chapter 13
CHAPTER 13
The Modest Covering and Woman’s Chasteness
Thereof; that they should draw their veils over their bosoms
and not
display their beauty except... [Holy Quran: Nur 24:31]
Veiling,
or covering woman's beauty and protecting her from the evil eyes of the rude,
lustfully corrupt and satanic men is a Quranic decree, a holy law, human duty
and a moral affair. Islamic veiling, whose best form, is the long veil or chador
being a reminder of that spring of chasteness Fatimah Zahra (Pbuh). The veil is
not a block to acquiring knowledge and perfection for a woman. Rather, the veil
protects her from many dangers and traps that animal-like people have placed
before the beautiful ones, the young girls and women. The veil protects her
innocence, chasteness and modesty for her husband, or if she is not married for
her future husband. Whenever the precious, beautiful and costly jewel - woman-
goes into the divine trunk called covering, she is safe from the thefts of the
thieves, the looters and those corrupted by sin. When the young beautiful ones
are not seen and their innocent faces are not displayed before men, the flames
of lust and tendency towards disobeying; cannot burn a nation and destroy the
foundations of a country's spirituality: burning instincts are not aroused.
If
the young men do not see the attractive beauties of the young women and women in
public places, they will not look at them lustfully, chase girls and attack
women. Then there will be no mental sluggishness, nervous breakdowns, premature
adulthood, masturbation, fornication, gay-like acts, sorrows and worries, lack
of concentration, not being in the mood to study, love affairs, psychotic
illnesses, or impotency. Based upon this, it must be said that the modest
covering is a necessary matter for women and is strongly required. Without any
doubt, one who denies this matter-knowing that it is necessary in Islam is an
unbeliever according to the decrees of God in the Quran; he is not a Muslim. If
a young man believes so, he cannot marry a Muslim girl since the marriage would
be nullified. The marriage between these two would be worthless and their
relationship would be illegal based on Islam and their children would be
illegitimate; their intercourse would be considered adultery, too. A girl who
denies the matter of covering cannot be the wife of a young Muslim man since the
same applies to her as does to the unbelieving man.
( 124 )
The
covering protects a woman's dignity, nobility and grandeur and protects her
beauty and her benefits for her husband. Being modestly covered, she may
continue her education and attain perfection and virtues. It is satanic to think
that women are prevented from progressing by the veil. It is a wrong idea
publicized by the looting Imperialists and the thieves of women's chastity, and
the rogues of Eastern and Western countries.
All
the following are related to the covering of a country's women: the warmth of
the home, the strength of the relationship between a wife and a husband, the
peace of mind of men, the proof of love of men for their lawful wives. All of
these are based upon the home and the family and the trust of the man in his
wife. They also require that men should not see the beauties of women other than
their own wives. If men have easy access to women in all the scenes of society,
there will be no guarantee that they will maintain their love and attachment to
their own wives. The excitement of men's lustful instincts will cause them to
lose interest in their mutual life and this in itself will destroy the warmth of
the family center. It is impossible to assess the amount of damage done by
unveiling women and the misuse of the veil and the practice of letting women on
the loose as done in the West.
Up
until now, the unveiling of women has caused millions of men to deviate from the
straight path, many others to commit sins, the appearance of the monster called
"divorce" in the families, men falling in love with married women, and
illegitimate sexual relationships. The unveiling has also caused many to leave
the angelic expanse of Islam and religion, just as Judaism and Christianity have
wanted. The establishers of the practice of unveiling have really become
frustrated themselves and recognize that the destructive influences of their
action are among the evil phenomenon of this century.
