Following is proof that the Quran alone is sufficient and complete for the purposes of Islamic guidance and law. Consequently, the hadith books are not needed to supplement or clarify the Quran.
The Quran is complete
Fortunately, we don’t need to guess whether verse 31:27 suggests that the Quran is complete. God admits in verses 6:115 and 6:38 that the Quran is complete. Also, common sense says that God is perfect. Therefore, why would God send down an incomplete Quran? Was God too busy that He couldn’t finish the Quran? Obviously not. Did God say in the Quran that because the Quran is incomplete, we have to figure out the missing parts from Prophet Muhammad’s sayings (hadith)? Obviously not.
And there is no creature on [or within] the earth or bird that flies with its wings except [that they are] communities like you. We have not neglected in the Register a thing. Then unto their Lord they will be gathered. (6:38)
The Quran is fully detailed (fussilat) of all things
Not only is the Quran complete, but it’s also detailed.
There was certainly in their stories a lesson for those of understanding. Never was the Qur’an a narration invented, but a confirmation of what was before it and a detailed explanation of all things and guidance and mercy for a people who believe. (12:111)
And is it not sufficient for them that We revealed to you the Book which is recited to them? Indeed in that is a mercy and reminder for a people who believe. (29:51)
The fact that the Quran is sufficient all by itself is further indicated in verses 17:45-46. Note the emphasis of the Quran being sufficient on its own with the use of the word “alone”.
And We have placed over their hearts coverings, lest they understand it, and in their ears deafness. And when you mention your Lord in the Qur’an alone, they turn back in aversion. (17:46)
God never runs out of words
Many people seem to think that the Quran is incomplete and therefore, believe that Prophet Muhammad’s sayings (hadith) complete the Quran. According to verse 31:27, God never runs out of words. Therefore, God could have written more words in the Quran to explain things to people. But since God didn’t write more than what’s in the Quran, He must have considered the Quran complete.
And if whatever trees upon the earth were pens and the sea [was ink], replenished thereafter by seven [more] seas, the words of Allah would not be exhausted. Indeed, Allah is Exalted in Might and Wise. (31:27)
The best hadith (statement) is God’s statement (the Quran)
In verse 39:23, God says that the best saying / statement (hadith) is God’s hadith. So why would anyone want to follow some other hadith, e.g. via Bukhari, Muslim, Tirmidzhi, etc?
The Quran describes different types of people as follows:
Submitter (Muslim)
Believer (Mu’min)
Idolater (Mushrik)
People of the Book (Ahl E-Kitaab)
Disbeliever / Rejector (Kafir)
Hypocrite (Munafiq)
Idolater (Mushrik)
They are polytheists (people who worship more than one God). Mushrikeen comes from the Arabic word “shirk” which, in general, means “to share”. With respect to the Quran, “shirk” means sharing others as partners besides God.
Submitters (Muslims)
They are monotheists (people who submit to one, true God). They are not necessarily Believers as true belief may not have entered into their hearts yet. Being a submitter is a prerequisite to being a believer.
The desert Arabs say, “We believe!” Say, “Do not say you believe; but only say, ‘We have submitted our wills to God (as Submitters / Muslims),’ as belief has not yet entered your hearts. But if you obey God and His Messenger, He will not deprive you anything of your deeds: for God is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.” (49:14)
Believer (Mu’min)
They believe in God, His angels, His books, and His messengers and don’t differentiate between any of His messengers.
“The messenger believes in that which has been revealed to him from his Lord and (so do) believers. Each one believes in God and His angels and His scriptures and His messengers – We make no distinction between any of His messengers – and they say: We hear, and we obey. …. ” (2:285)
Prophet Moses was a Submitter (Muslim) and after seeing a sign from God, he became a Believer (Mu’min)
“And when Moses came to the place appointed by Us and his Lord spoke to him, He said: “O my Lord! show (Yourself) to me, that I may look upon You.” God said: “By no means can you see Me; But look upon the mount; if it remains in its place, then shall you see Me.” But when his Lord manifested His glory on the Mount, He made it crumble to dust. And Moses fell down in a swoon / unconscious. When he recovered his senses he said: “Glory be to You! to You I turn in repentance and I am the first to believe.” (7:143)
Disbeliever / Rejector (Kafir)
Disbelievers (Kafirs) are people who, after understanding the message of truth (worship the one, true God), deny the truth. They intentionally disbelieve in the one, true God. Kafir comes from the Arabic word “kufr” which means to hide. Kafirs hide the truth and refuse to accept it. They will go to Hell.
“As for the Disbelievers, Whether you warn them or you warn them not it is all one for them; they believe not. God has sealed their hearing and their hearts, and on their eyes there is a covering. Theirs will be an awful doom” (2:6-7)
Even if Prophet Muhammad asks God to forgive disbelievers, God will not forgive them. They are walking dead because they’re just waiting to go to Hell.
“Ask forgiveness for them (O Muhammad), or ask not forgiveness for them; though you ask forgiveness for them seventy times God will not forgive them. That is because they disbelieved in God and His messenger, and God guides not wrongdoing folk” (9:80)
Idolaters (Mushriks) are not automatically Disbelievers (Kafirs)
In verse 9:6, the idolaters were not branded as disbelievers because they did not know they were wrong. If an idolater wanted protection, Prophet Muhammad was instructed to protect them so that they could learn about Submission (Islam) and become a Submitter (Muslim). An idolater only becomes a disbeliever if they’ve seen the truth about the one and only God yet they still refuse to believe.
“And if anyone of the idolaters seeks thy protection (O Muhammad), then protect him so that he may hear the Word of God, and afterward convey him to his place of safety. That is because they are a folk who do not know” (9:6)
The People of the Book (Ahl e-Kitaab)
They are people who received the former scriptures (Torah, Injil). They are Jews and Christians. Jews and Christians who submit to one, true God are Submitters (Muslim).
“Not all of them are alike: Of the People of the Book are a portion that stand: They rehearse the verses of God all night long, and they prostrate themselves in adoration. They believe in God and the Last Day; they enjoin what is right, and forbid what is wrong; and they hasten in good deeds: They are in the ranks of the righteous” (3:113-114)
Can Believers (Mu’mins) be friends / allies with Jews and Christians?
According to verse 5:51, God instructs believers to not be allied with the Jews and Christians.
O you who have believed, do not take the Jews and the Christians as allies. They are [in fact] allies of one another. And whoever is an ally to them among you – then indeed, he is [one] of them. Indeed, God guides not the wrongdoing people.
However, when read in context, we see from verse 5:57 that the prohibition is only against being friends / allies with Jews and Christians who ridicule Islam.
O you who have believed, take not those who have taken your religion in ridicule and amusement among the ones who were given the Scripture before you nor the disbelievers as allies. And fear God, if you should [truly] be believers.
At the time of Prophet Muhammad, some People of the Book (Jews and Christians) were Believers (Mu’mins) because they believed in the Quran and Prophet Muhammad.
“And there are, certainly, among the People of the Book (Arabic: Ahli-l-kitabi), those who believe in God, in the revelation to you, and in the revelation to them, bowing in humility to God: They will not sell the Signs of God for a miserable gain! For them is a reward with their Lord, and God is swift in account” (3:199)
Most people are Disbelievers (Kafirs)
As of 2018, despite Islam being the 2nd largest religion after Christianity and being projected to become the largest religion some time between 2051 and 3000, verse 12:103 indicates that most people may still call themselves Muslims (Submitters) or Believers (Mu’mins) when in reality they are actually disbelievers (kafirs).
And most of the people, although you strive [for it], are not believers. (12:103)
It is possible, however, that verse 12:103 may mean that most people during the time of prophet Muhammad were disbelievers, rather than most people throughout life in this world. Nevertheless, verse 12:103 is in agreement with 17:62 whereby Satan says he will destroy all but a few of among mankind, even though 17:62 simply indicates what Satan said and doesn’t necessarily mean what he said will actually happen.
[Iblees / Satan] said, “Do You see this one whom You have honored above me? If You delay me until the Day of Resurrection, I will surely destroy his descendants, except for a few.” (17:62)
Verse 25:30, similarly, seems to indicate that most of Muhammad’s followers will have abandoned the Quran. This verse describes what Muhammad will say on the Day of Judgment.
