Headings
Creation, Intellect, Morality– Ontological Inferiority
Besides Mary, NO woman is mentioned by Name
The creation of the first human being, Adam is pieced in several places in the Quran in chapters 2,4,,20,21, 38 and also others. The creation of Eve does not receive special mention, she can be taken to be part of the creation of “all humankind” being created from clay (eg 3:59, 15:26, 32:7,8). Again we can infer that Eve is created from Adam because of verses that assert humankind was created “from a single person” (7:189, 4:1). But Adam also receives a special creation ex-nihilo account: “it (referring to the birth of Jesus) was like that of Adam- “Be! And it was”..” The creation of Eve is referred to without naming here in 7:189 “it is he who created you form a single person and made his mate of like nature, in order that he might dwell with her”. Following on from this, the “Adam and Iblis” story is retold with variations 7 times, with Iblis being commanded to bow down to Adam. Once again, quite far from receiving Satan’s obeisance, Eve is not even mentioned in any of these. It all seems to have taken place before the creation of Eve, which is a Midrashic take-off on the Biblical narrative of Adam giving names to the animals before Eve was created, without the attached angelic interrogation and command to obeisance.
Eve arrives into the narrative in a peripheral manner, when following one of the several Adam and Iblis stories, Adam is told (Q 2:35) “dwell thou and thy wife in the Garden, and eat of the bountiful things therein as ye will, but approach not this tree…” seeming to indicate that they are the only humans alive at this point, yet not naming Eve. Following this there is a Fall narrative(2:37-39, also with more detail in 20:116-128). Once again Adam is mentioned in the ensuing expulsion from the Garden, but the presence of his “wife” is only hinted at when “all” are told to leave, or when they “both” are described or spoken to. Subsequently once again, only Adam is depicted as repenting and receiving forgiveness and mercy in the second Surah. We can summarize this by observing that in the most glorious book of God, the first woman remains unnamed, and I think it is fair to say, side-lined. This forms a profound pattern of and template for women being subsequently side-lined from active roles in Islamic society.
But eve’s case is hardly unique, in fact apart from Mary, NO WOMAN is named in the Qur’an. This is includes even women whose role is crucial to Islam like Ishmael’s mother Hagan or Muhammad’s own mother or any of his wives. In spite of having married at least 11 women, their existence in the Qur’an is only even acknowledged because of the disputes he was having with them. Without someone like Fatima and her own wealth and influence it is unlikely that Muhammed would have even gained to the position that he did. Mary on the other hand is there because the Qur’anic author, for reasons few can claim to understand, decides to borrow almost verbatim the Lucan account of Jesus’ miraculous birth and the them of Mary’s own exaltation. Which is great, but poses more questions for Islam than it solves.
Inferior Role in Procreation of Children
The woman’s contribution in giving birth to a child is simply overlooked in the Qur’an, the baby is said to be formed purely from the sperm, and no mention is made of the contribution of the woman’s egg. This is on top of the fact that everyone is said to come “from a single person”, obviously Adam, not from a single couple! It doesn’t matter that Eve is made from the rib of Adam Biblically, humanity comes from both partners of the couple equally, not more from one and less from the other. Sure, one of the partners is “made from” the other, but that does not take away from the fact that every single human being is equally from them both. From that stage on, neither partner has a lesser or greater role in fostering the rest of the human race. We see here that not only embryology but also possible genetic inheritance is being ignored in favour of the man, whether wilfully or not.
Inferior status
Allah prefers men, in general
“Instead of Him, they pray not except to female beings; they pray not except to a rebel Satan accursed by God.” (Q 4:117)
There seems to be some unspecified problem with calling angels female names:
“Ask the unbelievers if it be true that God has daughters while they themselves choose sons. Did we create the angels females?…Would he choose daughters rather than sons? What has come over you that you should judge so ill?” (37:149)
“And if one of them is informed of the news of (the birth of) that which he set forth as a parable to the Most Beneficent (Allah) (i.e. of a girl), his face becomes dark, gloomy, and he is filled with grief! (Do they then like for Allah) a creature who is brought up in adornments (wearing silk and gold ornaments), and in dispute cannot make herself clear?” (H-K 43:17,18)
(Ibn Kathir comments that this verse is indeed referring to the birth of women, which is obvious in that they are adorned with ornaments)
“Those that disbelieve in the hereafter call the angels by the names of females” (53:46)
To receive only half the inheritance
“Allah chargeth you concerning (the provision for) your children: to the male the equivalent of the portion of two females… (Pickthall 4:11)
“…and if they be brethren, men and women, unto the male is the equivalent of the share of two females. Allah expoundeth unto you, so that ye err not. Allah is Knower of all things” (Pickthall 4:176, also in YA)
Men are managers of the affairs of women because Allah has made the one superior to the other. (Maududi, vol. 1, p. 329)
Inferior Intellect, Morality & Religion, Go to Hell
This inferior perspective toward women is already evidenced in this Qur’anic verse, where they are termed forgetful. Its a very long verse, this is the pertinent part:
“And call to witness, from among your men, two witnesses. And if two men be not (at hand) then a man and two women, of such as ye approve as witnesses, so that if the one should forget (AH- the classic meaning of dalla) the other will remember (…) Allah is teaching you. And Allah is knower of all things.” (Pickthall, 2:282)
And again, the multiple hadith that decry women receive their mandate in probably this qur’anic verse:
“O you who have believed, indeed, among your wives and your children are enemies to you, so beware of them. But if you pardon and overlook and forgive – then indeed, Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.” (64:14, SI)
The Hadith:
This hadith seems to summarize all the rest. See an example also of circular reasoning in it:
“It is narrated on the authority of ‘Abdullah b. Umar that the Messenger of Allah observed: O womenfolk, you should give charity and ask much forgiveness for I saw you in bulk amongst the dwellers of Hell. A wise lady among them said: Why is it, Messenger of Allah, that our folk is in bulk in Hell? Upon this the Prophet observed: You curse too much and are ungrateful to your spouses. I have seen none lacking in common sense and failing in religion but (at the same time) robbing the wisdom of the wise, besides you. Upon this the woman remarked: What is wrong with our common sense and with religion? He (the Holy Prophet) observed: Your lack of common sense (can be well judged from the fact) that the evidence of two women is equal to one man, that is a proof of the lack of common sense, and you spend some nights (and days) in which you do not offer prayer and in the month of Ramadan (during the days) you do not observe fast, that is a failing in religion.” (Muslim 79a)
Deficiency in religion and intellect:
Once Allah’s Messenger went out to the Musalla (to offer the prayer) of `Id-al-Adha or Al-Fitr prayer. Then he passed by the women and said, “O women! Give alms, as I have seen that the majority of the dwellers of Hell-fire were you (women).” They asked, “Why is it so, O Allah’s Messenger ?” He replied, “You curse frequently and are ungrateful to your husbands. I have not seen anyone more deficient in intelligence and religion than you. A cautious sensible man could be led astray by some of you.” The women asked, “O Allah’s Messenger! What is deficient in our intelligence and religion?” He said, “Is not the evidence of two women equal to the witness of one man?” They replied in the affirmative. He said, “This is the deficiency in her intelligence. Isn’t it true that a woman can neither pray nor fast during her menses?” The women replied in the affirmative. He said, “This is the deficiency in her religion.” (Bukhari “Menstrual Periods” 304, bk6/9 or vol.1 Bk.6/301)
Equal to beasts and unholy?