The
family system in Iran is a strong system based on modesty, chasteness, nobility,
politeness, faith, piety and no divorces except in rare cases. However, the
family and the home have experienced different times since the Reza Khan Pahlavy
looted the veil from the heads of many of Iran's women. This was actually done
by the western imperialists who put that rogue, base illiterate traitor, and
dirty country-seller into power. At the end of his rule, the divorce rates sky
rocketed so much so that the dirty dynasty had between six to seven thousand
requests made to its courts for divorce every month. Thus, the young married men
became womanless, and the married women became divorced. These two groups freed
of their marital obligations joined the society and spread corruption at an
alarming rate throughout it.
The
supreme Islamic jurisprudent -the late Ayatullah Shah Abady has been quoted as
saying- without any fear of the government of the time- the following after the
removal of the veil by the government in public and private places and on the
pulpit: "By looting the Quran's veil and killing the protesters against
unveiling in the Gohar Shad. Mosque beside Imam Reza's shrine guarded by angels,
Reza Khan made the 124,000 Prophets of God cry". O yes! That insightful
mystic in love, who was an able, enlightened, peerless jurisprudent in
( 125 )
Islamic matters, wisdom and philosophy, considered the unveiling of women and
the misuses of the veil to be an affair that made the Prophets cry!!!
In
the very useful book entitled “Are We Muslims”? Quttab stated :
"Based
on the documents I have seen, one of the Popes invited all the cardinals and the
priests in the Vatican and asked them to comment on how to destroy Islam and
eliminate the illuminating light of religion in a way that does not cost
Christianity and the Vatican too much. Committees were formed and several views
were expressed. Among these, the view that was accepted by all the priests, the
cardinals and Pope himself was that the cheapest plan and the strongest weapon
to destroy Islam was to unveil Muslim girls and women and make them freely
available to young boys and men in the allies, the markets, the parks, the
public places, the offices, the theaters, commercial and social centers."
This plan was carried out by the traitors and was reinforced by the lustfulness
of unfaithful girls and women who added to the flames burning the religion and
the family.
The
situation became so bad in Islamic countries and Iran that the product of the
efforts of the Prophets, the Imams, the scholars and the wise being God's
religion, was about to be abolished. And the light of guidance was about to be
extinguished. However, God's hand extended out through a man from the
descendants of the Prophets and the Imams in Iran. Khomeini, the idol-breaker,
appeared on the scene and saved the religion from the evil ones. He
re-established the practice of the Quran's veil.
It
is incumbent upon the Islamic nation to protect the Revolution of that divine
individual as well as the values of that great divine movement. The people must
not let the injured enemy decrease or extinguish the light of the movement and
return the Iranian nation to its previous state. The nation must assertedly
export the culture of the Revolution and bring the rest of the nations from
outside the circle of Islam back into the orbit. Considering what has just been
said, we can understand the value of that enlightened martyr's words who stated
several times in his speeches: "The veil is a protection, not a
limitation."
O'
yes! The veil is a protection from thousands of dangers for a woman, her
husband, her family, the society, and especially the youth and those who have
not married. It protects everyone from corruption and prevents the warmth of the
family center from getting cold. Researchers have stated that the issue of
covering has been presented in fourteen Quranic verses and some believe that
close to twenty-five verses make use of the meaning of the concept called
"veiling".
The
Commander of the Faithful (Pbuh) said to Imam Mujtaba and in reality all people:
Truly adhere to the restrictions regarding veiling near those who are forbidden
to see each other, as this will safeguard you- and all women you are not allowed
to see from thinking about or falling into sin. And if you can, try not to let
your women know any man other than you yourself. [Bihar al-Anwar, v.77, p.214]
( 126 )
A
narrator has stated that one rainy day he was sitting in Baq'ih Cemetery with
the Prophet (Pbuh). A woman riding a donkey passed by us, when its foot got
caught in hole and the woman fell off the animal. The Prophet (Pbuh) turned his
face and I told him she was wearing pants. The Prophet (Pbuh) asked God for
forgiveness of such women three times and said: "O 'people! Put on such
clothes as they are the best covering for the body and women should wear such
clothes when they leave the house." [Mizan al-Hikmat,v.2, p.259]
The
short veil, the scarf, the long cloak are the various titles which are used in
the Quranic verses and Prophetic traditions for a woman's modest covering. A
woman must consider herself a slave of God, and must be grateful to God. Being
grateful means to consider His grandeur, the Hereafter and the Trial. She must
pay strict attention to the fact entitled the Resurrection Day and the Last
Judgment. She must wholeheartedly obey the decrees of her God in the Quran, on
the tongues of the Prophets and Imams, so that she may protect herself, her
family and society from the harmful effects of not veiling properly or at all.
