HIJAB FOR WOMEN

Question:

Some people might Ask why does Islam degrade ladies by conserving them behind the veil?

Reply:

The status of women in Islam is often the target of assaults within the secular media. The ‘hijab’ or the Islamic costume is cited by many as an example of the ‘subjugation’ of girls underneath Islamic legislation. Earlier than we analyze the reasoning behind the religiously mandated ‘hijab’, allow us to first study the status of women in societies before the arrival of Islam

1.   In the past women had been degraded and used as objects of lust

The following examples from historical past amply illustrate the truth that the status of women in earlier civilizations was very low to the extent that they had been denied primary human dignity:

1. Babylonian Civilization:

The women had been degraded and were denied all rights under the Babylonian legislation. If a person murdered a lady, as a substitute of him being punished, his spouse was put to death.

• Greek Civilization:

Greek Civilization is considered the most wonderful of all historical civilizations. Under this very ‘glorious’ system, women were deprived of all rights and had been looked down upon. In Greek mythology, an ‘imaginary woman’ referred to as ‘Pandora’ is the root cause of misfortune of human beings. The Greeks considered ladies to be subhuman and inferior to males. Although chastity of girls was treasured, and girls had been held in excessive esteem, the Greeks had been later overwhelmed by ego and sexual perversions. Prostitution turned an everyday practice amongst all courses of Greek society.

• Roman Civilization:

When Roman Civilization was on the zenith of its ‘glory’, a man even had the right to take the life of his spouse. Prostitution and nudity were frequent amongst the Romans.

• Egyptian Civilization:

The Egyptian thought of ladies evil and as a sign of a satan.

• Pre-Islamic Arabia:

Before Islam unfold in Arabia, the Arabs looked down upon women and very often when a female child was born, she was buried alive.

2.     Islam uplifted ladies and gave them equality and expects them to maintain their status.

Islam uplifted the status of women and granted them their just rights 1400 years ago. Islam expects women to maintain their status.

Hijab for men

People often solely focus on ‘hijab’ within the context of women. Nonetheless, within the Glorious Qur’an, Allah (swt) first mentions ‘hijab’ for men before ‘hijab’ for the women. The Qur’an mentions in Surah Noor:

“Say to the believing males that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty: that will make for greater purity for them: and Allah is well acquainted with all that they do.”

[Al-Qur’an 24:30]

The moment a man looks at a lady and if any brazen or unashamed thought comes to his mind, he should lower his gaze.

Hijab for ladies.

The following verse of Surah Noor, says:

“ And say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty; that they should not show their beauty and ornaments except what (must ordinarily) appear thereof; that they should draw veils over their bosoms and never show their beauty except to their husbands, their fathers, their husbands’ fathers, their sons…”

[Al-Qur’an 24:31]

• Six criteria for Hijab.

Based on Qur’an and Sunnah there are mainly six standards for observing hijab:

1. Extent:

The primary criterion is the extent of the physique that needs to be covered. That is completely different for women and men. The extent of covering compulsory on the male is to cover the body no less than from the navel to the knees. For women, the extent of covering compulsory is to cover the entire body besides the face and the arms upto the wrist. If they want to, they can cover even these parts of the body. Some scholars of Islam insist that the face and the hands are a part of the compulsory extent of ‘hijab’.

All of the remaining 5 standards are the identical for women and men.

• The garments worn needs to be loose and mustn’t reveal the figure.
• The garments worn shouldn’t be transparent such that one can see through them.
• The garments worn shouldn’t be so glamorous as to draw the opposite sex.
• The garments worn mustn’t resemble that of the opposite sex.
• The garments worn should not resemble that of the unbelievers i.e. they need to not wear garments which are specifically identities or symbols of the unbelievers’ religions.

4.   Hijab includes conduct and behavior amongst other issues

Full ‘hijab’, in addition to the six standards of clothing, also contains the ethical conduct, behaviour, attitude and intention of the individual. An individual solely fulfilling the factors of ‘hijab’ of the garments is observing ‘hijab’ in a limited sense. ‘Hijab’ of the garments needs to be accompanied by ‘hijab’ of the eyes, ‘hijab’ of the heart, ‘hijab’ of thought and ‘hijab’ of intention. It also includes the way an individual walks, the way in which an individual talks, the way in which he behaves, and so forth.

