Post by Deoband on Jan 22, 2019 23:30:20 GMT
THE LAMENT OF HAZRAT MAULANA ASHRAF ALI THANWI
REGARDING WOMEN'S SINFUL EMERGENCE
Hazrat Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanwi (rahmatullah alayh), regarding whose status as a Mujaddid (mujaddid-e-millat) there is general agreement amongst the Ulama of Deoband, states in Beheshti Zewar:
“The attendance of women in all types of functions is not permissible (na-jaaiz). Other than (attendance at) functions, women have become so shameless that they think nothing of emerging from their homes using just any excuse. Whenever they have a desire, they leave the home to visit friends or the sick or to go and congratulate someone on some happy occasion …..
Due to much corruption it is not at all proper for women to emerge from their homes and move around here and there. The only permission they have from the Shariah is to occasionally visit their parents and other mahram relatives. However, as far as the other relatives are concerned, women may visit them once or twice a year. Other than this, it is not permissible for them to go elsewhere carelessly as has become the practice. Neither should they visit relatives nor participate in marriage functions nor in functions of sorrow nor visit the sick nor go to wish and congratulate anyone.
In fact, if there happens to be a wedding function then it is not permissible for them to go to even the houses of their mahram relatives. If a woman emerges from her home with the permission of her husband, then he also becomes a sinner just as she is a sinner. Alas! Nowhere is this Law of the Shariah (Hukm) observed. Of greater lament is that people do not even consider female emergence to be sinful. On the contrary, they believe it to be permissible. Ponder! All the corruption in society is the consequence of this practice (of women emerging out of their homes to attend functions and gatherings). It is imperative to abandon this (evil) practice and to do Taubah (repent)."
It is most significant and revealing of the times we are living in that despite the evil of women's Haraam emergence having become infinitely worse since Hazrat Maulana Thanwi's lament above, there now exists an almost total silence on this disease which today has reached pandemic proportions. One can only wonder what the lament, shock and horror of Hazrat Maulana Thanwi and of the other Akaabir Ulama of Deoband would have been if they were able to witness the far more degenerated state of the Muslim women of this era.
Of significance too is the fact that despite the deluge of Kuffaar ideologies, including the evil of feminism, engulfing the entire Ummah, the Akaabir of Deoband, almost uniquely, held firmly and rigidly onto this particular aspect of the Deen, as they did also to other teachings of the Deen which had already started becoming Ghareeb (strange, forlorn, unpalatable) during their era, precisely in conformity with numerous prophecies of Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) regarding the Ghurbah (strangeness) of the Deen as we approach closer to the last Hour. It is a further sign and testament to their status as a Jama'ah (group) of Mujaddids (renewers of the original teachings of the Deen) and Muhaqqiqs (verifiers) whom Allah Ta'aala had tasked with keeping the Sunnah alive - a reality also attested to in detail by unbiased authorities from the Arab lands such as Allamah Kawthari and Shaykh Abdul Fattah Abu Ghuddah.
Refer to the work, "The Prohibition of Women Attending Gatherings and Public Lectures" by Mufti Kifaayatullah (available on Google) and other similar works of the Akaabir for a detailed refutation of the modernists and feminists of their era who were attempting to override the Law of the Shariah pertaining to women's emergence. It is noteworthy that today even many of those who claim to be followers of the Akaabir of Deoband are now employing the very same arguments first used by the modernists and feminists which were refuted in detail by that noble Jama'ah of Mujaddids.
Hazrat Maulana Thanwi's emphatic assertion, "...All the corruption in society is the consequence of this practice (of women's Haraam emergence)" pertains not only to clearly discernible societal evils such as the widespread occurrence of zina, the wholesale neglect of the household upon which the structure and well-being of society rests, the emergence of generations of dysfunctional children and child-like adults, and innumerable other ills - but it also applies to the epidemic onset of spiritual emptiness, depression, other mental illnesses, and even suicides, which in previous eras used to be exclusively associated with Kuffaar societies.
While the pious woman of the Salaf, and of all eras until these worst of eras, used to readily attain spiritual fulfilment, contentment and tranquillity in the comfort of her own sanctuary, whilst only carrying out her menial duties and engaging the rest of her time in zikrullah, the modern woman is unable to attain even a semblance of such priceless bestowals from Allah Ta'ala, despite exerting an endless cycle of toil, effort and massive expenditure, involving daily emergence from her home, frequent outings and trips, and even regular Kuffaar-style holidays to the furthest corners of the Earth, as part of an insane pursuit for an elusive mirage of happiness which in reality aggravates her addictions self-perpetually, and is the underlying cause of the numerous mental Illnesses she inevitably contracts.
