The Islamic religion
has elevated the woman to the highest status. No other religion and no system
of thoughts has attached to the woman the same value as has Islam. Communists
made the woman do the heaviest work under the slogans they had coined, such as
‘The woman and the man are equal’, and ‘The woman has all the rights possessed
by the man’. Women were mercilessly forced to work for a pittance in iron
plants, in mines, in stone quarries, in the frigid forests of Siberia, in
railway building, in cement pouring, and in ground digging. Of a Muslim woman’s
male relatives who are rich enough to give the fitra[1], the closest one has
to support her. If she has no close relatives, or if the close ones are not (at
least as) rich (as defined above), the Beyt-ul-mâl, i.e. the State, has to give her all her needs. If she is
married, her husband has to (buy and) bring her all her needs and to hire a
separate house for her. A man has to buy for his wife all the kinds of things
she used to have as she lived in her father’s home and provide for her the same
number of servants as she had therein. According to the Shâfi’î Madhhab, he has
to pay her even the money to buy tobacco for herself. That it is not necessary
for him to pay her money for coffee or tobacco, according to the Hanafî
Madhhab, is written in the book entitled Radd-ul-muhtâr. If a woman’s husband
is too poor to support her, or if he does not buy her needs although he is rich
enough, the court of law determines the market cost of her needs and orders her
close relatives to lend her the money equal to that cost. If the husband does
not have property to be sold, the court makes him work and pay the debts gone
into. If he does not work he will be sent to prison. Then, the Muslim girl is
exempt from the cares and anxieties of an existence. She does not have to work
and struggle for a living. All her needs will be brought to her. The Islamic
religion has given this prerogative to her. However, it is farz for a woman to
learn Islam, her faith and belief, acts of farz and worship, and harâms. Her
father or her husband has to teach her these teachings. If they do not, they
will be gravely sinful, and the woman will have to learn them from sources
outside. Although a woman cannot go anywhere without her husband’s permission,
she can do so for the purpose of learning these teachings. This exception is
symptomatic of the value and importance that Islam has attached to knowledge.
---------------------------------
[1] Please see the third chapter of the fifth
fascicle of Endless Bliss for ‘fitra’.
The Muslim woman does not have to engage in trade, in
technology, in arts, or in agriculture; nor are these things forbidden for her,
and nor will she be sinful if she engages in one of them or earns money. Only,
as she engages in them or learns knowledge, she must not mix with men, let them
see her with her awrat parts exposed; and she must avoid acts and situations
that are harâm. For, it is harâm and sinful for women to go out with her head,
arms and legs exposed. If she slights, flouts or disignores this rule, she will
lose her îmân and become a kâfir [an enemy of Allah]. It has been stated (by
Islam) that she will be tormented eternally in the fire of Hell. Allâhu ta’âlâ states in the
thirty-first âyat-i-kerîma of Sűra-i-Nisâ that women will receive what is
allotted to them from their earnings. (Our blessed mother) Khadîja-t-ul-kubrâ
‘radiy-Allâhu ’anhâ’ engaged in trade, both before Islam and thereafter; she
had many secretaries, employees, and servants. In fact, in one occasion she
appointed Muhammad ‘alaihis-salâm’ as chief of her trade caravan. Sins
committed by a (married) woman will incur a retribution also on her husband who
has condoned her sins. On the other hand, sins committed by a man will not
cause any blame on his wife. In Islam, the woman does not (have to) join a war.
Not only does she live in comfort and happiness in the world, but also it will
be very easy for her to go to Paradise. It is stated in a hadîth-i-sherîf
quoted in Tenbîh-ul-ghâfilîn, (by Abu-l-lays
Samarkandî, d. 373 [983 A.D.]:) “A woman who fulfills the following four conditions will go to
Paradise: Not to betray her husband; to perform namâz five times daily; to fast
in the blessed month of Ramadân; not to expose her [head, hair, arms and
legs] in
the presence of men [other than the eighteen men, (who are her mahram relatives.)]”
(Please see the first and eighth chapters of the fourth fascicle of Endless Bliss for ‘namâz’ and mahram
relatives, respectively, and the second chapter of the fifth fascicle for
‘Fasting in Ramadân’.) For, namâz performed correctly will protect one from
sinning and infuse into one the eagerness to follow the tenets of Islam. Who
the mahram relatives are, is written in the twefth chapter of the fifth
fascicle of Endless Bliss. In a hadîth-i-sherîf quoted in Tenbîh-ul-ghâfilîn and in the commentary
to Shir’a-t-ul-islâm
our Prophet ‘sall-Allâhu ta’âlâ ’alaihim ajma’în states: “If
a woman performs her namâz five times daily, fasts in the
month Ramadân, protects her chastity, and obeys her husband, she will
enter Paradise through any of its gates she chooses.” It is stated in a
hadîth-i-sherîf which is quoted in Riyâd-un-nâsikhîn on the authority of the book entitled Lu’lu’iyyat,
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which had been written by Abű Muti’ Belkhî: “A woman who does the
following five things will be exculpated from Hell: She performs namâz five times daily; she fasts in the month Ramadân; she
does not offend her husband or her parents; she does not show her face
or her hair to men who are nâ-mahram to her; and she endures worldly troubles
with patience.”
When our Master, the Prophet ‘sall-Allâhu ’alaihi
wa sallam’ performed his final Hajj in the tenth year of the Hegira, he made a
khutba wada’ (valedictory speech). Here is one of his blessed pieces of advice:
“Do not
maltreat your women! They are the valuables with whose keepsaking Allâhu ta’âlâ has entrusted you. Be
tender and kind towards them, and do them favours!” In Islam it is an act
of worship, and yields more thawâb than do all other acts of supererogatory
worship, to marry a girl and make her happy.