5.   Hijab prevents molestation

The rationale why Hijab is prescribed for ladies is talked about within the Qur’an in the following verses of Surah Al-Ahzab:

“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.”

[Al-Qur’an 33:59]

The Qur’an says that Hijab has been prescribed for the ladies so that they are acknowledged as modest ladies and this will even stop them from being molested.

6.   Example of twin sisters

Suppose two sisters who’re twins, and who’re equally stunning, walk down the road. One among them is attired within the Islamic hijab i.e. the entire body is covered, aside from the face and the arms as much as the wrists. The opposite sister is wearing western garments, a mini skirt or shorts. Simply around the corner there’s a hooligan or ruffian who’s ready for a catch, to tease a woman. Whom will he tease? The lady wearing the Islamic Hijab or the lady wearing the skirt or the mini? Naturally he’ll tease the girl wearing the skirt or the mini. Such attire are an oblique invitation to the opposite sex for teasing and molestation. The Qur’an rightly says that hijab prevents ladies from being molested.

7.   Capital punishment for the rapists

In the Islamic shariah, a man convicted of having raped a woman, is given capital punishment. Many are astonished at this ‘harsh’ sentence. Some even say that Islam is a ruthless, barbaric faith! I’ve asked a simple question to a whole bunch of non-Muslim men. Suppose, God forbid, somebody rapes your spouse, your mom or your sister. You are made the judge and the rapist is brought in front of you. What punishment would you give him? All of them mentioned they would put him to death. Some went to the extent of saying they would torture him to death. To them I ask, if somebody rapes your spouse or your mother you wish to put him to demise. But when the identical crime is committed on someone else’s spouse or daughter you say capital punishment is barbaric. Why should there be double standards?

8.   Western society falsely claims to have uplifted women

Western talk of women’s liberalization is nothing however a disguised type of exploitation of her body, degradation of her soul, and deprivation of her honour. Western society claims to have ‘uplifted’ women. Quite the opposite it has really degraded them to the status of concubines, mistresses and society butterflies who’re mere instruments within the arms of delight seekers and sex marketeers, hidden behind the colorful display of ‘artwork’ and ‘tradition’.

9.  USA has one of the highest rates of rape

United States of America is meant to be one of the superior nations of the world. It additionally has one of many highest rates of rape in any nation on the earth. In response to a FBI report, within the 12 months 1990, daily on a mean 1756 cases of rape had been committed in U.S.A alone. Later one other report mentioned that on a mean on a regular basis 1900 circumstances of rapes are dedicated in USA. The 12 months was not talked about. Could also be it was 1992 or 1993. May be the Americans got ‘bolder’ within the following years.

Contemplate a situation where the Islamic hijab is adopted in America. Each time a person looks at a woman and any brazen or unashamed thought comes to his mind, he lowers his gaze. Every woman wears the Islamic hijab, that is the full body is covered except the face and the hands upto the wrist. After this if any man commits rape he’s given capital punishment. I ask you, in such a situation, will the speed of rape in America increase, will it stay the same, or will it lower?

10.   Implementation of Islamic Shariah will scale back the speed of rapes

Naturally as soon as Islamic Shariah is implemented positive outcomes will be inevitable. If Islamic Shariah is carried out in any a part of the world, whether or not it’s America or Europe, society will breathe easier. Hijab does not degrade a woman however uplifts a lady and protects her modesty and chastity.

POLYANDRY IN ISLAM

Question:

If a man is allowed to have more than one wife, then why does Islam prohibit a woman from having more than one husband?

Answer:

A lot of people, including some Muslims, question the logic of allowing Muslim men to have more than one spouse while denying the same ‘right’ to women.

Let me first state emphatically, that the foundation of an Islamic society is justice and equity. Allah has created men and women as equal, but with different capabilities and different responsibilities. Men and women are different, physiologically and psychologically. Their roles and responsibilities are different. Men and women are equal in Islam, but not identical.

