Veil/Hijab
Becoming a Symbol of American Muslims?
By Dr. Ibrahim B. Syed
Louisville, KY
This is a reply to Dr Bashir Ahmad's
piece published in the Pakistan Link of August
26, 2005.
In my previous communication I wrote that the
Qur’an aims to eliminate all sources of
temptations and enticement in society, and does
not want women should bear the brunt of the burden
in this process. However, the vast majority of
Muslim men want that women should be covered from
head to toe except perhaps for one roaming eye,
and men may happily swagger around undisturbed
by scrumptious female parts. Worst of all, this
fundamentally male-indulgent view is presented
as God’s unquestionable truth. In this context
I quoted from the book of Dr. Khaled Abou El Fadl
who is an accomplished Islamic jurist and scholar,
and a Professor of Law at the UCLA's School of
Law where he teaches Islamic law. He is a world
renowned expert in Islamic law who previously
taught Islamic law at the University of Texas,
Yale Law School and Princeton University. A high-ranking
Shaykh, Dr. Abou El Fadl also received formal
training in Islamic jurisprudence in Egypt and
Kuwait.
My quote is not directed at any individual directly
or indirectly.
In America the scholars and writers follow Islamic
guidelines of etiquette:
1. AVOID FLAMING which is name calling, personal
attacks, and character assassination.
2. STICK TO THE FACTS or at least label speculation
as such.
There is no doubt Pakistan Link respects opposing
points of view and people have a right to espouse
those points of view. It is my understanding Pakistan
Link encourages critically constructive discussion.
However, discussion should be based on facts and
not become shrill and emotional or make uncomplimentary
remarks about individuals.
I have been taught that a strong scholar is like
a mighty rock who is not shaken but allows the
winds of criticism to pass by. A weak debater,
lawyer or scholar makes a case with speculative
thinking, subjective interpretation and forgets
the guidelines of etiquette.
This is a good discussion and extremely important
to debate with sincerity as people's lives are
at stake. We need to distinguish between the tenets
of Islam and cultural things. My intention is
to engage in a scholarly discussion and not to
ridicule those who oppose my points of view.
Islam does not mandate or prescribe any specific
type of dress. Thus, as long as the dresses are
not revealing or too tight, cultural variations
can add tremendous diversity in the fulfillment
of this guideline.
Hijab, a terminology that is NOT to be found in
the Qur'an or Hadith in the context of dress code.
(Source: http://www.globalwebpost.com/farooqm/writings/islamic/scarf_revel.htm)
I would like to congratulate Dr. Bashir Ahmad
for his word-for-word translation and proving
my point:
wal yazribna - and should draw
bi-khumurihinna - with their head covering
alaa juyuubihinn - across their bosoms
Dr Bashir Ahmad wrote, "Surely a female dress
covers all of the body except the hair and the
face. The verse forcefully commands that these
beautiful parts and features should not be displayed
to the stranger, but only to the husband and very
close relatives." The words "except
the hair" are Dr. Bashir Ahmad's own subjective
interpretation which he cannot provide proof as
these are the Qur'anic words.
The scholars who read ‘The Message of the
Qur'an’ ( published by Dar al-Andalus Ltd,
3 Library Ramp, Gibraltar, 1980) wrote, "Muhammad
Asad's translation and commentary is widely considered
the best in the English language, renowned for
its intellectual insight and frequent reference
to classical commentaries such as Zamakshari.
Asad's interpretation to be the most bona-fide
and coherent, it is scrupulously referenced so
he does not give his opinion rather quotes some
of the greatest scholars after the manifestation
of the Qur’an such as Zamakshari, Ibn Kathir
as well as Qurtubi to name a few."
Dr. Bashir Ahmad wrote, "Surely Dr Ibrahim
B. Sayed implies that the Arab women used to roam
around with their head and bosoms totally uncovered;
and the Qur’anic verse instructed them to
pull their ‘khimar’ from their back
onto their exposed bosoms." This is not my
implication, it is based on historical facts.
A Qur'anic scholar should know "Asbab Un-Nuzool"
causes or reasons for revelations
(of the Qur'aic verses).
On Surah, An-Nur 24: 31, Muhammad
Asad gives the translation "… let them
draw their head-coverings over their bosoms."
In his commentary No. 38, he wrote, "The
noun khimar (of which Khumur is the plural) denotes
the head-covering customarily used by Arabian
women before and after the advent of Islam. According
to most of the classical commentators, it was
worn in pre-Islamic times more or less as an ornament
and was let down loosely over the wearer's back;
and since, in accordance with the fashion prevalent
at the time, the upper part of a woman's tunic
had a wide opening in the front, her breasts were
left bare. Hence the injunction to cover the bosom
by means of a khimar (a term familiar to the contemporaries
of the Prophet) does not necessarily relate to
the use of a khimar as such but is, rather, meant
to make it clear that a woman's breasts are not
included in the concept of "what may decently
be apparent" of her body and should not,
therefore, be displayed."
"When the pre-Islamic Arabs went to battle,
Arab women seeing the men off to war would bare
their breasts to encourage them to fight; or they
would do so at the battle itself, as in the case
of the Makkan women, led by Hind at the Battle
of Uhud…….While modesty is a religious
prescription, the wearing of a veil is not a religious
requirement of Islam, but a matter of cultural
milieu." (Cyril Glasse: The Concise Encyclopedia
of Islam. Harper and Row Publishers, New York,
N.Y., 1989, p. 156 and p. 413)
My main contention is that covering of hair for
a woman is not mandatory as written by many scholars
including Shaykh Zaki Badawi. Dr. Zaki Badawi
(head of the Muslim Council in London, England
and the Chairman of the Council of the Mosques
and Imams) wrote, "The hijab veil (which
covers all of a Muslim woman's hair) is also not
obligatory" (Source: http://www.mostmerciful.com/Hijab.htm)
Years of research on hijab
(head cover) has convinced me to make a challenge.
The challenge is for any one ( Muslim or non-Muslim)
to prove that the Qur'an mandates the women to
cover their hair.
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