When the hypocrites come to you, [O Muhammad], they say, “We testify that you are the Messenger of God.” And God knows that you are His Messenger, and God testifies that the hypocrites are liars. (63:1)
The hypocrites (Munafiqs) will be in the lowest depths of Hell
Many Muslims believe that the Islamic prayer began with Muhammad. However, below is proof that people prayed Islamically much before Muhammad was even born.
Additionally, many Muslims argue that the Quran is incomplete because it doesn’t explain how to pray and therefore the hadith are required to clarify the shortcomings of the Quran. This argument is invalid because
God says the Quran is complete (6:115) (6:38)
God says the Quran is fully detailed of all things (6:114) (12:111) (41:3) (11:1)
God says the Quran is clarification of all things (16:89)
God taught Abraham how to pray (21:73). Ever since then, people already knew how to pray and therefore God didn’t need to explain in the Quran how to do it again.
God told Muhammad to establish prayer and give zakah in Quran chapter 73. This is the 3rd chapter that was revealed to Muhammad. The first and second chapters that were revealed to Muhammad were chapters 96 and 68. Neither one of these three chapters explain to Muhammad how to pray. That makes sense because people at the time (and since prophet Abraham) already knew how to pray.
Prophet Ibrahim, Lot, Isaac and Jacob prayed
God said, “O fire, be coolness and safety upon Abraham.” … And We delivered him (Abraham) and Lot to the land which We had blessed for the worlds. And We gave him Isaac and Jacob in addition, and all [of them] We made righteous. And We made them leaders guiding by Our command. And We inspired to them the doing of good deeds, establishment of prayer, and giving of zakah; and they were worshippers of Us. (21:69 – 21:73)
And mention in the Book, Ishmael. Indeed, he was true to his promise, and he was a messenger and a prophet. And he used to enjoin on his people prayer and zakah and was to his Lord pleasing. (2:40 – 2:43)
And [mention, O Muhammad], when We designated for Abraham the site of the House (Kaaba), [saying], “Do not associate anything with Me and purify My House for those who perform Tawaf and those who stand [in prayer] and those who bow and prostrate. (22:26)
Many other people before Muhammad’s time prayed
In verses 19:58-59, we are told that God blessed many prophets before Muhammad and that after them, some generations stopped praying. This indicates that they did know how to pray.
Those were the ones upon whom God bestowed favor from among the prophets of the descendants of Adam and of those We carried [in the ship] with Noah, and of the descendants of Abraham and Israel, and of those whom We guided and chose. When the verses of the Most Merciful were recited to them, they fell in prostration and weeping. But there came after them successors who neglected prayer and pursued desires; so they are going to meet evil. (19:58-59)
Example prayer form before Muhammad’s time
In 2:43, the Children of Israel (Jews) were told to pray. According to Hayim H. Donin in his book titled “To Pray As A Jew“, we see diagrams as shown below describing the ancient way Jews prayed. Unsurprisingly, the way they prayed is very similar to how Muslims today pray, even though Jews today no longer pray the way ancient Jews prayed.
It is interesting to learn from this book that Jews also wash before praying (like ablution / wudhu for Muslims) and have a call for prayer (like the adhan for Muslims).
People didn’t and don’t learn how to pray from the hadith
Many people argue that Islam originated with Muhammad and that the hadith of the Prophet Muhammad are necessary to explain the details of prayer which are missing from the Quran. However, as we have proven above,
(Submission) Islam originated with Abraham
Muhammad was instructed to follow the religion of Abraham
People prayed ever since the time of Prophet Abraham
Logically, God didn’t go into detail to describe how to pray because people already knew how to pray ever since Abraham’s time. Just like people nowadays learn to pray from the practice being passed on from generation to generation, that too happened since Abraham’s time. No one both past and present learn to pray by reading the hadith.
Did you learn to pray from reading the hadith or did you learn from your parents or teachers?
Quran-Follower (Muslim) Prayer
Submitters who follow the Quran (Muslims) are supposed to pray 5 times a day. Following is what they say.
Torah-Follower (Jewish) Prayer
Submitters who follow the Torah (Jews) usually pray 2 times a day. Following, known as the Shema, is what they say.
4 Hear, O Israel: the LORD our God, the LORD is one.
5 And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.
6 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be upon thy heart;
7 and thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thy house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.
8 And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thy hand, and they shall be for frontlets between thine eyes.
9 And thou shalt write them upon the door-posts of thy house, and upon thy gates.
13 And it shall come to pass, if ye shall hearken diligently unto My commandments which I command you this day, to love the LORD your God, and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul,
14 that I will give the rain of your land in its season, the former rain and the latter rain, that thou mayest gather in thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil.
15 And I will give grass in thy fields for thy cattle, and thou shalt eat and be satisfied.
16 Take heed to yourselves, lest your heart be deceived, and ye turn aside, and serve other gods, and worship them;
17 and the anger of the LORD be kindled against you, and He shut up the heaven, so that there shall be no rain, and the ground shall not yield her fruit; and ye perish quickly from off the good land which the LORD giveth you.
18 Therefore shall ye lay up these My words in your heart and in your soul; and ye shall bind them for a sign upon your hand, and they shall be for frontlets between your eyes.
19 And ye shall teach them your children, talking of them, when thou sittest in thy house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.
20 And thou shalt write them upon the door-posts of thy house, and upon thy gates;
21 that your days may be multiplied, and the days of your children, upon the land which the LORD swore unto your fathers to give them, as the days of the heavens above the earth.
37 And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying:38 ‘Speak unto the children of Israel, and bid them that they make them throughout their generations fringes in the corners of their garments, and that they put with the fringe of each corner a thread of blue.
39 And it shall be unto you for a fringe, that ye may look upon it, and remember all the commandments of the LORD, and do them; and that ye go not about after your own heart and your own eyes, after which ye use to go astray;
40 that ye may remember and do all My commandments, and be holy unto your God.
41 I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: I am the LORD your God.’
But when Jesus felt [persistence in] disbelief from them, he said, “Who are my supporters for [the cause of] God?” The disciples said,” We are supporters for God. We have believed in God and testify that we are Submitters (Muslims). (3:52)
People who believed in the previous scriptures (Torah, Injil) were Submitters (Muslims)
Those to whom We gave the Scripture before it – they are believers in it. And when it is recited to them, they say, “We have believed in it; indeed, it is the truth from our Lord. Indeed we were, [even] before it, Submitters (Muslims).” (28:52-53)
The religion of Noah, Muhammad, Abraham, Moses and Jesus is the same so don’t be divided.
He has ordained for you of religion what He enjoined upon Noah and that which We have revealed to you, [O Muhammad], and what We enjoined upon Abraham and Moses and Jesus – to establish the religion and not be divided therein. … (42:13)
God tells people not to divide religion into sects
Indeed, those who have divided their religion and become sects – you, [O Muhammad], are not [associated] with them in anything. Their affair is only [left] to God; then He will inform them about what they used to do. (6:159)
There is supposed to only be one people / community who worships God but people (e.g. Jews, Christians, Muslims) divided their affairs
Indeed this, your (religious) community, is one (religious) community, and I am your Lord, so worship Me. And [yet] they divided their affair among themselves, [but] all to Us will return. (21:92-93)
Despite the clear proof in the Quran, many Jews, Christians and Muslims divide their religion into groups and sects, e.g. Jewish this, Jewish that, Christian this Christian that, Muslim Sunni, Shiah, Druze, Alawi, Salafi, etc.
Jews and Christians are to follow the Quran
Even though Jews and Christians are technically Submitters (Muslims) and that their books (Torah and Injil) were revelations from God, their books have been replaced by the Quran and they are told to believe in and follow the Quran.