These are the words of Muhammad’s favourite wife, complaining of the role assigned to women under Islam. This is an alarming sequence of hadith in which Aisha narrates that “they” have told her that Islamic prayers are invalidated by dogs, donkeys or women passing in front of the praying person. For this reason she disliked getting in between Muhammed and the qibla (mosque direction) while he prayed:
“Narrated `Aisha:The things which annul the prayers were mentioned before me. They said, “Prayer is annulled by a dog, a donkey and a woman (if they pass in front of the praying people).” I said, “You have made us (i.e. women) dogs. I saw the Prophet (ﷺ) praying while I used to lie in my bed between him and the Qibla. Whenever I was in need of something, I would slip away. for I disliked to face him.”” (Bukhari 511, also 519, Muslim 512e)
Root of Evil
The Prophet said, “But for the Israelis, meat would not decay and but for Eve, wives would never betray their husbands.” (Bukhari 3330)
This lengthy hadith is initially talking about an unrelated issue but ends in the decrial (underlined section). It is a strange construction and seems to be missing a full stop and possibly a translator’s parenthetical note:
“Narrated ‘Urwa: that he asked `Aisha regarding the Verse: ‘If you fear that you shall not be able to deal justly with the orphans (4.3) She said, “O my nephew! This Verse refers to the orphan girl who is under the guardianship of her guardian who likes her beauty and wealth and wishes to (marry her and) curtails her Mahr. Such guardians have been forbidden to marry them unless they do justice by giving them their full Mahr, and they have been ordered to marry other than them. The people asked for the verdict of Allah’s Messenger after that, so Allah revealed: ‘They ask your instruction concerning the women . . . whom you desire to marry.’ (4.127) So Allah revealed to them that if the orphan girl had beauty and wealth, they desired to marry her and for her family status. They can only marry them if they give them their full Mahr. And if they had no desire to marry them because of their lack of wealth and beauty, they would leave them and marry other women. So, as they used to leave them, when they had no interest, in them, they were forbidden to marry them when they had such interest, unless they treated them justly and gave them their full Mahr Apostle said, ‘If at all there is evil omen, it is in the horse, the woman and the house.” a lady is to be warded off. And the Statement of Allah: ‘Truly, among your wives and your children, there are enemies for you (i.e may stop you from the obedience of Allah)’ (64.14) (Bukhari 5092. Volume 7, Book 62, Number 29)
“‘Umar b. Muhammad b. Zaid reported that he heard his father narrating from Ibn ‘Umar that Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) had said. If bad luck is a fact, then it is in the horse, the woman and the house.” (Muslim 2225d)
Narrated Abdullah bin ‘Umar: Allah’s Apostle said, “Evil omen is in the women, the house and the horse.‘ (Bukhari 2858, 5093, 5094, 5772)
“It was narrated from ‘Abdullah bin ‘Umar that the Messenger of Allah said: “Omens are in houses, women and horses.” (, Sunan an Nasa’i 3568, 3569, 3570, Ibn Majah 1993, 1994 all graded sahih [darussalam], and 1995 not graded)
Muwatta Malik has it from Sa’d Saidi (54:21/1786) and ibn Umar (5422/1787) Miskath al Masabih 4586 from Sa’d b. Malik, from Ibn Umar 3086, and Ibn. Umar in Riyadh as Salihin 1675
“Narrated Sahl bin Sa`d /Sa’d Saidi: Allah’s Messenger said, “If at all there is bad omen, it is in the horse, the woman, and the house.” (Bukhari 2859, 5095)
“Narrated Sa’d ibn Malik: The Prophet (ﷺ) said: There is no hamah, no infection and no evil omen; if there is in anything an evil omen, it is a house, a horse, and a woman.” (Sunan abi Dawud 3921, sahih [al-Albani])
This has a horrible line at the end, but I do not know the grading of this hadith
It was narrated from ‘Abdullah bin ‘Umar that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “An omen is in a dwelling, a woman or a horse.” Abu Dawud said: This tradition was read out to al-Harith b. Miskin and I was witness. It was said to him that Ibn Qasim told him that Malik was asked about evil omen in a horse and in a house. He replied: There are many houses in which people lived and perished and again others lived therein and they also perished. This is its explanation so far as we know. Allah knows best. Abu Dawud said: ‘Umar (ra) said: A mat in a house better than a woman who does not give birth to a child.“ (Sunan abiDawud 3922, not graded on sunnah.com)
The Majority of Those in Hell are Women
Narrated Usama: The Prophet said, “I stood at the gate of Paradise and saw that the majority of the people who entered it were the poor, while the wealthy were stopped at the gate (for the accounts). But the companions of the Fire were ordered to be taken to the Fire. Then I stood at the gate of the Fire and saw that the majority of those who entered it were women.” (found in Sahih Bukhari: 5196, 5198, 6547, Sahih Muslim: 2736, Musnad Ahmad: 21275, 21318)
“Narrated Ibn ‘Abbas: The Prophet (ﷺ) said: “I was shown the Hell-fire and that the majority of its dwellers were women who were ungrateful.” It was asked, “Do they disbelieve in Allah?” (or are they ungrateful to Allah?) He replied, “They are ungrateful to their husbands and are ungrateful for the favors and the good (charitable deeds) done to them. If you have always been good (benevolent) to one of them and then she sees something in you (not of her liking), she will say, ‘I have never received any good from you.” (Bukhari 29)
www.answering-islam.com gives a useful analysis of this last passage:
The Arabic word used for “the majority” here is ‘aammah, and it indicates beyond any shred of a doubt (in Arabic) the *vast majority*. You see, I don’t think that “the majority” is a good translation. The translation for aamah that I found was “the general public”. So Mohammed was actually saying that the “general public” of the people of hell are women.
Number of occurrences in Bukhari (both Hadiths): 11 times
Number of occurrences in Muslim (both Hadiths): 6 times
Number of occurrences in Ahmad (both Hadiths): 27 times
Total number of occurrences (of both Hadiths in ALL nine books): 53 times
Based on it being reported in many of the authentic books and also by many different chains of narrators, it is not possible to argue that this hadith is not authentic in its essential meaning.
Violence against Women
Wife-beating is allowed
“Men are the protectors and maintainers of women, because Allah has made one of them to excel the other, and because they spend (to support them) from their means. Therefore the righteous women are devoutly obedient (to Allah and to their husbands), and guard in the husband’s absence what Allah orders them to guard (e.g. their chastity, their husband’s property, etc.). As to those women on whose part you see ill-conduct, admonish them (first), (next), refuse to share their beds, (and last) beat them [Pickthall: ‘scourge’ YA: ‘chastise (lightly)] , but if they return to obedience, seek not against them means (of annoyance). Surely, Allah is Ever Most High, Most Great” (Q 4:34)
Pickthall/Dawood: “men have authority over/are in charge of women because God has made the one superior to the other, and because they spend their wealth to maintain them”.
The word for beat (wa-idribuhuna) is the same that is used for “strike their heads off” used in verse 8:12. See the lexical entry: http://lexicon.quranic-research.net/data/15_D/028_Drb.html.
Note also that the man is spending “from his means”. There is not even the acknowledgement that the wife has any share in ownership in this verse, the sense is that the husband is “keeping” her.
Why is it wrong to beat one’s wife?
Just like some of the other difficult abusive issues in this article, I have often found that one has to also explain to Muslims why these things are wrong in the first place, not just point out that they’re there. It’s wrong to beat one’s wife because fear and threat is how one trains a beast of burden or a pet, with the use of reward and punishment. To train one’s wife in this manner is to remove her agency and with it her human dignity. And that’s just the briefest approach to the problems of beating other people. For example, the Qur’an never says that the manner to resolve conflict between another man in the community is to beat them. This would be impractical, all the followers would descend into chaos. But seemingly its allowed against the weaker sex, so this is bullying, in the worst way. At the end of the day, one shouldn’t have to spend too much time on trying to prove why beating another person is evil. Even were it said that the reason is to resolve conflict, who decides who is correct in that conflict, what if the man is about to make a terrible decision? Should the woman not be able to discuss it openly? Lastly we must say that even hitting “as a last recourse, to save the family” which is the way in which it is interpreted by the jurists hardly serves to save a family, and will only lead to even more bitterness the next time that there is a dispute. It is just really bad marriage counselling advice, if that is really what its meant to be, at least as its put out by the interpreters. That is not the way the verse reads, though, as can be seen.
