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Hijab: Difference between revisions
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* If Muhammad is just a messenger, relating Allah's word, why did Umar ask Muhammad for the hijab revelation? Why didn't he just pray to Allah and ask directly? | * If Muhammad is just a messenger, relating Allah's word, why did Umar ask Muhammad for the hijab revelation? Why didn't he just pray to Allah and ask directly? | ||
* No revelation was sent down until Umar spied on Muhammad's own wives. Why did Umar do this? How did he know (or at least suspect) it would be successful? Why does Allah care about toilet privacy so much that he revealed a verse pertaining to | * No revelation was sent down until Umar spied on Muhammad's own wives. Why did Umar do this? How did he know (or at least suspect) it would be successful? Why does Allah care about toilet privacy so much that he revealed a verse pertaining to ''all'' Muslim women that will ever live? | ||
A common apologetics tactic for this is that Allah was waiting for Umar to do this so that the situational revelation could come down. However this is not mentioned anywhere, thus there is no evidence for it. Moreover, Umar confirms that he came up with the idea first and then Allah "agreed with him". | A common apologetics tactic for this is that Allah was waiting for Umar to do this so that the situational revelation could come down. However this is not mentioned anywhere, thus there is no evidence for it. Moreover, Umar confirms that he came up with the idea first and then Allah "agreed with him". | ||
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===Reasoning on the hijab=== | ===Reasoning on the hijab=== | ||
A common claim by Muslims and apologists is that the Hijab protects women against unwanted sexual attention from men. Well known apologist [[Zakir Naik]] takes this line of reasoning in his [[Zakir_Naik:_His_Background,_Views_and_Debates#Hijab|defense of the hijab]] mandate. Before evaluating this claim we must examine a few more ahadith: | A common claim by Muslims and apologists is that the Hijab protects women against unwanted sexual attention from men. Well known apologist [[Dr.]] [[Zakir Naik]] takes this line of reasoning in his [[Zakir_Naik:_His_Background,_Views_and_Debates#Hijab|defense of the hijab]] mandate. Before evaluating this claim we must examine a few more ahadith: | ||
{{ quote |{{Muslim|26|5416}}|'A'isha reported that a eunuch used to come to the wives of Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him) and they did not And anything objectionable in his visit considering him to be a male without any sexual desire. Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him) one day came as he was sitting with some of his wives and he was busy in describing the bodily characteristics of a lady and saying: As the comes in front four folds appear on her front side and as she turns her back eight folds appear on the back side. Thereupon Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him) said: I me that he knows these things; do not, therefore. allow him to cater. She (" A'isha) said: Then they began to observe veil from him.}} | {{ quote |{{Muslim|26|5416}}|'A'isha reported that a eunuch used to come to the wives of Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him) and they did not And anything objectionable in his visit considering him to be a male without any sexual desire. Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him) one day came as he was sitting with some of his wives and he was busy in describing the bodily characteristics of a lady and saying: As the comes in front four folds appear on her front side and as she turns her back eight folds appear on the back side. Thereupon Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him) said: I me that he knows these things; do not, therefore. allow him to cater. She (" A'isha) said: Then they began to observe veil from him.}} | ||
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A mukhannath (eunuch) used to enter upon the wives of Prophet (peace be upon him). They (the people) counted him among those who were free of physical needs. One day the Prophet (peace be upon him) entered upon us when he was with one of his wives, and was describing the qualities of a woman, saying: When she comes forward, she comes forward with four (folds in her stomach), and when she goes backward, she goes backward with eight (folds in her stomach). The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: Do I not see that this (man) knows what here lies. Then they (the wives) observed veil from him. }} | A mukhannath (eunuch) used to enter upon the wives of Prophet (peace be upon him). They (the people) counted him among those who were free of physical needs. One day the Prophet (peace be upon him) entered upon us when he was with one of his wives, and was describing the qualities of a woman, saying: When she comes forward, she comes forward with four (folds in her stomach), and when she goes backward, she goes backward with eight (folds in her stomach). The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: Do I not see that this (man) knows what here lies. Then they (the wives) observed veil from him. }} | ||
Given the fact that the verses were first revealed after Umar verbally harassed Muhammad's wives while they were going to the toilet, and that Muhammad told women to wear the veil even in the presence of a eunuch, we must conclude that the veil is intended to prevent men from evaluating the physical attributes of females. Since eunuchs have no sexual desire, the claim that it is to prevent sexual molestation and not just gossip/verbal harassment is invalid. Another interesting thing to note is that all of the verses and ahadith examined so far are to do with ''Muslim men'' harassing ''Muslim females''. Thus Allah has revealed this verse to protect the believing women from the believing men. | Given the fact that the verses were first revealed after Umar verbally harassed Muhammad's wives while they were going to the toilet, and that Muhammad told women to wear the veil even in the presence of a eunuch, we must conclude that the veil is intended to prevent men from evaluating the physical attributes of females. Since eunuchs have no sexual desire, the claim that it is to prevent sexual molestation and not just gossip/verbal harassment is invalid. Another interesting thing to note is that all of the verses and ahadith examined so far are to do with ''Muslim men'' harassing ''Muslim females''. Thus Allah has revealed this verse to protect the believing women from the believing men. | ||
In non-Islamic societies, women are free to walk around unveiled and not be harassed/assaulted every few blocks by men, but in an Islamic society this would not be the case. If not arrested under indecency laws, women would be constantly harassed and/or assaulted by Muslim men - thus we can conclude that hypothetical situations like that presented by | In non-Islamic societies, women are free to walk around unveiled and not be harassed/assaulted every few blocks by men, but in an Islamic society this would not be the case. If not arrested under indecency laws, women would be constantly harassed and/or assaulted by Muslim men - thus we can conclude that hypothetical situations like that presented by Naik, in favor of the Hijab, may be technically valid; again with the caveat of specifying we are talking about Islamic societies only. | ||
===Different types of veiling=== | ===Different types of veiling=== | ||