Indian Muslim Scolars Say Burqua (Veil) is not a part of Islam

by Irawwan | August 20, 2009 at 08:23 pm

295 views | 2 Recommendations | 7 comments

Following a controversy over muslim students wearing "burqua" in a college in Mangalore, Karnataka, a well respected Indian muslim scholar, Maulana Wahiduddin Khan told that wearing burqua is not a part of Islam.

"Islamic dress is your inner character, not what you wear outside." - He added.

http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/uncategorized/burqa-not-a-part-of-islam-say-scholars_100235383.html

New Delhi, Aug 20 (IANS) The Karnataka college that disallows its students from wearing either burqas or headscarves has found unexpected support amongst a section of Islamic scholars who say rules should be followed because Islam is not particular about imposing any dress code.
“Burqa is not a part of Islam. It is a part of culture, the culture that the people of the subcontinent have been following since ages. Nobody can enforce a dress code in the name of Islam. It is categorically un-Islamic,” renowned Islamic scholar Maulana Wahiduddin Khan told IANS.

“If a college has a rule to not wear a burqa or headscarf then that should be followed and respected. If you don’t agree, you quit the college,” Khan, who has authored 10 books, said.

His comments came a day after Mangalore’s Sri Venkataramana Swamy College disallowed 19-year-old Ayesha Ashmin to attend classes for 12 days because she insisted on wearing a headscarf. The B.Com first year student alleged she was being persecuted for her religious beliefs as she was wearing a headscarf.

The college has denied the allegation and said the girl had violated the rules of the institution.

Khan, 82, does not disagree with the college.

“Islamic dress is your inner character, not what you wear outside.”

“Man or woman, anyone can wear anything they feel is decent. What matters is your truthfulness and honesty in character,” said the author of “Discovering Islam From Its Original Sources” that draws a distinction between Islam as presented by Prophet Muhammad and modern day Islam.

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Sputnic

at 19:25 on August 22nd, 2009

The quran, though, says otherwise, think the sistas should probably stick to that!. It is a matter of choice and the Quran says it is best for a woman to wear it, and many women choose to.

info.star

at 05:21 on August 23rd, 2009

For the benifit of those who are unsure I shall quote a verse from the Quran

" say O Muhammad to your wives, your daughters and the believing woman to put on your outer garment (cloke) when you go abroad (outside) so as you be known and not be molested"

Now to explain the first is self explanitory put on cloke when going outside, the second, "so as you be known" this means known as Muslim woman, to be distinct from others, "and not be molested" this is in referance to being bothered by people (with an enfasis on men)

In short it can be deduced that as a Muslim woman I am supposed to show that I am Muslim in this mannor.

As a Muslim I believe that the words of the Quran are the true words of Allah and as the above verse tells me to wear it I believe I should.

Also a number of well documented ahadith tells us of what is considered modesty by the prophet(SAW), it is said modesty for a man is to cover from his navel to his knees (so that is private parts mainly) and for a woman everything apart from the face and the hands should be covered.

I would at this point say that I would enjoy very much a conversation with this gentelman, I would remind him of the Hadith of Aiesha ( may Allah be well pleased with her) wife of the Prophet Muhammad (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) in which someone had passed on and when she entered the room where the body was she covered herself.

info.star

at 06:03 on August 23rd, 2009

Further for clarification from,

Sunan Abu Dawud, Vol 3, book xxvii, chapter 1535, Hadith no 4892,

We learn, "Aisha (wife of the Prophet(saw)), said, Asthma, daughter of Abu Bakr (companion of the Prophet), entered upon the apostle of Allah (pbuh) wearing thin clothes, the Apostle of Allah (pbuh) turned his attention from her. He said, "O Asthma, when a woman reaches the age of menstration, it does not suit her that she displays her parts of the body except this and this", and he pointed to her face and hands.

Also in,

Abu Dawud, book 32, no. 4090

Narrated by, Umm Salamah et al,

When the verse " that they should cast thier outer garments over their persons" was revealed, The woman of Ansar came out as if they had crows over their heads by wearing outer garments.

The meaning of this is obvious, they were completely covered from head to toe and the useage of the word crow would imply that they wore black, that is not saying that other colours are not allowed as of course they are, the wife of Prophet Muhammad, Aisha, reported in many Hadith of woman wearing Green veils and others, also one of the daughters of the Prophet (pbuh) is reported to have worn many colours.

I hope this clears things up for anyone wondering about the veil.