The Hadith
Rifa`a divorced his wife whereupon `Abdur-Rahman bin Az-Zubair Al-Qurazi married her. `Aisha said that the lady (came), wearing a green veil (and complained to her (Aisha) of her husband and showed her a green spot on her skin caused by beating). It was the habit of ladies to support each other, so when Allah’s Messenger came, `Aisha said, “I have not seen any woman suffering as much as the believing women. Look! Her skin is greener than her clothes!” When `Abdur-Rahman heard that his wife had gone to the Prophet, he came with his two sons from another wife. She said, “By Allah! I have done no wrong to him but he is impotent and is as useless to me as this,” holding and showing the fringe of her garment, `Abdur-Rahman said, “By Allah, O Allah’s Messenger! She has told a lie! I am very strong and can satisfy her but she is disobedient and wants to go back to Rifa`a.” Allah’s Messenger said, to her, “If that is your intention, then know that it is unlawful for you to remarry Rifa`a unless `Abdur-Rahman has had sexual intercourse with you.” Then the Prophet saw two boys with `Abdur- Rahman and asked (him), “Are these your sons?” On that `AbdurRahman said, “Yes.” The Prophet said, “You claim what you claim (i.e.. that he is impotent)? But by Allah, these boys resemble him as a crow resembles a crow,” (Bukhari 5825)
Narrated `Abdullah bin Zam`a: The Prophet forbade laughing at a person who passes wind, and said, “How does anyone of you beat his wife as he beats the stallion camel and then he may embrace (sleep with) her?” And Hisham said, “As he beats his slave” (Bukhari 6042)
“Iyas ibn Abdullah ibn Abu Dhubab reported the Messenger of Allah as saying: “Do not beat Allah’s handmaidens, but when Umar came to the Messenger of Allah and said: Women have become emboldened towards their husbands, he (the Prophet) gave permission to beat them. Then many women came round the family of the Messenger of Allah complaining against their husbands. So the Messenger of Allah said: Many women have gone round Muhammad’s family complaining against their husbands. They are not the best among you.” (Abi Dawud 2146)
The Jurists
This is from Reliance of the Traveller, which is the standard Shafi’i manual for Islamic fiqh (jurisprudence):
M.lO.12 When a husband notices signs of rebelliousness in his wife (nushuz. dis: p42) (whether in words, as when she answers him coldly when she used to do so politely. or he asks her to come to bed and she refuses. contrary to her usual habit; or whether in acts, as when he finds her averse to him when she was previously kind and cheerful). he warns her in words (without keeping from her or hitting her, for it may be that
she has an excuse. The warning could be to tell her, “Fear Allah concerning the rights you owe to me,” or it could be to explain that rebelliousness nullifies his obligation to support her and give her
a turn amongst other wives, or it could be to inform her, “Your obeying me [def: (3) below] is religiously obligatory”). If she commits rebelliousness, he keeps from sleeping (and having sex) with her without words, and may hit her, but not in a way that injures her, meaning he may not (A: bruise her,) break bones, wound her, or cause blood to flow. (It is unlawful to strike another’s face.) He may hit her whether she is rebellious only once or whether more than once, though a weaker opinion holds that he may not hit her unless there is repeated rebelliousness.
(N: To clarify this paragraph, we mention the following rulings: (1) Both man and wife are obliged to treat each other kindly and graciously.
(2) It is not lawful for a wife to leave the house except by the permission of her husband, though she may do so without permission when there is a pressing necessity. Nor may a wife permit anyone to enter her husband’s home unless he agrees, even their unmarriageable kin. Nor may she be alone with a nonfamily-member male, under any circumstances.
(3) It is obligatory for a wife to obey her husband as is customary in allowing him full lawful sexual enjoyment of her person. It is obligatory
for the husband to enable her to remain chaste and free of want for sex if he is able. It is not obligatory for the wife to serve her husband (dis: 45.1); if she does so, it is voluntary charity.
(4) If the wife does not fulfill one of the above-mentioned obligations, she is termed “rebellious” (nashiz), and the husband takes the following steps to correct matters:
(a) admonition and advice, by explaining the unlawfulness of rebellion, its harmful effect on married life, and by listening to her viewpoint on
the matter;
(b) if admonition is ineffectual, he keeps from her by not sleeping in bed with her, by which both learn the degree to which they need each other;
(c) if keeping from her is ineffectual, it is permissible for him to hit her if he believes that hitting her will bring her back to the right path, though if
he does not think so, it is not permissible. His hitting her may not be in a way that injures her, and is his last recourse to save the family;
(d) if the disagreement does not end after all this, each partner chooses an arbitrator to solve the dispute by settlement, or divorce.)
Muslim responses
Response 1: The beating should only be light, using the stick with with one brushes one’s teeth.
Reply- we’ve already commented on the word used for “strike” here. These mitigations come from later teachings and commentaries. There is no such amelioration in the Quran.
Response 2: “But the man is responsible for the family”
Reply: It is true that even in Christian teaching the family is structured with the man as the head (see in 1Corinthians), however such great love is commanded, that men are literally taught to treat their spouses as they would treat their own bodies. It does not make sense for one human being to beat another human being into avoiding sin. Every human being answers before God for their own sins, they stand alone before God on Judgement Day. It would be absurd to suppose that God, in view of the wife having committed the sin of willful disobedience, did not punish her, but rather the husband for not beating her in submission. If woman has responsibilities in the family, so does the man and both are equally responsible for carrying out those responsibilities before God. Further if the family situation becomes so untenable, then Islam also provides the option for a no-questions-asked type divorce for the man. Therefore there is literally no remaining justification for the violence. Beating does not improve the relationship between husband and wife, it merely creates a basis of fear in the relationship.
Compulsory Veiling
Even when Muslim women wear hijab willingly , it is unwittingly supporting those who force their women to do so. The reason is that they are literally wearing the sign of the oppression of others, so to speak. But there is a case to be made that even women who claim to wear hijab willingly, they do privately experience social pressure to wear it. But that defeats the purpose of religous observance. This is unfortunately commonly the case in a religion like Islam where teh ingrained coercion is difficult to disocciate from any genuine sense of piety. In any coercive form of government, ultimately the ruling class too is caught up in the web of the system they have installed to control the masses and and not really free to break away from it either.
This is the main verse that is used to justify the use. The key phrasing is typically obscure language with several translations to select from “and reveal not their adonrment/ charms/ ornaments except what is acceptable/ necessary/ apparent…except their husbands, parents, etc.”.
“Arberry: And say to the believing women, that they cast down their eyes’ and guard their private parts, and reveal not their adornment save such as is outward; and let them cast their veils over their bosoms, and not reveal their adornment save to their husbands, or their fathers, or their husbands’ fathers, or their sons, or their husbands’ sons, or their brothers, or their brothers’ sons, or their sisters’ sons, or their women, or what their right hands own, or such men as attend them, not having sexual desire, or children who have not yet attained knowledge of women’s private parts; nor let them stamp their feet, so that their hidden ornament may be known. And turn all together to God, O you believers; haply so you will prosper.” (Q 24:31)
Shaikh Asim, who is a popular Imam currently says that the there is widespread agreement based on this verse that the wives of the prophet were fully covered, and based on the next, this is extented to all other women as well. The reason he believes is for the safety of women, that they will thereby be proteced from evil glances of men.
“O believers, enter not the houses of the Prophet, except leave is given you for a meal, without watching for its hour. But when you are invited, then enter; and when you have had the meal, disperse, neither lingering for idle talk; that is hurtful to the Prophet, and he is ashamed before you; but God is not ashamed before the truth. And when you ask his wives for any object, ask them from behind a curtain; that is cleaner for your hearts and theirs. It is not for you to hurt God’s Messenger, neither to marry his wives after him, ever; surely that would be, in God’s sight, a monstrous thing.” (Q 33:54)
“O Prophet, say to thy wives and daughters and the believing women, that they draw their veils close to them; so it is likelier they will be known, and not hurt. God is All-forgiving, All-compassionate.” (Q 33:59)
Shaykh Asim then makes the argument based on this hadith that the women of Medina and Mecca were fully covered, which explains the conversation with the prophet:
“It was narrated from Anas bin Malik that: Mughirah bin Shubah wanted to marry a woman. The Prophet said to him: “Go and look at her, for that is more likely to create love between you.” So he did that, and married her, and mentioned how well he got along with her” (Ibn Majah 1865, graded sahih,; [Darussalam], also sahih in An-Nasa’i 3246)
Why veiling is not mandatory for morality:
This is the most wonderful description of how expternal appearence is viewe in the eyes of God, and it is found in the Bible:
“1 Peter 3:3-4 Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. 4 Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.”
Hair is an adornment upon the body, rather than the body itself, to which notions of shame and sexuality can be assigned, hair is an appendage, like nails. It can be beautified, of course, or it can be worn au naturel without additional adornment. Hair, again like other appendages like nails does not even have any nerve fibres running through it by which it is conncected to the nervous system whereby it can be stimulated for feelings of pleasure (if hair is touched without pulling at the root, there is no sensation).
