Revelation of Hijab

O Ye who believe! Enter not the dwellings of the Prophet for a meal without waiting for the proper time, unless permission be granted you. But if ye are invited, enter, and, when your meal is ended, then disperse. Linger not for conversation. Lo! That would cause annoyance to the Prophet, and he would be shy of (asking) you (to go); but Allah is not shy of the truth. And when ye ask of them (the wives of the Prophet) anything, ask it of them from behind a curtain. That is purer for your hearts and for their hearts. And it is not for you to cause annoyance to the messenger of Allah, nor that ye should ever marry his wives after him. Lo! That in Allah’s sight would be an enormity. (Al-Ahzab: 53)

The Hijab was revealed in Madinah. It was during the prophet’s sa.w. walimah with Zaynab binti Jarsh, where the companions stayed up too late until the prophet was tired, but he was too shy to tell them to go away. Literally the word hijab means curtain/partition. The coming down of the hijab refers to the verse that requires curtain to be put in the apartment of the prophet to separate his wives from other people.

Social and public space is shared. There is not even separation between public space and private space during the prophetic time. Houses during that time sometimes didn’t have doors, sometimes no curtain at the doors, and cooking are done outside at times. There was no partition of space.

The coming of hijab is first of all the distinction between private and public space: In the household of the Prophet s.a.w. there will be privacy. So guests coming from outside, they don’t see everything in his household.

Other verse on Hijab:

O Prophet, tell your wives and your daughters and the women of the believers to draw their cloaks close round them (when they go abroad). That will be better, so that they may be recognised and not annoyed. Allah is ever Forgiving, Merciful. (Al-Ahzab: 59)

Seclusion of Women

Seclusion of women to the house in terms of they never being allowed to leave is also mentioned in the Qur’an. The question is, in what context is it mentioned?

If any of your women are guilty of lewdness, Take the evidence of four (Reliable) witnesses from amongst you against them; and if they testify, confine them to houses until death do claim them, or Allah ordain for them some (other) way. (An-Nisa’: 15)

So, seclusion of women to their houses where they could never leave mentioned in the Qur’an is a punishment for adultery.

O Wives of the Prophet, ye are not like any of the (other) women. If ye do fear (Allah), be not too complaisant of speech, lest one in whose heart is a disease should be moved with desire: but speak ye a speak that is just. Abide still in your homes and make not a dazzling display like that of the former times of ignorance: and establish regular prayer, and give regular charity; and obey Allah and His Messenger. And Allah only wishes to remove all abomination from you, ye Members of the Family, and to make you pure and spotless. (Al-Ahzab: 32-33)

The wives of the Prophet went out even after the verse of the hijab was revealed and they began to conceal themselves from others. They didn’t understand that concealment in the categorical way that implies total seclusion. They will still go out to the market.  “Abide still in your homes” is a verse which implies they should do that, but it doesn’t indicates specifically that it is 100% day and night the case, they can never leave, they can never go out.

Zaynab binti Jarsh would go out to the market, she would sell, and she would earn money. She was creative; she made things and sell them. The wives of the Prophet s.a.w. would go out, they talked, they spoke, and they came back to their houses. The issue here specifically pertains to the wives of the prophet. It pertains to their social status; the fact that they were Prophet’s s.a.w. wives.

In the time of the Prophet s.a.w. women left their houses day and night, they went to the mosque even during the depth of darkness. The dress code was one in which the face was usually exposed, sometimes cover their faces but that wasn’t the norm. The niqab shows the eyes, they were women who wore that.

Niqab?

Niqab is sometimes used to conceal gender, because men also wore the niqab. When Khawlah binti Azwar went into battle to rescue her brother she puts on the niqab. By putting on the niqab, she was not known as women, no one knew she is a women until she spoke. So the niqab is part of the dress, but not gender specific, men wore also. The law allows certain ornamentation on their face and hand.