Salaam

Irawwan

at 07:20 on August 23rd, 2009

OK. So what should be the punishment if a muslim woman choose not to wear a burqua?The customary flogging and leashing as proposed and conducted in some parts of Muslim word is justifiable ?

info.star

at 12:09 on August 24th, 2009

Salaam, Irawwan

I am not necessarily saying that she should be punished as she will be punished in the hearafter if punishment is deserved, however, if under Shari'a it says she should then so be it as Shari'a comes from Allah and no one is above what Allah has ordered.

The problem hear is that to many people seek to confuse what Muslim woman should and should not do which I feel is really bad, as a Muslim woman myself I can't question what the Quran and the Sunnah of the blessed Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) tells me to do and I dont believe that anyone has the authority to do so.

And just for a little bit of perspective I would like to inform you of what is said in the Christian Bible on this very subject, " if a woman does not cover her head, shave of her hair"

I am very cirtain that similar punishments will be found in the Jewish Torah, and also the aincient scriptures of most other religions.

So as you can see weither the punishment be, flogging, shaving hair or whatever their is still punishment for a woman who unveils herself in public and these punishments come from within the religions themselves.

On a further note I would like to highlight the punishment for stealing in Islamic Law is the removal of the hand, in comparison in English Law, which used to be devised by the Church itself, the punishment was to be,

Hung, drawn and quartered, the private parts removed and thrown into a fire while the victim was alive to watch. The victim was then beheaded and his body divided into three parts for the king to do with as he pleased.

This punishment was meatered out to adults and children alike, male and female, and could be given for as little as stealing a loaf of bread.

These sorts of punishments only ceased in the latter part of the 1800s

So I ask you which is worse?

Irawwan

at 19:09 on August 24th, 2009

Shalom, info.star

In any religion or society, nobody should be subjected to physical torture just because they don't dress according to the wish of some religious leader. It is true that most religions were discriminatory towards women. Maybe it was justifiable at that time considering the socio-echonomic scenario of those times. But now anymore. As you said by the end of 19th century - let us take the worst case scenario as middle of 20th century - such barbaric and inhuman practises ceased to exist in most of the religions. A person steals is doing harm to another person. A women not wearing burkha does not, except some perverts. Peverts who are gynophobic should be given sympathy and medical attention. Not power to rule the society.

The discomfort of peverts should not be a deciding law in any society.

info.star

at 07:45 on August 29th, 2009

Salaam Irawwan,

A woman not wearing a Burkha is doing harm to herself, as she has been ordered to wear it by Allah is my first point.

This is the first area of problem to most people who are curious about the Burkha, Hijab, Jilbab or whatever way they put it. They ask us Muslim woman, "Does your Husband force you to wear that"

To this question I would respond " In light of the fact it is written in the Quran to observe it and documented in various Hadiths of the Prophet (s.a.a.w) that it is necessary, it has nothing what-so-ever to do with my Husband" ( besides I am not married and I observe it myself)

Here Muslim woman have gone a long way to contributing to this problem, which I like to call the "Husband notion"

It usually transpires like this, Modern Muslim girl, never covered her head, parents did not encourage her to as they said, "oh she is young, she will do it when she will marry, let her have some fun for now, fit in better with all her friends" Then she wants to marry so she begins to learn more about her religion, because she knows she will have to teach it to her children, discovers that she has been doing so many things wrong (including the covering thing), marries and begins to cover, She realises that she is only for her husband and she feels a pride in this realisation. People see her, maybe old school friends, who knew her as such a free thinker, a moderate Muslim, and they say, "oh look it must be her husband made her do it" Now all this would not have happened if her parents had taught her better and encouraged her to cover herself at the onset of puberty. As the nobal Quran tells us,

" Say Oh Muhammad, to your wives, daughters and the believing woman, to put on your outer garment when you go abroad, so as you bee known and not be mollested"

As is written in many Hadith of the Prophet (s.a.a.w)

" And when the verse about the outer garment was revieled, the woman of Ansar came out as if they had crows over their heads because of outer garments"

Now to your comment of "except some perverts" I would like to inform you that appropriate dress for the woman and the man are the same. You may be shocked to hear this as the majority of Muslim men do not dress acordingly. I would ask you to observe how the Arab Muslims dress, are they not completly covered? the whole body, the head, and they also wear their beards, what of an Arab man can you see? the hands and the face, just the same as the woman.

Asalam Alay Kom