And
for such as had entertained the fear of standing before their Lord's (tribunal)
and had restrained (their) soul from lower desires, their abode will be the
Garden. [Holy Quran: Nazi'at:40-41]
Sorrowfully,
it must be said that some girls and women living today in various parts of the
world follow the school of lust and sinning. They have freed their lusts and
sexual desires and spread corruption in every corner of the world which is
unprecedented in history. And it must also be sorrowfully stated that some
females in Islamic countries who belong to the nation of the Prophet (Pbuh) are
imitating those deviant Westerners. The Commander of the Faithful (Pbuh) said
the following regarding such women: "Near the end of time when we are
approaching the Hereafter, there will be women with such characteristics:
Lacking any modest covering and nearly naked; showing off their private beauties
outside the house in the streets and the markets; irreligious; malicious;
inclined to lust; accelerating towards pleasures; considering divinely forbidden
acts as legitimate: such women with these characteristics will abide in Hell
forever. [Vasa'il, v.14, p.19]
A Surprising Fact
In
one of the issues of the newspaper KAYHAN having a high circulation, I read (I
cannot remember which issue): "There was a young woman who was an example
of those women noted in the afore-mentioned tradition of the Commander of the
Faithful (Pbuh). She fell in love with a youth even though she had a three
year-old daughter, because she was free as the Western women's style to come and
go as she liked and because her husband's friends visited the house freely. She
did not cover herself Islamically and exposed her body to them. She would attend
frequent parties where men and women were mixed.
The
young, lustful, irreligious man was excited sexually even more by the young
married woman and told her the child was an obstacle in their way and must be
eliminated. They argued over this matter for nearly four months, and finally
lust
( 127 )
and the inclination to make love with others overcame the mother who was created
to be a center of love and affection. She took her innocent, beautiful blonde
girl to the bath and choked her to eliminate the obstacle to her lust and to let
the married woman and the strange man reach a few moments of carnal desire.
She
became corrupted forever and left her poor husband with a devastating state of
life." If the husband of this woman had shown some manliness and prevented
his young beautiful wife from freely being seen by others and being attractive
to men around, then a sinless child would have been left for the unfortunate
father and a married woman would not have spoiled her chasteness forever. A
youth was thus made to experience a terrible misfortune and the warm, family
center of another youth who had just married was completely wrecked. O 'yes! The
modest covering is a protection not a limitation.
The View of Some Eminent Westerners in Regards
to the Situation of Western Society
Disraeli,
one of the Prime Ministers of Britain, a country leading in corruption and its
spread, wrote in an article:
"I
am at the verge of committing insane acts, but always try to avoid one being a
love affair with a woman in the street and say this is my ideal woman!"
Under the guise of freedom, the unwise took the Creation's valuable and chaste
jewel out of the guard for chastity being the veil and let her totally free in
any program deemed necessary by lust. Then they discarded her with the excuse of
escaping from a love affair, since this valuable jewel has now lost its worth
and is with someone else at each moment. And she is in bed with others at
different times constantly delving into immoral, inhumane acts.
Miss
Alzeemary, a Swedish writer and poet, has stated the following regarding the
European society in an important article in the Daily Express: "The men
know nothing about loyalty and trick girls and women". She must be told
that men lost their loyalty, to their wife, home and the family when you guided
the women towards unchastity, bad covering or no covering of the body at all.
