Every religion has an innate character. The character of Islam is modesty
-Prophet Muhammad
(Al-Muwatta Hadith 47.9)
“Why do you not keep a beard,” I am often asked, by people obsessed with technicalities of faith who have sometimes even tried to convince me that it’s feminine to not have a beard. “If you keep a beard, I will be automatically drawn towards you because you will be fulfilling a sunnah (a practice of the Holy Prophet),” a bearded man who befriended me exclaimed to me. Surprisingly the gentleman never bothered to actually get to know me; if he did, he would have found a man striving to lead an ethical and moral life. But that didn’t really matter to him. I didn’t sport a beard, I was a condemned Muslim. For him, visible markers of morality were more significant that invisible signs of chastity. This preoccupation with details of how to practice the religion “correctly” has diluted the soul of Islam.
These visible markers are few things that others feel, make essential requisites for a place in heaven. If the true measure of faith for men was a four-finger beard and for women was to wearhijab, then what about the prophet’s teaching: “The most excellent jihad is that for the conquest of self. And the most authentic morality is the morality and chastity of the conscience
The obsession for addressing minor but highly visible issues at the expense of addressing more pressing and fundamental ones is a favourite pastime of those highly obsessed with the physical evidence of piety. Islam is a comprehensive code of conduct which has to be viewed in its whole and not in its parts. A model Islamic ideal is one that embodies the basic spirit of the Quran code. Modesty is, in fact, the soul of Islam. Even though Muslims have become obsessed with the modesty of women, it is a virtue for men as well. In fact, the Prophet himself was described as being the epitome of modesty in his behaviour with people.
When the Qur’an tells believers to lower their lustful gazes and guard their chastity, it begins by commanding this to men before women. Islam places the primary responsibility of observing modesty not on women, but on men.It says that men, to be pure, should restrain their looks and guard their private parts (Q24:30)..This verse is meant to prevent abuses against women because it commands men to exclusively reform themselves first. It leaves no scope for arguments that what a woman is wearing is too provocative because it forbids men from gawking at women and lusting for them. The Qur’an also follows up this injunction with equally strong words for women. It beckons them to restrain their looks and guard their femininity. It says that women should draw their head-coverings over their bosoms, and display their beauty only to their husbands (Q24:31).
People often conflate headscarf and hijab. Wearing a headscarf is one form of hijab. But in its spiritual dimension hijab is much more. And at the genesis of the hijab discussion, the Qur’an commands men to not have lustful eyes for women and to not be promiscuous. It says that men, to be pure, should restrain their looks and guard their masculinity (Q24:30).
The Arabic word for modesty is hayaa, which is linguistically related to the Arabic word for life (hayat). Muslim scholars and sages have taken from this that there is an intimate connection between the two terms. Modesty is the virtue that gives spiritual life to the soul. This connection between spiritual life and modesty exists because the virtue is not just about outward appearances; rather, it is tolerance first and foremost about the inward state of having modesty before God, an awareness of divine presence everywhere and at all times which leads to propriety within oneself and in one’s most personal moments. Outward modesty refers to behaving in a way that maintains one’s own self-respect and the respect of others, whether in dress, speech or behaviour. Inward modesty means shying away from any character or quality that is offensive to God.
the attire of women is a favourite subject of religious bigots with their own notions of morality. The talk is always about the supposed moral values attached to women’s dress or the purity of their attire that go against the parameters laid down by the moral police. However, the more critical issue of morality or purity of one’s conscience is completely sidelined. Today a woman’s character is defined by her clothes. The real markers like piety and moral fibre are being glossed over in our debased intellectual and moral horizon
Modesty is a virtue for both men and women. A connection between spiritual life and modesty exists because that virtue is not just about outward appearances. Rather, it is tolerance first and foremost about the inward state of having modesty before God – an awareness of divine presence everywhere and at all times that leads to propriety (within oneself and in one’s most private moments). Outward modesty means behaving in a way that maintains one’s own self-respect and the respect of others, whether in dress, speech or behaviour. Inward modesty means shying away from any character or quality that is offensive to God.
When it comes to the clothes of women, everybody seems to be obsessed with it. More than a means to cover one’s body, women’s clothes have become a symbol of oppression for some and a mark of liberation for some others. But, more peculiarly, garments are often used as a benchmark by conservative Muslims to judge the morality of a Muslim woman and her “Muslimness”. There is still no such benchmark for Muslim men who owe a duty of modesty to the Quran whose injunction is as strong for men as they are for women. Indeed, judging by the discourse, one would assume that the primary religious duty of Muslim women is to observe “the dress code”.
The great translator of the Qur’an, Mohammad Asad argues that what the Quran requires of women is that they should be dressed “decently”. Elaborating on this point, he states: “My interpolation of the word “decently” reflects the interpretation of the phrase ‘illa ma zaharaminha’ by several of the earliest Islamic scholars, and particularly by Al-Qiffal (quoted by Razi), as “that which a human being may openly show in accordance with prevailing custom (al-‘adah al-jariyah).”’ Although the traditional exponents of Islamic Law have for centuries been inclined to restrict the definition of “what may (decently) be apparent” to a woman’s face, hands and feet — and sometimes even less than that — we may safely assume that the meaning of “illa ma zaharaminha” is much wider, and that the deliberate vagueness of this phrase is meant to allow for changes that occur during the evolution of a society.
Several prominent commentators have reflected on a wide flexibility of interpretation in their commentaries. Al-Fakhr al-Razi stated that what should be covered is left to the prevailing custom, while al-Zamakshari left it to the custom and nature. Al-Wahidi and Ibn Atiyya allowed half of the arm to be uncovered, while al-Nisaburi allowed the uncovering of the arm to the elbow. Ibn Hayyan, in addition to considering custom and nature in what may be uncovered, considered the needs of poor women.
From certain imams insisting that earthquakes are caused by women not wearing proper dresses to muftis excommunicating Muslim women, the intellectual level of discourse that surrounds Muslim women is excruciating and influenced by distorted notions of modesty. By reducing Muslim women to their bodies and pretending that modesty is their primary religious duty, they are stripped off of their personhood.
We are today in a state of great upheaval. With gigantic and challenging problems such as superstition, sectarianism, bigotry, and patriarchy in Muslim-majority states, we simply cannot afford to divert all our attention to pedantic details of one’s attire. To prevent fitna (spiritual affliction) we must start addressing the real issue of our attitude towards women. The pivotal injunction is the demand addressed in identical terms to men as well as to women, to lower their gaze and to be mindful of their chastity. The shift in focus of religion from an ethical guide to policing of appearances is a curious phenomenon, a virus that seems to have seeped its way into mainstream Muslim consciousness. The religious priorities seem to have shifted from spiritual transformation to very quotidian concerns about rituals and dress codes. This fixation reflects the very cursory manner in which we approach religion. It is, therefore, important to get back to the fundamental teaching of the Qur’an,”In God’s eyes, the most honoured of you are the ones most mindful of Him: God is all knowing, all aware” (Q49:13)
(The author is a regular contributor to this newspaper and can be reached at: moinqazi123@gmail.com)
