Segregation in Islam

To protect the dignity and privacy of individuals while respecting their need for engaging in social relations, the Islamic ethics of Taqwah prescribes ‘Pardah’, a code of conduct for unrelated men and women in their possible social interactions. These days such interactions take place on an everyday basis both on physical spaces- schools, colleges, universities, work places, transport vehicles, etc.- and on virtual spaces such as social media, online meetings, chatting networks, etc. This raises profound questions of practical guidance on related issues for the believers- men and women of faith. For instance, how should a boy or man behave towards a girl or woman he interacts with in the context of social media? Can a man shake hands with a woman and vice-versa in social settings? What about singing Nazms where men and women use their voices and can attract each other’s attention?

Recently, in a programme telecast over the Sahih Al Islam YouTube Channel, a number of issues of appropriate conduct and behaviour between unrelated men and women in social settings were put before Imam- Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam International Hazrat Muhyiuddin Al Khalifatullah Munir Ahmad Azim (aba) of Mauritius for guidance and clarification from the perspective of the Law of Shari’ah. 

Reproduced Below is the text of the Question and Answer session with Hazrat Khalifatullah (aba) anchored by Tayyeba N.A. Saheba in July 2023.

Islam & Women's Rights

 

In his Friday Sermon of 21 October 2022 ~24 Rabi’ul Awwal 1444 AH, Imam- Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam International Hazrat Muhyiuddin Al Khalifatullah Munir A. Azim (aba) of Mauritius continues his exposition on the rights of women in society- aspects of a theme that was eloquently explained in the previous Friday Sermon in the light of specific Divine revelations he originally received  as early as two decades ago. Against the backdrop of contemporary issues in various nations involving Muslim women's status and social rights, Hazrat Khalifatullah (aba) underscores the truly progressive spirit of original Islamic teachings concerning appropriate social conduct among men and women, and the related regulations it introduced to enable people to safeguard against evil and indecency. Despite the rise of Islamophobia in the West, the growing number of women from non-Muslim cultures and  social backgrounds discovering Islam, including its modes of dressing, in recent years testify to the essential wisdom underlying the enduring teachings of Islam. 

At the same time, Hazrat Khalifatullah (aba) calls attention to the gross excesses being committed by those in authority in the name of implementing religious norms. The ongoing protests in Iran, in the aftermath of the killing of a young Mahsa Amini in the name of Hijab violations by the national "moral police" may also mark the beginning of the end of an oppressive regime of Mullahs playing God on earth.    

   

Elucidating on the Islamic concept of a non-exploitative social order where men and women have an equal responsibility in recognizing the dignity, rights and interests of one another, Hazrat Saheb (aba) underscores the need for the community of believers- both men and women- to gain a proper appreciation of the ethical roots and subtle wisdom that underlies the Islamic regulations of social life.   

Women's Rights: Men's Duties in Islam

Advices to the Wo/men of the Divine Manifestation- Part 3

IN his Friday Sermon of 27 April 2018 (10 Shabaan 1439 AH), Muhyi-ud-Din Al Khalifatullah Hadhrat Munir Ahmad Azim Saheb (atba) of Mauritius, continues the stream of advices to the members of the Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam on nurturing a spiritual core to their every day lives. In the previous sermons in the series, Hadhrat Saheb (atba) speaks of the need for being responsible citizens in society by practicing Islamic values  within the over all framework of Taqwah or being mindful of God in all that we do- observing modesty and decency in dress and habits; equity and balance in life choices; fairness in relations and respect for the rights of others, including family members, etc. Hadhrat Saheb (atba) also underscored the need for injecting vitality into the organizational frameworks so that the members- young and not so young- can be trained and moulded into the dynamics of Jamaat affairs so that they may take over social responsibilities in the fullness of time, without leaving a vaccum in leadership for sustaining the momentum of collective good works. 

Speaking of the identity, dignity and rights of women in society and the many ills that plague our social systems, Hadhrat Khalifatullah (atba) notes the seminal role of men in distorting the delicate balance in the social order, including in family and spouse relations through their overbearing attitudes and victimisation of women. With their patriarchal mindsets and abuse of traditional privileges; many men frequently take a dime view of women's agency, rights and space. It is against this backdrop that one should view the modern feminist thought. The women empowerment movements in our times essentially seek to reclaim and restore a level playing field for the deprived/repressed/oppressed women in varying contexts of social rights that were/ are unjustly curtailed by men. Influenced by social custom and inherited family traditions, many Muslim men have no clear understanding of Islamic behavioural ethics. As a consequence, they end up justifying their anti-women attitudes and gender-stereotyping on Islam, leading to the furtherance of ant-Islam feelings in society. 

The Holy Prophet Muhammad (sa), in his final days, was very much concerned about the future of women's rights within the Ummah, and exhorted men, in very strong and stirring words, to respect the rights and entitlements of women. In one of the Divine Revelations vouchsafed to Hadhrat Massih Maoud (as), the Divine Message is crystal clear: 'your wives are not your servants; they are your comrades in life'. 

Following in the footsteps of this great Islamic tradition, Hadhrat Khalifatullah (atba) exhorts the Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam, especially the men, to mind their obligations in this vital arena of human relations. In the present sermon, Hadhrat Saheb (atba) reiterates the need for men to respect the space of women in the matrimonial home and family life, considering also the disproportionate impact of domestic and social obligations on most of the hapless women in impoverished families. Noting that abusive and unjust men who trump the basic rights of women/others cannot have any space in spiritual communities, Hadhrat Saheb (atba) exhorts all members of the Jamaat that if they are serious and sincere about the quest for God's approval, they need to ensure that their actions remain within the ethical framework and teachings of the Holy Qur'an or become like a 'Walking Qur'an' in their everyday lives.

Read the Extracts from the Friday Sermon: 

Alhamdulillah, Summa Alhamdulillah, Allah (swt) has given me the Ilm (Knowledge) and opportunity to continue the third part of my sermon on the Women & Men of the Divine Manifestation. This is indeed a great blessing of Allah Who guides me through His sheer love and blessings to impart to all members of our Jamaat and whole mankind the key essence of good living and how to mould it in your spiritual lives also, so that both the temporal and the spiritual marries in harmony and do not clash. Indeed all thanks and gratitude is to Allah Who teaches me and guide me to give you the best advices for your own good on earth and which shall open the avenues of felicity for you in the afterlife also. Indeed my love for Allah is beyond measure.