O you who were given the Scripture, believe in what We have sent down [to Muhammad], confirming that which is with you, before We obliterate faces and turn them toward their backs or curse them as We cursed the sabbath-breakers. And ever is the decree of God accomplished. (4:47)
O People of the Scripture, there has come to you Our Messenger making clear to you much of what you used to conceal of the Scripture and overlooking much. There has come to you from God a light and a clear Book. (5:15)
Sects in Submission (Arabic: Islam)
Most people understand 21st century Islam (the religion of Submission) to have multiple sects such as Sunni, Shia, Wahabbi / Salafi, etc. These sects all have one thing in common which is that they are based on the Quran. With the information in previous chapters, we know that Islam is independent of the Quran and Islam began at least as early as Prophet Abraham. We also know that Moses and Jesus were Muslims (Submitters) and that they along with, at least some of, their followers practiced the form of Islam we are familiar with today, e.g. praying, fasting, etc. One key difference, however, between the followers of Moses (Jews) and the followers of Jesus (Christians / Nazarenes), is that almost all of them don’t believe in the Quran. Furthermore, most Christians have a very unusual understanding of God in that they think that Jesus is either the son of God or a third of God or God himself. Some denominations of Christianity that don’t believe in the doctrine of the Trinity are the Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses. In any case, one can argue, based on the fact that all of these groups originate from Abraham, who is arguably the founder of Islam (Submission) which all of these groups originate from, that all of these groups are sects or subsects of Islam. Therefore, one way of looking at Islam is as follows.
Judaism
Judaism is a sect of Submission (Islam). Its leader is Moses. Most followers only believe and follow the Torah (and some other books that make up the Jewish bible)
Christianity
Christianity is a sect of Judaism. Its leader is Jesus. Most followers only believe and follow the Torah and the Jewish bible (Old Testament) and the Injeel (New Testament)
Quran-Based Islam
Quran-based Islam is Submission (Islam) based on the Quran. Most people believe its leader to be Muhammad even though the Quran tells Muhammad and Muslims to follow Abraham. Followers believe in the Torah, Gospel and the Quran but only follow the Quran.
There is a certain group of people who believe that they are descendants of the prophet Muhammad. A popular term used to refer to these people is “Sayyid” (singular) or “Sadah” (plural). It is also commonly spelled “Syed”. The descendants of Muhammad through their mother but not father are referred to as “Mirza”. Although reliable statistics are unavailable, conservative estimates put the number of Sayyids in the tens of millions. Sayyids can be found all over the world including the following.
Iraq The Sayyid families in Iraq are so numerous that there are books written especially to list the families and connect their trees.
Iran Sayyids are found in vast numbers in Iran. The Chief of the “National Organization for Civil Registration” of Iran declared that more than 6 million Iranians are Sayyid.
Oman In Oman, Sayyid is used by members of the Al Said ruling royal family. Members of the extended family or members by marriage carry the title Sayyid or Sayyida for a female. Such titles in Oman are hereditary through paternal lineage or in some exceptional circumstances, such as an honorary title given by royal decree.
Libya The Sayyids in Libya are Sunni, including the former royal family, which is originally Zaidi-Moroccan (also known as the Senussi family).
Yemen In Yemen the Sayyids are more generally known as sadah; they are also referred to as Hashemites. In terms of religious practice, they are Shia, Sunni, and Sufi. Sayyid families in Yemen include the Rassids, the Qasimids, the Mutawakkilites, the Hamideddins, some Al-Zaidi of Ma’rib, Sana’a, and Sa’dah, the Ba ‘Alawi sada families in Hadhramaut, Al-Wazir of Sana’a, Al-Shammam of Sa’dah, the Sufyan of Juban, and the Al-Jaylani of Juban.
Yemeni Ba ’Alawi The term Ba ‘Alawi (باعلوي) which, in Yemeni dialect, is short for Bani ‘Alawi, means “clan or descendants of ‘Alawi”.
The Ba ‘Alawi sada families trace their lineage to Sayyid al-Imam Ahmad al-Muhajir bin Isa ar-Rumi born in 873 (260H), who emigrated from Basra to Hadhramaut in 931 (320H) to avoid sectarian violence, including the invasion of the Qaramite forces into the Abbasid Caliphate. Imam al-Muhajir’s grandson Alawi was the first Sayyid to be born in Hadhramaut, and the only one of Imam al-Muhajir’s descendants to produce a continuous line; the lineages of Imam al-Muhajir’s other grandsons, Basri and Jadid, were cut off after several generations. Accordingly, Imam Al-Muhajir’s descendants in Hadhramaut hold the name Bā ‘Alawi (“descendants of Alawi”). The Ba ‘Alawi Sadah have since been living in Hadhramaut in Southern Yemen, maintaining the Sunni Creed in the fiqh school of Shafii. In the beginning, a descendant of Imam Ahmad Muhajir who became a scholar in Islamic studies was called Imam, then Sheikh, but later called Habib (beloved).
South Asia In 1901 the total number of Sayyids (Syeds) in British India was counted as 1,339,734. Recent estimates show that in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Nepal there are more than 15 million Sayyids: 8 million in Pakistan, 7 million in India, over 1 million in Bangladesh, and around seventy thousand in Nepal.
Southeast Asia Most of the Alawi Sayyids who moved to Southeast Asia were descendants of Ali ibn Husayn Zayn al-Abidin, especially of Ba ‘Alawi sada, many of which were descendants of migrants from Hadhramaut. Even though they are alleged descendants of Husayn, it is uncommon for the female Sayyids to be called Sayyidah; they are more commonly called Sharifah. Most of them live in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Moro Province in the Philippines, Pattani and Cambodia. Many of the royal families of this region such as the previous royal families of the Philippines (Sultanate of Sulu, Sultanate of Maguindanao, Confederation of Sultanates of Ranao), Singapore (Sultanate of Singapore), Malaysia (Sultanates of Johor and Perlis), Indonesia (Sultanates of Siak, Pontianak, Gowa, some Javanese Sultanates), and the existing royal family of Brunei (House of Bolkiah) are also Sayyids, especially of Ba’Alawi.
Some common surnames of these Sayyids are al-Saqqaf, Shihab (or Shahab), al-Aidaroos, al-Habsyi (or al-Habshi), al-Kaff, al-Aththos, al-Haddad, al-Jufri (or al-Jifri), al-Muhdhar, al-Shaikh Abubakar, al-Qadri, al-Munawwar.
Ottoman Empire In the Ottoman Empire, Muhammad’s descendants formed a kind of nobility with the privilege of wearing green turbans.
Are Sayyids Really Descendants of the Prophet Muhammad?
Genetic studies of Sayyids of the Indian sub-continent
The authors of the study “Y chromosomes of self-identified Syeds from the Indian subcontinent” showed that the Y chromosomes of self-identified Syeds from India and Pakistan are no less diverse than those non-Syeds from the same regions, suggesting that Syed status, rather than being strictly patrilineal, may have been passed through other routes, and that there is no biological basis to the belief that self-identified Syeds in this part of the world share a recent common ancestry.
Imposters
In the Ottoman Empire, tax breaks for Sayyids encouraged many people to buy certificates of descent or forge genealogies; the phenomenon of teseyyüd – falsely claiming noble ancestry – spread across ethnic, class, and religious boundaries. In the 17th century, an Ottoman bureaucrat estimated that there were 300,000 impostors. In 18th-century Anatolia, nearly all upper-class urban people claimed descent from Muhammad.
Mixed ancestry
Though many Sayyids claim nobility and superiority due to their lineage to the prophet Muhammad, most Sayyids can only claim patrilineal descent. Sayyids often married non-Sayyid Arabs and even non-Arabs resulting in them having very little genetic traces of the Prophet Muhammad. Unsurprisingly, most Sayyids, such as the Ba’Alawi of Southeast Asia, look mixed Asian and Arab or completely Asian. Following are some famous Ba’Alawi Sayyids according to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ba_%27Alawi_sada who look Indonesian or mixed Arab and Indonesian.