Marrying up to four
women is not a commandment in Islam; it is a permission, i.e. an act that is
mubâh. And it has conditions to be satisfied. It is harâm for a man who does
not fulfill those conditions to marry more than one women. The first of these
conditions is for the man to be rich enough to provide a life of welfare for
each and everyone of his wives. The other conditions are written in books of
Fiqh.
It is stated in Nimat-i-islâm: “Marriage with up to
four women is a convenience, not only for men, but also for women, since their
number is high. Before Islam a man would marry as many women as he liked. Islam
has reduced this number to four. It is not wâjib, or even mandűb, to marry more
than one women. (Please see the paragraph at the end of the sub-chapter about
the ‘sunnats of an ablution’ within the second chapter, and the paragraph after
the thirty-fourth of the makrűhs of namâz in the eighteenth chapter, of the
fourth fascicle of Endless Bliss for the term ‘mandűb’.) It has been stated (by scholars) that it
is better not to marry more than one.” If the State commands or prohibits
something that is mubâh, (i.e. something that is neither commanded nor
prohibited by Islam,) it will be permissible to obey it. It is stated in the
nine hundred and eighteenth page of Berîqa: “It is wâjib to do the State’s commandments that are agreeable
with Islam. It is a grave sin to revolt against its commandments that run
counter to Islam’s commandments and thereby to cause fitna and anarchy. A grave
harm should be avoided even at the cost of having to suffer a smaller harm. It
is wâjib for the people to do any act of mubâh commanded by the State for
utilitarian considerations.” It is stated
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in the nine hundred and twenty-eighth page: “It is not
permissible to revolt against the State even if it is oppressive.” It is stated
in the hundred and forty-third page of Hadîqa: “If the oppressive State prohibits acts of mubâh, it becomes
wâjib to obey the prohibition. It is not permissible to expose oneself to
danger.” Ibni ’Âbidîn states as follows in his discourse on a Qâdî’s office:
“Since there is a darűrat (inevitability) to obey the laws of disbelievers in a
country of disbelievers, a Muslim (who lives in their country) has made a peace
with them and has to pursue (a policy termed) ‘khud’a’. It is not permissible
to attack their lives or chastities.” Not only is the number of women is in
essence greater than that of men, but also more men than women die in wars and
accidents; that is, men are fewer than women. Islam’s permission for a man to
marry up to four women serves purposes such as girls’ not being without
husbands and thereby their being protected against being exploited as
mistresses or prostituted in brothels; (in other words,) it provides insurance
for their honours, chastities, and happinesses. Because it is forbidden in
Christianity for a man to marry more than one women, men cohabit with
mistresses. They seduce the daughters of their neighbours and friends, their
pupils and employees. They establish secret marriages with several women. On
the one hand, women and girls are being drifted into fornication and ruination,
their future being completely destroyed, and on the other hand millions of
children of unknown fathers are either being dumped with the other rubbish, or
growing up without parents or a proper family education, thus becoming a
nuisance, a burden to society. In Islam, rich people will marry up to four
women and children will grow up in a family, both their parents being with them
and bringing them up properly. Homes and families will multiply. Social life
will be firm and orderly . Men who want to marry more than one women will try
to be rich. Business life will expand. Trade and technology will make progress.
There is a book that
is entitled Murshid-ul-mutaahhilîn and which provides detailed information on a man’s duties
towards his wife. The following pamphlet is (the English version of) a passage
quoted verbatim from the book entitled Ma’rifâtnâma, (written by Ibrâhîm Hakki ‘rahmatullâhi ta’âlâ ’alaih’, 1195
[1781 A.D.], Hasan Kal’a, Erzurum - 1263 [1846], Tillo, Si’rid:)
Dear friend! A man
should do the following thirty things in his dealings with his wife:
1- He should always be good-tempered towards her. [Allâhu ta’âlâ likes good-tempered people. He dislikes bad-tempered ones.
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It is harâm to hurt a person. Marriage is
harâm for an oppressive person.]
2– He should always
behave softly towards her.
Our Prophet ‘sall-Allâhu ’alaihi
wa sallam’ stated: “The best and the most useful of Muslims is one who is good and
useful towards his wife.”
3– Whenever he comes
home, he should greet his wife [by saying, “Salâm-un-’alaikum,”] and then ask
her how she is.
4– When he sees her
alone and in a good humour, he should gently touch and caress her hair, smile
at her, kiss her, and hug her.
5– When he sees her
alone and sad, he should say that he loves her and that he feels sorry for her;
he should ask her if she has a problem that he can help her solve; he should
say sweet things to her.
6– He should please
her by making promises even if he is not sure that he will be able to fulfill
them. For, she has shut herself up in his home, all alone and has completely
yielded herself to him, his faithful companion, fellow sufferer, and
bread-giver, who entertains him, rears his children, and caters for his needs.
7– He should help her with the raising, training, and education of their children. For, a baby cries
day and night, allowing no respite to its mother. It is, as it were, a creditor who ruthlessly nags at her. Then, any help offered to her will be rewarded in
kind by Allâhu ta’âlâ.
8– He should provide
for her to wear the most valuable dresses and clothes that are in vogue in the
country. He should let her wear the loveliest indoor dresses and be dressed up
as she wishes. Outdoors, however, these lovely dresses should be covered lest
nâ-mahram men should see her in them.
9– He should buy good
food for her to eat. If he is rich enough he should buy her everything that is
halâl. He should look on it as a debt he owes her to provide her ample,
practical, healthy dresses worthy of a Muslim woman, and delicious food. [Imâm
Ghazâlî ‘rahmatullâhi ’alaih’ states in the hundred and forty-first page of Kimyâ-i-sa’âdat: “One should be
neither tight-fisted nor prodigal in buying the needs of one’s wife. Thawâb for
the money spent buying the needs of one’s family is more than that which is
earned by almsgiving. Our Prophet ‘sall-Allâhu ’alaihi wa sallam’ stated: ‘Of the gold coins spent
for ghazâ (holy war), for emancipation of slaves, for dispensing alms to the poor, and
for the needs of one’s
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household, the gold spent for the household is the most meritorious
and yields most thawâb.’ Ibni Sîrîn ‘rahmatullâhi ta’âlâ ’alaih’, (of Basra, 33–110 [729
A.D.],) states: ‘One should buy sweet food for one’s family at least once a
week.’ Marriage is harâm for a person who is incapable of providing ‘nafaqa’
for a family. Meals should not be eaten alone. It yields plenty of thawâb to
eat them with one’s wife and children. The most important thing is to earn the
nafaqa by way of halâl and feed one’s family with halâl food.”]