And men turned her into an unconditional slave of man's lust and inclination so
that men could easily see her half-naked while being tempting, whenever they
desired. It was then that the men turned into tricky people.
The
side-effects of poor veiling, or no veiling at all and the woman's freedom to
have a relationship with whomever she desires are not few in number. And the
sour results of this issue are unnumerable. When the men saw these scenes, they
left their spouses; in other words, they quit the responsibility to support
their family. They went to the free market to satisfy themselves. When the young
men realized how cheap it was to satisfy their lusts, they rejected establishing
a mutual married life and pursued their lusts. It was in this way that the
family structure in the West and those Eastern countries which followed it, fell
apart and a situation similar to a jungle was the result.
( 128 )
Miss
Alzeemary added in her paper that there are many young beautiful girls who hope
to find a husband, but are forced into sexual relations with men. Verily they
are awaiting a husband but none is to be found, since young men have access to
women in whatever form they desire and see no need to marry. Even many married
men separate from their wives to be able to satisfy their lusts freely. She adds
that she recommends that young girls have no relations with any men before they
get married. Her request is very important but this is not practical given the
current state of women in the world and the loose behavior of men in the Western
society.
If
the world decides to approach an appropriate state it must put the legitimate,
natural and humane Islamic regulations into practice. First and foremost, they
must return the veil and proper covering to women: They must return chastity and
shyness to her. Otherwise, there exists no cure for all the corruption which
destroys the family order.
The
oppression against women in the West is unprecedented in man's history. They
have guided women's intent, will and effort towards appearance in public places
for corruption and seduction of men. They have turned her into sexual goods to
be used for gaining wealth and pleasing their lust.
Hazrat
Ali (Pbuh) has said in Nahj ul-Balaghah: The animals strive for food; the beasts
strive for animosity with others; and the women strive for adoration of life and
corruption in the world. It is believing men and women who submit to God, fear
God, are kind and benevolent. [Nahj ul-Balaghah, Ibn Abi al-Hadid, v.9, Chapter
153, p.160]
A Case From Imam Husayn’s Life (Pbuh)
It
has been narrated that before going to fight the enemies, Imam Husayn (Pbuh)
told Hazrat Zaynab (Pbuh) to gather all the women's jewelry and throw it in
front of the tents after Imam Husayn got martyred and the enemies attacked the
tents. Then their poor materialist enemies, who were unaware and attached to
this world would get busy gathering them, and the women would get a chance to
find a secure corner safe from the eyes of the strange men. It has been said
that when Yazeed was hitting Imam Husayn's chopped off head's lips and teeth,
one of his maids dreamt of Hazrat Zahra (Pbuh) being sad and upset, and
complaining of what Yazeed was doing. Then she woke up and got so afraid that
she rushed out yelling into Yazeed's court without a scarf and veil. Yazeed who
saw her in this state covered her up with his own cloak and shouted: “Why did
you appear in front of strange men without the proper head and face covering?”
How strange it is that this atheist, alcoholic, dog and monkey-keeper Yazeed
could not bear to see his maid without any modest covering and covered her with
his own cloak and sent her out of the meeting where there were strange men; but
there are men who are so careless about their women and let them appear
everywhere in public with their hair and face made up and without any cover. The
Prophet (Pbuh) said regarding the sense of honor A sense of honor is
( 129 )
due to man's belief in God and the Hereafter. [Mizan al-Hikmat, v.7, pp.357-358]
Verily
God is religiously zealous, and loves any one with a sense of honor. It is due
to His sense of honor that He has forbidden the exposure of private parts.
[Ibid]
Veil and Dirty Looks in the Vierw of the Quran
Lack
of veiling or poor veiling are extremely bad and lead to a lot of corruption. It
is God's intent to forbid lack of veiling and poor veiling: Blessed are those
who follow God and protect their women by enforcing veiling. As men and women
have to engage in various social, educational, etc. activities and have to
appear in public places, the Quran has issued a decree that is obligatory for
both to follow to maintain their mental, psychological and spiritual health.