Surah Nisa’ Chapter 4 verses 22 to 24 gives the list of women with whom Muslim men can not marry. It is further mentioned in Surah Nisa’ Chapter 4 verse 24 “Also (prohibited are) women already married”

The following points enumerate the reasons why polyandry is prohibited in Islam:

1. If a man has more than one wife, the parents of the children born of such marriages can easily be identified. The father as well as the mother can easily be identified. In case of a woman marrying more than one husband, only the mother of the children born of such marriages will be identified and not the father. Islam gives tremendous importance to the identification of both parents, mother and father. Psychologists tell us that children who do not know their parents, especially their father undergo severe mental trauma and disturbances. Often they have an unhappy childhood. It is for this reason that the children of prostitutes do not have a healthy childhood. If a child born of such wedlock is admitted in school, and when the mother is asked the name of the father, she would have to give two or more names! I am aware that recent advances in science have made it possible for both the mother and father to be identified with the help of genetic testing. Thus this point which was applicable for the past may not be applicable for the present.
2. Man is more polygamous by nature as compared to a woman.
3. Biologically, it is easier for a man to perform his duties as a husband despite having several wives. A woman, in a similar position, having several husbands, will not find it possible to perform her duties as a wife. A woman undergoes several psychological and behavioral changes due to different phases of the menstrual cycle.
4. A woman who has more than one husband will have several sexual partners at the same time and has a high chance of acquiring venereal or sexually transmitted diseases which can also be transmitted back to her husband even if all of them have no extra-marital sex. This is not the case in a man having more than one wife, and none of them having extra-marital sex.

The above reasons are those that one can easily identify. There are probably many more reasons why Allah, in His Infinite Wisdom, has prohibited polyandry.

Why is a person allowed to have multiple wives in Islam? i.e. why is polygamy allowed in Islam?

Reply:

1. Definition of Polygamy

Polygamy means a system of marriage whereby one particular person has multiple partners. Polygamy could be of two types. One is polygyny where a person marries multiple women, and the opposite is polyandry, whereas a girl marries multiple men. In Islam, restricted polygamy is permitted; whereas polyandry is totally prohibited.

Now coming to the question, why is a person allowed to have multiple spouses?

2.   The Qur’an is the only religious scripture on this planet that says, “marry just one”.

The Qur’an is the only religious book, on the face of this earth, that accommodates the phrase ‘marry just one’. There isn’t any other religious book that instructs males to have just one spouse. In none of the other religious scriptures, whether it be the Vedas, the Ramayan, the Mahabharat, the Geeta, the Talmud or the Bible does one find a restriction on the number of wives. In accordance with these scriptures one can marry as many as one needs. It was solely later, that the Hindu clergymen and the Christian Church restricted the number of wives to 1.

Many Hindu religious personalities, based on their scriptures, had a number of wives. King Dashrat, the father of Rama, had a couple of spouses. Krishna had a number of wives.

In earlier times, Christian men were permitted as many wives as they wished, because the Bible places no restriction on the variety of wives. It was only some centuries ago that the Church restricted the number of wives to 1.

Polygyny is permitted in Judaism. In accordance with Talmudic legislation, Abraham had three wives, and Solomon had hundreds of wives. The practice of polygyny continued until Rabbi Gershom ben Yehudah (960 C.E to 1030 C.E) issued an edict against it. The Jewish Sephardic communities residing in Muslim nations continued the practice until as late as 1950, until an Act of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel extended the ban on marrying multiple wives.

(*Interesting fact:- As per the 1975 census of India Hindus are more polygynous than Muslims. The report of the ‘Committee of The Status of Woman in Islam’, printed in 1975 mentions on page numbers 66 and 67 that the percentage of polygamous marriages between the years 1951 and 1961 was 5.06% among  Hindus and solely 4.31% among the Muslims. In accordance with Indian legislation only Muslim males are permitted to have more than one spouse. It’s unlawful for any non-Muslim in India to have more than one spouse. Regardless of it being unlawful, Hindus have more   wives as in comparison with Muslims. Earlier, there was no restriction even on Hindu males with respect to the number wives allowed. It was only in 1954, when the Hindu Marriage Act was passed that it grew to become unlawful for a Hindu to have more than one spouse. At current it’s the Indian Regulation that restricts a Hindu man from having more than one spouse and never the Hindu scriptures.)