10– He should not beat
his wife. If she commits one of the offences written in the hundred and
eighty-eighth page of the third volume of Durr-ul-mukhtâr, it will be
permissible for him to chastise her with (a punishment termed) ta’zîr. (Please
see the eleventh chapter!) However, it is not wâjib to do so.
[Some people argue
that beating women is a commandment declared in the thirty-third âyat-i-kerîma
of Nisâ Sűra. The âyat-i-kerîma, however, purports: “Men are dominant over
women. For, Allâhu ta’âlâ has created some of His slaves superior over others.
Moreover, men spend their property for them (women). The righeous women are
devoutly obedient to Allâhu ta’âlâ and observe the rights of their husbands. In
their husbands’ absence they guard their
honour and property as Allâhu ta’âlâ would have them do so. As to those
women on whose part ye fear disloyalty and mis-conduct; admonish them (first);
(next), refuse to share their beds; (and last), beat them lightly if they still
insist in their disobedience! But if they return to obedience, avoid doing
something to annoy them!” As is seen, it is not permissible to annoy by any means, let
alone beat, women who do not act perfidiously with respect to honour and
property. As for perfidious ones; permission has been given to chastise them by
beating them lightly with open, fistless hand or by using an open, untied
handkerchief. Women guilty of acts of perfidy in matters involving honour and
property are punished heavily in all governmental and jurisprudential systems.
Islam, on the other hand, attaches great value to and has profound compassion
over the woman; therefore, before delivering perfidious ones to the talons of
law, it commands men to first try to chastise them by means of a gentle
beating.
It is stated in a
hadîth-i-sherîf: “If a man beats his wife, I will sue him on the Rising Day.” Let alone beating
her, he must not even say acrid or harsh words to her on account of faults
concerning worldly matters.
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Because women are
delicate-hearted and emotional people, many of them are jealous of one another.
Therefore, a man who has newly entered into a marriage should especially be on
the alert lest he fall for the spiteful stories that his own mother or sisters
or other women may be telling about his wife, and he should never give way to
such backbitings. Talks of that sort should never be grounds for hurting one’s
wife.
Identical vigilance
should be exercised against what one’s wife says about one’s mother and
sisters. A Muslim should by no means let anyone maltreat his mother. He
himself, his wife, and his children should always be respectful toward his
mother. Respecting and serving the parents and parents-in-law should be a
married couple’s primary duty. They should always try to win their hearts and benedictions
and look on their benedictions as great gains.]
11-
He should not stay cross with her for more than a day on account of her faults in performing the commandments of
Allâhu ta’âlâ.
12-
He should react with mildness against the
peevishnesses of his wife. For, women have been created from curved rib bones.
In comparison with men, they have shorter minds and weaker piety. They have
been trusted to the man’s care. And a marriage should have been entered into
for the purpose of leading a life shared with mutual warm affections and
kindnesses.
[A married couple will
be wise to avoid behaving hurtfully towards each other. It is a symptom of
idiocy to annoy or hurt one’s lifelong companion. A cruel and cantankerous
person’s spouse will always be upset and will live in a continuous mental
strain, which will fray her nervous system. And a frayed nervous system will in
turn cause various illnesses. A person who has caused his spouse to become ill
has ruined his own life. His happiness has come to an end. He has deprived
himself of the service and support of his spouse. From now on his life will be
spent listening to the problem’s of his spouse, running after doctors, looking
for medicines for her, and doing services he has not been used to doing. It is
his own bad temper that has caused all these disasters and unending
inconveniences. He is so self-reproachful now; but, unfortunately, there is no
use being rueful. Then, o, you, Muslim! Do think, and you will see that all the
bad temper and harshness with which you torment your spouse now will recoil on
you! Always try to treat her with a smiling face and
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a sweet tongue! If you can manage to do so, you will both live in confort and happiness and earn the Grace of your Rabb (Allâhu ta’âlâ)!]
13- When he notices a
turn for the worse in the conduct of his wife, he should blame it on himself;
he should think, “She would not behave like that if I
were a
good person.” One of the Awliyâ had a bad-tempered wife. He was always patient
with her. When others asked him why, he would explain, “If I divorce
her, I fear that someone not patient enough may marry her and they may
ruin each other.” Our superiors ‘rahmatullâhi ta’âlâ ’alaihim ajma’în’ stated:
“If a person bears the bad-temper of his wife patiently, six kinds of harm will
be avoided: The child will not be beaten; the livestock will not be trashed;
the cat will not be sworn at; the guest will not be offended; and the clothes
will not be torn.” These things are written in Shir’at-ul-islâm.
14– He should keep
silent when his wife becomes angry. This will make the woman regret and begin
to apologize. For, she is weak. Silence will defeat her.
15-
When his wife’s behaviour takes a turn for the better and she begins to do her work with alacrity, he should invoke
blessings on her and pay gratitude to Allâhu ta’âlâ. For, an acquiescent woman is a great blessing.
16-
He should treat his wife in such a way as
she will feel that her husband loves her more than he does anyone else.
17-
He should never leave her the business of
buying and selling, going out to the grocer’s, to the butcher’s, to the market
place, etc; he should ask her her opinion on indoor matters; and he should not
overburden her by telling her about stressfull outdoor matters.
