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[quote]Assalaamu Alaikum

Dear Shahidah

May Allah increase your intelligence and the desire to seek right knowledge, spiritual, religious and worldly.  Allah knows the weakness of His creations, and do we hope that He pardons our shortcomings in carrying out His commands and fulfilling the duties He has ordained.  We pray Allah for the better of us – each other and we strive utmost possible to understand His wishes for our betterment.

It seems to me that you started finding your answers as far as the term “adornment” and the phrase “except that which is apparent” are concerned.  Thanks and all Praises to Allah who makes us understand His Message, clearly.

The adornment, make-up, jewellery and dresses differ from nation to nation, religion to religion and culture to culture.  In other words, each civilization has its own set of dressing method.  If Western women do not wear anklets and bangles (bracelets) now, that is due to the industrial revolution and drawing of more women to workplaces (factories, etc) resulting in more safety measures such as wearing factory uniform, avoiding long gowns, discarding wearing of rings and bracelets (bangles). This happened only during the last century.  Ever since the inception of Islam, all Muslims are considered of one Nation, one culture and one brotherhood.  Neither there is any color discrimination nor any racism.  Islam teaches Universal Brotherhood.

The verses of Al-Qur’aan were not only revealed to Arabian culture but for all the mankind, irrespective of their civilization and practice of wearing jewelry.  Unless we know exactly that no ankle bracelets (payals) were ever worn by people belonging to any particular civilization, we cannot think of exclusion of those people from the general command of Allah. This can simply taken for granted that the practice of such a civilization does not fall under the careful consideration of “And let them not stamp their feet” command (24:31).  There are women who do not pierce their nose and do not wear anklets and bangles (bracelets) still living among the culture of heavily decorated women.  But among the jewelry worn by women, anklets (payals) are the ones which make chiming sounds to attract everyone’s attention towards them, irrespective of the fact that the hijaab (veil) being worn by them or not.  I mean, a fully clad woman from her top to toe can still attract people towards her being wearing chiming anklets, and stamping her feet while walking.

Here, one more thing is to be considered - the general arrogance, egotism and superiority a woman inherits while she wears jewellery.  The more she wears, the more she feels proud.  While wearing jewellery, many a times, she wants others to know that she possess a treasure of jewelry, which makes her feel arrogant and superior to others. In order to attract others, or in other words, to advertise herself to show others that how beautiful is she decorated with all the artifacts of jewellery, her walk becomes so ostentatious and she starts walking as a “tall-Walker”, stamping the feet heavily on the ground.  For such people Allah says in Surah Al-Isra, Chapter-17, Verse-37 : “And walk not on the earth with conceit and arrogance.  Verily, you can neither rend nor penetrate the earth, nor can you attain a stature like the mountains in height.”

You are right to say that there are many different ways for women to dress modestly, throughout the world.  You need not stick to a particular style.  As long as you fulfill the condition of dress code, the six criteria, as mentioned in my earlier write up, there is no reason why anyone should say that there is only one way to wear hijaab.  I have seen many colors of Burqas (long and loose gown like wearing) with simple embroidery work, women wearing as hijaab.  I have seen women wearing a loose wrapping of 2 meters long and 30 inches wide on their head, along with the loose Burqa.  (All of my family members, including relatives and friends and also millions of women of my country wear this).  They simply pull the thin cloth from their head down to the neck when they come across any one other than relative, on the way they walk.  They feel very comfortable with this type of veil.

The Christian Nuns throughout the world wear long white gowns, with their head covering. How modest they look !!  Can any one from the Muslims community comments them sarcastically, saying that they are oppressed ? No.  Whose tradition is it ?  Objection, sarcasm, and oppression comes, only when it is done by Islam and Muslims !!  Have you ever noticed how nicely the Japanese dress ?  If some sort of head covering is given to them, they would be more modest, and fully Islamic !!  You could see most of the North Indian women – they wear one end of their saree over their head, but few of them leave their bossoms open.  In such cases, it is the duty of men who should lower their gaze, observing hijaab.  This is the command of Allah for Muslims.  In no other religion such a hijaab for men has been told.

Your quote :
“We just have to look at what was going on with other women to see this is true. This is evident in who narrated hadiths, women could ask the prophet (PBUH) spiritual and practical questions just like the men, they could no longer be forced to marry, they had rights to divorce for myriad of reason and so on. 
Unquote

In Islam women questioned the Prophet, corrected the wrong information of the 2nd Khalifa Omar (RA) while he was addressing in the mosque.  Took part in the battles to serve the soldiers with water, and took care of the wounded soldiers.  Women have voting rights.  They have right to deny a marriage proposal unacceptable to them, they have full right to divorce (to take Khula) etc.

