Question:
Assalamu Alakyum,
I am Hanafi. Can you kindly explain what “asking behind a curtain” means according to the scholars? Does this pertain all women or the wives of the Prophet only? Is it wajib or recommended? If it was wajib, what are we supposed to do, since nowhere this is observed, especially in the West. We would have been sinning all the time, if I am not wrong.
A scholar was very angry about some scholars giving lectures in front of women without a veil between. I asked myself if this is really a sin, if women are covered and there is no fear of fitna.
Answer:
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
From the outset we wish to mention that it is highly reprehensible in the Hanafi Mazhab for women to attend the Masjid for Salaah in congregation.[i] So, to a greater extent it will not be permissible for women to attend mixed gatherings where there are no separation between men and women whether it is held in a Masjid or any other venue.
Islam has prescribed that women should veil themselves from every non-Mahram male be it be the Imaam or any other respected Muslim Shaikh or scholar. It is not permissible for a man to lecture to non-Mahram women without a veil between them. There is enough evidence from the Quran and Sunnah to support the issue of women veiling themselves from non-Mahram males. No Muslim of sound intelligence can deny the concept of women veiling themselves from non-Mahram men.
The verse of behind a curtain which you alluded to is in Surah Al-Ahzab verse 53, Allah ﷻ says:
وَإِذَا سَأَلْتُمُوهُنَّ مَتَاعًا فَاسْأَلُوهُنَّ مِنْ وَرَاءِ حِجَابٍ ذَلِكُمْ أَطْهَرُ لِقُلُوبِكُمْ وَقُلُوبِهِنَّ
Translation: “And when you ask anything from them (the blessed wives of the prophet), ask them from behind a curtain. That is better for the purity of your hearts and their hearts.”
In Ma`ariful Quran Mufti Muhammad Shafi mentions under the abovementioned verse in such a profound manner; “this rule has also been prompted by a particular incident involving the blessed wives, but the rule is general for the whole Ummah. Briefly, the rule states that if non-Mahram men have to ask anything common from women, they should ask them from behind a curtain not face to face, the reason stated for this rule is that it is better for the purity of the hearts of both.
It is worth noting here that the men and the women who are the direct addressees of these rules of hijab are, on the one hand, the women who are the blessed wives of the Holy Prophet ﷺ purification of whose hearts has been undertaken by Allah ﷻ himself as mentioned in the verses preceding the present one, and on the other hand they are the men who are the noble companions of the Holy Prophet ﷺ many of whom have been exalted even above angels. Despite all these credentials, Hijab was deemed to be necessary between men and women for the purity of their hearts and to protect them from sensual scruples. Who can claim that his inner-self is purer than that of the noble companions and the inner-self of his women are purer than those of the blessed wives and thus believe that mixing of men and women would not have any bad consequences?[ii]”
For those who wish to say that the above-mentioned verse is specific to the wives of Rasulullah ﷺ, they should ponder over the following verses of the Quran where Allah ﷺ commands both males and females to control their gazes. This will be easily achieved by the use of a barrier and a veil between them.
Allah ﷻ says Surah An-Nur verses 30-31:
قُلْ لِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ يَغُضُّوا مِنْ أَبْصَارِهِمْ وَيَحْفَظُوا فُرُوجَهُمْ ذَلِكَ أَزْكَى لَهُمْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ خَبِيرٌ بِمَا يَصْنَعُونَ (30) وَقُلْ لِلْمُؤْمِنَاتِ يَغْضُضْنَ مِنْ أَبْصَارِهِنَّ وَيَحْفَظْنَ فُرُوجَهُنَّ وَلَا يُبْدِينَ زِينَتَهُنَّ إِلَّا مَا ظَهَرَ مِنْهَا وَلْيَضْرِبْنَ بِخُمُرِهِنَّ عَلَى جُيُوبِهِنَّ وَلَا يُبْدِينَ زِينَتَهُنَّ إِلَّا لِبُعُولَتِهِنَّ أَوْ آبَائِهِنَّ أَوْ آبَاءِ بُعُولَتِهِنَّ أَوْ أَبْنَائِهِنَّ أَوْ أَبْنَاءِ بُعُولَتِهِنَّ أَوْ إِخْوَانِهِنَّ أَوْ بَنِي إِخْوَانِهِنَّ أَوْ بَنِي أَخَوَاتِهِنَّ أَوْ نِسَائِهِنَّ أَوْ مَا مَلَكَتْ أَيْمَانُهُنَّ أَوِ التَّابِعِينَ غَيْرِ أُولِي الْإِرْبَةِ مِنَ الرِّجَالِ أَوِ الطِّفْلِ الَّذِينَ لَمْ يَظْهَرُوا عَلَى عَوْرَاتِ النِّسَاءِ وَلَا يَضْرِبْنَ بِأَرْجُلِهِنَّ لِيُعْلَمَ مَا يُخْفِينَ مِنْ زِينَتِهِنَّ وَتُوبُوا إِلَى اللَّهِ جَمِيعًا أَيُّهَ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ (31)
Translation: Tell the believing men that they must lower their gaze and guard their private parts; it is more decent for them. Surely Allah is All-Aware of what they do. [30] And tell the believing women that they must lower their gazes and guard their private parts, and must not expose their bosoms with their shawls, and must not expose their adornments, except to their husbands or their fathers or the fathers of their husbands, or to their sons or the sons of their husbands or to their brothers or the sons of their brothers or the sons of their sisters, or to their women, or to those owned by their right hands, or to male attendants having no (sexual) urge, or to the children who are not yet conscious of the shame of women. And let them not stamp their feet in a way that the adornment they conceal is known. And repent to Allah O believers, all of you, so that you may achieve success. [31]
The abovementioned verses show that it is inappropriate for non-Mahram men and women to sit together in such a manner where they can see each other. We also learn from these verses that women should also veil themselves from non-Mahram men. It is an accepted fact that parties from the opposite gender do, at times, cast unlawful and lustful glances at each other. Allah ﷻ being All-Knowing, revealed these laws to safeguard mankind from falling into evil. Placing a barrier between non-Mahram men and women in the masjid and other religious settings solves the problem of casting unlawful glances while one is in such gatherings and it also assists the women in fulfilling the command of not exposing themselves to non-Mahram men.
