The Islamic Modest Dress
Epilogue
The Participation of Women in Meetings and Gatherings
From what has been referred to in these lessons, it can be seen that,
in the first place, Islam is concerned with and is attentive to the
importance, extraordinary value and necessity for the legitimacy of
sexual relations between men and women, whether it be concerned in their
touching each other, hearing each other or living together. It is such
that Islamic precepts would never allow the slightest detriment in
whatever form it may take to be applied to it. But the world today
overlooks this extraordinary human value and consciously chooses to
ignore this point of view.
The world today, in the name of freedom of women, and, more directly,
the freedom of sexual relations, has only served to corrupt the morale
of the youth. Instead of this freedom helping to develop the amazing
potentialities which exist within every human being, it wastes human
energies and talents, in a way which did not exist in the past. Women
have left their homes, but for what? For the cinema, the beach, the
streets, and evening entertainment! In the name of freedom, women today
have destroyed their homes without having effectively cultivated schools
or universities or places of work.
As a result of this unrestrainedness and ignoring of any restrictions,
the educational efficiency of young people, in general, has decreased.
Young people run away from school and education and sexual crimes have
increased at enormous rates. The cinema market is doing a brisk business
and the pockets of capitalists who deal in cosmetics are overflowing.
The second point is that in spite of the dangers which result from the
breaking of the barriers of sexual modesty, the Divinely bestowed
religious precepts of purity have not been heeded by them, as they guide
the ummah towards moderation, far from any extremity. To the point that
women are not drawn towards corruption, the Islamic precepts do not
prevent her active participation in society. In some cases, it is even
obligatory that she should participate, like in the Hajj rituals which
is equally obligatory upon men and women. No husband has the right to
prevent it.
As we know, it is not obligatory for women to participate in the jihad
unless a city or an area of Muslims has been attacked and the jihad has
a totally defensive nature.[^1] Then, just as the edicts of the
religious jurisprudents state, the jihad becomes obligatory on women as
well. Otherwise, it is not obligatory. Even so, the Holy Prophet gave
some women permission to participate in the battles to help the soldiers
and the wounded. There are many stories of this in the history of
Islam.[^2]
It is not obligatory upon women to participate in the congregational
ritual prayers but if they go, it becomes obligatory upon them to
participate and not to leave.[^3]
It is not obligatory for women to participate in the Festival ritual
prayers but they are not forbidden from participating. It is disapproved
for women of great respect or beauty to participate in such
prayers.[^4]
The Holy Prophet cast lots among his wives and would take them with him
on his journeys and some of his companions also took their wives.[^5]
The Holy Prophet would accept the allegiance of women but he did not
shake hands with them. He would order a bowl of water to be brought. He
would put his hand in the water and order the women offering her
allegiance to do the same thing. She was considered as having pledge her
allegiance.[^6] Ayesha said that throughout his lifetime the Holy
Prophet never touched the hands of a woman who was not mahram.
He did not forbid women from participating in burial ceremonies
although he also did not feel it was necessary. He preferred that they
do not participate although, under special circumstances, they did so
and possibly participated in the recitation of the ritual prayers. It
has been narrated in our traditions that when Zaynab, the oldest
daughter of the Holy Prophet died, Fatimah, peace be upon her, and other
Muslim women came and recited the ritual prayer for her.[^7]
According to Shi'ite traditions, it is disapproved foryoung girls to
participate in mourning ceremonies. Sunni scholars have recorded from
Umm Atiyyah who said that the Holy Prophet encouraged women not to
participate in mourning processions but he did not forbid it.[^8]
Asma, the daughter of Yazid Ansari, was selected by the women of
Madinah as their representative to go to the Holy Prophet to tell him of
the complaints of the women of Madinah and receive his answer. When Asma
entered, the Holy Prophet was seated among a group of the Companions.
She said, "May my mother and father be sacrificed for you. I am the
representative of the women of Madinah to you. We women say that God
almighty sent you as a Prophet to both men and women. You are not just
the Prophet of the men. We women also found faith in you and God
Almighty. We women sit in our homes meeting the sexual needs of men. We
nourish your children in our wombs but we see that all of the sacred
duties, great and valuable deeds which are regarded by God, are given to
men alone and we are deprived. Men are allowed to gather together. They
visit the sick. They participate in funeral processions. They repeatedly
perform the Hajj rituals and above everything else, they are allowed to
participate in the jihad in God's Way. Whereas when a man goes on the
hajj or the jihad, it is we women who stay behind and protect his
poverty. We weave cloth for his clothes. We train his children. How is
it that we are partners of you men in difficult tasks but when it comes
to sacred duties and deeds for which God gives spiritual reward, we are
not partners and we are deprived of all of them?
