The Veil

 Even though the veil has become one of the problems of the hour in the Islamic world and Europe, historically it cannot be considered an obligation that the Qur´an or Muhammad imposed on women. It is certain, however, that the veil was used at first as a sign to distinguish the free woman so that none should molest her thinking her to be a slave. In the Arabic language, it means "a covering, or anything that separates between two things or keeps something from something else."
Muslims cite two verses from the Qur´an to prove that the veil is obligatory. The more common verse is: "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" (Sura al-Nur 24:31). The reason this verse was revealed is said to be that Asma´, the daughter of Murshid, was at a certain place in Banu Haritha, and the women kept coming into the place where she was without any covering, so that the bangles round their legs showed, likewise their bosoms and hair locks. Asma' said, "How ugly this is!" Then God revealed: "Tell believing women....." It is said also that the reason for revealing this verse was the following story that `Ali Ibn Abi Talib related: "A man passed one day during the lifetime of the Messenger of God through the streets of Medina. He looked at a certain woman and she at him. Then the devil whispered to both of them that they looked at each other only because they liked one another. The man kept walking alongside a wall, looking at her, and behold another wall hit him and his nose was split. He said, 'By God, I shall not wash the blood till I come to the Messenger of God and tell him what happened to me!' He went to him and told him his story. The prophet said, 'This was the punishment for your guilt.' Then God revealed, 'Tell believers to avert their glances.....' "
One of the important terms in this verse is "nakedness", which is the genitalia. The word comes originally from `ar, meaning shame, since it is shameful or disgraceful to show these private parts. Therefore, women in general are called "nakedness". Arabic also has the word `awra´, which means "a rude or vulgar word". Muhammad said, "A woman should not look at the nakedness of [another] woman, and the man should not look at the nakedness of [another] man." `A´isha said, "I have never looked at or seen the private parts of the Messenger of God at all." Scholars classify the nakedness of both sexes in four categories:
1- The nakedness of a man with another man.
2- The nakedness of a woman with another woman.
3- The nakedness of a man with a woman.
4- The nakedness of a woman with a man.
The nakedness of a man with another man is between the navel and the knees. A man is not allowed to look at the nakedness of another man between the navel and the knees, but he is allowed to look at anything else. Muhammad said, "No man should look at the nakedness of another, and no woman should look at the nakedness of another." The majority of jurists are in agreement that the area between the navel and the knees is the nakedness of man, as is evidenced by many hadiths. Malik said, "The thigh is not a nakedness." The opinion of the majority is backed up by the tradition of Jurhud al-Aslami. He said, "The Messenger of God sat at our place and my thigh was bare. He said, 'Do you not know that the thigh is a nakedness?' "Another tradition says, "Do not expose your thigh and look not at the thigh of anyone, whether alive or dead."
The nakedness of a woman with another woman is the same as the nakedness of a man with a man, namely from the navel to the knees, and it is permissible to look at anything else. This excludes the dsimmi and unbelieving woman who are treated in a different section later on.
The nakedness of a man with a woman needs a more detailed explanation. If the man is closely related to the woman (maharim), such as the father, the brother, the maternal and the paternal uncles, then his nakedness would be anything between the navel and the knee. And if he were a "stranger", his nakedness would also be the same as before. Yet another opinion says that all the body of man is nakedness, and that the woman ought not to look at it. Inasmuch as he is not allowed to look at her, she is not allowed to look at him. The first opinion, however, is more favoured as the correct one. But if the man is her husband, then there is no nakedness at all on the grounds of His saying: "Save from their wives and what their right hands own, then being not blameworthy."
As to the nakedness of a woman in relation to a man, all her body is considered a nakedness according to the most creditable opinions, which are the opinions of the Hanbalites and the Shafi`ites. Ahmad Ibn Hanbal has already stated this when he said, "Every part of the woman is a nakedness, even her fingernail."
Malik and Abu Hanifa both hold that a woman's body is a nakedness, but for the face and the palms of the hands. Each opinion has its own proofs which will be briefly listed later in the chapter.
While the Hanafites and the Malikites maintain that the face and the palms are not nakedness, the Hanbalites and the Shafi`ites refer to the Qur´an, the Sunna, and the daily practice as their points of reference. The disagreement is now about the zina (ornament, or charm) which each madshab (school of thought) interprets in a different way.
Zina is divided into two sorts: natural and acquired. The face is part of the natural zina (here it would be translated charm); it is the origin of beauty and the source of temptation and seduction. As to the acquired zina (ornament), it is the clothes, the beautifications, and the dyes that the woman puts on herself to improve her appearance. The advocates of this view back up what they say from the Qur´an and the Hadith. In this they hold that it is not permissible to look at the face of a woman for fear of temptation, since temptation caused by the face is greater than that caused by the feet, the hair, or the legs. Therefore, if all agree that it is forbidden to look at the hair, legs, and feet, then it is more appropriate not to look at the face, as it is the origin of beauty, the source of temptation and the place where danger hides.