Abdullah bin Alwi Alatas Merchant
Drs. Kyai Hajji Habib Ali Alwi bin Thohir Al Husainy Indonesian politician
Habib Bahar bin Smith Indonesian preacher
Fadel Muhammad Alhaddar Former minister of maritime affairs and fisheries of Indonesia
Husein Aidid Indonesian songwriter
Mahdi Fahri Albaar Indonesian footballer
Mahmud Badaruddin II Sultan of Palembang Sultanate, National Hero of Indonesia
Raden Saleh a famous painter in Dutch Indies
Radin Inten II National Hero of Indonesia
Syarif Kasim II of Siak 12th Sultan of Siak Sri Indrapura Sultanate
Umay Shahab Indonesian actor
Sayyid Superiority
Most Muslims consider Prophet Muhammad to be superior to all other prophets. This is evidenced by the fact that pretty much every mosque in the world has two names placed side by side on their walls, namely “Muhammad” and “Allah” (Arabic for “God”). Very rarely will you see the names of the other prophets such as Abraham, Moses and Jesus. Interestingly, Muhammad’s name is more often than not the same size and at the same height as that of God suggesting that Muhammad is equal to God, which obviously contradicts Islam’s core fundamental belief, but that’s a different issue.
The Hagia Sofia Mosque in Istanbul, Turkey shows the name “Muhammad” on the left and “Allah” (God) on the right. This is a photo of me visiting Hagia Sophia in September 2020.
By believing in the superiority of Muhammad, some descendants of the prophet Muhammad and even other Muslims would regard Sayyids as noble people who are somewhat superior to everyone else. For example, in the Ottoman empire, tax breaks were given to Sayyids. In Indonesia, many native Indonesian students of Islam would bow down and kiss the hand of a Sayyid even if the Sayyid wasn’t a practicing Muslim.
Further evidence that Sayyids consider themselves a superior group comes from their choice of a marriage partner (or their parent’s choice of a marriage partner for their children).
In India, traditional Sayyid families rarely marry outside their community and emphasize marrying into Najeeb Altarfain (of Sayyid descent from both the mother’s and father’s side) families. However, this insistence on endogamy has begun to decline among the more urbanized families, with an increase in exogamy with other groups such as the Shaikh and Mughals.
In Indonesia, I am personally familiar with the fact that many Ba’Alawi Sayyids insist on marrying other Ba’Alawi Sayyids, especially if the Sayyid is a female since ancestral lineage is patrilineal. Ironically, the prophet Muhammad himself had no sons, just a daughter, yet many Sayyids use patrilineal ancestry in their family trees linking them to the prophet.
Marriage
In order to continue their patrilineal ancestry to the prophet Muhammad and consequently their children’s sense of nobility and superiority, female Sayyids would have to marry other Sayyids. Unfortunately, however, marrying someone on the basis of family name as opposed to compatibility is likely to result in disappointment and divorce.
Sayyid women marrying Sayyid men
In one example, a female Ba’alawi Sayyid I know married a Ba’alawi Sayyid man who turned out to be violent and who even threatened to kill her. Not exactly noble behavior!
In another example, a Ba’alawi Sayyid woman married a Ba’alawi Sayyid man who was her cousin. The man then married another woman who was a non-Ba’Alwi Arab so as to have two wives. The first wife rejected the second marriage and ran away. Eventually, the second wife divorced her husband. The first wife, who never worked, was dependant on her husband so she eventually came back to him. Now, they live together but sleep in separate rooms and don’t talk to each other.
In another example, a female Ba’alawi Sayyid I know married a Ba’alawi Sayyid without them having even seen each other in person before their wedding day. There was even support and pressure for this marriage from both families as if marriage between two Sayyids was a guarantee of success and happiness. Unsurprisingly, she divorced her husband after 10 years, is now 44 years old, doesn’t have any kids despite wishing to have kids, and is finding it difficult to remarry at her age.
A non-Sayyid Arab woman marrying a Sayyid man
Some non-Sayyid women may feel proud to marry a Sayyid man so that their children can become Sayyids. Though Sayyids may consider themselves superior, they are really just ordinary people. Like everyone else, some Sayyids are good and some are bad. I personally know of a non-Sayyid woman who married two Ba’alawi Sayyids. She divorced the first husband after one week and divorced the second after having 6 children. She never remarried. Though she may feel proud that her children are Sayyids, she’s probably more disappointed that her marriages failed.
A Sayyid woman marrying a non-Arab, non-Sayyid man
Sometimes, a female Sayyid would marry a non-Arab non-Sayyid. This happened to the sister of a Ba’alawi Sayyid friend of mine. She wanted to marry a native Indonesian. As this was considered unacceptable, sadly only a few people attended the wedding from the Sayyid side. The majority of the wedding guests were from the non-Sayyid groom’s side.
Sayyid men marrying non-Arab, non-Sayyid women
There are also cases where Sayyid parents insist their sons marry Sayyids but their sons don’t want to. In one case, three Ba’alawi Sayyid brothers each married non-Sayyids who were Mongolian, Japanese and Indonesian. Though their parents were devastated and felt disgraced, their sons seem happily married.
Matrimonial websites
Some matrimonial matchmaking websites even have a category for people to search for men and women who are Sayyids or Syeds like this Indian one.
Some may mention outright that they are only interested in marrying another Sayyid. In some cases, a parent may create a profile for their son or daughter stating that they are Sayyids and are strictly seeking Sayyid matches with words like “Non-Sayyids should not contact us and waste our time.”
Unsurprisingly, after generations of inter-racial marriages, the self-identified Sayyids on this website look Indian instead of Arab.
Screenshot of Sayyid profiles on an Indian matrimonial website
On another Indian matrimonial website, Muslims can choose one of many, many “castes” one of which is “Muslim – Syed”.
What’s interesting (and sad) is the sheer number of groups under the Muslim category. On this website, one can search for one of the following Muslim groups. Apparently some people – possibly many – feel that these subdivisions are necessary without realizing that it only further divides Muslims rather than unites them. Furthermore, it limits one’s choices when searching for a spouse which limits one’s potential for attaining a happy marriage.
Muslim
Muslim – Ansari
Muslim – Arain
Muslim – Awan
Muslim – Bohra
Muslim – Dekkani
Muslim – Dudekula
Muslim – Hanafi
Muslim – Jat
Muslim – Khoja
Muslim – Lebbai
Muslim – Malik
Muslim – Mapila
Muslim – Maraicar
Muslim – Memon
Muslim – Mughal
Muslim – Pathan
Muslim – Qureshi
Muslim – Rajput
Muslim – Rowther
Muslim – Shafi
Muslim – Sheikh
Muslim – Siddiqui
Muslim – Syed
Muslim – UnSpecified
As an American Muslim, I personally am not familiar with any of these Muslim groups and only last week learned about the “Syed” group. In other words, for an outsider, none of the groups matter except for the parent group, i.e. “Muslim”.
What About Descendants of Other Prophets?
All prophets and messengers of Islam are equal
All Muslims believe that there are many prophets in Islam besides Muhammad. Some prophets are more famous than others, e.g. Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, and Jesus. Unfortunately, Muslims, both Sayyid and non-Sayyid, incorrectly believe that Muhammad is superior to all other prophets. Rather, no distinction should be made between any of the prophets and messengers of God. This is proven in the following verses.
Say: We believe in God and that which had been revealed to us, and that which was revealed to Abraham and Ishmael and Isaac and Jacob and the tribes, and that which was given to Moses and Jesus, and that which was given to the prophets from their Lord, we do not make any distinction between any of them (prophets), and we are Muslims [in submission] to Him. (Quran: 2:136)
The Messenger has believed in what was revealed to him from his Lord, and [so have] the believers. All of them have believed in God and His angels and His books and His messengers, [saying], “We make no distinction between any of His messengers.” And they say, “We hear and we obey. [We seek] Your forgiveness, our Lord, and to You is the [final] destination.” (Quran: 2:285)
Say, “We have believed in God and in what was revealed to us and what was revealed to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, and the Descendants [al-Asbat], and in what was given to Moses and Jesus and to the prophets from their Lord. We make no distinction between any of them (prophets), and we are Muslims [submitting] to Him.” (Quran: 3:84)
Verse 4:152 indicates that God will reward believers who do not discriminate between any of the messengers. This implies that believers, including Sayyids, who regard the prophet Muhammad as superior to other prophets and messengers will not be rewarded.