Even in the presence of Rasulullah ﷺ women were behind a veil. ‘Aisha Radiyallahu Anha said that a woman made a sign from behind a curtain to indicate that she had a letter for the Messenger of ﷺ. Rasulullah ﷺ closed his hand, saying: I do not know if this is a man’s hand or a woman’s. She said: No, a woman. He said: If you were a woman, you would make a difference to your nails, meaning with henna[iii].
It is an undisputed fact that many of the evils which are widespread today were not found in noble era of Rasulullah ﷺ. The mother of the believers Aisha Radiyallahu Anha said “ If the Prophet of Allah ﷺ was to know the situation of the women today, then he would surely stop them from coming to the Masjids, just like the women of Bani Israeel were stopped (from entering their places of Worship)[iv]”. She was referring to the women of her time which was still in the best of eras. However, seeing the condition of the women and knowing the temperament of Rasulullah ﷺ she made her statement. Therefore, women should veil themselves even more in our era where shamelessness, and immorality is rampant. Can anyone assure themselves that they will not cast evil glances at the opposite gender? So to say in “absence of Fitnah” is something which is farfetched. The best stance to adopt is the stance of precaution as directed by the Quran and Hadith.
Those who are well acquainted with the laws of Islam know that Rasulullah ﷺ was a living embodiment of the Quran, he expounded on the teachings of the Quran in his speech and his actions. He put measures in place to avoid any lewd activity between males and females that is why it is said in a Hadith that a woman’s Salaah is more rewarding at home[v]. This is to safeguard both males and females from the Fitnah that may arise due to unnecessary interaction.
To conclude, we reiterate that the best stance is for women to stay at home and not attend mixed gatherings. The men and women who believe that there should be no barrier between men and women in Islamic gatherings and say that they do not cast lustful glances in such gatherings should ponder over the following verse of the Quran: Allah ﷺ in Surah Al-Mu’min verse 19:
Allah ﷺ in Surah Al-Mu’min verse 19:
يَعْلَمُ خَائِنَةَ الْأَعْيُنِ وَمَا تُخْفِي الصُّدُورُ
Translation: He knows the treachery of the eyes and whatever is concealed by hearts.
He ﷺ also says in Surah Najm verse 32:
فَلَا تُزَكُّوا أَنْفُسَكُمْ هُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِمَنِ اتَّقَى
So, do not claim purity (from faults) for your selves. He knows best who is God-fearing.
There are more examples from the blessed life of Rasulullah ﷺ and the Sahabah Riyallahu anhum which show that placing a barrier between the men and women in any Islamic gathering is something which is praiseworthy, not blameworthy. However, we will suffice on that which was mentioned as it should be sufficient for a seeker of truth.
And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best
Mufti Mujahid Dan Lubrin
Darul Iftaa, Jaamia Madinatul Uloom (Trinidad)
www.fatwa-tt.com /www.jaamia.net
[i] حاشية الطحطاوى على مراقى الفلاح ص304 قديمى
(ولا يحضرون الجماعات) لقوله صلى الله عليه وسلم: “صلاة المرأة في بيتها أفضل من صلاتها في حجرتها وصلاتها في مخدعها أفضل من صلاتها في بيتها” اهـ فالأفضل لها ما كان أستر لها لا فرق بين الفرائض وغيرها كالتراويح إلا صلاة الجنازة فلا تكره جماعتهن فيها لأنها لم تشرع مكررة فلو انفردت تفوتهن ولو أمت المرأة في صلاة الجنازة رجالا لا تعاد لسقوط الفرض بصلاتها قوله: (والمخالفة) أي مخالفة الأمر لأن الله تعالى أمرهن بالقرار في البيوت فقال تعالى: {وَقَرْنَ فِي بُيُوتِكُنَّ} [الأحزاب: 33] وقال صلى الله عليه وسلم: “بيوتهن خير لهن لو كن “
[ii] معارف القران ج 7 ص200-ادارۃ المعارف – کراچی
Ma`riful Quran English translation vol. 7 pg.203
[iii] سنن أبي داود – 6/242 – دار الرسالة العالمية
4166 – حدثنا محمد بن محمد الصوري، حدثنا خالد بن عبد الرحمن، حدثنا مطيع بن ميمون، عن صفية بنت عصمة عن عائشة قالت: أومت امرأة من وراء ستر بيدها كتاب إلى رسول الله – صلى الله عليه وسلم -، فقبض النبي -صلى الله عليه وسلم- يده، فقال: “ما أدري أيد رجل أم يد امرأة” قالت: بل امرأة، قال: “لو كنت امرأة لغيرت أظفارك” يعني بالحناء
[iv] صحيح البخاري – 1/173
869 – حدثنا عبد الله بن يوسف، قال: أخبرنا مالك، عن يحيى بن سعيد، عن عمرة، عن عائشة رضي الله عنها، قالت: «لو أدرك رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم ما أحدث النساء لمنعهن كما منعت نساء بني إسرائيل» قلت لعمرة: أومنعن؟ قالت: نعم
[v] سنن ابى داؤد
عن عبد الله، عن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم، قال: صلاة المرأة في بيتها أفضل من صلاتها في حجرتها، وصلاتها في مخدعها أفضل من صلاتها في بيتها