Modesty is related to avoiding titillating display of one’s body, or body parts, and what “titillation” consists in can be subjective, certainly. But “modesty” certainly does not necessarily entail covering from head to toe, an attempt to avoid the possibility of any display of beauty of form by completely rubbing out a person’s identity. Thus display of beauty is not a violation of modesty, and it is not beauty tself that is indecent. Beauty is the majesty of God’s creation and he created beautiful things that they might be admired and through them he might be given glory. That is what the spiritual life is, which is to view things for what they are truly worth which worth comes from God rather than as means to saisfy our own ends. Thus the role of the hijab is not to curtail indecency, since there is nothing indecent about head-hair. Rathar itis to curtail beauty, or to uglify. But that is the problem, beauty is not indecent in and of itself.
The same occurs in Islam’s use of violence, both in the marital relationship as well as in iner-personal relationships. Sure, sin must be curtailed, but not through the commission of even greater or even equivalent sins, which defeats the purpose of any spiritual journey which is the point of spirituality.
Thus also the mandate for the use of violence in the propagation of religion is contrary to spirituality itself, creating conditions whereby the notion of choice is removed from religion is spreading the message that the service of God is not a choice, since that is literally what is being carried out in practise.This is going to directly contardict any notion of love of God being part of that message. Again, when a wife needs to obey the husband at the pain of a beating it negates any notion of the inculcation of love in human relationships too. Loving relationships are then localised to the relationships between men who are going out to fight so as to avoid them fighting each other, beyond that there is no room for love.
I understand the underlying sentiment of the hijab/niqab, but it seems to be an over-reaction to one of the many problems that face humanity. Covering up a problem does not make it go away. The place of the sex organs is for sex, and sex is not all the time and with everyone, so those need to be put away. But our bodies are for work and our faces are for communication, and those are all the time, that is the meaning of life itself- work/ communicate, is it not? When I say “many problems of humanity”, I actually mean four: sex, power, pleasure, wealth and you could add violence, which is a by-product of an inordinate desire for all the four. We don’t deal with those by covering them up- we don’t eat in the dark, or go sight seeing at night with the lights off, or cover up our scenic spots, or drape our comfortable homes or fast cars in order to prevent us lusting after them and perpetrating violence as a result, do we? God gave us beauty both to behold for the praise of his glory and to struggle with, so that we too may attain holiness- a Crown and a Cross. That’s the spiritual battle that we face- spiritual jihad, if you may.
These sorts of measures, like a band-aid on an infected wound, do not take away the problem, only mask it. Only one manifestation of that masking and the fact that it creates other problems is in the manner that as a consequence, women who do not cover up can then be demonized. I hear Ayn Hirsi, a famous women’s rights activist speak of her experiences and her conversations with Muslims men and how they view women who do not follow the Islamic dress code. They are often themselves seen as evil, and the cause of evil and therefore can be seen as “fair game” and deserving of punishment. This tends to the psychology of Muslim rape and grooming gangs that have predominantly prey on white women and have caused scandal in multiple locations in the United Kingdom.
The Christian form of chastity and the indissolubility of Marriage as a Holy Sacrament is the perfection of the relation between the sexes. There was not need to “correct” what has been perfected.You marry one woman, and your temptation for all the rest is your spiritual jihad for you to overcome. What is jihad, if not struggling against your greatest temptations? A Muslim should be able to understand that.You struggle against your desire for every other woman you might have, and you struggle against your desire to leave the one woman that you do have- that is the perfection of the spiritual struggle and spiritual jihad and spiritual journey, or in other words: spiritual growth.Same for every other pleasure and desire, including the desire for violent resolution to conflict.That’s how Christians go to Heaven.”27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ 28 But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” (Matthew 5)”3 Some Pharisees came to him, and to test him they asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any cause?” 4 He answered, “Have you not read that the one who made them at the beginning ‘made them male and female,’ 5 and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? 6 So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.” 7 They said to him, “Why then did Moses command us to give a certificate of dismissal and to divorce her?” 8 He said to them, “It was because you were so hard-hearted that Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. 9 And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for unchastity, and marries another commits adultery.”” (Matthew 19) God bless, Jesus loves you.
Is Hijab a form of Praying and Devotion?
In addition to the intention of modesty this is another argument in favor of the hijab. Now no doubt I admire the woman that adopts this sacrifice out of a genuinely loving devotion to God, however that personal aspect of this practice must be weighed up against its public consequences we have outlined. In addition, there are problematic aspects even from the personal aspect as follows.
here is no religious reason for a minor to wear a hijab even in Islam, so this seems to clearly represent an effort at indoctrination, and an unfortunate loss of at least a part of the freedom of what it means to be a child.
My main issue is theological: If life is a “test”, then why force the result? How is that “testing”?
In Christianity there really is a test, it is the test of whether a woman will decide to dress modestly or not and whether a man will decide whether to lust after women who do not dress modestly or not. That’s the reason that you have all the visible the moral degradation that you see in western countries, it’s a sign of the test.
In Muslim we have the appearance of uniformity, but where’s the “test”? There is no teaching that prevents you from lusting after other women in Islam even when you’re married, right? Since you can marry other women too and even recycle the pervious ones for variety. Sorry, I put that a bit harshly, but it’s the truth, right? That’s just what atheists do normally anyway, except for the polygamy.
So the whole burkha system seems to be just top-dressing really, Allah never really stated its purpose in the first place, because it obviously does not serve any deeper purpose other than what seems the obvious intent of subjugation. This sort of subjugation reaches its full intent and purpose in societies like Saudi, Iran and under the Taliban. Hijab is only the start of it, but it is the most visible symbol of it.
Sexual Objectification while On Earth
Disposable and Interchangeable
“Maybe, his Lord, if he divorce you, will give him in your place wives better than you, submissive, faithful, obedient, penitent, adorers, fasters, widows and virgins” (66:5) There is no equivalent command for women “we will give you better husbands”.
A Hadith supporting adultery?
“Abu Huraira reported Allah’s Messenger as saying. Allah fixed the very portion of adultery which a man will indulge in. There would be no escape from it. The adultery of the eye is the lustful look and the adultery of the ears is listening to voluptuous (song or talk) and the adultery of the tongue is licentious speech and the adultery of the hand is the lustful grip (embrace) and the adultery of the feet is to walk (to the place) where he intends to commit adultery and the heart yearns and desires which he may or may not put into effect.” (Muslim 2658a)
Jurisprudential Teaching that supports Incest
Qurtubi’s Tafsir is not available online English, at least. Once again, Qurtubi states that Shafi’i, the founder of one of the four schools of islamic jurisprudence.
Ibn Al-Arabi said, “Lineage is an expression referring to the mixture of fluids between a male and a female from a religious legal point of view. However, if this union (between male and female) occurs through disobedience (fornication) then the resulting child is not considered part of a person’s true lineage. That is why a daughter born from zina is not mentioned in Allah’s saying, ‘Prohibited to you (for marriage) are: your mothers and daughters’ (Surah 4:23) because she is not considered a daughter according to the most authentic teaching of our religion.. If there is no legal lineage then there is no legal relationship; for zina does not prohibit (from marriage) the daughter of the mother (you committed zina with) nor the mother of a woman (you committed zina with).
[…]I (Qurtubi) said: The scholars have differed on the permissibility of a man marrying his daughter who was the result of an adulterous relationship; or for that matter marrying his sister or granddaughter who was the result of zina. Some prohibited this type of relationship; among them was Ibn Al Qasim, which is also the saying of Abu Hanifa and his companions. Others however allowed this type of marriage such as Abdul Malik Al Maj’shun, which is also the opinion of Al-Shafi’i. This was detailed in the explanation of Surah 4 (Al Nisa’).
Tafsir Al Qurtubi 25:54
Several Wives
“If ye fear that ye shall not be able to deal justly with the orphans girls, what seems suitable to you of the women, two or three or four; but if ye fear that ye shall not be able to deal justly (with them), then only one, or (a captive) that your right hands possess, that will be more suitable, to prevent you from doing injustice.” (Q 4:3) (We’ll look at this further in the prepubescent section).
23:5 “…who restrain their carnal desires (except with their wives and slave-girls, for these are lawful to them: transgressors are those who lust after other than these)…”
70:29-31 “And those who guard their private parts Except from their wives or those their right hands possess, for indeed, they are not to be blamed But whoever seeks beyond that, then they are the transgressors” This sounds like an almost exact repeat of the previous.