Remember that a natural corollary to Rasulullah's (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) prophecies regarding the end of times is the Ummah falling under the same rut as the Muslims of Banee Israaeel who were condemned in the Qur'an for their Haraam Taqleed of their Shaykhs, Muftis, and Maulanas (Ruhbaan and Ahbaar) in matters which clearly contradicted the Shariah - a reality that cannot be manifested more vividly than the phenomenon clearly visible today of rulings conveyed by the Fuqaha authentically and consistently throughout the long stretch of 1400 years, and even by the Akaabir Ulama of recent times, only to be suddenly and irrationally deemed to be non-applicable by the scholars of these worst of eras.
May Allah enable us to accept wholeheartedly the pure and pristine teachings of the Deen as conveyed authentically by the Fuqaha, regardless of how hard it becomes for our lowly desires to submit.
May Allah Ta'ala enable us to implement such teachings in our daily lives, and thus become eligible for the reward of fifty men from the Sahabah (radhiyallahu anhum) as promised in authentic Ahadith for those who hold fast to the Deen when it has become Ghareeb (strange, forlorn, unpalatable).
And finally, may Allah Ta'ala grant us the spiritual strength to propagate such teachings of the Deen and thus contribute to averting the Azaab (punishment) of Allah which currently the Ummah is being subjected to in the form of Kuffaar domination and the imposition of brutal tyrants, which are described in authentic Ahadith to be a direct consequence of forsaking Amr bil Ma'roof wa Nahy anil Munkar (enjoining good deeds and prohibiting wrong-doing). Ameen
THE QURANIC COMMAND FOR WOMEN TO REMAIN WITHIN THE CONFINES OF THE HOME:
In Surah Ahzab, Allah Ta'ala issues the following categorical command which applies to all women:
"And remain firmly in your homes and do not display your finery as women used to do in the Days of Jahiliyyah." [33:33]
We provide here a small glimpse into the Tafseer of this verse by the authoritative Mufassirs (interpreters) of the Qur'an which is in stark contrast to the prevalent 'Tafseer' given nowadays by modernist and feminists masquerading as 'scholars'.
Amongst the most authoritative and widely accepted Tafseers of the Qur'an for nearly a thousand years, Tafseer Al-Qurtubi states that this command of Allah Ta'ala applies to all women, that there are countless other evidences that support this command, and that women must not venture outside without Hajaah - a real necessity:
"This command applies to all Muslim women even if it was the only proof in this regard; Nevertheless, there are countless commands and evidence proving that the Muslim woman should remain firmly within her house and refrain from leaving it without a necessity."
Al-Qurtubi also mentions that when A’isha (radhiyallahu anha) recited this verse, she wept with such a weeping that her entire khimaar became wet due to her regret over emerging out of her home, even as a relatively older woman, in her attempt to reconcile and prevent war between two groups of Sahabah (radhiyallahu anhum). Al-Qurtubi adds that when another wife of the Prophet, Sawdah (radhiyallahu anha) was asked why she did not perform the Hajj or the Umrah along with her sisters, the virtuous lady replied:
‘I have already performed the Hajj and the Umrah. As for now, Allah has commanded me to stay in my house.’
She remained in her home till the day of her death, when her lifeless body was buried in Medina.
See Tafsir al-Qurtubi (14/179) and other authentic Tafseers
Such reports of the pious women from the Salaf never being seen outside their homes until the day of their Janazah when they are brought out wrapped up in their burial shrouds, are not uncommon.
Allamah Ibnul Hajj al-Maliki, in his Madkhal, whilst emphasizing the rarity of women's emergence as commanded by the Shariah, narrates the following statement of the Salaf-us-Saaliheen:
"A woman has three times of coming out (from her home) in her lifetime: one to the house of her husband when she is handed over to him; one for the death of her parents and one to her grave." (al-Madkhal)
The modernists and feminists today who selectively quote the initial attendance of women at the Eidgah, during the era of Rasulullah (sallallahu alayh wasallam), ignore the fact that the very same narrations corroborate the fact that many of the women did not even possess Burkahs, thus indicating that they would not come out at all. Furthermore, Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) advised the one without a Burkah to use the Burkah of her sister. The Shafi'i Faqeeh, Allamah Ruwyaani (410 - 502H), explains, "the two of them enter together the Jilbaab of one of them". (يدخلان معا في جلباب إحداهما) Unlike the slimline costumes going under the name "Burkah" today, the Burkahs of the noble Sahabiyyah (radhiyallahu anhunna) were large and baggy enough to contain two of them.