18-
He should always be on the alert for the
unknowing acts of his wife. For, our father, ’Âdam ‘alaihis-salâtu wa-s-salâm’,
made a mistake upon the invitation of his blessed wife, Hawwa (Eva), our
mother.
19-
He should overlook his wife’s faults that
are not sinful acts. With sweet and soft words, he should try to dissuade her
from sinful acts and words and to make her abide by her religious duties such
as namâz, fast, and ghusl. By promising that he will buy her valuable dresses
and pieces of jewellery, he should make her perform her acts of worship and
prevent her from sinful acts.
20-
He should keep the secrets of his wife
and should not let
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21- He should crack
her jokes, be like a woman and play with her. As a matter of fact, the Beloved
One of Allâhu
ta’âlâ ‘sall-Allâhu
’alaihi wa sallam’ was the most elegant man towards his azwâj-i-mutahhara,
(i.e. our blessed mothers, his blessed wives.) One day he raced with (our
blessed mother) ’Âisha ‘radiy-Allâhu ’anhâ’. Our mother ’Âisha won the race.
Then the race was repeated, the Server-i-’âlam ‘sall-Allâhu ’alaihi wa sallam’
being the winner this time. It is not sinful or useless for a Muslim to play
with his wife; on the contrary, it yields thawâb.
It is stated as
follows in the two hundred and fifty-third (253) page of the fifth volume of
Ibni ’Âbidîn: “Lu’b, la’ib, lahw, and ’abas are synonyms; they mean ‘to spend
one’s time playing’. Nerd, i.e. backgammon; chess; fourteen-stones; to play or
listen to musical instruments; dancing; jugglery; clownery; mockery; clapping
(with hands); all these things fall into the category of playing and are acts
called tahrîmî makrűh. If they are done habitually, or if they prevent one from
doing acts that are farz, or if they are turned into gambling, they will be
harâm, according to a consensus (of scholars). So is the case with playing or
listening to instruments like tambourines, reeds and flutes. It is stated in a
hadîth-i-sherîf: ‘Lahw of any kind is harâm. Its only permissible versions are:
playing with the wife; drills, games, and races made with horses and weapons.’ Wrestling as a
preparation for warfare is permissible. Hence, playing football is harâm in
various respects.
22– He should not make
his wife live in a house in an avenue or facing a park or a recreation center
or a sports field or a school, and he should not cause her to see nâ-mahram men
or to talk with them. He should make her live at a place close to a mosque and
among neighbours who are pious Muslims. Pious neighbours will prevent them from
tormenting and annoying each other and give them advice. They will run to their
aid. They will testify to the right one in the court of law. It is wâjib to
migrate to such a quarter or city. Muslims should take their household out for
picnics in the country such as watersides so that they will take some fresh air
in good weather; they should prefer places that are not crowded and as safe
against harâms as possible; they should not prefer holidays, when such places
are mostly crowded. They should not take them to places where acts of fisq are
being committed. Please see the eighth chapter of the fourth fascicle of Endless Bliss!
23- He should not send
his wife out for education or for work
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in a manner forbidden by Islam or to places that will cause
fitna. The author ‘rahmatullâhi ta’âlâ ’alaih’ of the book entitled Behjet-ul-fatâwâ states: “If women come
to a mosque to listen to sermons being preached to men, the people in charge
should not admit them.” [The same rule applies if they come to listen to
mawlids.]
The forty-second one
of the sins committed with the entire body is explained as follows in the book
entitled Hadîqa: It is harâm for a
free woman to go out for a journey of (at least) hundred and four kilometres
without her husband or one of her (male and) eternally mahram relatives with
her. It is harâm even if there are many other women among the people making the
same journey. When someone said, “Yâ Rasűlallah (O, you, the Messenger of
Allah)! My wife is leaving for hajj,” the blessed Prophet ordered: “Join her!” ‘Mahram’ means ‘woman’s
relative(s) by way of genealogy or through the milk-tie or on account of nikâh,
with whom it is eternally harâm for her to marry. Husband of a woman’s sister
or maternal or paternal aunt is not her mahram relative. For, that woman may
marry one of these men. Please see the eighth chapter of the fourth fascicle of
Endless
Bliss!
If her mahram relative were a dhimmî, he would be no different (in this
respect) from her Muslim mahram relative. It is not permissible for her to go
that distance with her mahram relative who is fâsiq [a wicked person] or not
reliable or below the age of puberty. Attractive girls below the age of puberty
are accepted as adults. That it is harâm for women to go out far hajj without
their mahram relatives has been stated unanimously by all the scholars of the
Hanafî Madhhab. It is permissible in the Shâfi’î Madhhab for trustable women to
go out in groups for hajj without their mahram relatives in their company. But
then there should be no other men with them and it has to be made sure that no
fitna will arise. [It is not permissible for women in the Hanafî Madhhab to go
out for hajj without their mahram relatives in imitation of the Shâfi’î
Madhhab. For, a Hanafî’s imitating the Shâfi’î Madhhab is permissible only when
it is the only way to get over a haraj, a problem in performing an act of farz
or in avoiding an act of harâm. And this permissibility, in its turn, requires
observing all the provisions made by the Madhhab being imitated. In that case
the entire hajj will have to be performed suitably (also) with the precepts of
the Shâfi’î Madhhab. For, it is called telfîq to mix (the facilities in) two Madhhabs, (e.g. the Hanafî and
Shâfi’î Madhhabs,) in the performance of a certain act of worship, if there is
not haraj [a problem] (in doing it in accordance with one of the
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Madhhabs). A muleffiq’s worship will not be sahîh. It will be
bâtil.] Here we end our translation from Hadîqa. (‘Muleffîq’ means ‘a person who mixes two or more
Madhhabs. Please see the initial pages of the fourth chapter of the fourth
fascicle of Endless Bliss for terms such as ‘haraj’ and ‘darűrat’.)
