Opinion Editorials, November 2003, www.aljazeerah.info
Human Price of the Israeli Occupation of Palestine
Israeli daily aggression on the Palestinian people
Mission and meaning of Al-Jazeerah
Cities, localities, and tourist attractions
Promoting Easy Marriage
Sayyid Qutb
Arab News, 11/23/03
In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Beneficent
And tell believing women to lower their gaze and to be mindful of their chastity, and not to display their charms except what may ordinarily appear thereof. Let them draw their head-coverings over their bosoms and not display their charms to any but their husbands, or their fathers, or their husbands’ fathers, or their sons, or their husbands’ sons, or their brothers, or their brothers’ sons, or their sisters’ sons, or their womenfolk, or those whom they rightfully possess, or such male attendants as are free of physical desire, or children that are as yet unaware of women’s nakedness. Let them not swing their legs in walking so as to draw attention to their hidden charms. Believers, turn to God in repentance, so that you may achieve success.
Marry the single from among you as well as such of your male and female slaves as are virtuous. If they are poor, God will grant them sufficiency out of His bounty. God is munificent, all-knowing.
As for those who are unable to marry, let them live in continence until God grants them sufficiency out of His bounty. And if any of your slaves desire to obtain a deed of freedom, write it out for them if you are aware of any good in them; and give them something of the wealth God has given you. Do not force you maids to prostitution when they desire to preserve their chastity, in order to make some worldly gain. If anyone should force them, then after they have been compelled, God will be much forgiving, merciful (to them). (Light, Al-Noor: 24: 31-33)
The first verse in this passage provides a number of preventive measures the Muslim community should adopt in order to maintain the sort of moral standards Islam wants to prevail. We have discussed the requirements made here with regard to women covering their heads and bosoms when they go out or when they are in the company of men other than the categories specified in this verse. These categories of relatives may see their woman relative, but she may not reveal the part of her body between her waistline and her knees except to her husband.
Since this is a preventive measure, the Qur’anic verse goes on to prohibit moves a woman may make in order to attract attention to her adornments or charms that are not readily visible. Such moves may be exciting even though the adornments themselves may remain invisible.
“Let them not swing their legs in walking so as to draw attention to their hidden charms.” This order results from profound knowledge of human psychology. Sometimes, the human imagination may be a more powerful trigger of desire. Many are the men who, on seeing a woman’s shoes, dress or jewelry, are more excited than by seeing her body. Many are the ones that are sexually excited by the mental image they draw of a woman than by seeing her in person. Psychiatrists have identified such cases, which need treatment. The tinkle of jewelry or the smelling of perfume may excite some people and kindle their sexual desire. With some, it could become irresistible. The Qur’an takes effective and appropriate action against all this, because God sends the Creator who knows His creation and who is kind to, and fully aware of, them its entire message.
The verse concludes with turning people’s hearts to God, opening the door of repentance and forgiveness for all that was done before its revelation. “Believers, turn to God in repentance, so that you may achieve success.” Thus, it enhances their feelings that God watches over them, and that He is kind to them, taking care of them. He helps them to overcome their weakness toward this desire that takes firm roots in their nature. Yet nothing can bring it under proper control more effectively than faith and fear of God.
Up to this point, the measures the Qur’an speaks about are preventive. But the sexual attraction is very real and needs practical steps to ensure its proper control. The most important solution is marriage and taking positive steps to encourage it, together with making other ways of sexual response far more difficult or even totally unavailable. “Marry the single from among you as well as such of your male and female slaves as are virtuous. If they are poor, God will grant them sufficiency out of His bounty. God is munificent, all-knowing. As for those who are unable to marry, let them live in continence until God grants them sufficiency out of His bounty. And if any of your slaves desire to obtain a deed of freedom, write it out for them if you are aware of any good in them; and give them something of the wealth God has given you. Do not force you maids to prostitution when they desire to preserve their chastity, in order to make some worldly gain. If anyone should force them, then after they have been compelled, God will be much- forgiving, merciful (to them).”
Marriage is the natural way to satisfy the sexual desire. It is the healthy and clean objective of this profound human instinct. Hence, all impediments that make marriage difficult should be removed so that human life may progress in its natural and simple way. Money is the primary impediment facing those who wish to establish families and protect themselves against sin. Islam puts in place an integrated system that does not make a requirement without providing its tools or the conditions that are conducive to its fulfillment. As it requires people to maintain their chastity, it makes it easy for all people. Hence only the one who deliberately turns away from the clean and pure way indulges in sin. Therefore, Islam requires the Muslim community to provide financial assistance for those who lack the wherewithal to get married: “Marry the single from among you as well as such of your male and female slaves as are virtuous. If they are poor, God will grant them sufficiency out of His bounty.”
The order applies to all those who are single, men and women, although only free people are meant here. Those who are in bondage are specifically mentioned after that: “as well as such of your male and female slaves as are virtuous.” They all need money for this purpose, as it is clearly understood from the rest of the verse: “If they are poor, God will grant them sufficiency out of His bounty.”
This order is given to the Muslim community to enable them to get married. The majority of scholars are of the view that this order is meant as a recommendation because there were single people during the time of the Prophet and they were not made to marry. Had this order been meant as an obligation, the Prophet would have got them all married.
In our view, this order states an obligation, but it does not mean that a Muslim ruler is required to compel those who are single to get married. What it means is that the Muslim community must help single people who wish to get married, thus enabling them to guard their chastity. Islam considers this to be a practical measure of protection so that the Muslim community remains free of adultery, as it is duty bound to remain so. Providing the means to fulfill an obligation is also obligatory.
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| Earth, a planet hungry for peace |
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| The Israeli apartheid (security) wall around Palestinian population centers (Ran Cohen, pmc, 5/24/03). |
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| The Israeli apartheid (security) wall around Palestinian population centers in the West Bank, like a Python. (Alquds,10/25/03). |
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