Let us now see how the scholars and jurists think the "veil" should be. Al-Tabari narrates a story in his commentary on the authority of Ibn Sirin: "I asked `Ubaida al-Salmani about the verse 'to draw their cloaks close around themselves.' He took up a mantle he used to cover himself, and veiled himself with it covering his whole head till it reached the eyebrows, and covered his whole face with it and stuck out his left eye from the left side of his face." Ibn Abbas narrated a similar story. The conditions that make a veil legal are listed by al-Sabuni in nine articles:
1) The veil should cover the whole body on account of the divine injunction "to draw their cloaks close around themselves." A cloak is a long and loose-fitting garment that covers the whole body.
2) The veil should be thick, not thin, since the purpose of the veil is to cover. If it does not cover, then it cannot be called a veil, as it does not block the vision and does not hinder looking. `A´isha narrated, "Asma´, the daughter of Abu Bakr entered upon the Messenger of God wearing a thin garment, and the Messenger of God turned away from her."
3) The veil itself should not be an ornament or flamboyant with attractive colours that catch the attention. As the verse says, "and not to display their charms except what [normally] appears of them." The meaning of "what [normally] appears of them" is that which appears unintentionally. So if this is ornament in itself, it should not be worn, and it is then not called a "veil" because a veil should keep the ornament from being seen by strangers.
4) The veil should be loose, not tightly fitting, and should not reveal the body, or emphasize the nakedness, or manifest the parts of seduction or temptation of the body. The Messenger of God says, "Two sorts of dwellers of hell I have not seen: A folk that had whips like the tails of cows with which they beat the people, and women that are dressed yet naked, tempting and twisting, their heads are like the tilting heads of camels. These will not enter paradise and will not find its wind, for its wind is to be found at such and such distance." Another tradition says, "...its wind is to be found at the distance of five hundred years."
The meaning of "dressed yet naked" is that they are dressed on the outside but naked in reality, because they wear clothes that do not cover the body, or conceal nakedness. Since the purpose of clothing is to cover the body, if the clothing does not cover the body, the one wearing it is considered naked. As to "tempting and twisting" it meant those who tempt the hearts of men by twisting their bodies with seductive walking and swaggering. The meaning of "heads of camels" is that they comb their hair on top of their heads so that it would be like the heads of camels. This expression was one of the prophet's miracles.
5) Clothing should not be scented in such a way that it would arouse men, for the prophet said, "Every eye that looked has committed adultery, and if a woman perfumed herself and passed by a seated group of men, she is such and such [namely a prostitute]." Another tradition says, "If a woman perfumed herself and passed by a group of people intending to let them smell her perfume, she is [to be considered] a prostitute."
Musa Ibn Yasar narrated: A woman passed by Abu Huraira and her perfume wafted strongly. He asked her, "Where are you going?" She answered, "To the mosque." He said, "And you have put on perfume?" She said "Yes." He said, "Go back and wash, for I have heard the Messenger of God saying, 'God does not accept the prayer of a woman who went out to the mosque with her perfume wafting strongly, until she goes home and washes herself.' "
6) The clothing should not have any similarity to men's clothing, or anything men would wear. Abu Huraira narrated: "The Prophet cursed the man who wears woman's clothing, and the woman who wears men's clothing." The Hadith says, "The prophet cursed those men who are in the similitude [assume the manners] of women and those women who are in the similitude [assume the manners] of men." This refers to women who imitate men in their clothing and appearance.
The awesome legal façade that has been bestowed upon the veil has not lost any of its prestige in our day. On the contrary, contemporary jurists and writers are now more skilful and tactful in inventing excuses defending the veil. Any Islamic thinker is convinced that the veil is inevitable if one wants to establish and maintain a clean society, as the veil keeps man from falling into temptation. This logic is based on the conception of women as the source of temptation and evil, while the "poor" man plays the role of the victim. Then, this evil, that arises as soon as a man meets a woman, has to be repelled. Mustafa al-Ghalayani, a hater of women, sees in "this age that increased only in evil and corruption" a proof that confirms his call for the Islamic veil. He claims that "the veil is indispensable, because you won't find twenty people among a hundred, to whom you can talk as human beings." The veil has been imposed on woman in order to prevent temptation, and to preserve society, as she is responsible for the crises that befall families. Al-Sabuni says, "No intelligent person would doubt that the immorality and immodesty of women cause the so-called 'marriage crisis', since a lot of young men avoid marrying because they find it easy to gratify their desires. They do not find themselves in need of marriage, which leads to the destruction of the country and portends its disastrous ruin. Extramarital sex and the break-up of houses is nothing but an outcome of such a despicable display of women's charms."
Here and now, we have the right to ask the Muslim who accepts these statements of al-Sabuni: Is it at all reasonable to accuse woman of being the source of temptation and of being responsible for family crises, while claiming at the same time that Islam requires woman to wear the veil only to protect her chastity, virtue, honour, and to preserve her noble character from those who have weak hearts and sick consciences, who lie in wait for her to do her harm