Divine Laws for the Movements of Women (1/2)

After fixing the bounds for satr and clothing, the final Commandment given to women is as follows:

1. “... and remain in your houses, and do not go about displaying your fineries as women used to do in the days of ignorance....” (Surah Al-Ahzab: 33)

2. “... they should not stamp the ground in walking so as to reveal their hidden decoration (ornaments, etc., by their jingle) ...” (Surah An-Nur: 31)

3. “... do not talk in a soft voice, lest the man of the unhealthy heart should cherish false hopes from you...” (Surah Al-Ahzab: 32)

Due to the variant readings of the word ‘waqarna’ in the first-quoted verse, the two different renderings will be as follows:

“Stay in or stick to your houses”.

“Remain in your houses with dignity and peace”.

Tabarruj has two meanings:

(a) To display decoration and charms, and

(b) To walk in a conquettish manner displaying the charms of gait.

The verse implies both these meanings. In the pre-Islamic (lays of ignorance, women used to come out fully decorated as they are coming out now in the modern age of ignorance. Then the gait adopted by them was such as allured the hearts of onlookers. Qatadah, who was a follower of the Companions, and a famous commentator of the Qur’an, says:

“Their gait was coquettish; therefore Allah forbade them to walk in that manner”.

And one need not go back to history in search of this picture. One has only to visit a place frequented by women clad in the Western style, and one will witness the “coquettish gait” of the pre-Islamic days of ignorance. Islam forbids this.
It says that the real place for the woman is the house and she has been exempted from the outdoor duties so that she may lead a dignified and peaceful life at home and carry out her domestic responsibilities efficiently. She has, however, been allowed to go out of the house to fulfill her genuine needs, but while going out she must observe complete modesty. Neither should she wear glamorous clothes that attract attention, nor should she cherish the desire to display the charms of the face and the hand, nor should she walk in a manner as may invite the attention of others. Moreover, she should not go out wearing such ornaments as jingle and please the other people. She should not speak to them without necessity, and if she has to speak, she should not speak in a sweet and soft voice. If the woman observes these laws and limits she may go out of the house as and when required.

This is in brief the teaching of the Qur’an. Now let us refer to Hadith and see how the Holy Prophet enforced this Divine teaching in the society, and how the Companions and their women practiced these laws.

Permission to Leave the House
It has been related in the Traditions that even before the Commandments of Purdah (Hijab) came, Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) had requested the Holy Prophet to enjoin his wives to observe Purdah. Therefore, when once Saudah (may Allah be pleased with her), a wife of the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him), came out of the house Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) saw her and said aloud, “Saudah, I have recognized you”.

By this he meant that somehow the women should he prohibited from coming out of the house. After this, when the Commandments of Purdah were sent down, Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) felt relieved and started more often checking the women for coming out of the houses. Thus, he again encountered Saudah (may Allah be pleased with her) outside the house and remonstrated with her. She complained to the Holy Prophet, who said:

“Allah has permitted you to go out of the house for genuine needs”.

This shows that the Divine injunction, “Remain in your houses”, does not mean that women should not at all step out of the four walls of the house. They are allowed to go out under necessity. But this permission is neither unconditional, nor unlimited. Women are not allowed to move about freely and mix with men in social gatherings. 

From the viewpoint of Shari’ah, genuine needs are those needs, which require women to come out and work outside the house. Obviously, it is not possible to determine every aspect of the permission to come out of the houses for all women for all time and occasions.

The Legislator, however, has made rules to regulate the movements of women in the normal circumstances of life and enjoined the observance of Purdah and allowed relaxation therein according to those circumstances. One should study these rules and from an idea about the spirit and trend of the law of Islam, and then should determine for one’s personal guidance the limits of Purdah, and the grounds of relaxation therein, according to one’s special circumstances.

Permission to Visit the Mosque
It is well known that the foremost obligatory duty in Islam is to offer the prescribed prayers, as far as possible, in the mosque in congregation. But in this regard, the Commands for the males are different from those meant for the females. For the males the best prayer is that which is offered in the mosque in congregation, whereas for the females the best prayer is that which is offered inside the house in seclusion. Imam Ahmad and Tabarani have reported the following Hadith from Umm Humaid Sa’idiyyah:

She said, “O Prophet of Allah, I desire to offer prayers under your leadership”. The Holy Prophet said, “I know that; but your offering the prayer in a corner is better than your offering it in your closet: and your offering the prayer in your closet is better than your offering it in the courtyard of your house; and your offering the prayer in the courtyard is better than your offering it in the neighbouring mosque; and your offering it in the neighbouring mosque is better than your offering it in the biggest mosque of the town”. [1]

Another Hadith on this subject has been related from lbn Mas’ud in the Collection by Abu Da’ud. The Holy Prophet said:

“It is better for a woman to offer her prayers in her closet than in the main room of the house, and it is better for her to offer her prayers in her hiding-place than in her closet”.

