– Muhammad Azam (B.Tech. CSE, AMU)
Islam has prescribed a burqa for women i.e. a veil that covers the woman’s body and is considered to be an act of modesty. However, people ask why are only women obliged to wear it? Muslims try to explain this by saying that it is for their modesty but a counter-question may be posed as to why only women should be modest and men roam freely?
Even before we start to explain this, we have to understand the basic concept in Islam regarding the male and female genders and their differences. Islam says that men and women are different-
… And the male is not like the female…3:36
This principle is the basis because of which the Islamic prescriptions are different for men and women in Islam. If men and women had been equal, then the burqa would have been oppression for women. For the time being, we will cover only those reasons for this which are immediately related to our topic. In Sha Allah
First of all the burqa is for modesty. A notable fact is that men have also been prescribed to be modest and are required to cover their ‘satr’ when among people. The satr of men is from the navel to the knees (knees included). The satr of women is stricter and covers the whole body except the face, hands, and feet. Both men and women are required to lower their gaze in public places. There are reasons because of which men are relaxed in this matter as compared to women. They are as follows-
1. As opposed to the western concept of individualism, Islam proposes the family system as the basis of society. In such a society, the man is the breadwinner and the women stay at home taking care of their children and home. In such a society, women must stay away from having relationships with other men as it harms the peace and strength of the family. It also has evil effects on the minds of the children and spreads STDs (Sexually Transmitted Diseases) in society. So, women must protect their chastity by wearing the burqa.
2. Many people say that how can women do their activities outside their homes if they wear the restrictive burqa. The answer is quite simple to understand now. As Islam proposes that women should stay at their homes, it means that in an Islamic society, women will generally stay at their homes. Thus, they will have to face the restrictiveness only for some time as compared to other working women who may have to face the difficulties daily.
3. Women are not so much attracted to good-looking men as men are attracted to good-looking women. It is generally seen that women are more attracted to men who are rich and powerful. The Quran states about this obsessive attraction of men towards women in Surah Al Imran:
“Beautified for people is the love of that which they desire – of women and sons, heaped-up sums of gold and silver, fine branded horses, and cattle and tilled land. That is the enjoyment of worldly life, but Allah has with Him the best return.” (verse 14)
Here the list of things that men desire, is given. In this, women are mentioned first.
Similarly, the incident of Zulaykha and Yousuf A.S. also indicates this. After Zulaykha tried to seduce Yousuf A.S., the women of the town started making fun of her because she could not control herself on her husband’s slave. She then called them all to her home to show that she was just a normal woman and that it was Yousuf A.S, who was exceptionally beautiful. If a man would have done this with his wife’s slave, it would not be anything amusing for other men. This argument brings us to the conclusion that men are attracted more towards women than women are attracted towards men. Thus women should cover themselves up to more than men.
4. Women are soft and men are bold in nature. This is especially true in the case of relationships where men are the direct initiators. Women are generally passive in this process and use indirect methods to attract men towards them rather than confronting the man directly. The basic technique involves wearing revealing clothes. Wearing the burqa breaks this process of attraction and signifies that this woman who is wearing the burqa is chaste (generally).
Hence we get to know why Islam prescribes the burqa for women. I hope that this article will be eye-opening for the readers and help them in practicing this wise aspect of Islam. Ameen