24– He should teach
his wife how to read the Qur’ân al-kerîm and also, of the acts of farz and harâm, (i.e. Islam’s commandments and prohibitions,) the ones she needs to know. [He must buy the books
published by the (bookstore in Istanbul, Turkey, and named) Hakîkat Kitâbevi, bring them home, and make her read them.] Anyone who does not know the
commandments and prohibitions of Allâhu ta’âlâ, and who therefore does not teach them to his wife and children, either, is a fâsiq [wicked, evil] person; he will suffer torment in Hell.
25-
He should not withdraw from coitus before
ejaculation (onanism, coitus interruptus) without her consent or before her
orgasm is over. Ibni ’Âbidîn ‘rahima-hullâhu ta’âlâ’ states as follows in his
explanation of ‘qismat’ in ‘nikâh’: “Coitus performed once will suffice for the
payment of wife’s conjugal right. Repetition is wâjib religiously, but not
judicially; which means to say that the woman cannot apply to a judge of the
court of law. It is the wife’s right to demand the coitus to be repeated, and
if she demands it it will be wâjib for the husband to perform coitus once
again. There is not a stated number of (mandatory) coituses.” There is a
scholarly counsel implying that both excess and remissness will be harmful, the
former, physically; and the latter, spiritually; and that the intervals had
better not be longer than four nights running. Coitus during menstruation is
harâm; it is a grave sin to do so. If the menses stops after ten days, coitus
will be permissible even without her having made a ghusl. If it stops before
ten days but after the completion of her regular period, coitus will be
permissible after she makes a ghusl or after the elapse of one prayer time. If
it stops both before ten days and before the end of her regular period, coitus
with the wife will not be permissible until her regular period is over.
However, she will have to perform her daily prayers of namâz, and will have to
fast (if the month is Ramadân), in the interim. Please see the fourth chapter
of the fourth fascicle of Endless Bliss!
26-
The wife should adorn herself only for
her husband at home and not for other people. Men whose wives and daughters go
out without properly covering themselves will go to Hell together with them and
they will be subjected to very bitter torment.
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It is stated in Halabî-i-kebîr, (written by Ibrâhîm
bin Muhammad Halabî ‘rahmatullâhi ta’âlâ ’alaih’, 866, Aleppo - 956 [1549 A.D.]:)
“The entire body of a free woman, with the exception of her palms, face, and
feet, is awrat. For, our Prophet ‘sall-Allâhu ’alaihi wa sallam’ stated: ‘The woman is awrat. If
she goes out without properly covering herself, the devil will gaze at her with
his eyes wide open.’ According to some Islamic scholars, her feet also are her awrat
parts. An âyat-i-kerîma in Nűr Sűra purports:
‘Let Muslim women not show their ornaments! They will not be sinful for the ones
that are exposed inevitably as they do their
work. Let their head-kerchiefs cover their entire heads down to their
collars,
[so that their hair, ears, and breasts should be covered well.]’ The word zînat, i.e. ornament, used in the
âyat-i-kerîma and commanded to be covered, should be construed as ‘parts of the
body whereon the ornaments, (i.e. jewels,) are worn’; hence, the âyat-i-kerîma
commands Muslim women to cover those parts of their body. And it has been
stated by our blessed Prophet ‘sall-Allâhu ’alaihi wa sallam’ that the parts of a woman’s body
where jewels and gems are worn and which do not incur sinfulness when they are
not covered, are her face and hands. It is declared in the same Sűra: ‘Let women walk without
stamping the ground hard with their feet, lest the ornaments they wear on their
feet be heard.’ It is understood from this âyat-i-kerîma that (women’s) feet
are within (their) awrat parts.” The Qur’ân al-kerîm commands women to cover themselves. It will be unfair to say
that this commandment is an invention of some jealous husbands. Fibs of this
sort are abominable slanders spread for the purpose of misguiding Muslim women
by enemies of Islam and blindly reinforced by people who are pitiably unlearned
in Islamic rules. How could such slanders spread by adversaries of Islam be of
any value in the face of the fact that Allâhu ta’âlâ does not teach us everything in a simple language in the Qur’ân al-kerîm. Technicalities such as the number of rak’ats in each of the five daily prayers of namâz, the number
of sajdas that are farz in the performance of each rak’at, and many other acts that are farz, (i.e. definite commandments of
Allâhu ta’âlâ,) are not stated expressly in the Qur’ân al-kerîm. Such farz acts have been explained, defined, and explicated by
our Prophet ‘sall-Allâhu ’alaihi
wa sallam’. (Scan, for instance, the tenth chapter of the fourth fascicle of Endless Bliss to see how our blessed
Prophet teaches us when we
should perform each of the five daily prayers of namâz.) Farz and harâm acts
explained by our Prophet, as well as the farz and
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harâm acts clearly declared in the Qur’ân al-kerîm, are valuable. Anyone
who denies them will also go out of Islam and become an unbeliever. For, at
seventeen different places of the Qur’ân al-kerîm there are âyat-i-kerîmas which purport: “If you love Allâhu ta’âlâ adapt
yourselves to me! Allâhu ta’âlâ loves
those who adapt themselves to me.” and “Obey Allah and the Rasűl (Messenger). If you do not obey, Allah definitely hates unbelievers.” These seventeen
âyat-i-kerîmas are quoted and explained in detail in the books entitled Hadîqa and Berîqa. In a hadîth-i-sherîf
quoted in the book entitled Majmâ’ul-anhur our blessed Prophet ‘sall-Allâhu ’alaihi wa sallam’ states: “The entire body of a
free woman, with the exception of her face and the palms of her both hands, is
awrat.”