But they who believe in God and His messengers and do not discriminate between any of them (messengers) – to those He is going to give their rewards. And ever is God Forgiving and Merciful. (Quran: 4:152)
Now that it has been proven that
all prophets and messengers are equal
Muslims are not allowed to view prophets and messengers as unequal
Muhammad is not superior to the other prophets and messengers
let’s see what the Quran says about some of the descendants of other prophets.
Some of Abraham’s descendants were wrongdoers
In verse 2:124, we see proof that not all of Abraham’s descendants are righteous. God acknowledges that some are wrongdoers despite being descendants of the prophet Abraham.
And [mention, O Muhammad], when Abraham was tried by his Lord with commands and he fulfilled them. [God] said, “Indeed, I will make you a leader for the people.” [Abraham] said, “And of my descendants?” [God] said, “My covenant does not include the wrongdoers.” (Quran: 2:124)
In verses 37:112-113, we see that Abraham was given a son named Isaac but some of their descendants were unrighteous sinners.
And We gave him [Abraham] good tidings of Isaac, a prophet from among the righteous. And We blessed him and Isaac. But among their descendants is the doer of good and the clearly unjust to himself [i.e., sinner]. (Quran: 37:112-113)
In verses 11:1-18, we see proof that all but one of Prophet Jacob’s sons were unrighteous. They tried to kill their brother, Joseph, by throwing him down a well. Joseph would later become a prophet.
In verse 11:46 we see proof that prophet Noah’s immediate descendant (one of his sons) was unrighteous.
He [God] said, “O Noah, indeed he (your son) is not of your family; indeed, he is [one whose] work was other than righteous, so ask Me not for that about which you have no knowledge. Indeed, I advise you, lest you be among the ignorant.” (Quran: 11:46)
Notice that in the above verse, God tells Noah that not only is one of his sons unrighteous, but that
Noah should not consider his unrighteous son to be of his family.
Noah should not ask God to help his son
In verse 57:26 we see clear proof that many (not some, but “many”) of the descendants of prophets Noah and Abraham were wrongdoers (“defiantly disobedient”). The word for “many” used in the verse is “katheer” / كَثِيرٌۭ in Arabic which clearly means “many”.
And We have already sent Noah and Abraham and placed in their descendants prophethood and scripture; and among them is he who is guided, but many of them were defiantly disobedient. (Quran: 57:26)
It’s possible that this verse is referring to people who lived amongst the descendants of Noah and Abraham but, considering the wording in the verses above, it most likely means that the wrongdoers were their descendants.
What About Descendants of Prophets Moses and Jesus?
According to the Quran, Moses and Jesus are prophets of Islam. They are two of the most often mentioned prophets in the Quran. The Quran calls their followers People of the Book (Arabic: Ahl Al-Kitaab) because they are followers of the holy book, the Jewish Torah. Jews and Christians revere Moses and Jesus just as much as followers of the Quran revere Muhammad. However, Jews and Christians have different attitudes towards the descendants of these prophets.
Jesus’ descendants
In the case of Jesus, there is no issue because he had no descendants.
Moses’ descendants
In the case of Moses, he had two sons, Gershom and Eliezer. However, when it came time to choose a successor for Moses, Jewish Sages said that Moses requested that one of his sons be appointed. But, God responded with, “Your sons sat and did not occupy themselves with Torah. Joshua, who served you, is fitting to serve Israel.” So, Joshua became the leader of the Israelite tribes after the death of Moses and not any of Moses’ sons (Deuteronomy 31:1–8; 34:9).
Moses had an older brother, Aaron, who had four sons. Though Moses’ sons did not live up to Moses’ example, Aaron’s sons did carry the noble traditions of their father. God considered Moses’ nephews (Aaron’s sons) as Moses’ children, for Moses was the one who taught them the Torah. This is reflected in Numbers 3:1 which begins “These are the descendants of Moses and Aaron…” but only lists Aaron’s four sons. God reassured Moses that even Joshua would need to confer with Aaron’s son, the High Priest, to know God’s will.
Though Moses had two sons, they were nothing special and Jews don’t consider descendants of Moses to be any more special than anyone else. Maybe some Muslims can learn from this Jewish attitude.
What About the Wives of Prophets?
Many Muslims believe that the wives of the prophet Muhammad were superior and righteous women. Since it was proven above that all prophets and messengers are equal, then one would expect the wives of other prophets and messengers to all be superior and righteous as well. Let’s see what the Quran says about that.
In verse 66:10 we see proof that even though prophets Noah and Lot were righteous servants of God, their wives were sinners and were sent to Hell. This verse also proves that righteous prophets had no power to save their sinful wives from Hell.
God presents an example of those who disbelieved: the wife of Noah and the wife of Lot. They were under two of Our righteous servants but betrayed them, so they [i.e., those prophets] did not avail them from God at all, and it was said, “Enter the Fire with those who enter.” (Quran: 66:10)
In verse 33:30 we read that if any of prophet Muhammad’s wives committed a sin, then their punishment would be double that of anyone else.
O wives of the Prophet, whoever of you should commit a clear immorality – for her the punishment would be doubled two fold, and ever is that, for God, easy. (Quran: 33:30)
According to the verse above, it becomes clear that being related to the prophet Muhammad does not guarantee exemption from righteousness nor admission to Paradise.
What about Prophet Muhammad himself?
Many Muslims believe that prophet Muhammad was a perfect human. For that reason, they desire to imitate him in every way possible, e.g. having a long beard, following his supposedly original and authentic hadith, celebrating his birthday, etc. Interestingly, God Himself says in the Quran in two separate verses that Muhammad sinned more than once.
Indeed, We have given you, [O Muḥammad], a clear conquest. That Allāh may forgive for you what preceded of your sin and what will follow and complete His favor upon you and guide you to a straight path (Quran: 48:1-2)
So know, [O Muḥammad], that there is no deity except Allāh and ask forgiveness for your sin and for the believing men and believing women. And Allāh knows of your movement and your resting place. (Quran: 47:19)
Some Sayyids believe that their bloodline to Prophet Muhammad would help them gain access to Paradise by way of Prophet Muhammad interceding on their behalf on the Day of Judgment / Recompense. This belief is extremely dangerous as it offers a false sense of security. According to verse 2:123, no one, including the prophet Muhammad, has the power to intercede on anyone’s behalf on the Day.
And fear a Day (Day of Judgment / Recompense) when no soul will suffice for another soul at all, and no compensation will be accepted from it, nor will any intercession benefit it, nor will they be aided. (Quran: 2:123)
The verse above proves that on matters of religion, everyone is responsible for themselves, and no ancestor, no matter how famous or noble they were, whether they died yesterday or 1400 years ago, can benefit anyone, let alone their descendants.
Comparing Sayyids to Other Groups
Obviously, Sayyids aren’t the only people who think they are superior to others. Following are some examples of other groups of people who have a superiority complex.
Hindus
The Hindu caste system divides Hindus into four main categories – Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas and the Shudras. Many believe that the groups originated from Brahma, the Hindu God of creation. Outside of this Hindu caste system were the achhoots – the Dalits or the untouchables. In this system, the higher your caste, the more superior you are.
Hindu caste hierarchy
Note that, as for Sayyids, this Hindu belief system is based on birth – no one can move from one group to another, whether up or down. From the viewpoint of a Hindu of upper caste, a Sayyid Muslim could be regarded as inferior to them. One consequence of this egregiously unfair Hindu caste system is the conversion of many Dalits to Islam hoping to escape discrimination. Unfortunately, according to the BBC article Why are many Indian Muslims seen as untouchable?, even Muslims of upper castes will discriminate against Dalits who have become Muslim.
Dalits are considered impure by caste Hindus and many of them work in sanitation.
A Dalit sanitation worker
Although India’s constitution banned discrimination on the basis of caste, discrimination by caste is still widely prevalent.
White supremacists
White supremacists believe that white people constitute a superior race and should therefore dominate society, typically to the exclusion or detriment of other racial and ethnic groups, in particular black or Jewish people. Some white supremacists argue that their blood is “pure” or that they are “pure” descendants of white Europeans. It is not uncommon for a white supremacist member to think they are pure European only to find out after taking a genealogy test that they have mixed ancestry.