"The Holy Prophet looked at the Companions and asked, 'Have you ever
heard a woman speak so well, so logically and so clearly about religious
affairs?'
'The Holy Prophet, turned to Asma and said, Woman! Try to understand
what you are saying and explain to the women who sent you. Do you think
that every man receives spiritual rewards and virtues for doing these
things and women are deprived of them? No. This is not so. If a woman
takes good care of her family and husband and does not allow the pure
environment of her home to become polluted by the dust of darkness, she
will receive spiritual rewards, virtues and successes equivalent to all
of the work that men do.' "
Asma was a woman of faith. Her requests and those of the women who
thought like her came from the depths of their faith, not out of lust or
greed which we most often see today. She and the women who sent her were
concerned that perhaps the duties which they performed had no value and
that all of the sacred duties were particular to men. She and the women
she represented wanted equality, but in what? In implementing the Divine
commands and carrying out their religious duties. That which never
entered their minds was a confrontation to gain individual egotistical
desires in the name of a 'right'. Thus when she heard the response of
the Holy Prophet, her face lighted up with pleasure and she returned in
great happiness to her friends.[^9]
As to the participation of women in these things, the traditions
contradict one another. Some completely forbid it, but the author of
Wasa'il, who was himself a reliable transmitter, noting the total
collection of Islamic traditions, said, "It can be concluded from the
totality of Islamic traditions that it is permissible for women to leave
their homes to participate in mourning ceremonies or to see to the
rights of the people[^10] or to attend a funeral procession and to
participate in these gatherings just as Fatimah, peace be upon her, and
the wives of the pure Imams, peace be upon them, participated in these
kinds of ceremonies. Thus, the totality of the traditions rule that we
ignore that which forbids it."[^11]
The Holy Prophet allowed his wives to leave their homes to meet the
needs they had and do what they had to do.
It is recorded that the Holy Prophet ordered the door to the mosque for
women be separate from the men's door so that men and women would not be
obliged to go and come through the same door. He forbid men from using
that door.[^12]
It is also recorded that the Holy Prophet commanded that after the
night prayer, women be allowed to leave the mosque first so that they
would not have to mix together.[^13] In order that no contacts prevail,
he said that women should walk down the side of the street and men, down
the middle.[^14]
It is because of this that religious jurisprudents issue edicts that it
is disapproved for men and women to mix together. Ayatullah Sayyid
Muhammad Kazim Tabatabai Yazdi wrote, "In truth, if a person were to
look at Islam with an open mind, he or she would confirm that the way of
Islam is the way of moderation. At the same time that Islamic precepts
have provided the greatest extent of precautions to protect the purity
and sanctity of sexual relations, in no way do they prevent the human
talents of women from blossoming. As a matter of fact, these precepts
provide for both the spirit to remain healthy and for family relations
to be more intimate and serious as well as better preparing men and
women for a healthy social environment, far from any extremes."[^15]
* *
[^1]: Masalik, the section on jihad.
[^2]: Sahih Muslim, vol. 5, pp.196‑97; Sunan Abu Dawud, vol. 2, p. 17; Jama Tirmizi, p. 247.
[^3]: Wasail, vol.1, p. 456.
[^4]: Ibid., vol.1, p. 474.
[^5]: Op. cit., Sahih, vol. 7, p. 437.
[^6]: All historians and commentators have recorded this. Historians recorded it in recalling the events of the victory of Makkah and commentators have referred to it when commenting upon the verse, "O Prophet! When believing women come to you to take the oath of allegiance..." (60:12). See also Kafi, vol. 5, p. 526.
[^7]: Op. cit., Wasa'il, vol.1, p.156.
[^8]: Op cit., Sahih, vol. 3, p. 47; Bukhari, vol. 2, p. 94; Sunan, vol. 2, p.180.
[^9]: Asal al‑ghabah, vol. 5, pp. 338‑399.
[^10]: See Bihar al‑Anwar, vol. 11, p. 118 where a tradition is recorded from Kafi from Musa ibn Ja'far, peace be upon him, who said: "My father, Imam Ja'far, peace be upon him, would send my mother and his mother to attend to the needs of the poor in Madinah."
[^11]: Op. cit., Wasa'il, vol.1, p. 72.
[^12]: Op. cit., Sunan, vol.1, p. 109.
[^13]: Op cit., Kafi, vol. 5, p. 519.
[^14]: Op. cit., Sunan, vol. 2, p. 658.
[^15]: Urwat al‑Wusqa, chapter i, issue 49.