Sexual Objects
Women are your fields: go, then, into your fields whence you please.” Quran (2:223)
Your women are a tilth for you (to cultivate) so go to your tilth as ye will, and send (good deeds) before you for your souls, and fear Allah, and know that ye will (one day) meet Him. Give glad tidings to believers, (O Muhammad). Pickthall
Your wives are as a tilth unto you; so approach your tilth when or how ye will; but do some good act for your souls beforehand; and fear God. And know that ye are to meet Him (in the Hereafter), and give (these) good tidings to those who believe. Yusuf Ali
Tilth (tĭlth) n. 1. Cultivation of land; tillage. 2. Tilled earth. 3. The fitness of soil for cultivation, as measured by its structure and composition (freedictionary.com)
Female Sex Slaves
“Those who humble themselves in their prayers; Who avoid vain talk; Who are active in deeds of charity; Who abstain from sex, Except with those joined to them in the marriage bond, or (the captives) whom their right hands possess,- for (in their case) they are free from blame.” Qur’an 23:6
“O Prophet! We have made lawful to thee thy wives to whom thou hast paid their dowers; and those whom thy right hand possesses out of the prisoners of war whom Allah has assigned to thee” Qur’an 33:50
“Also (forbidden are) women already married, except those whom your right hands possess. Thus has Allah ordained for you. All others are lawful, provided you seek them from your property, desiring chastity, not fornication. So with those among them whom you have enjoyed, give them their required due, but if you agree mutually after the requirement (has been determined), there is no sin on you. Surely, Allah is Ever All-Knowing, All-Wise.” (Qur’an 4:24)
“Abu Said al-Khudri said: “The apostle of Allah sent a military expedition to Awtas on the occasion of the battle of Hunain. They met their enemy and fought with them. They defeated them and took them captives. Some of the Companions of the apostle of Allah were reluctant to have intercourse with the female captives in the presence of their husbands who were unbelievers. So Allah, the Exalted, sent down the Quranic verse, “And all married women (are forbidden) unto you save those (captives) whom your right hands possess”. That is to say, they are lawful for them when they complete their waiting period.” (4:24) Abu Dawud 2:2150
Abu Sa’id al-Khudri reported that at the Battle of Hunain Allah’s Messenger sent an army to Autas and encountered the enemy and fought with them. Having overcome them and taken them captives, the Companions of Allah’s Messenger seemed to refrain from having intercourse with captive women because of their husbands being polytheists. Then Allah, Most High, sent down regarding that:” And women already married, except those whom your right hands possess (Quran 4:. 24)” (i. e. they were lawful for them when their ‘Idda period came to an end). Sahih Muslim 8:3432
Here Mohammed prohibits coitus interruptus but not full-on sex with captives for his soldiers: “Narrated Ibn Muhairiz: I saw Abu Said and asked him about coitus interruptus. Abu Said said, “We went with Allah’s Apostle, in the Ghazwa of Barli Al-Mustaliq and we captured some of the ‘Arabs as captives, and the long separation from our wives was pressing us hard and we wanted to practice coitus interruptus. We asked Allah’s Apostle (whether it was permissible). He said, “It is better for you not to do so. No soul, (that which Allah has) destined to exist, up to the Day of Resurrection, but will definitely come, into existence.” (Sahih Bukhari 3:46:718)
“Narrated AbuSa’id al-Khudri: A man said: Apostle of Allah, I have a slave-girl and I withdraw the penis from her (while having intercourse), and I dislike that she becomes pregnant. I intend (by intercourse) what the men intend by it. The Jews say that withdrawing the penis (azl) is burying the living girls on a small scale. He (the Prophet) said: The Jews told a lie. If Allah intends to create it, you cannot turn it away.” (Abu Dawud 11:2166)
Prostitution allowed?
“…And constrain not your slave-girls to prostitution, if they desire to live in chastity, that you may seek the chance goods of the present life. Whosoever constrains them, surely God, after their being constrained, is All-forgiving, All-compassionate.” (Q24:33)
This verse is a clear permission to forcibly prostitute one’s female slaves. The first half of the ayah (not quoted here) actually encourages the Muslims to emancipate female slaves “if you find some good in them”. There is little comfort in this, since good people would not mistreat slave anyway rather keep them as a servant in their employ, while an evil person by definition he will not find any good in anyone else, so he is unlikely to find reason to emancipate the slave. The emancipation is made conditional upon the moral compass of the owner. This verse serves for little more than to leave open the possibility of the abuse of the slave. There is at least one Qur’anic verse which commends the freeing of one’s slave without commanding it. According to the traditions, Muhammed himself owned and traded slaves, so we can see that these verses will not be interpreted any differently than I have indicated here.
Temporary Marriage for Sex– Mut’ah
There is a rather disturbing about the possibility of contracting a temporary “marriage” with a woman purely for sex in Islam, called Nikah-al-Mut’ah. This finds Qur’anic validation from the verse 4:24, and further justification for it is to be found in the Hadith literature. As will be seen, confusion reigns as to whether the Mut’ah is to be continued or not following the death of Muhammed. But one thing is never under question- that there was a time when Muhammed allowed it:
“Then give those of these women you have enjoyed the agreed dower…And all married women (are forbidden unto you) save those (captives) whom your right hands possess. It is a decree of Allah for you. Lawful unto you are all beyond those mentioned, so that ye seek them with your wealth in honest wedlock, not debauchery. And those of whom ye seek content (by marrying them), give unto them their portions as a duty. And there is no sin for you in what ye do by mutual agreement after the duty (hath been done). Lo! Allah is ever Knower, Wise. Give them their dowry for the enjoyment you have had of them as a duty; but it shall be no offence for you to make any other agreements among yourselves after you have fulfilled your duty.. Surely God is all knowing and wise.” (Q 4:24)
This cannot be advice for a regular marriage, because a husband does not really pay his wife a dowry for the enjoyment he has had of her! In fact, a husband does not pay his wife for any services be them sexual or to do with the washing up, nor does he pay her dowry, I did think that her father does. However verse 5:6 does talk about giving dowries to one’s wives, (a verse reminiscent of the Old Testament instruction of the bridal price for the seduction of a virgin in a case when the relationship had been already been illegally consummated and the father refused her hand in marriage). So there is a fee being paid by this man to this woman for enjoyment obtained. This is a prostitution of marriage. Hence the use of ‘dowry’. Even if he did absurdly pay any prescribed rates to the wife, then what is this potential mutual sin that is being overlooked after the payment has been done? Does it not allude to a parting of ways after the sum has been paid. Here you will notice, as in other places, how AYA tries to tone down the verses’ implications. What potentially sinful variations of the dowry are possible?
Alternate translations: (AYA) Seeing that ye derive benefit from them, give them their dowers (at least) as prescribed; but if, after a dower is prescribed, agree Mutually (to vary it), there is no blame on you, and Allah is All-knowing, All-wise. (Pickthall)
The Hadith on nikah-al-mut’ah
Imam Muslim introduces this Hadith with a comment on the confusion surrounding it, and then gives his opinion that it is no longer permitted:
“Chapter: Mut’ah Marriage: It was permitted then abrograted, then permitted then abrogated, and it will remain Forbidden until the day of resurrection:
“Sabra al-Juhani reported on the authority of his father that while he was with Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) he said: O people, I had permitted you to contract temporary marriage with women, but Allah has forbidden it (now) until the Day of Resurrection. So he who has any (woman with this type of marriage contract) he should let her off, and do not take back anything you have given to them (as dower).” (Sahih Muslim 1406d)
There’s a sequence of hadith from Bukhari that relate to this, 5115-5119:
“Narrated `Ali: I said to Ibn `Abbas, “During the battle of Khaibar the Prophet (ﷺ) forbade (Nikah) Al-Mut’a and the eating of donkey’s meat.” (Bukhari 5115)
“Narrated Abu Jamra: I heard Ibn `Abbas (giving a verdict) when he was asked about the Mut’a with the women, and he permitted it (Nikah-al-Mut’a). On that a freed slave of his said to him, “That is only when it is very badly needed and women are scarce.” On that, Ibn `Abbas said, “Yes.” (Bukhari 5116)
“Narrated Jabir bin `Abdullah and Salama bin Al-Akwa`: While we were in an army, Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) came to us and said, “You have been allowed to do the Mut’a (marriage), so do it.” (Bukhari 5117,5118)
“Salama bin Al-Akwa` said: Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ)’s said, “If a man and a woman agree (to marry temporarily), their marriage should last for three nights, and if they like to continue, they can do so; and if they want to separate, they can do so.” I do not know whether that was only for us or for all the people in general. Abu `Abdullah (Al-Bukhari) said: `Ali made it clear that the Prophet said, “The Mut’a marriage has been cancelled (made unlawful).” (Bukhari 5119)
Sex with Prepubescents
See in the dedicated article to this topic.