It is harâm for her to show herself to men with her awrat parts in the open,
and for anyone to look at someone else’s awrat parts, even without any feeling
of lust. To look lustfully at a nâ-mahram woman is harâm, be it on the face. It
is stated in a hadîth-i-sherîf: “If a person looks lustfully at a woman, regardless of her limb
being looked at, on the Rising Day molten lead will be poured down into his
eyes and he will be flung into Hell.” It is harâm to touch a nâ-mahram woman’s hands or face, even
without lust. It is stated in a hadîth-i-sherîf: “If a person holds a
nâ-mahram woman’s hand, his hand will be
filled with fire on the Rising Day.” It is stated in
hadîth-i-sherîfs quoted in Zewâjir, (by Ibni Hajar-i-Mekkî ‘rahmatullâhi ta’âlâ ’alaih’, 899 [1494
A.D.] - 974 [1566], Mekka:) “A woman who exposes her head at any place other than her husband’s
home will have torn down the curtain between her Rabb (Allâhu ta’âlâ) and herself.” and “Let a person who
believes in Allah and in the Rising after death not go to a (public bath called) hamâm; and let a person
who believes in Allah and in the Rising after death not send his wife to a
hamâm; and let a person who believes in
Allah and in the Rising after death not drink wine; and let a person who believes in Allah and in the
Rising after death not sit at a meal table where wine is being drunk;
and let a person who believes in Allah and in the Rising after death not meet
in private, i.e. in halwat, with a nâ-mahram woman.” and “In the latest time it
will be harâm for the men of my Ummat (Muslims) to go to hamâms, (i.e. public baths,) even if they should go there with
their awrat parts properly covered. For, there will also be men with
their awrat parts exposed in those places. May Allâhu ta’âlâ put
a curse on people who open their awrat parts and on those who look
at others’ awrat parts!” and “Between the navel and
the knee is awrat.” In the Hanafî Madhhab a man’s knee is awrat, and it is
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harâm for him to show his knee to others. In the Shâfi’î Madhhab
the knee is not awrat. In the Mâlikî and Hanbalî Madhhabs neither the navel nor
the knee is awrat. The only awrat parts (of a man) in these two Madhhabs are
the (pubic and anal areas, which are called the) Sev’eteyn (or Saw’atayn).
Being enlightened by these hadîth-i-sherîfs, Muslim women should cover
themselves properly and avoid going to places frequented by naked people. [It
is recommended that Muslims should rather live in self-standing houses with
yards than in flats in apartment buildings and take their baths in the
bathrooms in their own houses. Muslim men bathe in groups at uncrowded beaches
when there are no naked people around. When a man in the Hanafî or Shâfi’î
Madhhab finds himself in an ineluctable situation, it will be permissible for
him not to cover his knees or thighs by imitating (one of) the other two
Madhhabs, (i.e. the Mâlikî and Hanbalî Madhhabs, since a man’s knees and thighs
are not within his awrat parts,) when he has to make ghusl, if he is sure that
otherwise his living and/or personal rights will be at stake or a fitna will
arise. By the time he gets out of that compelling situation, however, it will
be harâm for him to let those parts stay open for a single minute. There can be
no situation critical enough to compel women to expose any (awrat) part of
their body by imitating another Madhhab, since women have to cover all their
body regardless of the Madhhab they are in. In fact, women will never
experience an ineluctable situation of that nature.
The blessed author
‘rahmatullâhi ta’âlâ ’alaih’ of the book entitled Tafsîr-i-Mazharîstates as follows in
his explanation of Nűr Sűra: “Only in case of a darűrat should a woman go out;
and then her head, her hair, her neck, and all her body should be covered. The
darűrat that will make it justifiable for a woman to go out is for her not to
have anyone to do shopping for her and/or to teach her her religion, Islam.
Then it will be permissible for her to go out after covering her head and face
with her headkerchief and covering the rest of her body with any kind of cloth.
The word ‘face’ as used here should be construed as ‘head’, since it is
permissible in all for Madhhabs for her to go out without covering her face.”
Hence, it is not compulsory for women to wear the ‘charshaf’, which was worn by
the latest Ottoman women. It is permissible for them to wear an ample mantle
(with sleeves long enough to cover the arms including the wrists and) long
enough to cover also the parts below the knees, a pair of (opaque) stockings,
and a head-kerchief. Please see the initial pages of the eighth
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chapter of the fourth fascicle of Endless Bliss! Imâm Rabbânî
‘rahmatullâhi ’alaih’ wrote in the three hundred and thirteenth letter of the
first volume (of his blessed work, Maktűbât) that “All over the Arabic countries most people, men and women
alike, wear long, shirtlike garments called ‘pîrâhan’ or ‘qamîs’ or ‘antârî’.
The garments worn by women has closed collars, and men wear garments with open
fronts.” Ahzâb Sűra commands women to cover themselves with some of their jelâbîb, which is the plural
form of ‘jilbâb’. Abű-s-su’űd Efendi ‘rahmatullâhi ta’âlâ ’alaih’, (896 [1490
A.D.] - 982 [1574], the thirteenth Ottoman Shaikh-ul-islâm,) states in his Tafsîr: “Jilbâb is a headkerchief
wider than a normal headkerchief and shorter than a shirt. Women use it to
cover their head. Any piece of cloth used to cover the face and the entire body
is called so, too.” The author of the Turkish book of tafsîr entitled Tibyân, (Muhammad bin Hamza
’Ayntâbî ‘rahmatullâhi ta’âlâ ’alaih’, d. 1111 A.H.,) calls it ‘milhafa’, which
means ‘wrapper that is worn as an outer garment’. In the book of tafsîr
entitled Mawâqib, (by Ismâ’îl Ferrűh
of Crimea ‘rahmatullâhi ta’âlâ ’alaih’, d. 1256 A.H.,) and in Lughat-i-Nâjî, (by Mu’allim Nâjî,
d. 1893 A.D.,) the words ‘jâr’ and ‘ferâja’, i.e. ‘long shirt’ are written as
its synonyms; all of which add up to mean that it is a long mantle-like gown.