“Women are nothing less than the full sister of men” Innaman nisa’ shaqa’iq rijal. This was the principle that was applied in practice.

(Note: Al-Ahzab:53 is used for dalil supporting the niqab. The counter argument argument is it was specifically for the prophets’ wives and it was understood as command for public and private space separation. There are also other hadiths but we’re not here to debate about this issue. The niqab/hijab issue has been central symbolism in feminist discourse and it is not a substansial issue when it comes to real women rights issues.)

Prophetic balance versus gender rigidity

Islam sets down parameters, it has guidelines, but the prophet’s s.a.w. relation with women is natural. There are rights and wrongs, good and evil, things cannot do, should do, etc. But when we look at the Prophet s.a.w., the way he treated gender issue was soft. The prophetic society was rather egalitarian rather than patriarchal.

Story  1: Al-Fadhl ibn Abbas

Fadal ibn Abas, he is the cousin of the Prophet s.a.w. (son of Saydina Abbas r.a.). Al-Fadl was a very handsome young men, Quraysh in general are beautiful people. When the Prophet s.a.w. came in to Makkah on the conquest of Makkah, he is now coming in as the victor. After almost two decades of being oppressed, repressed, driven out, they were attempt to exterminate him. So he was riding his camel, at the back of his camel is his cousin, al-Fadl. There was a beautiful young woman who was looking at Fadhl, she kept staring at him and she was strikingly beautiful. The Prophet s.a.w. saw that and Fadl kept looking at her because she was so beautiful. So the prophet  sa.w. never said a word. He took his hand and he moved Fadhl face away. Then he looked back, then the prophet s.a.w. did the same thing again. Finally he took Fadhl by the beard and turned his face.

There you see the natural balance. There is no word of indignation, this is haram, don’t do this. He didn’t say anything to the girl. He didn’t want al-fadhl to stare at her, but the way he did it is so balanced, lack any kind of rigidity.

(There are many transmissions, and in one in Bukhari and Muslim, the Prophet, peace be upon him, could not turn al-Fadhl’s face away until he took him by his beard.)

Story 2: Umayyah binti Qays

Umayyah is a young girl. She is from Banu Rifar. Abu Dhar is a Rifari, so she comes from the tribe of Abu Dhar. As the companion and Prophet s.a.w. was going to Khaybar, there is going to be a great siege at Khaybar. She came, she was a girl, she brought with her the girls and women of the tribe. She said, “we want O messenger of God to go to battle with you against Khaybar, to treat the wounded and to help the muslims till the extend that we are able.” Did he say haram? He said ala barakatillah (with the blessing of God).

Then he took Umayyah, a young girl, probably about 16, he took a beautiful necklace and put it around her neck himself and she wore that necklace until she died. When she died she asked to be buried with it, she never let the necklace to be out of the sight for the rest of her life. Not only that, he lifted umayyah and put her on the back of his camel right behind him so she now could travel right behind the prophet s.a.w. What does that indicate? If you were there, and you were form Quraysh, Ansar, etc.

What would you have understood from that action? Approval. He had approved what was offered, not only that, he endorsed it. It also means these young women were to be respected and to be protected. They were under the protection of the Prophet s.a.w.

Story 3: Ash-Syifa’ binti Abdillah

Asyshifa’ binti Abdillah ibn Abdi Syams, a woman of quraysh. Very famous in seerah, noted for her sharp intellect, excellence of character, soundness of opinion. The one who thought Hafsah how to write,  arts, and crafts. The Prophet s.a.w. used to visit her and took a nap in her house although she was not directly related to him (she was an old woman). Umar will always ask her counsel. Umar perhaps never went against the counsel of Syifa’. His brilliant policy right down to the last letter was usually consistent to the counsel of syifa’ gave him. She was a woman in Madinah in charge of the market place. What does that tell you about economic and the rights of women to work?

Women on the prophet’s s.a.w. battlefield

Most of the great heroines on the battlefield in early Islamic history comes from tribal background. The fact they grow up in tribe they were thought to fight. We have courageous warriors., we have our own Joan of Arc, or even better.

