< covering of head by women> "Faith: Belief without evidence in what is told by one who speaks without knowledge, of things without parallel."- Ambrose Bierce
Regarding the controversy of Amir Taheri's article on the unIslamic nature of the Hijab < covering of head by women> I thought it best to return to the root of revelation.
Quranic Verses about Hijab:< covering of head by women >
“O you Children of Adam! We have bestowed on you raiment to cover your shame as well as to be an adornment to you. But the raiment of righteousness, that is the best. Such are among the Signs of Allah, that they may receive admonition.” (Quran 7:26)
“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 therof; 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 brothers' sons or their sisters' sons, or their women or the servants 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 you Believers, turn you all together towards Allah, that you may attain Bliss.” (Quran 24:31).
“O Prophet, tell your wives and your daughters and the women of the believers to draw their cloaks close round them (when they go abroad). That will be better, so that they may be recognised and not annoyed. Allah is ever Forgiving, Merciful.” (Quran 33:59)
The Hadith, whose applicability is contended between Shi'ites and Sunnis (as well as the four different Schools of Thought), provide the actual justification for the practise of veiling. The previous Quranic passages merely admonish believers to dress in a modest manner and are vague to the extent that uniform consensus on their specific meaning would be nearly impossible. The literal analysis would require the original Arabic text and the particular meaning of the word beauty, which would subsequently relegate the discussion to scholars.
Logically this would also mean extending the study to every facet of the Holy Quran, as is being done by Western scholars*, and perhaps undermining the orthodox core of the religion and unicity of the textual works.
Ultimately it is not so much as the words itself but the spirit of the passage, which advocates modesty and virtue for both sexes, which should be adhered to. True reformation of Islam, in my opinion, implies transcending the language to capture the intent and true meaning of the Holy Book.
Quibbling over the specifics of certain passages and trying to adhere to the letter of the law, some of which were plainly meant for the 6th century** and hardly practical as 1400 years of Islamic governance has taught us, will eventually be counterproductive. It defies the human spirit since the imposition of laws, which are not derived from rational and logical arguments, and merely "revealed", will inevitably provoke defiance or even worse submission of the human spirit and societal stagnation. Modernising Islam, a non-sequiter since Islam is eternal and only its interpretation is subject to revision, means capturing the intent and universal applicability of the Islamic ethos.
Human beings are not infantile in their nature, possessed as they are with the faculties of analytic logic, and can hardly be expected to steadfastly follow laws handed down upon generations merely because it forms "tradition". Modern revisionists, such as the Wahabis, Deobands and Salafists, strike me with their approach to textual analysis. Their intent, reforming Islamic beliefs and practises, is certainly admirable however their manner of doing so is completely ludicrous. Their whole pursuit of hermeneutics has been to return to the Holy Quran, scan for the relevant passages and follow the verses to the letter. This bold-faced imitation is in complete denial of human nature, which is to rely on one's own capabilities to fashion their own environment and circumstances, and runs counter to the egalitarian precepts of Islam.
The Wahabis, among other things, provoke a theological dispute as to why Allah, imbued with omni-qualities, would endow men with consciousness and then demand complete submission to laws and practises that require none of the inherent logic and rationality possessed in men. If everything we need for societal perfection is to be found in a single revealed book, as is claimed, then why would man be gifted with sentience and intelligence? The Holy Quran said that animals unconsciously follow the law of nature therefore the true of genius and distinction of each and every man is to reach comprehension, faith and acceptance through the unique prism of his own faculties. Contrast this to the current practises whereby men are told, or coerced in the ruder regions of the world like Saudi Arabia, to follow in the name of blind faith and through the promise of a wildly hedonistic afterlife.
True revisionism means that one must acknowledge the fundamental nature of the human being, the circumstances surrounding Islamic civilisation and modern ethical thought. To be a true revisionist one must understand that the perpetual enlightenment of the human spirit and mind will ensue a greater understanding of the validity and spirit of the texts with the passage of each generation.
Islam is defined by its universality, in the geographic and temporal sense of the word, therefore every generation will embark on their own quest to seek to develop and capture the genius and relevance of the Islamic ethos for their own age. Our understanding of the eternal nature of Islam will be inherently fluid and is best analogous to attempts at depicting multi-dimensional objects within constrained parameters.
Islam is the message of Allah and would it not be blasphemous if human beings could claim to comprehend the essence of Islam in its totality? In Islamic theology Allah is beyond the lote tree*** and therefore irrevocably distinct from the realm of his creation. The Unknowable one is a name of Allah and human beings can never reach a level of comprehension of his nature. It is believed that Allah imparted, in the form of Islam, the most perfect message to his most sublime creation. Thus to comprehend the contours and infinite depth of his guidance would be an eternal quest for mortals.
Therefore the esotericism of Javanese Islam can flourish with the austerity of Najdi Islam without disrupting the unitary nature of the religion. Different societies will understand revelation within the constraints of their own evolutionary progress. It is for every human being and society to receive the message of Islam and interpret it to suit their needs accordingly.
Recently the TheBit of "Muslims Under Progress" discussed the core underpinnings of Islam, which was Tawhid (the oneness of Allah and the Prophethood of Muhammad). A fundamental and complete acceptance of this testament of faith will allow for the deep-seated reformation of Islamic thought. Belief in this precept will allow for the critical examination and rational deduction of traditional Islamic doctrine without undermining the core faith in Islam.
*A Time magazine featuring the work of a Quranic scholar was banned in Pakistan and a slew of other Islamic nations.
**The quote from the second passage "the servants whom their right hands possess" implies an acknowledgement of slavery and ownership of another human being.
*** "Beyond the lote tree" implies the overwhelming and infinite nature of Allah and distinguishes the Islamic religion from it's predecessors. It marks the distinction of Allah from the realm of creation and holds similarity to Gnostic thought in the conception of divinity. The Islamic concept of God most closely parallels the Holy Spirit in the Christian triumvirate.
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Zachary Latif 10:02 |
