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Page 7
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TRUE PURDAH AND OBEDIENCE The seat of true Purdah (Hijaab) is the heart, not the external physical parts of the body. If Purdah is not embedded in the heart for the Sake of Allah Ta’ala, the external items of Purdah such as jilbaab and niqaab, will be a deceptive facade to hoodwink others. A woman who has no Purdah in her heart will labour in self-deception by believing that she has fulfilled Allah’s command of Purdah by only donning jilbaab and niqaab. LICENCE Many women who don the outer-facade of Purdah (jilbaab and niqaab) remain lewd and immoral in their hearts and in their eyes. They believe that the niqaab is a licence to stare at males, and the jilbaab is a licence to wander around public places and drive around in cars and going to places just as the nafs desires. Although the jilbaab and niqaab are important and Waajib requirements of the Islamic system of Hijaab, the rooh (soul) of Hijaab is the heart. If hayaa (shame) is lacking in the heart and if the woman is bereft of Taqwa and if she does not understand what exactly is the meaning of Purdah, her ideas will not be much different than her western kuffaar counterparts who display their bodies to all and sundry in public. The Muslim woman whose heart is bereft of Purdah lags behind the kuffaar women in only external dress. But they share common ideas in their minds. OBEDIENCE In the same way true obedience to the husband — an obedience commanded by Allah Ta’ala and His Rasool—is obedience in his absence. A woman who pretends to obey her husband in his presence and does the opposite in his absence is most treacherous. She cannot hope to escape the Wrath and Curse of Allah Ta’ala and His Malaaikah. PURDAH OF A SAHAABIYYAH Hadhrat Anas (radhiyallahu anhu), a senior Sahaabi, narrates that a Sahaabi had gone on a journey. When he departed he prohibited his wife from ever leaving the house during his absence. After some time her father became ill. Since her husband was not present and he had prohibited her from emerging from the house, she sent someone to seek permission from Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) to visit her ailing father. In response, Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) said: “Fear Allah! Do not disobey your husband.” The Sahaabiyyah obeyed and remained at home. Soon news of her father’s death was brought to her. She again sought permission from Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) to visit her parents home to be present at her father’s Janaazah. Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) sent the following message to her: “Fear Allah! Do not disobey your husband.” The pious lady obeyed and remained at home. Allah Ta’ala revealed the following to Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam): “Verily, I have forgiven her on account of her obedience to her husband.” Those who claim and believe that they are observing Purdah and are obedient to their husbands should reflect and look into their hearts to ascertain whether they are truthful in their claim and in their understanding of the Purdah and obedience which the Shariah commands. THE WIFE'S MAINTANCE Maintenace (nafqah) for the wife is Waajib on the husband as long as she remains within the home and does not leave its precincts without his permission. When a woman leaves the house without her husband’s permission, the curse and wrath of Allah Ta’ala and His Angels settle on her. She remains under this La’nat (Curse) as long as she has not returned to her husband’s home. If the wife leaves the house without her husband’s consent, he is then entitled by the Shariah to withhold nafqah. He is then under no obligation to maintain her. Emerging from the home without her husband’s consent is a crime of the utmost gravity since such action is expected of only immoral women who are entirely bereft of shame and Islamic moral character. If a woman is disobedient to her husband, causing him much pain by her acts and statements of indiscretion or by her conduct in general, but she does not leave the house without his permission, then he may not withhold maintenance. As long as she remains inside the house, nafqah remains Waajib. He will have to resort to other measures in his endeavour to reform her evil disposition. Such measures are stated in the following Qur’aanic aayat: “And if you fear their disobedience, then admonish them (with wisdom). Then (if this fails), shun them in bed (i.e.do not sleep with them). (If this too fails), then beat them (lightly without injuring them).....” These measures will bring a