Friday Nasiha

Surah al-Ankaboot
The Spider (29) - Ayah 69
In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful

"And those who Strive in Our (Cause), We will certainly guide them to Our paths: for verily Allah is with those who do Right."

Commentary:

Application of Qur'an: A Dynamic Process 

• What one receives from the Qur'an, how much one understands of the Qur'an, and how much one is truly guided by it, is not a static process. It is indeed a dynamic process that is directly related to one's faith and willingness to apply the Qur'an

• As the person learns and applies the Qur'an, his or her understanding of the Qur'an increases even further. This was precisely the case with the Companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)

Living in the Shade of the Qur'an: The Real Sweetness of Faith

• Sayyid Qutb (rahimahullah) convincingly elaborates that unless we apply the Qur'an in our actions and actually begins to live in the shade of the Qur'an, we will never really taste the sweetness or experience the guidance of the Qur'an

• "The [sweet taste] of this Qur'an can not be tasted except by the one who dives into the struggle: The one who faces the same situations and struggles concerning which the Qur'an as revealed." 

• "Those who just search for the meaning and evidences of the Qur'an, while they are sitting studying it as a speech or art only, will never be able to discover the reality of the Qur'an from that motionless, barren sitting, far away from the struggle and far away from the movement. The reality of the Qur'an is never revealed to those who simply sit around and watch" commented Imam Qutb in his tafseer. 

It is not a Book of Abstract Theories: 

• Sayyid Abul A'la Mawdudi (rahimahullah) eloquently echoed similar thoughts, "The Qur'an is neither a book of abstract theories and cold doctrines, which the reader can grasp while seated in a cozy armchair, no r is it merely a religious book like any other religious books, the secrets of which can be grasped in oratories" 

• "This is the Book which inspired and directed a great movement which began with the preaching of a powerful message that transformed the world!" 

[compiled from "How to Approach and Understand the Quran", pp. 178-182, by Jamaal al-Din Zarabozo]

MODESTY IN ISLAM & MANNERS OF DRESSING

Conclusion of series on 'Haya' from YMFN issues 115 - 120

:!:  ‘Awrah for Women  :!:

For females, the ‘Awrah is the whole body, except the face and hands. Women are required to cover themselves as such whenever they leave the house or are in the presence of non-Mahrams (a male not related by birth, marriage, or fosterhood as in al-Nur 24:31). The Prophet of Allah (peace be upon him) clearly outlined the proper bounds of a women's dress:

• Aisha (ra) narrates that the Prophet (saw) said, “When a woman attains maturity, it is not lawful for her to uncover any portion of her body except the face and this” and then he put his hand on his wrist joint so as to leave only a little space between the place he gripped and the palm. [Ibn Majah]

• Asma (ra), the daughter of Abu Bakr (ra), once came before the Prophet in a thin dress that revealed some of her body. The Prophet (saw) turned his eyes away and said, “O Asma, when a woman attains maturity, it is not allowed that any part of her body be seen, except this and this.” and then he pointed to his face and the palms of his hands. [Abu Dawood, Fath-al-Qadir]

In light of these requirements, a Muslim women's dress (or Hijab) should

 1 - cover the entire body except what is exempted, i.e. face and hands, using a Khimar (head-covering) and Jilbab (long outer gown)

 2 - be loose-fitting so as not to describe the contours of the body

 3 - be thick enough to not be seen through, and

 4 - not be a dress of vanity or pride

 5 - not resemble the dress of men or of those who are known to be indecent/immoral.

In addition to the Hijab being a commandment of Allah, it is important to realize the role it plays in the life of a Muslimah, and in the field of Da'wah. Far from being a 'symbol of oppression', as some would have us believe, it is a symbol of simplicity, modesty, and true freedom in righteousness. A Muslim woman who observes this dress enjoys the social recognition, intellectual empowerment and spiritual upliftment deserving of her, something that the so-called 'liberated women' has been longing to attain for centuries.

As Sr. Aminah Assilmi has said "This veil warns people up front that I am not a woman to be messed with! It shows that I am a woman with a mind and that I know I am more than a body."

These are the Islamic directives of Hijab. The social etiquette they depict is poised magnificently between the extremes human civilizations have often witnessed. Like all other directives of Islam their object is to purify the soul and to purge it from evil, which is essential if men and women are to become worthy of eternal life in Heaven -- the eternal life for which the All-Mighty actually created them.

[compiled from "al-Hijab and the Status of Women in Islam" by Sayyid Abul A'la Mawdudi]