And
for women: O Prophet! Tell thy wives and daughters, and the believing women,
that they should cast their outer garments over their persons (when abroad):
that is most convenient, that they should be known (as such) and not molested.
And God is Oft-Forgiving, most Merciful. [Holy Quran: Ahzab 33:59]
And
for men and women:
Say
to the believing men that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty:
that will make for greater purity for them: and God is well acquainted with all
that they do. [Holy Quran: Nur 24:30] And say to the believing women that they
should lower their gaze and guard their modesty; that they should not display
their beauty and ornaments except what (must ordinarily) appear thereof.[Holy
Quran: Nur 24:31]
Imam
Sadiq (Pbuh) said: Jesus told his companions "Avoid dirty looks, since they
will plant the desire to do forbidden acts in the heart, and it will cause
sedition for the one who looks. Blessed be the one who has placed his eyes in
his heart and uses his physical eyes only for what is necessary to see. [Bihar
al-Anwar, v.78, p.284]
The
Commander of the Faithful (Pbuh) said: There is no part of the body less
grateful than the eyes. If you just deprive it of what pleases it, it will make
you forget God, the Almighty. [Bihar al-Anwar, v.104, p.36]
The
Prophet (Pbuh) said: In fornication, each part of the body is partly
responsible. That of the eye is forbidden from gazing at a strange woman. [Bihar
al-Anwar, v.104, p.36]
When,
as stated in the Quran, Shoeib's daughter told her father about Moses: O' my
father. Please hire him since he is truly the most powerful and honest man you
can hire. He told her: O' my daughter. Yes, he is indeed a strong man. You
recognized his strength from his putting the rock aside. But how do you
recognize his honesty? She said: O' father. I was coming home walking ahead of
( 130 )
him. He told me that he would walk ahead and I should warn him when he goes the
wrong way. He said he is not from among the people who look at women from
behind. [Bihar al-Anwar, v.13, p.32]
The
Prophet (Pbuh) said: Whoever keeps looking at forbidden scenes, God will fill
his eyes with fire in the Hereafter, unless he repents and stops his evil deeds.
[Mizan al-Hikmat, v.10, p.77]
The
Prophet (Pbuh) narrates God: A forbidden look is similar to a poisonous dart
from Satan. Whoever fears me and avoids looking at strange women (who are
forbidden to look at), I shall reward him with a faith with its sweetness to be
felt in his heart. [Mizan al-Hikmat, v.10, p.78]
Who Can See Women as Stated by the Quran
Those
relatives who are close enough to see a women without a veil are introduced in a
Quranic verse, being the Book of Guidance; the source of prosperity; the
developer of one's personality; and the origin of good of this world and the
Hereafter for people. Thus, it is made clear for any woman whom she is free not
to cover herself in front of against, and in front of whom she must cover her
beauties and ornaments.
And
say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and guard their
modesty; that they should not display their beauty and ornaments except what
(must ordinarily) appear thereof; that they should draw their veils over their
bosoms and not display their beauty except to their husbands, their fathers,
their husbands' fathers, their sons, their husbands' sons, their brothers or
their brother's sons, or their sisters' sons, or their women, or the slaves whom
their right hands possess, or male servants free of physical needs, or small
children who have no sense of the shame of sex; and that they should not strike
their feet in order to draw attention to their hidden ornaments. And O ye
believers! Turn ye all together towards God, that ye may attain bliss. [Holy
Quran: Nur 24:31]
Muslim
believing women- daughters of the nation of Muhammad (Pbuh)- please obey the
wise decrees of God for the good of this world and the Hereafter. Noble young
men guard your women against the attacks of the lustful with Islamic covering
and the Quranic veil. Let your wife be just your wife, and not show her face,
body, ornaments and beauties to please others, since this is against morality,
ethics, nobility and conscience.