For the Mohammadian and non-Mohammadian female, nothing makes her cover her body from the head to the feet except her mature choice, conscious mind, her education and her broad open culture. She is the only one responsible in her maturity for herself, managing the freedom of her life in her own disposal, awareness and the realization of her dreams. If a mature girl or sane woman wears a modern dress, shows off her hair and beautifies her face, this does not mean that she has deviated from the foundations and values of good morals.
The Mohammadian woman is not stray or outside the scope of moral or social values if she participates in society with the man’s talk and intellectually converses with him in a café or a sociable place. It is not fear for her, but the real fear is from the intention, thinking and look of the envious, foolish, stupid, selfish, weak man. Fear is from his abnormal behaviour, his harassment, his lack of self-discipline, respect for women and the infringement of her freedom and dignity by force of his sexual selfish lust. From his animal behaviour and intellectual ambiguity he returns and places all the blame on her.
But, the veil of the Mohammadian female is imposed on her from the laws of arbitrariness. It has nothing to do with her purity, faith, god or the Messenger’s recommendation, the Noble Qur’an or any other book. How many girls and veiled women pretend to be pious while they are corrupt and have secret affairs with young and old men?
The Messenger Mohammad says about women in Surat al-Noor, Verse 31: ‘And tell the “believing women” to lower their gazes and guard their private parts, and not display their adornment, except what appears thereof and cover a slit from the top of the dress that shows some of the chest. And not display their adornment except to their husbands, fathers, or their husband’s fathers, or sons, their brothers, or sons of their brothers, or sons of their sisters, or what they own of belief, or the followers, other non-relatives of men or child, those who did not reveal the private parts of women and do not to strike their feet so that what they conceal of their adornment may be known. And repent to god all together, O believers, that you may succed.’
The meaning of his words: say to ‘the believing women.’ He did not say: say to the Mohammadian women, that is, to all the Mohammadian women.
Mohammad calls only on ‘believing women’ from all communities of nations, with their respected personal freedom, to lower their gaze, that is, to turn a blind eye to the trivial thing with their attractive cursory looks, especially for young and old men.
This is an ancient language and custom respected in the society and values of the Arab people of Hijaz in the peninsula; it is not wrong, because the Messenger means that if a woman is a believer, regardless of her public flirtation with the male in official visits and meetings, she will maintain her faith and show her modesty and respect for her personality.
‘It is for the believing women to guard their private parts.’
It means: a believing woman is the one who possesses the sacredness of her honour, values, high morals, respect and the reputation of her family. To preserve her virginity in addition to her wonderful body completely naked.
“The naked woman is one of the most sacred, most awesome, noble and exalted natural creatures in life; she is life!”
Nothing compares to her but a naked man’s body and nature! A woman has holiness for herself, if she understands and protects herself.
For a believing woman it is better to preserve her vagina and all her body in order to remain safe from debauchery, the sordidness of moral decadence and problems of social life. By preserving her vagina, she will have a guarantee for her to avoid the problems of social life, from falling pregnant by mistake, with a young or older man who tempts her, or their relations did not go well and he leaves her miserable and disappointed. Also, to refrain her body from taken anti-pregnancy pills in pre-marital sexual relations, which sometimes affect the function of her womb.
In the era of the Messenger Mohammad, it was not known and there were no social security institutions, as it is today in our present age in the modern developed countries, to help the needy and the afflicted. Social security has high costs in the countries concerned with these matters and a burden on the government budget, sometimes exhausting the state treasury. Mohammad was alert to the social problems in the tribal societies, because he lived as an orphan and tasted the bitterness of life in his childhood when he was born not knowing his deceased father and then lost his mother. Had it not been for his upbringing and the best care of his family, as we mentioned earlier, Mohammad would have lived as a miserable man with a broken heart and a mind that might be upset. In his upbringing, he felt the misery of orphans in the Arabian Peninsula, especially the children of unmarried mothers, the outcome of sexual perversion on the part of the selfish man in his treatment of girls and women.
Hear what the Messenger Mohammad said in the Noble Qur’an about orphans and the verses that are allocated to them:
In Surat al-Nisa, Verse 6: ‘Test the orphans until they reach the age of marriage, and if you find sense, maturity among them, then give them their money and do not consume it extravagantly…’
In Verse 10: ‘Those who unjustly consume the wealth of orphans will only eat fire in their bellies, and they will burn with a blaze.’
In Surat al-Duha, Verse 9: ‘Then the orphan, do not subdue him or her.’
Mohammad rejected this corrupt behaviour in his guidance and revealed in his recommendation the verse so that the believing woman should pay attention to the problems of social life. This is not only for women, but it alerts males in Surat al-Noor, Verse 30: ‘Tell the believers to lower their gaze and guard their private parts. That is purer for them, for god is all-aware of what they do.’
He also did not say to the Mohammadian believers, but rather to all the faithful males of different nations of the world: ‘Say to the believers…’‘…They should not display their adornment except what appears of it, and they should draw their headscarves over their pockets or over opening slits, whether in front, sideways or in the back.’
‘They do not display their adornment except that which is apparent from it…’
The messenger means when the adult girl or ‘believing woman’ is covering her head with a veil and showing her front baldness, eyes, nose, cheeks, mouth, chin and even her neck without the width of her lower chest at the beginning of the separating gap at the top of her breasts.
It does not prevent her from appearing on her eyelashes the darkening of the ‘kohl,’ Sakkara, the redness of her cheeks and the coating of her lips. It is not forbidden for the rings to appear on her fingers and bracelets on her wrists, and it is necessary for them to be shown to let the man know her personal marital status, whether single or married.
When the veil is on her head, it must cover the pockets or any opening at the top or side of the garment from the back and front, especially what appears from some of the lower chest.
‘And let them not strike their feet so that they may know what they hide of their adornment…’
Some girls and women wear anklets with little bells under their long clothes. When the female walks, it raises melodious sounds from them according to their type of material. It increases the attractiveness of the female in her gait or sitting and draws the attention of the male to her seductive movements, especially the one who has a slim and graceful body that ripples under her dress.
This custom is ancient since the era of the Canaanites and the Hebrews, is famous and exciting among female fashion. Today it has spread among all modern peoples of different creeds and classes and has luster in the type of its material and the modification of the design of its shape and consideration in presenting it as a gift to the mistress, lover or wife.
In the politeness of the messenger, he recommended that it is better for the female not to strike with her feet when she wears the anklets on her legs, from which voices and melodies rise, because it attracts lust, intent, noise and makes her at the level of a beast or a horse adorned with little bells.
In the end, a woman has the full right to show her adornment only to the adult members of her family at the time of her seclusion, as mentioned earlier.
To be continued, next time I will talk about woman and types of hijab, until then have good times with care!
These excerpts are from the book: “Is God a Lie or Are We? Certainly We Are!”
Author: Jamil Elias Kabalan
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