Halala marriage
“And if he hath divorced her (the third time), then she is not lawful unto him thereafter until she hath wedded another husband. Then if he (the other husband) divorce her it is no sin for both of them that they come together again (Q 2:230)
As per this verse, if a couple regrets divorcing, they cannot get back together unless the woman has “done the job” with another man first. This marriage must actually be a consummated marriage (fiqh schools assert this eg. Hanafi, Shafi, Ibn Kathir, Sahih Bukhari 5265). I have heard Muslim commentators try to ameliorate this by stating that it is meant to deter couples taking separation lightly. This does not make just for the woman, since the task of undergoing this “consummation” falls entirely upon her. Bear in mind that in a male dominated Muslim society, divorces are male-initiated anyway, why should a women who had no desire for the separation in the first place then be made to pay the price for a reunion with the defilement of her body. To this day there have been scandals of mosques running rackets by their imams of halala marriages whereby women who have no social support on becoming divorced are desperate to go back to their spouses. They are made to marry some men who are part of the racket, and often get taken advantage of as you might expect. There has been at last one case of the imam of a mosque having a bed in a backroom where he would “provide the service”. Here: The women who sleep with a stranger to save their marriage – BBC News “The women who sleep with a stranger to save their marriage”.
Poorly Protected by Law
The story in the Hadith (Bukhari 2661) tells us that Aisha is (falsely) accused of adultery with Safwan bin al-Mu’attal, and three men testify against her. She was Mohammed’s favourite wife, though, and Mohammed “receives” a timely revelation stating that a charge of adultery requires the witness of at least four men, thus saving Aisha from a gruesome end through stoning, as in Q 24:12 asking “Why did they not produce four witnesses?” Unfortunately, in parts of the Muslim world today, this verse supposedly intended to protect Aisha has seemingly been distorted and used to protects perpetrators. This is the “Hudood ordinance”, according to which the witness of at least 4 males is required for a conviction of rape to stick. If the woman cannot produce four witnesses, she herself is convicted of adultery. There are said to be plenty of women languishing in the jails of Pakistan and other Muslim countries under this ordinance for accusing a man of rape with “insufficient” evidence.
They’re sexual objects in Eternity
Enticements on Offer- “Houris”, etc.
We enumerate the verses offering sexual enticements in the Qur’an in numerical sequence here.
Verses 37:48 and 38:52 refer to the “companions of modest/restraining their glances (qasiratun) and of equal age” who will be given to the believers in Paradise. These are obviously women, men do no “restrain their glances”, they’re the ones doing the glancing. There is no indication that these are their wives:
“no bad effect is in it and neither will they be intoxicated (from the wine), and with them will be companions restraining their glances, as if they were hidden/protected eggs/pearls” (Q 37:47-49)
“Reclining within them (the Gardens), they will call therein for abundant fruit and drink. and with them maidens restraining their glances of equal age.” (Q 38:51,52)
Subsequently, it is evident that there is not even the pretence of these women being wives of the believers.
(Q 44:54) “Even thus: and we shall wed them to dark-eyed houris (bi-hurin aynin). Secure against all ills, they call for every kind of fruit in safety.“
(Q 52:20 AH) “They are comfortably seated on couches arranged in rows. We pair them with beautiful-eyed maidens (bi-hurin aynin)”
Probably the most sexually enticing verses in the Qur’an run from 55:54-59, 72-78 and 56:22,35-8. The refrain, “then which of your Lord’s favours would you deny!” is interspersed within this sequence no less than 30 times, a poetic device seemingly intended to heighten emotional frenzy as the objects of delight are listed one by one. It is hard for a non-Muslim to read through these and not have the mental image of a flesh-market, with maidens “restrained in pavilions” and the seller blagging on about their intimate attributes in the manner that they might expect to be sold prime cuts of meat:
“Wherein both will be those maidens restraining their glances/bashful (qasiratu l-tarfi, Arab.- “enamoured”) upon their husbands, whom no man or jinn has touched/deflowered (“yatmithhunna” ṭā mīm thā [ط م ث] 2occ., this and v.70. For the lexical meaning of “deflowering”, see: http://lexicon.quranic-research.net/data/16_T/068_Tmv.html) before them. Then which of the Blessings of your Lord will you both deny? They are like rubies and coral. Then which of the Blessings of your Lord will you both deny?” (Q 55:56-58)
In this incredible sequence, both boys and women are made available on a menu that also has food and wine:
“immortal youths going round about them with goblets, and ewers, and a cup from a spring (no brows throbbing, no intoxication) and such fruits as they shall choose, and such flesh of fowl as they desire, and wide-eyed houris as the likeness of hidden pearls, a recompense for that they labored.” (Q 56:17-22)
Finally, all pretense is abandoned. The houris are literally purpose-built:
(Q 56:34-37 AH) “and upon couches raised high (also trans. “incomparable companions”, ref : Razi) we have specially created, virginal, loving and of equal age”
Here one starts to get the feeling that the maidens are enclosed within four walls, and the feeling of objectification is only increasing:
“therein maidens good and comely –(khairatun hisanun) O which of your Lord’s bounties will you and you deny? Houris, cloistered/restrained (q-s-r, maqsuratun 1 occ., qasiratu “companions of modest gaze” 3 occ., qusuran- castle/palace 4.occ, yuqsiruna- cease 1occ.) in cool pavilions (1occ.). O which of your Lord’s bounties will you and you deny? Untouched before them by any man or jinn. O which of your Lord’s bounties will you and you deny?” (Q 55:70-74 A)
The descriptions finally reach their most intimate:
“gardens and vineyards and maidens with swelling breasts, like of age, and a cup overflowing.” (Q 78:32-33)
All the Muslim commentators support this “big-breasted” translation of “wakawāʿiba” and so also do most English translations go along with it. The word occurs only once in the Qur’an. An alternative translation is “voluptuous women” and I have also seen an explanation that it refers to a stage in the sexual development of a women related to the initial development of the breasts. Whatever the case, these are physical attributes of women on offer. Obviously from this and the previous veres, the author of the Qur’an does not consider sexual objectification a moral issue.
Islamqa Islamic website lists translations of some famous Muslim scholars:
At-Tabaree said; “And full-breasted maidens of equal age.”
Qataadah said; “Full-breasted women of equal age.”
‘Alee Ibn Abee Talhah, from Ibn ‘Abbaas (who said about ‘wakawaa’iba’); “And full-breasted maidens; and His saying ‘atraabaa’ (means) of equal age.”
Ibn Zayd said; “ ‘Al-Kawaakib’ means the woman whose breasts are raised and full/prominent” and he said ‘atraabaa’ means “of equal age.”
Ibn Katheer said; “Meaning; Full-breasted maidens, which means that their breasts are raised and full; not dropping, since they are amorous virgins of equal age.”
Islamqa with regards to the dictionary meaning kawaa’ib:
“the literal translation of the word kawaa‘ib, it is the plural of the word kaa‘ib, which refers to a female with developing breasts, as it says in Majmal al-Lughah, 1/787
Ibn Faaris (may Allah have mercy on him) said: Ka‘b comes from a sound root that is indicative of a thing beginning to develop and emerge. From the same root comes the word ka‘b, which refers to the ankle, which is the bone on the two sides of the lower leg where it meets the foot; and the word Ka‘bah which refers to the House of Allah, may He be exalted; it is so called because of its prominence and its square shape. A woman is described as kaa‘ib when her breasts begin to develop. End quote from Maqaayees al-Lughah, 5/186. See also al-Qaamoos al-Muheet, p. 131; Lisaan al-‘Arab, 1/719. This is the literal meaning of the word in terms of linguistic roots.
… the literal, dictionary meaning of the word kaa‘ib is the one whose breasts are beginning to develop or have begun to appear, as quoted above from Arabic dictionaries. This means that they have begun to appear and take on the feminine form, not that they have become completely developed as is implied by the word “full”.