The Crouching Tiger: Nusaybah

Flying Eagle: Asda binti Harith and Umm Habib binti Ath

Hidden Dragon: Khawla binti Aswad

Quraysh women versus Ansari women

The women of Quraysh was a little bit different, they came from a different culture. When we have an economy where women play a role they tend to become much more like men. When they depend on men, they usually play a different role. You have great merchant women like Khadija, but she doesn’t go out on caravan, that is very dangerous, they would have men agents who would go out on the caravan.

In Madinah the situation is different because it was agrarian, you have orchard of vine, grapes, barley. Women and men work in the field together. The women tend to be very dominant and the relationship is similar. When battle comes the Ansar women will go out to battle.

What would the women of Quraysh do? When we have Uhud, they would go out, they will take drums tambourine, they will spur the men to fight, they will watch the fight, but if the fight comes near to them they will run away. Nusaybah thought that was funny because they were very fast runners.

What if the men were retreating? They will reprimand them. “What kind of a man are you? Get back in the battle and fight.” Even if they don’t know how to fight, they will still go out on the battlefield.

The Crouching Tiger: Nusaybah binti Ka’ab

She is Ansariyah, so women of Madinah, not Makkah. She is a companion, she transmit hadith, but she doesn’t transmit many, she is a mother, probably in the 30s and she doesn’t live long after the prophet s.a.w. life. She is a mujahidah, a woman of jihad, in every ways, spiritually, morally, physically. She is known for her nusu’ (pray a lot). Ijtihad: She asked, why is it that the Qur’an talks a lot about men and not the women. Again she is an Ansar women, Ansar women are very strong. This is when the verse is revealed:

The believers, men and women, are Awliya’ (helpers, supporters, friends, protectors) of one another, they enjoin good and forbid evil. (At-Taubah: 71)

Nusaybah at Laylatul Aqaba

Nusaybah attended Laylatut Aqaba (the second Aqabah). When the Prophet met with the delegation from madinah who said come to Madinah we will protect you, Nusaybah was there on that night. She has a long and involved history. The prophet praised her in many occasions. He s.a.w. said, “Who can do the likes of Nusaybah. What human being can do what Ummu Ammarah can do?” The Prophet s.a.w. saw her as the most valiant of people. What man is equal to her? What does that has to say about essentialist notion about inherent weakness in woman? Nusaybah certainly undercuts that.

Nusaybah at battle of Uhud

Not only did she fight, she took care of the wounded and gave water. She was wounded many times, in some transmission 13 times. One time she was struck by a sword deep in her shoulder. The battle of Uhud first when in our favor but then the tide was turned. The prophet himself was in a very dangerous situation.

Who was it that protected the prophet? Nusaybah was in front of him at all times. The prophet s.a.w. said wherever I turn there was Nusaybah. She was one of the people who saved his life that day. She didn’t have a shield, of course they were poor, no horses either. She had her sword. She struck down that day many knights.

What she would do when horsemen would charge the prophet, she would go out to meet them. Very strategic, but very dangerous – certain death. She would stand in front of the horse and as the horse approach her she would go to the side and she would hamstring the horse. Cut the ligament and the horse will fall to the ground then she would dispatch the rider. That’s when she got the wound, one of the horsemen struck her from the top of the horse. This is an incredible feat, her husband was there, her son was there.

Her son was gravely wounded, she didn’t even notice, until the prophet said to her son, take care of her wound. So she went and take care to stop the bleeding and patch up. As the muslim retreated from Uhud, Nusaybah was virtually unable to walk as she was so gravely wounded. The Prophet had them carried her and he watched for her.

The next day when they came back to Madinah, the Prophet refused to go into his house until words were brought to him about Nusaybah. How is she? When word came that she is alive, then he went into his house. “This is a woman who wherever I look there she was, who can do the likes of Nusaybah?”