Books of Tafsîr and Fiqh do not contain a statement to the effect that this
gown is made up of two pieces, that it is called ‘charshaf’, or that women
should wear this ‘charshaf’ only. In fact, in the hadîth-i-sherîf that states, “If a person wears a jilbâb that has been obtained by
way of harâm, his namâz will not be accepted,” quoted in the book
entitled Kitâb-ul-fiqh-i-’ala-l
-madhâhib-il-arba’a, the word jilbâb is given the meaning, ‘qamîs, i.e. long shirt’. It is written
also in (the lexical book) al-Munjid, (which was written by a non-Muslim named Louis Ma’lűf,) that
‘jilbâb’ means ‘qamîs’. The final page of the book entitled Jâliyat-ul-ekdâr[1] contains a statement
that reads: “Yâ Rabbî (o our Rabb, Allah)! Make us wear the jelâbîb of Thine
Hikmat!” The hadîth-i-sherîf and the invocation (quoted above) show that ‘jilbâb’
is worn by men, too. It is stated in the annotation to the (Shâfi’î) book
entitled al-Enwâr
li-a’mâl-il-ebrâr, (which was written by Yűsuf Erdebîlî Shâfi’î, d. 799 A.H.:)
“It is mustahab
---------------------------------
[1] It is a
book of prayers and invocations written in the Arabic language by Khâlid
Baghdâdî ‘rahmatullâhi ta’âlâ ’alaih’, (1192, Zűr, to the north of Baghdâd
– 1242 [1826 A.D.], Damascus.) It is available from Hakîkat Kitâbevi.
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for a woman to wear an ample and long garment and a
head-kerchief and to cover her garment with a thick ‘jilbâb’ as she performs
namâz. ‘Jilbâb’ means a long and ample wrapping garment that is called ‘milhafa
[ferâja, mantle-like garment] or a head-kerchief.” To explain the word ‘jilbâb’
in the Qur’ân
al-kerîm
as ‘charshaf’, and to reject the fact that a woman should cover herself with an
ample and long garment, means to misinterpret the Qur’ân al-kerîm with one’s personal
views.
Statements such as,
“The time in which we live compels us. We cannot help keeping up with the
times,” are wrong. They are fibs spread by freemasons. Communists are
annihilating the Muslims by way of persecution and killing. Freemasons, on the
other hand, are alienating the Muslims from their faith by fondling them with
lies and fallacies. And there are the lâ-madhhabî people, [i.e. zindiqs,] who
are defiling Islam by giving false meanings to the Qur’ân al-kerîm and to
hadîth-i-sherîfs.]
27-
He should not set out for a safar, (i.e.
a long-distance journey,) and not even for a supererogatory (nâfila) hajj,
without his wife’s permission.
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If his wife is steady with her (five)
daily prayers of namâz and is obedient to him and does not show herself to
nâ-mahram men without properly covering herself, he should marry a second
woman. For, men who fail to mete out justice among their wives will go to Hell.
Our blessed Prophet ‘sall-Allâhu ’alaihi
wa sallam’ stated: “If a man with two wives is not even-handed with them, he will come
for the Last Judgment with his fiqure semi-bent.”
29-
He should not tell his wife about his
cares and sorrows or about his foes and debts.
30-
In her presence and absence alike, he
should always invoke blessings on her and never utter maledictions against her.
For, she has been working for him day and night. She is his bread-maker, cook,
tailor, bath-keeper, lookout for his property, his companion, best friend, and
beautiful darling.
The blessed author
‘rahmatullâhi ta’âlâ ’alaih’ of the book entitled Kimyâ-i-se’âdet states: “A husband’s twelfth duty is not to divorce his wife. Of all the mubâhs, [i.e. permissions of
Allâhu ta’âlâ,] talâq, [i.e. divorce,] is the only one that Allâhu ta’âlâ dislikes. It is not
permissible to offend someone unless there is a darűrat to do so.”
Men who know and love
their religion, Islam, will observe Islam in all their acts and manners, thus
becoming useful and
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auspicious both for themselves and for their family, kith and
kin, and all the other creatures. To this end, a person who loves his daughter
and wants her to be happy both in the world and in the Hereafter should not let
her go out without properly covering herself and prevent her from listening to
and watching radio and television programs with a deleterious effect on her
moral conduct and from going to the movies and joining social groups that will
spoil her character. A Muslim should espouse his daughter to a sâlih Muslim. He
should look for a son-in-law who is rich, not in property and position, but in
religious and moral values. If a Muslim gives his daughter to a disbeliever in
marriage, both he himself and his daughter will become disbelievers. Our
blessed Prophet ‘sall-Allâhu ’alaihi
wa sallam’ stated: “If a person gives his daughter (in marriage) to a fâsiq [evil, wicked] person, he will have
committed a breach of trust. Hell is the destination for people guilty o breach
of trust.” He stated in another hadîth-i-sherîf: “A person who gives his
daughter to a fâsiq person is an accursed one.” A hadîth-i-sherîf
quoted in the commentary to Shir’at-ul-islâm reads: “Let a person who wants to be blessed with my shafâ’at (intercession) not give his daughter to
a fâsiq person.” Another hadîth-i-sherîf, which is quoted in the chapter
admonishing against delaying one’s daily prayers of namâz in the book entitled Eshi’at-ul-leme’ât reads: “Yâ Alî! Do not delay three things! Perform a namâz within its early
time! If a janâza is ready for burial perform the namâz of janâz immediately!
When a suitable man wants to marry your daughter, widowed or virginal, see
to it that the marriage be performed immediately!” By ‘suitable (kufw is
the original word used)’, the blessed Messenger of Allah means a ‘Muslim who
regularly performs his daily prayers of namâz, avoids sinning, and earns his
living by way of halâl’. (Please see the fifteenth chapter of the fifth
fascicle of Endless Bliss for ‘namâz of janâza’.)