Oops! That’s embarrassing.
For example, many white people may look caucasian but actually have mixed native American or Mexican ancestry. This shocking reality leads some to simply reject the test results so they may continue with their feelings of superiority.
Although US law prohibits discrimination based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, etc, discrimination on these points still exists.
Other examples
If you think about it, racism and people who have a superiority complex exist in all walks of life. Some examples are:
A person who lives in the city may think they are superior to people who live in rural areas
A rich people may think they are superior to poor people
A fair skinned Indian or African may think they are superior to dark skinned Indians and Africans (Note: skin whitening is big business in Asia and Africa)
An educated person may feel they are superior to uneducated people
A person who owns a house may feel superior to people who rent a house
A person who owns a car may feel superior to someone who has to ride public transportation
An American, being from the richest and most powerful country in the world, may feel superior to all non-Americans.
Most Sayyids would consider the Hindu caste system, white supremacy, and the other examples above as outrageous and completely unacceptable. Ironically, many Sayyids are no different than these other groups who claim superiority.
Oops! That’s embarrassing.
Salawaat
In Quran, Surah al-Ahzab (33), Verse 56 we read that God and His Angels send salawaat (blessings) to Muhammad and God instructed believers to send salawaat Muhammad as well.
“God and His Angels send blessings on the Prophet, O you who believe! Send your blessings on him, and salute him a thorough salutation” (Quran: 33:56)
The word salawaat is the plural form of the word salat which means prayer, blessings or salutation. Some Sayyids think that since God and His Angels send blessings on the prophet Muhammad, then Muhammad must be superior to all other prophets, and by extension, Muhammad’s descendants are superior. They can easily be proven wrong by reading a few verses before the one above. In Quran Surah al-Ahzab (33), Verses 41-43 we find that God and His Angels send blessings on ALL believers.
O you who have believed, remember God with much remembrance. And exalt Him morning and afternoon. It is He who confers blessing upon you (believers), and His angels [do so as well] that He may bring you out from darkness into the light. And ever is He, to the believers, Merciful. (Quran: 33:41-43)
When Muslims pray, they recite salawaat near the end of the prayer. It usually reads as follows:
God, send prayers on Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, as you have sent prayers on Abrahim and the family of Abrahim. Truly, You are Praiseworthy and Glorious. God, bless Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, as you have blessed Abraham and the family of Abrahim. Truly, You are Praiseworthy and Glorious.
Here, we see that salawaat is done for Muhammad in addition to the family of Muhammad. However, there is no instruction in the Quran for believers to send salawaat to the family of Muhammad. It should come as no surprise that Islam, like many religions, has changed over time due to politics, local traditions, war, etc. It is therefore likely that influential people, e.g. some Sayyids long ago, may have modified the salawaat to include the family of Muhammad for their own personal benefit.
Dividing the Muslim Community
If Sayyids believe they are superior to everyone else, then they are dividing the Muslim community which, according to verse 6:159, is not only unacceptable, but God even tells Muhammad that he has nothing to do with them.
Indeed, those who have divided their religion and become sects – you, [O Muhammad], are not [associated] with them in anything. Their affair is only [left] to God; then He will inform them about what they used to do. (6:159)
Ironically, Sayyids use their relationship to Muhammad to justify their sense of superiority which divides Muslims while God indicates that Muhammad has nothing to do with them for that very reason.
Oops! That’s embarrassing.
Satan (The Father of Arrogance) and Sayyids
Ironically, Muslim Sayyids who believe that they are somehow superior to everyone else are in fact behaving like Satan himself. According to the Quran, Satan (a jinn) felt superior to Adam (a human) because Satan was made from smokeless fire whereas Adam was made from clay.
Smokeless fire and clay
Clearly, Satan’s biological difference with Adam is much more obvious than the invisible genetic difference between Sayyids and non-Sayyids. We all (Christians, Jews and Muslims) know how the story ends. Satan’s arrogance and superiority complex will commit him to Hell for eternity.
Descendants of Adam – The First Prophet of Islam
Most people have more respect for founders or pioneers of something, whether it is a religion, a country, a successful company, etc, rather than subsequent leaders. This is one reason why most Muslims have a lot of respect for the prophet Muhammad – they think that he is the first Muslim and founder of Islam. Embarrassingly for them, it can easily be proven using the Quran that Muhammad was not the first Muslim and prophet of Islam and that he happens to be the last prophet from a long chain of prophets. In verse 16:123, God specifically told Muhammad to follow the religion of Prophet Abraham.
Then We [God] revealed to you, [O Muhammad], to follow the form of religion (Arabic: millat) of Abraham, inclining toward truth; and he was not of those who associate with God. (16:123)
Instead of focusing on Muhammad, the last prophet of Islam, what if Muslims focused on Adam, the first prophet of Islam? Even though the Quran doesn’t literally mention that Adam was a prophet or messenger of Islam, his prophethood is clearly implied in verse 3:33 where he is compared to prophets Noah, Abraham and Imran.
Indeed, God chose Adam and Noah and the family of Abraham and the family of Imran over the worlds – (3:33)
Prophet Adam was not only the founder and first prophet of Islam but also the founder of mankind (everyone is a descendant of Adam). No family tree is needed to prove one’s descent from Adam. Consequently, everyone is equal with respect to noble ancestry and no one can claim supremacy based on bloodline which, as proven above, is the way of the Devil!
The Most Noble People
If we really wanted to single out a person or a group of people who should be considered noble with respect to Islam, then we can easily find who they are from the Quran. Verse 49:13 makes it clear that the noblest people are the most righteous. And, it should go without saying that righteousness is not based on birth but one’s actions.
O mankind, indeed We have created you from male and female and made you peoples and tribes that you may know one another. Indeed, the most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you. Indeed, Allah is Knowing and Aware. (49:13)
Hadith
Some Sayyids may argue that there are hadith that support the argument that the Prophet Muhammad and his progeny are superior to everyone else. For them, they may read my article which proves that the hadith are not a valid source of Islamic law and that judging by the hadith on matters of religion constitutes shirk and renders one kafir.
The Quranic proofs and logical arguments above make it clear that descendants of the prophet Muhammad are not superior in any way, shape or form compared to the rest of mankind. This conclusion is pretty obvious in non-Islamic Western countries but unfortunately, many people in Islamic countries are too ignorant and in denial of this, possibly due to their attitude that tradition must be correct even if it defies logic. Perhaps they should take a step back and ponder over the following verse.
Banyak Muslim percaya bahwa wanita Muslim harus menutupi rambut mereka. Berikut adalah analisis mendalam yang membuktikan bahwa menurut Al-Qur’an, wanita tidak harus menutupi rambutnya.
Tidak ada kewajiban hijab pra-1970 di Arab Saudi
Sebelum kita menganalisis Al-Qur’an, penting untuk diketahui bahwa hijab sebagai pakaian wajib bagi perempuan di Arab Saudi itu relatif baru. Arab Saudi dikenal luas karena memberlakukan persyaratan hijab yang ketat, termasuk di kalangan turis. Tetapi rekaman video sejarah dari tahun 1970-an mengungkapkan bahwa wanita Saudi sebelumnya tidak diharuskan mengenakan hijab. Klip video berikut diambil dari film dokumenter PBS Frontline tahun 2004 berjudul “The House of Saud” (Rumah Saud) pada timestamp 37:24. Klip ini menunjukkan seorang wanita guru sekolah dan banyak gadis sekolah. Tidak ada satu pun yang menutupi rambutnya. Mereka bahkan tidak mengenakan jubah hitam panjang (abaya). Sebaliknya, mereka mengenakan kemeja biasa.
Hal ini menunjukkan bahwa kewajiban mengenakan hijab pasti menjadi kewajiban setelah tahun 1970-an.
Orang Saudi sangat bangga dengan tradisi mereka, dan banyak tradisi lama yang masih dipraktikkan hingga hari ini. Misalnya, pria Saudi telah mengenakan pakaian panjang dan longgar yang dikenal sebagai “thobe” selama minimum satu abad. Mereka juga menutupi kepala/rambut mereka, bukan karena diwajibkan oleh hukum Islam, tetapi mungkin karena itulah yang wajar dilakukan dilokasi beriklim panas yang terik.