Obviously, the order here has been reversed. For the males, the prayer of the least value is that which is offered in seclusion, and of the greatest worth that which is offered in the biggest congregation. But for the females, on the other hand, the prayer offered in seclusion is of greater worth than the prayer in congregation; so much so that a prayer offered in seclusion by them has been regarded as of greater value and worth than even the greatest blessing for a Muslim, that is, a prayer offered in congregation in the Mosque of the Prophet under the leadership of Muhammad himself (may Allah’s peace be upon him), the greatest of the Prophets of Allah. The question is:

What is the reason for this discrimination? Obviously, nothing than this that the Law-giver has disapproved women’s coming out of the houses frequently and mixing with the males in congregations.

The Islamic Prayer, of course, is a holy worship and the mosque a sacred place. The Law-giver has expressed his real intention by pointing out the worth and value of the prayers offered at different places, so that the mixing of the sexes may be prevented, but he has not prohibited women at all from coming to such a sacred place as the mosque for such a pious purpose as of offering the prayers. The words of the Hadith in which women have been permitted to come to the mosques point to the great wisdom of the Law-giver. He said:

1. “Do not prohibit the slave-girls of Allah from coming to the mosques of Allah. When a wife of one of you asks for permission to go to the mosque, she should not be refused the permission”. (Reported by Al Bukhari and Muslim).

2. “Do not prevent your women from coming to the mosques, though their houses are better for them”. (Reported by Abu Da’ud).

These words clearly show that the Law-giver does not prohibit women from going to the mosques, because it is not a sin to go to the mosques for offering prayer, but at the same time they cannot be allowed to mix with the males for moral reasons. Therefore, women have been allowed to visit the mosques but the males have not been instructed to send their women to the mosque or bring them along with them. What has been enjoined is that if they at all ask for permission to go to the mosque for offering a prayer of less spiritual merit than the one of greater merit in the house, they should not be refused the permission.   

‘Umar who was fully conscious of the spirit of Islam understood well the wisdom of this instruction of the Law-giver. It has been reported in Mu’attd that he always had a conflict in this regard with his wife ‘Atikah, daughter of Zaid. He did not want her to go to the mosque, but she always insisted on going. Whenever she asked for permission ‘Umar would keep quiet, strictly in accordance with the command of the Holy Prophet. Thus he would neither stop her nor permit her in clear words. But she was also a lady of her will. She would say, “By God, I will go to the mosque till I am forbidden in clear words”.[2]

Conditions of Visiting the Mosque
The permission to visit the mosque has been made conditional. The first condition is that women should not go to the mosque in the day-time, but they may join in those prayers which are offered in the dark, that is, the Night Prayer and the Dawn Prayer. According to Ibn ‘Umar, the Holy Prophet said:

“Let the women come to the mosque at night”. (Reported by Al Tirmizi, Al-Bukhari).

According to Naf’i, the famous pupil of Ibn ‘Umar, night-time has been specified because women can easily observe Purdah (Hijab) in the dark. ‘A’ishah says that the Holy Prophet used to offer the Dawn Prayer so early that the women could not be recognized in the dark, when, wrapped in their outer-garments, they returned home after the prayer.[3] (Reported by Al Tirmizi)

Secondly, women should not come to the mosque with decoration and perfume. ‘A’ishah says that once the Holy Prophet was in the mosque when a woman from the clan of Muzainah came, walking in a coquettish manner, with full decoration. The Holy Prophet said:

“O People, prohibit your women from coming to the mosque with decoration and coquetry”. (Reported by Ibn Majah).

About the use of perfume by women he said:

“Do not use any perfume or scent in the night when you want to join the prayers in the mosque. Come in a simple dress. The women who uses perfume will not have her prayer rewarded by Allah”. (Reported by Mu’atta, Muslim and Ibn Majah).

Thirdly, women should not mix with the males in the congregation, nor should they stand in the front rows. They should stand separately behind the rows of men. The Holy Prophet said:

“The best place for men is in the front rows, and the worst at the rear, whereas the best place for women is at the rear and the worst in the front rows”.

That is why he enjoined that in congregational prayers man and woman should not stand side by side even if they were the husband and the wife, or the mother and the son.   

Anas says, “Mulaikah, my maternal grandmother, invited the Holy Prophet to a meal. After it was over, the Holy Prophet rose for prayers. Yatim and I stood behind him and Mulaikah stood behind us”. (Reported by Al-Tirmizi).

According to another Tradition from Anas, the Holy Prophet offered prayers in his house, when he and Yatim stood behind him and Umm Sulaim, his mother, stood behind them. (Reported by Al-Bukhari).   

Ibn ‘Abbas says, “Once the Holy Prophet stood up for prayers. I stood beside him and ‘A’ishah stood behind us”. (Reported by Nasa’i).

Fourthly, women are not allowed to raise their voice during the prayer. Therefore, if the Imam has to be warned of an error men should say Subhan-Allah (Allah be glorified), but women should only tap their hands. (Reported by Al-Bukhari and Abu Da’ud).

Despite these conditions, when ‘Umar felt that there was a danger in the mixing of the sexes in congregations, he fixed a separate door of the mosque for use by women, and forbade men to use that door for entrance and exit. (Reported by Abu Da’ud).