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Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem
[b:82555e611c]"Remember Our Hayaah"
Baiyinah Bint Muhammad [/b:82555e611c][/size:82555e611c]
Muslims who grow up in America undoubtedly face many challenges when choosing to accept Islam, whether they were born into Muslim families or discovered Islam for the first time later in life. Whatever our circumstances, we are all greatly affected by where we come from, often in ways we do not realize. One of the major problems facing Muslims who have grown up in the West is their loss of hayaa’, their sense of shame, and unfortunately, this is especially true for Muslim sisters.
The Prophet (s) told us that eemaan (faith) has seventy branches, the highest of which is Laa ilaaha illa Allaah and the lowest of which is removing something harmful from the road, and he added, “Hayaa’ (having a sense of shame) is part of eemaan.” When we study hayaa’ in Islam, we begin to see clearly that its definition goes far beyond mere “modesty,” as it is often translated, but it includes a more broad definition that is probably more adequately translated as “a sense of shame.”
Much of this hayaa’ comes from our fitrah, the natural inclination in all of us to submit to Allah and His laws. This in-born hayaa’ manifests itself in different ways depending on the culture, but most cultures have this aspect ingrained in them, at the very least, where covering the body is concerned. The overwhelming majority of societies recognize that covering at least some parts of the body is necessary for human interaction, as it is shameful to interact without clothing. Allah gives us further instruction in this area when He says what has been translated to mean, “And say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty; that they should not display their beauty and ornaments except what (must ordinarily) appear thereof; that they should draw their veils over their bosoms and not display their beauty except to their husbands, their fathers, their husband's fathers, their sons, their husbands' sons, their brothers or their brothers' sons, or their sisters' sons, or their women, or the slaves whom their right hands possess, or male servants free of physical needs, or small children who have no sense of the shame of sex; and that they should not strike their feet in order to draw attention to their hidden ornaments. And O ye Believers! turn ye all together towards Allah, that ye may attain Bliss” (An-Noor, 24:31)
When most Muslims read this verse, they immediately think of its relation to the prohibition on intermingling between the sexes, and of course, this is likely because this is discussed in the verse. However, the verse is not only giving us guidance on our interaction between men and women, but it is also giving us guidance on our interaction within the same sex. Thus, from this verse, we, particularly women, have some directives on what is acceptable in front of women also.
No Muslim woman who is aware of the guidance of this beautiful religion would argue that it is okay to uncover any more than face and hands in front of non-mahram men. Furthermore, no aware Muslim woman would agree that it is okay to draw attention to her hidden ornaments in front of non-mahram men. Thus, it is inconceivable for a woman to be covered in khimaar and jilbaab displaying only her face and hands (or only her eyes) and she walk in a provocative manner such that men’s attention is drawn to what she is covering. This is because of what we know of the covering of her awrah (Islamically defined private parts) and the rules on hijaab (women’s covering): that “proper hijaab” goes beyond a woman’s dress and into her behavior and interaction with the opposite sex. However, what is too often forgotten is that we women have an awrah in front of women too.