Pria Saudi mengenakan pakaian tradisional di awal 1900-an
Jika perempuan Saudi secara tradisional mengenakan hijab, maka tentunya tradisi itu akan terus dilakukan oleh para gadis sekolah di tahun 70-an. Oleh karena itu tidak terbayangkan untuk percaya bahwa mengenakan hijab sekarang merupakan mandat Islam jika tidak dipraktikkan atau diwajibkan di Arab Saudi yang ultra-ortodoks dan sangat tradisional selama kurang lebih 1300 tahun sejak masa Nabi Muhammad hingga tahun 1970-an.
Hijab
Banyak Muslim menyebut penutup kepala wanita sebagai “hijab”. Kata “hijab” tidak pernah disebutkan dalam Al-Qur’an sebagai penutup kepala. Berikut ini adalah semua referensi tentang kata “hijab” dalam Al-Qur’an dan artinya.
Untuk menandakan tabir antara penghuni surga dan penghuni neraka (7:46)
Tabir pemisah antara orang-orang yang tidak percaya dengan akhirat (17:45)
Pemisahan / pengasingan / layar yang diperkenalkan Maryam antara dirinya dan masyarakatnya (19:17)
Referensi pada Nabi Sulaiman (saw) dan dalam kaitannya dengan narasi mengenai kuda-kudanya (38:32)
Untuk menandakan pencekalan yang akan dialami para pelanggar dari Tuhan mereka pada hari kiamat (83:15)
Untuk menandakan pemisahan istri-istri Nabi (33:53)
Klaim orang-orang kafir untuk menandakan tabir antara apa yang mereka yakini dan apa yang Nabi serukan kepada mereka (41.5)
Tabir yang digunakan Allah untuk berbicara kepada umat manusia (42:51)
Dan katakanlah kepada wanita yang beriman agar mereka menundukkan pandangan dan menjaga alat kelaminnya (Arab: furujahunna); bahwa mereka tidak boleh menampilkan hiasan mereka (Arab: Zeenatahunna) kecuali apa yang tampak darinya (ma zahara minha) dan biarkan mereka menarik penutup kepala mereka (Arab: Bi’khumurihinna) di atas dada mereka (Arab: Jayubihin) dan tidak untuk menampilkan perhiasan mereka (Arab: Zeenatahunna) kecuali untuk suami mereka, ayah mereka, ayah suami mereka, putra mereka, putra suami mereka, saudara laki-laki mereka atau putra saudara laki-laki mereka, atau putra saudara perempuan mereka, atau wanita mereka, atau budak yang dimiliki tangan kanan mereka, atau pelayan laki-laki yang bebas dari kebutuhan fisik, atau anak kecil yang tidak memiliki rasa malu; dan agar mereka tidak menghentakkan kaki untuk menarik perhatian pada perhiasan tersembunyi mereka. Dan hai orang-orang yang beriman! Arahkan kamu semua bersama-sama menuju Tuhan, agar kamu dapat mencapai Kebahagiaan. (24:31)
Mari kita analisa ayat ini dengan membaginya menjadi 4 bagian.
Dan katakanlah kepada wanita-wanita yang beriman…
untuk tidak menampilkan perhiasan mereka (Arab: Zeenatahunna زِينَتَهُنَّ)
kecuali yang tampak darinya (Arab: illa ma zahara minha إِلَّا مَا ظَهَرَ مِنْهَا)
dan biarkan mereka menarik penutup kepala mereka (Arab: Bi’khumurihinna بِخُمُرِهِنَّ) di atas dada mereka (Arab: Juyubihinna جُيُوبِهِ)
dan tidak menampilkan perhiasan mereka (Arab: Zeenatahunna زِينَتَهُنَّ) kecuali kepada suami mereka, ayah mereka,…
Konteks
Untuk memahami ayat ini secara benar, kita harus memahami konteksnya. Konteks ayat ini jelas berkaitan dengan dandanan/kecantikan wanita yang ayat tersebut menyuruh wanita untuk tidak dipajang. Kata Arab untuk “hiasan mereka” adalah Zeenatahunna (زِينَتَهُنَّ). Kata ini bahkan di sebut dua kali dalam ayat ini. Secara umum, ayat tersebut melarang wanita memamerkan kecantikannya. Alasannya kemungkinan besar terkait dengan ayat 33:59 yang memerintahkan wanita untuk mengenakan pakaian luar agar tidak diganggu karena mengenakan pakaian luar membantu menyembunyikan kecantikan wanita.
Berikut adalah penjelasan dari kata-kata kunci dalam ayat tersebut.
zeenatahunna (زِينَتَهُنَّ)
Kata zeenatahunna berasal dari akar huruf ZAY-YA-NUN. Menurut kamus Edward Lane, kata ini dengan jelas menunjukkan bahwa zeenatahunna merujuk pada tata rias, mempercantik diri, atau dandanan sedemikian rupa sehingga dapat menimbulkan daya tarik.
Apa pun yang menutupi sesuatu adalah penutup. Penutup kepala adalah salah satu jenis khimaar karena menutupi kepala. Ini berlaku untuk pria dan wanita. Misalnya, di iklim panas seperti di Timur Tengah, Anda melihat pria menutupi kepala karena kepanasan. Di AS, orang biasanya hanya memakai topi jika di luar panas. Dalam konteks ayat 24:31 di atas, kata ini berarti penutup kepala.
juyubihinna (جُيُوبِهِ)
Kata juyubihinna berasal dari akar huruf JIM-YA-BA. Menurut kamus Edward Lane, dalam konteks Alquran ayat 24:31 di atas, kata itu berarti dada and payudara.
Sekarang setelah kita memahami kata kuncinya, kita dapat menjelaskan apa yang dikatakan ayat di atas.
Bagian 1 menyuruh wanita untuk tidak mempertontonkan dandanan/kecantikannya
Bagian 2 mengecualikan dandanan/keindahan yang tampak secara wajar, mis. wajah cantik, mata, dll.
Bagian 3 memberitahu wanita untuk menutupi payudara mereka. Bagian ini muncul setelah bagian 2 karena memperjelas bahwa payudara tidak termasuk dalam pengecualian dalam bagian 2 di atas. Dan meskipun ayat tersebut menyuruh wanita untuk menarik penutup kepala mereka untuk menutupi dada mereka, itu tidak berarti bahwa wanita harus menutupi kepala atau rambut mereka dengan penutup kepala. Ketika ayat ini diturunkan, kemungkinan besar pria dan wanita menutupi rambut mereka karena Arab adalah tempat yang sangat panas secara alami.
Bagian 4 kemudian menyuruh wanita untuk tidak mempertontonkan dandanan/kecantikannya kecuali kepada kerabat tertentu.
Apakah ayat ini mewajibkan wanita untuk menutupi rambut mereka?
Tidak. Ayat ini bahkan tidak menyebutkan kata “rambut” sama sekali. Jika Tuhan benar-benar ingin wanita menutupi rambut mereka, Dia bisa saja berkata “dan biarkan mereka menarik penutup kepala mereka ke atas rambut dan dada mereka”, tetapi Dia tidak mengatakan itu.
Apakah ayat ini mewajibkan wanita untuk menutupi kepala mereka?
Tidak. Yang dimaksud dengan “penutup kepala” bukanlah perintah untuk menutupi kepala. Karena penutup kepala sudah umum dipakai di Arab ketika ayat itu diturunkan, ayat tersebut menunjukkan bahwa menutupi dada dapat dilakukan dengan menarik penutup kepala yang panjang hingga menutupi dada. Tentu saja, saat ini, kemeja atau baju jauh lebih efektif daripada hijab untuk menutupi payudara.
Penutup kepala untuk melindungi dari panas
Sebagian orang mungkin berpendapat bahwa penutup kepala (bahasa Arab: khimaar) yang digunakan di Arab ketika ayat tersebut diturunkan tidak dimaksudkan untuk melindungi manusia dari panas tetapi lebih khusus untuk menyembunyikan rambut perempuan dari laki-laki. Argumen ini tampaknya tidak valid karena ayat 16:81 menunjukkan bahwa Tuhan menciptakan pakaian untuk melindungi manusia (baik pria maupun wanita) dari panas.