Also of note and ignored by the modernists is the fact that the Sahabah (radiyallahu anhum), the Four Imams, and other major Imams of the Salaf-us-Saaliheen, had all begun imposing severe restrictions on that initial permission, thus setting a clear precedent for a complete prohibition based on the widespread failure of women to meet the essential and non-negotiable pre-conditions for attendance set by none other than Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) himself. The Fuqaha explicitly state the simple logical rationale that when a woman is prohibited from the mosque, to a greater extent will she be prohibited from other places such as gatherings for lectures.
One of the reasons behind Allah's explicit command for women to remain at home is the fact that the woman is Aurah (to be concealed in entirety) as stated in numerous Hadiths of Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam). Just one narration is the following Hadith reported by Hadhrat lbn Mas’ood (radhiyallaahu anhu) who said that Nabee (Sallallaahu ‘Alayhi Wasallam) said:
“The woman is Aurah (must be concealed in entirety); whenever she emerges from the home, shaytaan surreptitiously pursues her (lies in wait).” (Tirmidhi – Saheeh)
Hadhrat Ibn Umar (radhiyallahu anhu) narrates that Nabi (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) said:
“Women have no share in emerging (from their homes) except in emergencies (i.e. genuine needs defined and explained by the Fuqaha)” (Tabaraani — Mu’jamul Kabeer)
Regarding Rasulullah’s (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) explicit declaration that the woman is Aurah, the first and primary level of concealment is confinement to the home. Hence, in an authentic variant of the above Hadith found in the Musannaf of Abi Shayba, Hazrat Ibn Mas'ood (radhiyallahu anhu) issues the following emphatic command:
“Keep the women confined (احبسوا) to the home, for indeed the woman is Aurah (must be concealed in entirety). Verily, when a woman emerges from her home, shaytaan surreptitiously pursues her and says to her: “You will not pass by any [man] except that he will be attracted to you.”
Note the verb and command tense used by Hazrat Ibn Mas'ood (radhiyallahu anhu) in this Saheeh narration - literally "imprison" - to emphasize the obligation on the men's part to ensure that their womenfolk remain confined indoors.
Imam Bayhaqi narrates the following hadith which is corroborated by authentic variants in other Hadith books such as al-Bazzar and al-Tabarani:
"Asma’ bint Yazeed Al-Ansaariyyah (radhiyallaahu ‘anha), a Sahaabiyyah from the Banu ‘Abdil Ash-hal clan, once approached Rasulullah (sallallaahu alaihi wasallam) while He (sallallaahu alaihi wasallam) was seated among the Sahaabah (radhiyallaahu ‘anhum) and addressed Him (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wasallam) in the following words:
“May my father and mother be sacrificed for you! I have come to you as a representative of all women. May my life be sacrificed for you! Every single woman, in the east and west, whether she has heard that I will come to you or not, will have exactly the same question as myself. Verily Allah Ta'ala has sent you with the truth to men and women. We brought imaan in you and in Allah Ta'ala who deputed You.
• We, the women, live with restrictions and limitations.
• We do not leave the confines of our homes.
• We allow you to fulfil your needs with us, and we bear your children.
• You, the men, have been favoured by your being able to attend the jumu‘ah salaah and other salaahs in congregation.
• You are able to visit the sick and be present at funerals.
• You perform hajj after hajj and even more virtuous than that is your fighting in the path of Allah Ta'ala. When any of you men leave your home to perform hajj or ‘umrah or to guard the borders of the Islamic territories, it is none other than us women who protect your wealth for you. We sew your clothes for you. We raise and care for your children.
Do we not have a share in your reward O Rasulullah (sallallaahu alaihi wasallam)?”
On hearing the complaint of this woman, the Prophet (sallallaahu alaihi wasallam) turned his face towards the Sahaabah (radhiyallaahu ‘anhum) and asked,
“Have you ever heard a woman ask a question regarding her deen more excellent than the question of this woman?”
The Sahaabah (radhiyallaahu ‘anhum) replied,
“O Rasulullah (sallallaahu alaihi wasallam)! We never imagined that a woman could be inspired to ask a question of this nature!”
The Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wasallam) turned back to her and said,
“Return, O woman, and inform all the women you represent that for you to display excellent conduct with your husband, seek to keep him happy and try your utmost to comply with his ways will equal all the deeds you mentioned.”
Asma’ (radhiyallahu ‘anha) was so delighted to hear this, that as she walked away she continued to exclaim “Allahu Akbar!" and "La ilaaha illallaah!"
The authentic variant narrated by al-Bazzar actually mentions that a woman's mere confinement (qa'ada) in her home is sufficient for her to acquire the greatest of bounties - the same reward as that of the Mujaahid in the path of Allah.
More quotes of the Fuqaha and the Salaf-us-Saaliheen to come here insha-Allah