[b:82555e611c]<span>Growing up in the West, where most everyone is intermingling, tends to lead Muslims to focus solely on staying away from intermingling and protecting the awrah in front of the opposite sex. As a result, what often occurs is that we automatically assume that what we may have done or seen others do in jahiliyyah (ignorance or non-Islam) in front of the opposite sex is permissible in front of the same sex. However this is not necessarily true. But since we have this assumption, it is common to find sisters at all-sisters parties (like for Eid and walimahs) wearing very revealing clothes that, even if the awrah is “covered,” it is so clearly defined with the tightness of the outfit that the purpose of the covering of the awrah is defeated.[/color:82555e611c][/b:82555e611c]</span>
<span>The Prophet (s) told us that there are two kinds of people in Hell, and one of them was, “women who are clothed yet naked walking with an enticing gait…” What we forget is that the same rules for covering in front of men, in terms of looseness and not showing the shape, apply to covering our awrah in front of women. And more detrimental, even when sisters do cover appropriately in front of women, they tend to do what Allah has forbidden in the above verse when He says, “…and that they should not strike their feet in order to draw attention to their hidden ornaments” by dancing provocatively, whether through belly dancing or imitating many provocative dances from the non-Muslims.</span>
<span>When this part of the verse is focused on, one notices something right away. Allah does not say that that “they should not strike their feet in front of men to draw attention to their hidden ornaments.” Although the context of this verse refers specifically to a woman who may wear noisy anklets that draw men’s attention, the generality of the verse gives a principle to apply to all relevant circumstances, which include all situations in which a woman is commanded to cover her awrah, whether in front of her father, brother or Muslim sister. Of course, how much a woman covers in front of each of them differs, but the principle remains the same: if she must cover it, she cannot draw attention to it. Otherwise, she is contradicting the ruling on covering one’s awrah.</span>
<span>In Tafsir Ibn Kathir, after referencing the noisy anklets being referred to in this verse, it states, “By the same token, if there is any kind of adornment that is hidden, women are forbidden to make any movements that would reveal what is hidden, because Allah says, “And let them not stamp their feet…”</span>
<span>It is well known in Islam that it is prohibited for a woman to look at the awrah of another woman or a man to look at the awrah of another man. The Prophet (s) said, “A man should not look at the ‘awrah of another man, nor a woman of a woman, nor should a man go under one cloth with another man, nor a woman with another woman” (Muslim). This is probably one of the clearest injunctions on this subject, and Allah knows best. After reading this hadeeth, it becomes clear that belly dancing or other provocative moves that force one to look at another’s awrah is forbidden between the sexes or within the sexes, because in both cases it results in drawing attention to the awrah. For the Shari’ah (Islamic Law) is clear on the principle: whatever is forbidden, that which results in it is also forbidden. This rule is so important in Islam that a normally permissible activity becomes prohibited if it is known that it will lead to something prohibited.</span>
<span>Regarding the awrah of women in front of women, many scholars say it is from the navel to the knee, but others say that the strongest proof is that it is more than that. However, in either case, belly dancing and other provocative dancing is forbidden, as it results in drawing attention to what is below the navel, namely the hips and buttocks of a woman.</span>
<span>Sheikh al Albaani was once asked a three-part question specific to dancing. He responded “As for the first part, which is a woman's dancing in front of her husband. If her dancing is natural and not professional – i.e. she did not learn how to dance, as is the fashion of this time – even if she stirs the desires of the man (husband), then there is no text that can be found that forbids this. But this is on the condition that it occurs between her and her husband only.” “…With regard to a woman dancing in front of her husband, then if her dancing is not joined with a learned way of dancing, but rather it is just a moving and waving of hands, and there is no shaking of the hips or those sorts of things that stir the desires and causes doubts, then there is also no problem with this dancing. If it is correct to call it dancing! But if any of those things mentioned above are found in it, then refraining from it is the original principle.” [Al-Asaalah, Issue #8]</span>
<span>We all are at different levels of understanding in our religion, but as we strive each day to implement Islam as the Prophet (s) and the Companions did, we must constantly challenge ourselves to become better people. And we must constantly be on guard against Satan, especially regarding those things that are so much a part of us that we may never have stopped to consider whether or not Allah is pleased with them. Having a true sense of hayaa’ is difficult for a person who grew up in a society that at the flick of a button one can see and hear the most lewd acts, and it is even more difficult for one who has participated in mixed parties and the like. However, in our striving to avoid the prohibitions and leave the intermingling of the West, let us not assume that whatever is not acceptable in front of brothers is acceptable in front of sisters. Some things are simply not okay for anyone except your spouse, and this is definitely the case for wearing provocative clothes and doing provocative dancing. May Allah forgive us our sins and instill within us that much needed part of eemaan: our hayaa’.</span>
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