descent, respectable Muslim woman to her senses and constrain her to abandon her disobedience. But if the woman is lewd, shameless and has no understanding of the meaning of fear for Allah, His La’nat and His Athaab, then none of the aforegoing measures will reform her. The marriage will necessarily end in divorce. The Fuqaha (the illustrious senior Ulama and Jurists) have said that the measure of beating should be employed only if the husband has the hope that it will drive sense into his wife. If he discerns that her obstinacy and evil are of such a degree that even light beating will be of no avail, then beating is futile and should be avoided because the purpose of the beating is to reform her, not to extract vengeance. RASULULLAH’S INTERCESSION The Shafaa-at (Intercession) of Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) will be for the sinners of his Ummah. This is the belief of the Ahlus Sunnah Wal Jama’ah. Hadhrat Ma’roof Karkhi (rahmatullah alayh) said: “To hope for Shafaa’at (of Rasulullah - sallallahu alayhi wasallam) without obedience to his Sunnah is stupidity.” To gain the Shafaa-at of Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) it is incumbent to follow his Sunnah. Only the ignorant believe that Shafaa’at can be obtained without following the Sunnah. On the Day of Qiyaamah when the Malaaikah will be buffeting away from Haudh-e-Kauthar (the Fountain of Kauthar) many people who will have gathered there to drink of its water, Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) will exclaim: “They are my Ummah!” The Malaaikah will respond: “O Rasulullah! You do not know what they had fabricated after you.” Thus they will be driven away from the Fountain of Kauthar. THE SUNNAH There are many Muslims who are indifferent to the Sunnah of Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam). Having abandoned his Sunnah they emulate the kuffaar in every walk of life. They should take lesson and understand that on that Day when they will be most in need of Rasulullah’s shafaa’at, it will be denied to them As for those who claim that they are Muslims but at the same time have an aversion for the Sunnah and even mock at the ways, practices and styles of Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam), they are not even Muslims. Their attitude effaces their Imaan. LEADERSHIP Hadhrat Ma’roof Karkhi (rahmatullah alayh) said: “He who hankers after leadership will never prosper nor be successful.” The crave for leadership is motivated by pride and vanity. A person suffering from this craving, if he happens to become a leader or he manages to usurp some public post, is denied Allah’s aid. He is left to his own nafsaani devices. He will ruin himself and be unsuccessful in both worlds. A FEARFUL EPISODE Jurham was the name of the very first Arab tribe which settled in Makkah during the childhood of Hadhrat Ismaaeel (alayhis salaam). At that time the city of Makkah had not yet developed. In this tribe was an evil woman by the name of Naa-ilah and an evil man whose name was Asaaf. Their immorality led them to commit fornication right inside the Ka’bah Shareef. Allah’s Wrath overtook them. Both were transformed into two rocks. Their tribes-people placed one rock on Mount Safa and one on Mount Marwah to serve as a lesson of Allah’s curse and wrath. Others who would see these rocks would be overcome with fear and refrain from sin. After an age had passed the ignorant people who had fallen into paganism, began worshipping these two rocks. They became idols of worship. Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) ordered these two rocks to be removed and thrown away in some remote place. Talaaq-e-Muallaq Talaaq-e-Muallaq is a Talaaq suspended on a condition. As soon as the condition materialises, the Talaaq comes into effect. If the husband, for example, says to his wife: “If you leave the house without my permission, you are divorced.” As soon as she emerges outside the house to go somewhere without his permission, the Talaaq comes into effect. If the husband says: “If you go to your parents home, you are divorced.” As soon as she enters her parents house, the divorce comes into effect. Once the husband has issued Talaaq-e-Muallaq, he cannot retract it. The wife should therefore exercise excessive caution. She should not in anger or in her stupidity violate his instruction, for then she and her husband will regret. However, if it is her firm intention to break up her home, then ofcourse, there is no naseehat for such a woman. If the husband had already issued two Talaaqs prior to this, then as soon as the Talaaq-e-Muallaq takes effect, the nikah will be irrevocably and finally terminated. |