Artificial insemination: It is stated as follows in al-Halâl wa-l-harâm, (written by Yűsuf Qardâwî:) “Artificial
insemination is a process of obtaining a baby in which sperm taken from a donor
is placed in a tube or something else into the genital tract of a woman who is
(in most cases) not married to the donor by way of nikâh. It is harâm, and the
resultant baby will be an illegitimate one, a bastard.”
Question: Supposing a couple
married by way of the Islamic nikâh cannot have a child (through normal ways);
is it permissible for them to attempt to have a child by artificial
insemination?
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Answer: There are many
hadîth-i-sherîfs that favour and encourage a man and a girl to establish a marriage
by making an Islamic nikâh and to ask Allâhu ta’âlâ to give them child(ren). A married couple who do not have
children ought to invoke Allâhu ta’âlâ by saying the blessed names of (profound Islamic scholars and
Awliyâ called) the Silsila-i-aliyya for their intercession and have recourse to
other licit means. (In one of such means) the sperms and the ova taken from the
couple are put in a tube, an artificial insemination is realized, and the
resultant matter is placed into the wife’s uterus. This process is termed artificial insemination. It is understood
that this practice is permissible. However, since there is not a darűrat for
having recourse to it, the married couple should do it themselves lest people
nâ-mahram to them such as doctors, nurses, and midwives should see their awrat
parts; and an artificial insemination should not be done between a man and a
girl who are not married by way of a nikâh.
It is stated as
follows in the seven hundred and sixty-second article of Majalla: Something entrusted
to the care of a reliable person is called an amânat. There are three kinds of amânat:
1- Vedî’a is something entrusted
to a reliable person for safekeeping. It is performed by way of îjâb (offer)
and qabűl (acceptance), which may be done verbally or by way of actions. The
agreement may be cancelled at will by either party. If (property entrusted as)
a vedî’a without a payment of money perishes, compensation is out of the
question. If a compensation is stipulated as a condition the agreement will
become bâtil.[1] If (property entrusted as) a vedî’a with a certain amount of
payment perishes, it will have to be compensated for. It is permissible to make
an agreement of vedî’a by stipulating conditions that are fulfillable and
useful. A person to whose care some property has been entrusted as a vedî’a
will (have to) keep as if it were his own property. If the vedî’a is an animal,
its nafaqa, (i.e. food and other needs,) devolves on its owner. The vedî’a
cannot be used without its owner’s permission, and the vedî’a cannot be given
to a third person as an ’âriyat or a rahn or a loan; nor can the debt(s) of the
owner of the vedî’a be repaid without his permission. These things can be done
with (the owner’s) permission. When its owner wants it back, it will have to be
returned in its original form. A person who does not do so will become a
usurper. If the vedî’a is currency,
---------------------------------
[1] Please see the fifth fascicle of Endless
Bliss for the terms being used; from the twenty-eighth chapter on.
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the original currency will have to be returned with exactitude.
Other currency, (such as other paper bills or coins,) cannot be repaid in lieu
of it, (equal in value as it may be.)
2-
Amânat rented out or lent as an ’âriyat.
They are realized by way of îjâb and qabűl. The two people doing the
transaction do not necessarily have to have reached the age of puberty. ’Âriyat means to use something
free of charge. If the ’âriyat is an animal, its nafaqa devolves on the user.
It is permissible to lend something as an ’âriyat with limitations in respect
of time and/or place and/or mode of usage. If a house or a shop or a land area
has been lent as an unconditional ’âriyat, anything at will may be put (and
kept) in it. A person who has borrowed something as an ’âriyat may lend it as a
vedî’a to someone else. He cannot rent it out or give it as a rahn (or rehn).
He will have to give it back when its owner demands it back or when the period
of time agreed upon expires.
3-
This kind of amânat pertains to something
obtained without any agreement made. For instance, something brought to you by
the wind will be an amânat.
Take a walk outdoors, and view the colours all around;
All
creations of Almighty with harmony abound!
His
Power showered earth with blood so pure and life so verdant;
All mountains are
green, and up hill and down dale jubilant!
Soils most barren have babies each, suckling
many a plant;
Hold and compress, life will gush out of a tiniest plant!
The
other day drier than a bone was each naked sapling;
But
now, lo and behold, how amply blood from each is dripping!
Asleep, indeed, were billions of living bodies
other day;
Up they sprang from their beds, each clad in a new array!
How
mournful were all yesterday, earth was sad, and heaven sad;
But now all plants
are merry, with joy their laughters expand!
The country has been embroidered by Allah’s
hand Almighty;
Words alone will not suffice; one should go and for oneself see!
But, alas! With all the thousands of miracles
that I see;
No sentiments in the name of eagerness rise in dead me!
Had Haqq sent down
thousand springs instead of one from heaven,
So dark is my heart it is far from
taking a lesson!
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Warbles the nightingale, and yet in my brain owls hoot;
What’s all
this tomfoolery for? Alas, you silly old coot!
None would know my fancy, should it alight on closest branch;
Forefathers’ souls weep, for Islam’s fallen prey to paws strange!
No talks on atoms or
missiles, changing Islam sole subject;
He thinks none of accounts or science,
unbelief his mere object!
Being immoral and shameless, he has no place in Islam;
So the
dunderhead reiterates, “Let us reform Islam!”
No disease in the world is so bad as being hard-hearted;
So
contagious is the curse, none escapes from it untainted!
A nation derailed faith-wise, advanced in science as it may be;
Will end in ruination, hard as pressure on it may be!
O, Thou, who hast given life to dead soils! Ungratitude,
Is what
becomes us; why, then, in îmân all this lassitude?
I have nothing, I
am aware, to deserve Thine blessing;
How I wish I could rise, and then fall
onto Thine blessing!
Only a blow do lives need to set them in motion today;
Let a gentle
breeze, o ilâhî, give life to bloods today!
Let our generation be a new source of vernal season!
Are we to wait
till Sűr-i-Isrâfîl for resurrection?
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