While creating an awareness among women of these rights of theirs to them, our Muslim society needs to educate the Muslim men too saying that these rights are there already in Islam fully granted by Divine Law, and we need not gift these rights to women from our side !!!  Yes, many of the Muslim men, due to the lack of proper Islamic knowledge, and under the influence of non-Muslim culture, are still under dark.  A few go to the extremes.  Some assume that hijaab means full disappearance of the women folk from the outside world, while some suggest that women should be brought to the street to work with men shoulder to shoulder, commercializing their beauty in the name of women’s rights.

Islam is moderation – a middle way. Allah says in Surah Al-Malaikah, Chapter-35, Verse-32 : “Then We gave the Book (the Qur’an) for inheritance to such of Our slaves whom We chose (the followers of Muhammad SAW).  Then of them are some who wrong their own selves, and of them are some who follow a middle course, and of them are some who are, by Allah’s Leave, foremost in good deeds.  That (inheritance of the Qur’an), that is indeed a great grace.

Men and women are equal but not identical.  Their rights are equal.  They are of course protected like a precious pearls. In Islam they are supported and admired.  They have full identification and a major playing part in making the society, nurturing the Islamic values, and making the home a pleasant atmosphere.

The Western media working at the behest of enemies of Islam, describe a situation out of its proportion.  They will not lose an opportunity to blame Muslims and Islamic Law whenever any injustice is done to a women in the Islamic society.  Please note that black-sheep are present in every society. If you take notice of the atrocities and injustice towards women by other religions, you will find all these media completely silent over such issues, simply quoting as a routine report or completely blocking the news item itself.  Talibaan’s behavior is also such an incident.  Once they started blasting the Bamiyan statutes, whole world came down upon them heavily.  From Bush to Lara Bush were on their feet to liberate the women of Afghanisthan from their Burqas.  What happened now ?  Could they uncover every lady of Afghanisthan ?  No.  The ladies, who are Western educated only come out in Kabul as such, as they have been.  No other woman is willing to give up her burqa for the sake of Bush or his wife !!

My point is to educate both, men and women of the laws and merits available in Islamic society.  They must be inculcated with the knowledge to make use of such opportunities in a proper and justified way for the enhancement of their families, society and the Muslim Ummah as a whole, without going to the extremes – neither blocking the way of women in any field of activity nor bring them completely stripped of their modesty, as has been done by the Western society.

Your quote :

“In the old days other cultures saw the treatment of women in Islamic socities as a step up--advancement indicative of an advanced civilization--but now that is not the perception. How has the definition of equality changes so that when people look at the past they beleive (muslim and nonmuslim) that Muslim women had it better than other women but in the present the perception is that Muslim's women's status lag behind other women.”

Unquote

Whenever a culture comes across Islamic culture, the latter was liked most and adopted.  The definition of equality changed only on the assumption of enemies of Islam, who out of enmity trying very hard to bring the modesty of the Muslim women open to the market.  A few Muslim ladies too, fall prey to their connivance.  If you analyze the court cases, you will find that the atrocities committed upon women are mostly by the societies of non-Muslims.  The divorce cases are much more by the non-Muslims.  The fraudulent and infidelity activities of women are mostly of non-Muslim women.  The murder and suicide rates are very high among the non-Muslims – men and women alike.  I need not mention here about flourishing flesh trade.  Who are the pioneers, organizers and brokers ?  Yet, a few cases involving Muslim societies are blown up by the media, out of its proportion.

If anyone really analyze the status available in Islam for women, and the real enjoyment the Muslim women are subjected to, I am sure, he or she will agree with me that for women Islam is the most adoptable, adaptable, admirable, lovable and livable ‘Way Of Life”.

Those non-Muslim women who analyze and compare the Women’s Rights in Islam with their present status of their parent religion are the ones who are mostly adopting Islam.  The ratio of women and men adopting Islam, now-a-days is 4:1.

This truth proclaims loudly, the testimony that women are treated fairly in Islam, falsifying the present perception that Muslims’ women status lag behind other women.

Should you or any other readers need to know as to what status the women have in Christianity and Judaism, I can write a very long write up – for comparison.

Regards

Peace & Equal Smiles

Zeenaeem[/quote]

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