Understanding the Talibani Sharia: Does Islam Push For Complete Gender Segregation?
By S.
Arshad, New Age Islam
25 August
2021
With Talibani decree that women in Afghanistan will have to now live under Islamic Sharia the controversy over status of women in Islam has again come to public consciousness.
Is Complete
Gender Segregation Even Possible?
Main
Points:
1.
The Quran stresses moral on moral veiling than on physical veiling.
2.
The Quran asks both men and
women to lower their gaze.
3.
Islam allows both men and women to pray in the mosque behind a male
imam.
4.
Women are allowed to interact with their male attendants.
-----
With Talibani decree that women in Afghanistan will have to now live under Islamic Sharia the controversy over status of women in Islam has again come to public consciousness.
Over the
years, a general opinion has evolved among a large section of Muslims that
Islam pushes for complete gender segregation in all spheres of life. Many Islamic scholars are of the opinion that
women should be kept in complete veil. Some even say that a woman should have
only one hole in front of her eye in her Burqa. Some Islamic scholars even say
that men should not stare at their daughter or sister at home. A section of
Islamic scholars whom extremist organizations like Taliban follow say that
women should not even be allowed to go to schools or work outside home because they are
considered vulnerable and also because they are considered at an evil force who
will corrupt men if they are allowed to appear in public with their face
uncovered.
In Pakistan
a university professor was killed for advocating mixing up of genders in the
campus. Malala Yousafzai was fired at for advocating education of the girls for
the same reason that when they get educated they will become corrupt.
But to
decide on an issue, Muslims should find the answer first in the Quran and then
in the Sunnah, if the Quran is silent on it. The verses 30 and 31 of Surah Nur
give some idea what kind of purdah it wants Muslims to follow:
O Prophet! ˺ Tell the believing men to lower
their gaze and guard their chastity. That is purer for them. Surely Allah is
All-Aware of what they do.
And tell the believing women to lower their
gaze and guard their chastity, and not to reveal their adornments1 except what normally
appears.2 Let them draw their veils over their chests, and not reveal their ˹hidden˺ adornments3 except to their
husbands, their fathers, their fathers-in-law, their sons, their stepsons,
their brothers, their brothers’ sons or sisters’ sons, their fellow women, those ˹bondwomen˺ in their possession, male
attendants with no desire, or children who are still unaware of women’s nakedness. Let them not stomp
their feet, drawing attention to their hidden adornments. Turn to Allah in
repentance all together, O believers, so that you may be successful.
The Quran
tells Muslim men to lower their gaze when confronted by women. Then in the next
verse the Quran tells women to lower their gaze {when confronted by men}. So,
if the women are not allowed to appear in the public in the first place, why
they will be men be required to lower their gaze. The Quran knows that it does
not envisage a society based on complete gender segregation and so men and
women will have to interact with each other during the course of their social,
economic and religious duties. The Quran stresses not much on physical veiling
but rather on spiritual or moral veiling. And the onus of maintaining is not
only on women but also on men as is shown in verse 30 of Surah Nur.
The verse
31 also allows women to interact with their male attendants in the family
without veil along with their blood relatives.
Most
importantly, during the life of the prophet pbuh, women were also allowed to
pray in the mosque along with men behind the male imam at the same time.
Therefore, Islam allows women to pray in the mosque along with men at the same
time though their saf will start after the saf of men. So when women are not
barred from coming to mosque and pray along with men, how can they be barred
from other spheres of life only on the basis that some men or some women may be
vulnerable or corrupt. To insist on complete segregation of women from all
spheres of life will mean that Muslims consider women an evil force that will
corrupt the society if they are allowed to join school or office.
During the
life of the holy Prophet pbuh, some women complained to him that they could not
ask him questions regarding religious issues because he was surrounded by men
most of the time. They therefore, requested the holy prophet pbuh to give them
time so that they can sit with him and learn Deen. The holy prophet pbuh
assigned the women a particular day for the purpose. But this segregation was
not because women were barred from joining men but because they could not reach
the holy prophet pbuh as he was surrounded by men most of the time.
There is
another incident in Sahih Bukhari narrated by Hadhrat Ibn Abbas. He said that
one day the holy Prophet Pbuh came out of the company of men because he thought
women could not hear his sermon. He came close to the women gathered there and
exhorted them to give charity. On listening this, women gave their rings or
other ornaments for charity and Hadhrat Bilal r.a. collected it.
In a multicultural
society in which we live, it is very difficult to completely segregate the
sexes. Therefore, being a natural
religion, Islam also does not push or insist on gender segregation in all
spheres of life. All it wants is men and women should maintain a healthy moral
distance with each other. They should strive together to make life better for
the people.
Modern
Islamic states follow this Islamic spirit presented by the Quran and practiced
and demonstrated by the holy Prophet Pbuh and his holy companions. Confining
women and covering them from head to toe is not Islamic. The scholars and
organizations imposition complete ban on women’s education or their
participation in jobs and social activities actually violate the Quranic
principle of equality.
Confining
women within the house without giving them the opportunity to get education and
participate in social activities and politics in the modern world will only
cause educational, social and economic backwardness among Muslims.
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islamic-sharia-laws/taliban-shariah-women-islam-prophet/d/125275