Let us now analyse why Islam allows a man to have multiple spouses.

3.     Qur’an permits restricted polygyny

As I discussed earlier, Qur’an is the only religious book on the face of the earth that says ‘marry just one’. The context of this phrase is the next verse from Surah Nisa of the Glorious Qur’an:

“Marry women of your selection, two, or three, or four; but if ye fear that ye shall not be capable to deal justly (with them), then just one.”

[Al-Qur’an 4:3]

Before the Qur’an was revealed, there was no upper limit for polygyny and many men had scores of wives, some even hundreds. Islam put an upper limit of four wives. Islam offers a person permission to marry two, three or four women, solely on the situation that he deals justly with them.

In the same chapter i.e. Surah Nisa verse 129 says:

“Ye are never able to be fair and just as between women… ”

[Al-Qur’an 4:129]

Due to this fact polygyny isn’t a rule however an exception. Many individuals are under the misconception that it’s obligatory for a Muslim man to have more than one spouse.

Broadly, Islam has five classes of Do’s and Don’ts:

• ‘Fard’ i.e. obligatory or compulsory
• ‘Mustahab’ i.e. recommended or encouraged
• ‘Mubah’ i.e. permissible or allowed
• ‘Makruh’ i.e. not recommended or discouraged
• ‘Haraam’ i.e. prohibited or forbidden

Polygyny falls within the center class of issues that are permissible. It cannot be stated {that a} Muslim who has two, three or 4 wives is a better Muslim as in comparison with a Muslim who has just one spouse.

4.   Average life span of females is greater than that of males

By nature men and women are born in roughly the identical ratio. A female child has extra immunity than a male child. A female child can fight the germs and diseases better than the male child. Because of this, through the pediatric age itself there are more deaths among males as in comparison with the females.

Throughout wars, there are more males killed as compared to girls. Extra males die due to accidents and illnesses than women. The typical life span of females is greater than that of males, and at any given time one finds more widows in the world than widowers.

5.    India has more male population than female due to female foeticide and infanticide

India is among the few countries, together with the other neighbouring countries, in which the female population is less than the male inhabitants. The reason lies in the high rate of female infanticide in India, and the fact that more than one million female foetuses are aborted yearly in this country, after they’re identified as females. If this evil practice is stopped, then India too will have more females as in comparison with males.

6.   World female population is more than male population

In the USA, women outnumber males by 7.8 million. New York alone has a million extra females as compared to the number of males, and of the male population of New York one-third are gays i.e sodomites. The U.S.A as a whole has more than twenty-five million gays. Which means these folks don’t want to marry women. Great Britain has 4 million more females as compared to males. Germany has 5 million extra females as in comparison with males. Russia has 9 million extra females than males. God alone is aware of what number of million extra females there are in the entire world as compared to males.

7.    Restricting each and every man to have just one spouse isn’t practical

Even if each man got married to one girl, there would nonetheless be more than thirty million females in U.S.A who would not be able to get husbands (considering that America has twenty 5 million gays). There could be more than 4 million females in Great Britain, 5 million females in Germany and 9 million females in Russia alone who wouldn’t be able to find a husband.

Suppose my sister occurs to be one of the single women residing in USA, or suppose your sister happens to be one of many unmarried women in USA. The only two choices remaining for her are that she either marries a person who already has a spouse or turns into ‘public property’. There is no other possibility. All those that are modest will go for the first.

Most girls would not prefer to share their husband with other women. However in Islam when the situation deems it really necessary Muslim women in due faith could bear a small personal loss to prevent a greater loss of letting other Muslim sisters turning into ‘public properties’.

8.  Marrying a married man preferable to becoming ‘public property’

In Western society, it is not uncommon for a man to have mistresses and/or multiple extra-marital affairs, in which case, the woman leads a disgraceful, unprotected life. The same society, however, cannot accept a man having more than one spouse, in which girls retain their honourable, dignified position in society and lead a protected life.

Thus the only two options before a woman who cannot find a husband is to marry a married man or to become ‘public property’. Islam prefers giving women the honourable position by allowing the first option and disallowing the second.

There are several other reasons, why Islam has permitted restricted polygyny, but it is mainly to guard the modesty of women.