Honours and virtues conferred on Muslim women in purdah (II)

This unhealthy reality has become highly challenging to the Muslim Ummah in Nigeria, and has energised the Ummah to ambitiously push for girl-child education in order to have a generational asset of these indispensable professional and career women for the benefit of the Ummah. Efforts are on and they are immensely paying off. The other situation that may warrant a woman’s privacy to be infringed on could be at a point whereby a female domestic servant is being vetted for suitability by her master or madam before a fee is agreed. This allowance is given so that whoever is paying the fee would not be deceived.

Sunnah of the Prophet (saw) pointedly demands that a pious Muslim woman must secure permission from her husband whenever she intends to leave the four walls of her matrimonial home for any justifiable reasons. In fact, Sunnah prefers the husband to accompany his wife to such a destination, which may include the following places:

(i) Paying visit once or twice a month to the woman’s parents. She may also go to visit them once at the interval of a Jumuah (i.e., Friday) in case one of them fails in health or if a misfortune befalls them;

(ii) Being called upon to testify as a witness in matter(s) which may be personal;

(iii) Attending social events such as ceremonies which must be halal (acceptable to Allah), wedding and child naming, for instance;

(iv) Congregating with others for religious events like outdoor da’wah programmes, Quran teaching class, Hadith tutorials, Qur’an memorisation sessions, Umrah, Hajj pilgrimage, etc.

(v) Visiting the clinic or hospital for ante-natal, post-natal treatments, or on matters pertaining to her well-being;

(vi) paying get-well visits to relatives, neighbours or friends who may be on sickbed;

(vii) Attending Janazah (funeral) prayer for a Muslim without transgressing any Sunnah attached to such an Islamic rite. Funerals in Islam do not call for wining and dining or frivolities; and

(viii) Engaging activities like conducting janabbah (purification bath) on a fellow Muslim woman who is deceased.

It must be reiterated that the husband, in most of the events mentioned, should accompany his wife, except on a few ones. And in cases whereby the husband is unable to accompany his wife, a trusted person (one of the Muslims privileged to have access to her privacy as earlier discussed in this column) should accompany the woman to such events or places. But the husband is the one who shall account for all affairs undertaken by the woman on the Day of Recompense.

For this purpose, men of faith are admonished to be strictly guided by Shari’ah and Sunnah of the Prophet (SAW); because the husband/father is symbolic of the herdsman who looks after the flock of his wife (or wives) and the child (or children) as the case may be.

Once a Muslim woman steps out of the confines of her home, or any shelter in which she may find herself, Shari’ah admonishes the woman to cover up her facial features with veil in purdah. She should put on her hands gloves and wear socks on her feet. Ummu Salaamat, whose actual name is Asmau bint Yazida (RA) was one of the Prophet’s wives. She narrated in one of the Hadith  of the Prophet (saw) that upon her asking from the Prophet (SAW) on specifications for the kind of robes which may be ideal and appropriate for the Muslim woman in her prayers. Ummu Salaamat bint Yazida (RA) reported the Prophet (SAW) as saying in response that Shari’ah permits the woman to put on a full-length robe which should not leave any part of her anatomy uncovered, except her face, together with the two bare hands (as Sunnah) and essentially requires the woman to observe her prayers at home rather than in the mosque). The woman is required to adorn a gown or robe which should be as lengthy as covering her heels because the woman should be shielded from men of evil intents.

Allah (SWT) instructs the Prophet (SAW) further in Surah Al-Ahzab (Qur’an 33:59): “O Prophet! Tell your wives and your daughters and the women of the believers to draw their cloaks (veils) all over their bodies (i.e. screen themselves completely except the eyes or one eye to see the way). That will be better that they should be known (as free respectable women) so as not to be annoyed. And Allah is Ever Oft-Forgiving, Most mercifully.”

Allah (SWT) states explicitly, as quoted in this column a couple of weeks ago) in Surah An-Nur (Qur’an 24:31), for the Muslim to appreciate the honour, the dignity and complete protection with which Allah (SWT) has divinely insured the Muslim woman and girl.