Nusaybah at battle of Yamamah

Abu Bakr sent out an army to fight Musaylamah al-Kazab. Nusaybah goes to fight. Abu Bakr told Khalid who is in charge of the army, you know her, you know her standing, protect her right, protect her. Abu Bakr was concerned that Nusaybah is given the respect that she deserved. She lost her hand in this battle. “It was not the lost of my hand that was difficult for me, it was Khalid’s cure. (Khalid put the stuff in boiling olive oil) that I would never forget” When they came back, Abu Bakr went to meet the army, the first question he asked was “How is Nusaybah?”

Flying Eagles: Asda binti Harith and Umm Habib binti Ath

Umm Habib at battle of Yarmuk

Yarmuk is at Jordon, one of the great battles of post-prophetic period. Whom are the muslims fighting? The byzantine or the roman. They were outnumbered. One of the soldiers in the battlefield was Juwayriyah bin Abi Sufyan. She was a horsewomen, she is wealthy, she has a wonderful horse.

The muslims army were always men and women. When men went to battle they took their wives, their sisters, their daughters. The idea that war was conducted just by men, is absurd, that was not the way of the prophet. Later on when we have professional army that things changed.

In the battle of yarmuk the tide shift – they almost loose. Umm Habib binti As, who is the daughter of the commander Amr (conquorer of Syria), she tells all the women “get you weapons” Well we don’t have weapon. Do tents have polls? So they take tent polls and use them as spears and they charge the Romans, at the same time they say “woe be to the men who leaves their wives and sisters in battle.” So they turn the whole thing, the men rally, the women lead the battle and it was a victory. In many ways the battle of Yarmuk is the victory of Umm Habib

Azdah Binti Harith in battle against Persians

She was a prominent woman. She was in the muslim army that was in Iraq – Maisam, between Basra and Wasit. They were fighting the Persians. Azdah tells the women, we are in vulnerable position because our army is outnumbered. She asks the women, what do we do? Join the battle with their men. Takes of their scarf and make as flag. When they rush into battle they will be taken as men and also as reinforcement.

The understanding of what the religion is about? For example takes of the scarf, here it is a question of priority. Instead of just formalistic understanding, there is an understanding of priorities.

Hidden Dragon: Khawlah Binti Azwar

She goes into battle in Syria, she is in the army of Khalid ibn Walid. Her brother is the key figure, she went to battle to look out her brother, obviously the big sister. Her brother’s name is Dirar. Dirar is the master of martial arts, he knew exactly how to fight. He went into battle as Aryan, meaning without armor. Dirar was so powerful that no one can stand in front of him. The son of Heraclius is the commander of the enemy, Dirar uses a stratagem which is the best way to defeat the army is by taking the general. He went right into the heart of the army, and words come back that Dirar has lost.

So Khawlah cried, she puts on her armor and puts on a niqab so that she could conceal her gender. She is trained the way her brother is trained. She is large, strong. Not only she was fighting the roman, she was looking for her brother, that was her main purpose. They thought, especially Rabi’ she was Khalid ibn Walid, she was fighting in the way only Khalid can. Khalid and Rabi’ ibn Utbah meet each other in the battlefield, “Who is that?” “We need to save ‘him’ because ‘he’ was fighting at the frontline.”

“O knight? What’s your tribe? Tell us your name” She didn’t say anything. Khalid advices her to stay with the army and she charges back again. This time Khalid is behind her, finally Khalid is able to get alone and ask her “What’s the matter? Why don’t you follow my command?” Then he heard the voice of a woman under the niqab, “I didn’t speak before because I didn’t want to embarrass you.” She is Khawlah, looking for her brother, Dirar. So Khalid said, let’s do it together. He brought the army together, put Rabi’ and Khawlah as generals and Khalid between the two. And that’s the end of the battle. Dirar was saved.

Refernce: Famous Women in Islam, Dr. Umar Faruq Abd-Allah, Nawawi Foundation