We may say something similar about describing a woman as kaa‘ib in Arabic; it is not intended as an erotic, physical description of any part of the woman’s body, as much as it is intended as a description of the girl in terms of the emergence of the signs of femininity in her, as an indication of her young age and youthfulness, so that men would be attracted to her. At this age the signs of femininity begin to appear in the girl. The point of using this word is not to describe the size of the breasts or to note their form or shape; rather the purpose is to highlight the woman’s youthfulness.
Ibn al-Jawzi (may Allah have mercy on him) said: The woman is a tiflah (little girl) when she is small, waleedah when she begins to walk, then a kaa‘ib when her breasts begin to appear, then a naahid when they increase in size, then ma‘sar when she reaches the age of puberty, then khawd when she reaches the age of a young woman.”- from Akhbaar an-Nisa’, p. 228.
It says in Sharh Ma‘aani Shi‘r al-Mutanabbi by Ibn al-Ifleeli (vol. 1, 2/270): A young man is called shaabb and a young woman is called kaa‘ib.”
Imam az-Zajjaaj – who is one of the leading scholars of the Arabic language – says: “The phrase “wa kawaa‘ib atraaban (translated above as: And full-breasted maidens of equal age)” means that they are all of the same age, which is the pinnacle of youth and beauty.” -Ma‘aani al-Qur’an wa I‘raabihi, 4/338
Look at how the scholars explain this description, kaa‘ib, as referring to one of the stages in a girl’s life; it is not intended as an erotic description of her body, even though that may be the literal meaning. This is exactly the same as the way in which the Arabs use the word haa’id to refer to reaching the age of physical maturity; they do not mean that the woman is actually menstruating. There is further clear evidence in the fact that the Arabs use this word in both poetry and prose in the context of describing a woman’s chastity and honourable nature, not in the context of an erotic description aimed at provoking desire. When the Arab poet describes a girl as kaa‘ib, he is not referring to her breasts or their size or roundness; rather it is a description of any young girl, and this word is used in pure and refined types of love poetry that are far removed from any sexual connotations.
ath-Tha‘labi said in al-Kashf wa’l-Bayaan (10/118): Hence al-Maawardi (may Allah have mercy on him) said in his commentary on the word kawaa‘ib in this verse: It refers to maidens or virgins. This was stated by ad-Dahhaak.” -an-Nukat wa’l-‘Uyoon, 6/188.
Islamqa gives some examples of translation attempts:
“And young full-breasted (mature) maidens of equal age.” Hilaali-Khan in the Translation of the Meanings of the Noble Qur’an, printed by the King Fahd Complex for the Printing of the Holy Qur’an (p. 811)
Arthur J Arberry translated it as follows: “and maidens with swelling breasts, like of age.”
Sarwar translated it in a similar manner: “maidens with pears-shaped breasts who are of equal age”
Another translation says: “and voluptuous women of equal age”.
Maulana Muhammad Ali: And youthful (companions), equals in age”
Marmaduke Pickthall: “And maidens for companions”
Abdullah Yusuf Ali: “Companions of equal age”
Muhammad Taqi Uthmani: “And buxom maidens of matching age”.
The Hadith on Heaven
“It was mentioned by Daraj Ibn Abi Hatim, that Abu al-Haytham ‘Adullah Ibn Wahb narrated from Abu Sa’id al-Khudhri, who heard the Prophet Muhammad saying, ‘The smallest reward for the people of Heaven is an abode where there are 80,000 servants and 72 houri, over which stands a dome decorated with pearls, aquamarine and ruby, as wide as the distance from al-Jabiyyah to San’a.” l-Tirmidhi, Vol. 4, Ch. 21, No. 2687
The Prophet Muhammad said “Every man who enters paradise shall be given 72 houris; no matter at what age he had died, when he is admitted into paradise, he will become a thirty-year-old, and shall not age any further. A man in paradise shall be given virility equal to that of one hundred men”. Tirmizi, vol. 2, pg.138
Allah’s Apostle (The blessing and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “In Paradise there is a pavilion made of a single hollow pearl sixty miles wide, in each corner of which there are wives who will not see those in the other corners; and the believers will visit and enjoy them.” Sahih Bukhari 6:60:402
Narrated Abu Huraira: Allah’s Apostle said, “The first group of people who will enter Paradise, will be glittering like the full moon and those who will follow them, will glitter like the most brilliant star in the sky. They will not urinate, relieve nature, spit, or have any nasal secretions. Their combs will be of gold, and their sweat will smell like musk. The aloes-wood will be used in their centres. Their wives will be houris. All of them will look alike and will resemble their father Adam (in statute), sixty cubits tall.” (Sahih al-Bukhari 3245; Vol. 4, Bk. 55, No. 544)
Abu Umama narrated: “The Messenger of God said, ‘Everyone that God admits into paradise will be married to 72 wives; two of them are houris and seventy of his inheritance of the [female] dwellers of hell. All of them will have libidinous sex organs and he will have an ever-erect penis.’ ” Sunan Ibn Majah, Zuhd (Book of Abstinence) 4337, graded Da’if.
for the martyrs:
“Narrated Al-Miqdam bin Ma’diykarib: That the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “There are six things with Allah for the martyr. He is forgiven with the first flow of blood (he suffers), he is shown his place in Paradise, he is protected from punishment in the grave, secured from the greatest terror, the crown of dignity is placed upon his head – and its gems are better than the world and what is in it – he is married to seventy two wives along Al-Huril-‘Ayn of Paradise, and he may intercede for seventy of his close relatives.” [Abu ‘Eisa said:] This Hadith is Hasan Sahih” (Tirmidhi, 1663 graded hasan- Darussalam)
Comments on the concept of houris
Is sex really enjoyable with someone you don’t love, or that has no choice in their relationship with you? It is quite obvious that there is no consideration of free will in the matter of houris. Muslim commentators have struggled to explain this with some even postulating that they are taken from Hell to be used for this purpose (see Ibn Majah 39, above).
Perhaps the most accurate etymology of hur is from scholar Arthur Jeffries, who shows that the Persians had a similar word for their heavenly maidens, and which literally meant “white-skinned”. It is interesting to note that the word “whore” is given in the online Etymology dictionary as ““one who desires”- Proto-Germanic, hypothetical prehistoric ancestor of all Germanic languages, including English., the Huora “whore” O.H.G. Old High German, the ancestor of the modern literary German language, spoken in the upland regions of Germany; German language as written and spoken from the earliest period to 750-1100 AD, O.E. hore “prostitute, harlot,” O.E. Old English, the English language as written and spoken c.450-c.1100. This concept of houri fits every Christian definition of whoring, because it is the flagrant objectification of a woman.
Famous Islamic Scholars on Heaven
“..Each time we sleep with a Houri we find her virgin. Besides, the penis of the Elected never softens. The erection is eternal; the sensation that you feel each time you make love is utterly delicious and out of this world and were you to experience it in this world you would faint. Each chosen one [i.e. Muslim] will marry seventy [sic] houris, besides the women he married on earth, and all will have appetizing vaginas.” – Al-Suyuti, reknowned Tafsir scholar, Al-Itqan fi Ulum al-Qur’an, p. 351
Abū Ḥāmid Muḥammad ibn Muḥammad al-Ghazālī (c. 1058–1111); known as Al-Ghazali or Algazel to the Western medieval world, was a Muslim theologian, jurist, philosopher, and mystic of Persian descent. Al-Ghazali has sometimes been referred to by historians as the single most influential Muslim after the Islamic prophet Muhammad. Within Islam he is considered to be a Mujaddid or renewer of the faith, who, according to tradition, appears once every century to restore the faith of the community. His works were so highly acclaimed by his contemporaries that al-Ghazali was awarded the honorific title “Proof of Islam” (Hujjat al-Islam):
“A man asked the Prophet : 0 Prophet of God, will the inmates of Paradise have sexual intercourse ? He said: Anybody among them will be given sexual strength of seven, persons among you. The Prophet said : An inmate of Paradise will have five hundred hurs, four thousand unmarried women and eight thousand widowed women. Each of them will keep embracing him for the duration of his whole worldly life time. He also said: There will be markets in Paradise in which there will be no buy and sale, but there will be men and women. If any man will wish to have sexual intercourse with a woman, he will do at once. The Hurs will sing in Paradise on divine purity and praise-we are most beautiful Hurs and we are for the honoured husbands.”, Al Ghazzali, “Ihya Uloom Ed-Din (The Revival of the Religious Sciences) Vol. 4”, Death and Subsequent Events 430
Female Genital Mutilation
The historical religious view of Islam, on FGM, varies with the school of Islamic jurisprudence:
- The Shafi’i school of Islamic jurisprudence considers female circumcision to be wajib (obligatory).
