months after Sura 33.

Maududi thinks that the verse 24:31 is complementary to the verse 33:59.
This is open to question. If someone has already covered herself up as
required in verse 33:59, with a loose outer garment or a cloak covering neck
and bosom, then what need is there for covering of the bosoms additionally
with a veil or sheet as required in verse 24: 31? This would be a case of
modesty overkill and unseemly to look at. The more plausible explanation
would be that the Beneficent had reduced the requirements in the latter
verse thus abrogating the earlier requirements. This is akin to the case of
drinking where first Muslims were asked not to come to mosque while in
intoxicated state (verse 4:43) and later on came the order of ban on
drinking alcohol. If the move from a lenient to stricter regulation is
willingly accepted, why should not one accept a move from a stricter
regulation to a softer one? After all it is the prerogative of the Almighty
as to what He will relax and what to tighten. But our orthodox Maulanas have
a propensity only to tighten the screw.

2. During Hajj when millions of Muslims congregate at Makkah, it is
forbidden for women performing Hajj to cover their faces ["As for a woman
pilgrim, ………she is forbidden to use perfumed clothes, a veil that covers the
face, and gloves" (Fiqh-us-Sunnah)]. If covering the face were a necessity
for modesty, Hajj would have been the right time to enforce it with full
rigidity.

3. Dr. Yusuf Al-Qaradawi, currently considered to be the most authoritative
spokesman on Islam, in his very popular book " The Lawful and the Prohibited
in Islam" [4], infers from Allah's words, " Tell the believing men that they
should lower their gazes" (24:30) that the faces of the women in Prophet's
time were not veiled. Had the entire body including the face been covered,
it would have made no sense to command them to lower their gaze, since there
would have been nothing to be seen.

4. In the well-known Hadith (Abu Daoud) narrated by Hz. Aisha, Prophet
(pbuh) tells his sister-in-law Asma: " When a woman begins to menstruate,
nothing should be seen of her except this and this" and he pointed to his
face and hands.

5. Islam as a religion is liberal enough to regard dress as not just to
cover the human body, but insists on it being elegant and beautiful.

In Sura 7, verses 26 and 31, Allah says:

"O ye children of Adam! We have bestowed raiment upon you to cover your
shame as well as to be an adornment to you but the raiment of righteousness
that is the best. Such are among the signs of Allah that they may receive
admonition!" (7: 26)

"O children of Adam! Wear your beautiful apparel at every time and place of
prayer: eat and drink: but waste not by excess for Allah loveth not the
wasters." (7: 31)

Although this Sura was revealed in the last year of Prophet's (pbuh) life in
Makkah i.e. the year before Hizrat, I do not think that it contradicts the
rulings that came later on in A.H. 5-6. One can dress modestly, correctly
and decently at the same time. One's dress should enhance one's personality
and not obliterate his or her identity.

The form of veil being worn by women in Afghanistan (shuttle cock type burqa
completely covering from head to toe) or in Iran (black, oversized Chador
like a billowing sail) cannot by any stretch of imagination be considered as
elegant or beautiful. There is no reason why a veil, properly designed to
meet Islamic tenets, cannot be elegant as well.

Conclusion

A segment of Muslim women worldwide are in a holier-than-thou competition to
cover up as much as possible. Little do they realize that if they let the
Mullahs dictate then ultimately their role would be restricted to the
kitchen; as providers of sexual services to their husbands and rearing of
children.

Veiling the face robs a woman of her identity and dehumanizes her and is not
required either by Quranic injunctions or traditions of the Prophet (pbuh).

Religion is too important to be left to those who have taken it up as their
profession. Modern Muslims should study religion and come to their own
conclusion on important issues. To this end, not knowing Arabic is not a big
hindrance. Plenty of good translations are available, particularly in
English.

References

1. The Holy Qurán, Text, English translation of the meanings and Commentary.
Revised and edited by The Presidency of Islamic Researches, IFTA, Call and
Guidance, Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. [A. Yusuf Ali's work
modified by the Saudi Govt.]

2.The Holy Qurán, Text, Translation and Commentary by Abdullah Yusuf Ali.
Publication of Islamic Education Centre, P.O.Box 6720, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
[A. Yusuf Ali's original work]

3.A. Maududi's Sura introductions as quoted in CD "ALIM", an Islamic
software.

4." The Lawful and the Prohibited in Islam" by Yusuf Al-Qaradawy, translated
into English by Kamal El-Helbawy, M. Moinuddin Siddiqui and Syed Shukry and
published by Saeed International, New Delhi.


====================================================================================================================
A.B.M,Nurul Islam
Dhaka
E-mail: nislam4 at gmail.com

The author, a former official of the IAEA, is a nuclear engineer. His first
book, TRAVEL TALES, was published by the Outskirts Press, CO, USA in 2006.
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