What's the Fuss about Hijab! Muslims can’t be Staying in India: Verse 4.97 Al Quran: Lalit K Kaul

What’s the Fuss about Hijab! Muslims can’t be Staying in India: Verse 4.97 Al Quran

Lalit K Kaul

Maulana Abdul Kalam Azad, along with other Muslim religious leaders, advised Indian Muslims to migrate to Afghanistan (Hijrat) in 1920 as a religious duty (Hijrat to Darul Islam) during the Khilafat Movement, believing British India had become a non-Muslim land (Darul Harb) after the British abolished the Ottoman Caliphate. This mass exodus, known as the Hijrat Movement, led to great hardship for many migrants.

Azad was never accepted by Ulema as an ‘Alim’ because he hadn’t had formal education in Islam from a madrasa; he had learnt about Islam (theory and practice) while at home from his father and grandfather. His de-recognition by Muslim Ulema and Clergy made him take shelter under Indian National Congress and like a chameleon changed colours to pronounce his faith in non-violence as preached and practiced by Sri M K Gandhi.

Verse 4.97 of Al Quran:

4:97: "Indeed, those whom the angels take [in death] while wronging themselves – [the angels] will say, 'In what [condition] were you?' They will say, 'We were oppressed in the land.' The angels will say, 'Was not the earth of Allah spacious [enough] for you to emigrate therein?' For those, their refuge is Hell – and evil it is as a destination."

Explanation of the Verse by Learned Muslim Scholars:

1. The reference here is to those who stay behind along with the unbelievers, despite no genuine disability. They are satisfied with a life made up of a blend of Islamic and un-Islamic elements, even though they have had the chance to migrate to the Dar al-Islam and thus enjoy a full Islamic life. This is the wrong that they committed against themselves. What kept them satisfied with the mixture of Islamic and un-Islamic elements in their life was not any genuine disability but their love of ease and comfort, their excessive attachment to their kith and kin and to their properties and worldly interests. These concerns had exceeded reasonable limits and had even taken precedence over their concern for their religion.

2. Those people who had willingly acquiesced to living under an un-Islamic order would be called to account by God and would be asked: If a certain territory was under the dominance of rebels against God, so that it had become impossible to follow His Law, why did you continue to live there? Why did you not migrate to a land where it was possible to follow the law of God?

How “Merciful” is Allah!

4:98: except the men, women, and children who were indeed too feeble to be able to seek the means of escape and did not know where to go .

4:99: may be Allah shall pardon these, for Allah is All-Pardoning, All-Forgiving.

It’s unambiguously/categorically stated in the verse 4.97 that “believers” are forbidden to live in a land/territory which is under the “dominance of rebels against God”. By defying this Command of Allah, the “believers” in India have booked their place in “Fires of Hell”. Having ruined their “Life Hereafter” why make Fuss about Hijab? The “believers” need to read Al Quran and Hadith carefully to understand why Prophet Muhammad advised women to wear Burqa.

Mahram:

Mahram in fiqh (Islamic Jurisprudence) refers to a person with whom marriage Is prohibited because of their close blood relationship, because of radaa’ah (breastfeeding), or because of being related by marriage.

When the Taliban took control of Kabul… in September 1996, the Supreme Council issued Edicts forbidding women to work outside the home, attend school, or leave the house unless accompanied by a mahram. Since August 2021, the Taliban has increased control of girls’ and women’s freedom of movement and reinstalled the requirement to be accompanied by a mahram whenever a woman leaves home.

Related Hadith:

The first is reported by Abu Hurairah, who states that the Prophet said, “It is not permissible for a woman who believes in Allah and the last day to make a journey of one day and night unless she is accompanied by a mahram (husband or male relative whom she is prohibited to marry)”.

The second hadith is reported by Ibn ’Abbas, who states that the Prophet said,” No man must be alone with a woman except in the presence of her mahram. No woman should travel except in the company of a mahram. A man said: ‘O Messenger of Allah! I have been enrolled for such and such expedition, and my wife left for Haj.’ He said to him, ‘Go and perform Haj with your wife.’

Evidence Prohibiting of Mixing of Men and Women:

“Verse No. 53 of Surat al-Ahzab, or the Confederates (Interpretation of the meaning); “…for anything ye want, ask them from before a screen: that makes for greater purity for your hearts and for theirs…”

In explaining this verse, Ibn Kathir (May Allah have mercy on him) said: “Meaning, as I forbade you to enter their rooms, I forbid you to look at them at all. If one wants to take something from them, one should do so without looking at them. If one wants to ask a woman for something, the same has to be done from behind a screen.”

The Prophet (May peace and blessings be upon him) enforced separation of men and women even at Allah’s most revered and preferred place, the mosque. This was accomplished via the separation of the women’s rows from the men’s; men were asked to stay in the mosque after completion of the obligatory prayer so that women will have enough time to leave the mosque; and, a special door was assigned to women.

Evidence of the foregoing are: Umm Salamah (May Allah be pleased with her) said that after Allah’s Messenger (May peace and blessings be upon him) said “as-Salamu ‘Alaykum wa Rahmatullah’ twice announcing the end of prayer, women would stand up and leave. He would stay for a while before leaving. Ibn Shihab said that he thought that the staying of the Prophet (May peace and blessings be upon him) was in order for the women to be able to leave before the men who wanted to depart.” Narrated by al-Bukhari under No. 793.

Abu Dawood under No. 876 narrates the same hadith in Kitab al-Salaat under the title “Insiraaf an-Nisaa’ Qabl al-Rijaal min al-Salaah” (Departure of Women before Men after the Prayer). Ibn ‘Umar said that Allah’s Messenger (May peace and blessings be upon him) said: “We should leave this door (of the mosque) for women.” Naafi’ said: “Ibn ‘Umar never again entered through that door until he died.” Narrated by Abu Dawood under No. 484 in “Kitab as-Salah” under the Chapter entitled: “at-Tashdid fi Thalik”

This is the greatest evidence that the Law of Islam (Shari’ah) forbids meeting and mixing of men and women. The farther the men are from the women’s rows, the better, and vice versa”.

The Implication:

In addition to the aforementioned restrictions imposed on women and men (both of believers’ category) I read in some article that female “believers” are forbidden to look at any male other than a mahram!

Now, since females have been prohibited to go out without a mahram, obviously then they cannot be job seekers, stage/cinema artists, air hostesses, professionals because they can’t be going to a school because every girl is to be escorted by a mahram.

“No man must be alone with a woman except in the presence of her mahram”. So, how can a female believer be working outside her house? She cannot be an office goer. This restriction is independent of wearing a burqa. Burqa is to protect female believers from the sensuousness of male believers. Yet while wearing burqa the additional safeguard is a mahram because chastity of any female is not governed by the dress she wears.

They remove Hijab while getting photographed for securing an ID, Aadhar Card, voter card, ration card; knowing fully well that Islam prohibits taking photographs of humans because it prohibits making pictures of human beings. But won’t remove it while accepting an appointment letter; insist on wearing it in schools, etcetera. Fundamentally it’s not as much about Hijab as it’s about keeping the flame of Muslim Separatism (Two Nation Theory) alive. But the choice “believers” in “Kafir” India should make is available from the following options:

1. Migrate from India to any Arab/Muslim country where Rule of Allah is entrenched in every endeavour of humans, and secure “Life Hereafter” OR

2. Stay in India as Indians transcending this divide of “believers” vs “dis-believers”. Accept Indian ethos and the historical fact that both “believers” and “dis-believers” have common Vedic heritage. Adopting other faith under duress or voluntarily doesn’t change ethnicity and race of such people.

Each choice has its consequences.