- The Hanbali school of Islamic jurisprudence considers female circumcision to be makrumah (honorable) and strongly encouraged, to obligatory.
- The Maliki school of Islamic jurisprudence considers female circumcision to be sunnah (optional) and preferred.
- The Hanafi school of Islamic jurisprudence considers female circumcision to be sunnah (preferred).
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religious_views_on_female_genital_mutilation)
There are dichotomous differences of opinion among Sunni scholars in regards to female genital cutting. These differences of opinion range from forbidden to obligatory. The Shafi’i and Hanbali schools of Islamic jurisprudence consider circumcision to be obligatory for both males and females, while the Hanafi and Maliki schools of Islamic jurisprudence consider circumcision to be Sunnah (preferred) for both males and females. There is no consensus whether the hadiths support or forbid FGM. Different schools of Islamic jurisprudence have expressed different views on FGM.
The differences in jurist opinions focuses around several hadith from the Sunni collections:
Hadith Sunan Abu Dawood favoring FGM:
“A woman used to perform circumcision in Medina. The Prophet said to her: Do not cut severely as that is better for a woman and more desirable for a husband.” (Sunan Abu Dawood, 41:5251)
Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani describes this hadith as poor in authenticity, and quotes Imam Ahmad Bayhaqi’s point of view that it is “poor, with a broken chain of transmission” Zein al-Din al-Iraqi points out in his commentary on Al-Ghazali’s Ihya ulum al-din (I:148) that the mentioned hadith has a weak chain of transmission.” Yusuf ibn Abd-al-Barr comments: “Those who consider (female) circumcision a sunna, use as evidence this hadith of Abu al-Malih, which is based solely on the evidence of Hajjaj ibn Artaa, who cannot be admitted as an authority when he is the sole transmitter. The above hadith from Sunan Abu Dawud has been narrated by Al-Hakim and Al-Bayhaqy as well, with similar wording, but they too are considered weak chains of transmitters.
Hadith Sahih Muslim favoring FGM
“Abu Musa reported: There cropped up a difference of opinion between a group of Muhajirs (Emigrants and a group of Ansar (Helpers) (and the point of dispute was) that the Ansar said: The bath (because of sexual intercourse) becomes obligatory only-when the semen spurts out or ejaculates. But the Muhajirs said: When a man has sexual intercourse (with the woman), a bath becomes obligatory (no matter whether or not there is seminal emission or ejaculation). Abu Musa said: Well, I satisfy you on this (issue). He (Abu Musa, the narrator) said: I got up (and went) to ‘A’isha and sought her permission and it was granted, and I said to her: O Mother, or Mother of the Faithful, I want to ask you about a matter on which I feel shy. She said: Don’t feel shy of asking me about a thing which you can ask your mother, who gave you birth, for I am too your mother. Upon this I said: What makes a bath obligatory for a person? She replied: You have come across one well informed! The Messenger of Allah said: When anyone sits amidst four parts (of the woman) and the circumcised parts touch each other a bath becomes obligatory.”—Sahih Muslim, 3:684
Muhammad Salim al-Awwa states that while the hadith is authentic, it is not evidence of support for FGM. He states that the Arabic for “the two circumcision organs” is a single word used to connote two forms of circumcision. He claims that while the female form is used to denote both male and female genitalia, it should be considered to mean only the male circumcised organ. He suggests this hadith is misunderstood because “in Arabic language, two things or persons may be given one quality or name that belongs only to one of them.”
Hadith Al-Muwatta favoring FGM
One hadith from the Al-Muwatta collection states:
Yahya related to me from Malik from Yahya ibn Said from Said ibn al-Musayyab that Abu Musa al-Ashari came to A’isha, the wife of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and said to her, “The disagreement of the companions in a matter which I hate to bring before you has distressed me.” She said, “What is that? You did not ask your mother about it, so ask me.” He said, “A man penetrates his wife, but becomes listless and does not ejaculate. She said, “When the circumcised part passes the circumcised part ghusl is obligatory Abu Musa added, “I shall never ask anyone about this after you.”
Like the hadith from Sahih Muslim, Islamic scholars question whether circumcised parts mentioned in Al-Muwatta above are those of the wife
Read the UNICEF document:
http://www.unicef.org/esaro/FGCM_Lo_res.pdf
The UNICEF document on FGM shows that the problem is exclusively North African, and we all know that North African is overwhelmingly Muslim. You will see that Sudan is in the red, while South Sudan looks unaffected. UNICEF being what it is, does not of course focus on the religious aspects of the subject except for fleetingly. So the figures could really mean anything. For example when it says that a shocking 27 million in Egypt have been cut, this could mean 27 million Muslms or 27 million Christians ot anything in between. So apart from the geographic distribution, the figures have limited usefulness.
The document says on page 69 “FGM/C is often seen to be somehow connected to Islam, a view that is perhaps unsurprising given the frequency with which it is practised by many Muslim African groups”, and goes on to assert that it is not just Muslims, but also Jewish and Christian women that have suffered the practice. Attitudes to the practise are varied, and one do not actually find the scathing disgust for the practice that is felt by Westerners. Both men and women seem to have mixed views towards it. Pg 69 in countries such as Guinea, Mali and Mauritania, significant proportions of women and men reported that FGM/C is required by their religion. This is often closely linked to the response of cleanliness/hygiene, since
FGM/C has become understood in some Muslim communities to be a cleansing rite that enables women to pray in a proper manner. Muslims must perform elaborate ablutions before praying and even if they, for example fart during, they must re-perform the ablutions. The reason given in the Hadith for male circumcision is that urine lurking under the foreskin makes one unclean for prayer, and this is also seen as a benefit for FGM.
Anything Good?
In all fairness, there are, in the midst of all this seeming blatant sexism, one or two verses for the wives. However these do not seem adequate to compensate for all the foregoing, nor even very convincing, as I will explain why. It would seem significant that the word for kindness ihsaanan with which Muslims are told to deal with other believers is never used specifically in relation to the wives.
In the first, Allah accepts the labors of both, but it is not clear for what:
“And their Lord answers them: ‘I waste not the labour of any that labours among you, be you male or female — the one of you is as the other. (literally -one is from the other: ba’dukum min ba’din) ” (Q 3:195)
Men are told to have affection for and mercy toward their wives. The word for affection is the same as that for “love” here. However w-ja’ala is “placed/made” rather than commanded:
“And of His signs is that He created for you mates from your own selves that you may take comfort in them, and He ordained (wajaʿala) affection (mawaddatan) and mercy (warahmatan) between you. There are indeed signs in that for a people who reflect.” (Q 30:21)
There is a teaching of kindness here, but the kindness seems to be related to the terms of the divorce. l-faḍla is usually translated in other places as “bounty”, so here it might refer to generosity, though some translators use kindness:
“And if you divorce them before consummating the marriage but after deciding on a dowry, pay half of the dowry, unless the wife graciously waives it or the husband graciously pays in full. Graciousness is closer to righteousness. And do not forget graciousness (fadla) among yourselves. Surely Allah is All-Seeing of what you do.” (Quran 2:237)
In the following verse, the translations of bil-maʿrūfi range from honorably, fairly or kindly. The usual lexical meaning of عرف is a bit obscure, so I’m not sure what’s the right pick here: http://lexicon.quranic-research.net/data/18_E/072_Erf.html (click on the first meaning). However as we’ve seen elsewhere, the usual word for kindness seems to be ihsaanan. One can deal honorably with one who one considers to be honorable. That does not necessarily preclude a change in behaviour, for example in response to perceived rebellion, misdemeanor or threat.
“O believers, it is not lawful for you to inherit women against their will; neither debar them, that you may go off with part of what you have given them, except when they commit a flagrant indecency Consort with them honourably (bil-ma’rufi); or if you are averse to them, it is possible you may be averse to a thing, and God set in it much good.” (Q 4:19 [Arberry])