Dan Tuhan telah membuat untukmu, dari apa yang telah Dia ciptakan, bayangan dan telah dibuat untukmu dari gunung, tempat berlindung dan telah membuat untukmu pakaian yang melindungimu dari panas dan pakaian yang melindungimu dari [musuh dalam] pertempuran Anda. … (16:81)
Referensi pertama untuk “pakaian” dalam ayat di atas pasti mengacu pada penutup kepala karena jika di luar panas, orang di seluruh dunia akan menutupi kepala mereka. Pakaian jenis lain (mis. kemeja, celana, dll), tidak melindungi orang dari panas tetapi justru membuat mereka merasa lebih panas.
Perhatikan juga bahwa kata Arab yang digunakan untuk “pakaian” adalah “sarabeel”. Menurut kamus Edward Lane, kata itu berarti “segala sesuatu yang dikenakan” maka penutup kepala termasuk dalam kategori tersebut.
Penutup kepala untuk melindungi dari gangguan
Beberapa orang mungkin berpendapat bahwa penutup kepala (bahasa Arab: khimaar) diperlukan bagi perempuan untuk melindungi diri dari gangguan atau dari rayuan seksual yang tidak diinginkan dari laki-laki. Pertama-tama, tidak ada ayat dalam Al-Qur’an yang mengatakan bahwa penutup kepala itu sendiri adalah untuk melindungi perempuan dari gangguan (ayat 33:59 menyebutkan pakaian luar, bukan penutup kepala, untuk menghindari dari gangguan). Kedua, wanita sama tertariknya dengan pria, bukan hanya pria saja yang bisa merasa tertarik dengan wanita. Wanita juga bisa menggangu pria. Hal ini bahkan dibuktikan dalam Al-Qur’an ayat 12:23 di mana istri majikan Nabi Yusuf berusaha merayunya.
Dan dia (istri majikannya Nabi Yusuf) … berusaha merayunya (nabi Yusuf). Dia menutup pintu dan berkata, “Ayo, kamu.” Dia (nabi Yusuf) berkata, “[Aku mencari] perlindungan Allah . Sungguh, Dia adalah tuanku, yang telah memperbaiki tempat tinggalku. Sungguh, orang yang zalim tidak akan berhasil.” (12:23)
Dalam ayat 12:32, kita melihat bukti lebih lanjut bahwa istri majikan nabi Yusuf merayu nabi Yusuf dan bahkan menggangu / melecehkan dan memerasnya karena nabi Yusuf menolaknya.
Dia (istri majikannya Nabi Yusuf) berkata, “Itu adalah orang yang kamu salahkan padaku. Dan aku tentunya berusaha merayunya, tetapi dia (Nabi Yusuf) dengan tegas menolak; dan jika dia (Nabi Yusuf) tidak melakukan apa yang aku perintahkan, dia pasti akan dipenjara dan akan termasuk orang yang direndahkan.” (12:32)
Kenyataannya, bukan hanya istri majikan Nabi Yusuf yang merayu, melecehkan, dan memeras Nabi Yusuf, bahkan menurut ayat 12:26-29, dia melakukan kekerasan dan merobek baju Yusuf.
[Yusuf] berkata, “Dialah yang berusaha merayuku.” Dan seorang saksi dari keluarganya bersaksi, “Jika bajunya (Nabi Yusuf) robek dari depan, maka dia (istri majikannya Nabi Yusuf) telah mengatakan yang sebenarnya, dan dia (Yusuf) termasuk pendusta. Tetapi jika bajunya (Yusuf) robek dari belakang, maka dia (istri majikannya Nabi Yusuf) telah berbohong, dan dia (Yusuf) termasuk orang-orang yang benar.” Jadi ketika dia [suaminya] melihat kemejanya (Yusuf) robek dari belakang, dia berkata, “Memang, ini adalah rencanamu [yaitu, wanita]. Memang, rencanamu hebat [yaitu, berapi-api]. Dan para wanita di kota itu berkata, “Istri al-ʿAzeez berusaha merayu budak laki-lakinya (Yusuf); dia telah membuatnya bergairah dengan cinta. Memang, kami melihatnya (istri majikannya Nabi Yusuf) jelas salah.” (12:26-29)
Sekarang sudah jelas dari Al-Qur’an bahwa ketertarikan dan gangguan seksual dapat berjalan dua arah. Mempertimbangkan fakta ini dan argumen bahwa perempuan harus menutupi rambutnya agar tidak diganggu oleh laki-laki, maka seharusnya laki-laki juga harus menutupi rambutnya agar tidak diganggu oleh perempuan. Jelas, tidak ada persyaratan seperti itu dalam Al-Qur’an dan tidak ada yang berpikir bahwa laki-laki perlu menutupi rambut mereka karena alasan ini. Oleh karena itu, argumen bahwa perempuan harus menutup rambutnya agar tidak diganggu adalah tidak sahih dan tidak didukung oleh Al-Qur’an.
Rambut sebagai hiasan
Sebagian orang akan berpendapat bahwa rambut wanita adalah perhiasan dan karena itu tidak boleh diperlihatkan menurut bagian 1 diatas. Argumen ini tidak sah karena
Kecantikan alami rambut seseorang sama dengan kecantikan alami wajah seseorang dan karenanya dikecualikan menurut bagian 2 diatas.
Tidak masuk akal untuk menganggap rambut berada dalam kategori yang sama dengan payudara karena pria juga memiliki rambut yang bisa menjadi daya tarik bagi wanita.
Tidak semua wanita memiliki rambut yang indah. Beberapa wanita memiliki rambut yang tidak menarik. Bagi mereka, menutupi rambut justru membuat mereka lebih cantik. Oleh karena itu, kita tidak bisa menganggap bahwa rambut adalah “hiasan” (زينة).
Rambut sebagai aurat
Banyak Muslim akan membuat argumen tanpa bukti bahwa rambut wanita saja, bukan rambut pria, termasuk “aurat”, dan karena itu harus ditutupi.
Dalam ayat 7:26, kita membaca bahwa Allah menciptakan pakaian bagi manusia (baik laki-laki maupun perempuan) untuk menutupi aurat/kemaluan yang jika diperlihatkan akan menimbulkan rasa malu. Kebanyakan orang akan setuju bahwa rambut wanita 1) bukan alat kelamin, 2) bukan penyebab rasa malu atau bagian pribadi seperti payudara. Terlepas dari ini, Tuhan mengatakan bahwa bagaimanapun kamu memilih untuk menutupi tubuhmu dengan pakaian, yang paling penting adalah kamu berperilaku benar.
Wahai anak Adam, Kami telah menganugerahkan kepadamu pakaian untuk menyembunyikan aurat/kemaluanmu (Arab: saw-ah) dan sebagai perhiasan (Arab: reesha). Tapi pakaian kesolehan (maksudnya berperilaku baik/benar) – itu yang terbaik. …(7:26)
Perhatikan bahwa menurut kamus Edward Lane, definisi سَوْآتِكُمْ adalah
aurat (عَوْرَة)
“pudendam” (alat kelamin)
“bagian luar dari organ generasi” (bagian reproduksi)
“anus” (dubur)
bagian yang, jika diekspos, merupakan penyebab “malu”
Perhatikan pada tangkapan layar (screenshot) di atas saya menyorot kata “au-rat” (عَوْرَة). Ini adalah sinonim untuk “saw-ah” (سَوْءَةٌ).
Anda mungkin bertanya-tanya mengapa Tuhan perlu memberi tahu orang-orang bahwa Dia menciptakan pakaian agar manusia dapat menutupi aurat mereka dan bahwa wanita juga harus menutupi dada mereka. Gunanya pakaian mungkin tampak jelas bagi kebanyakan orang jaman sekarang, tetapi perlu diingat bahwa bahkan hari ini, masih ada suku di banyak tempat di dunia yang orangnya tidak mengenakan pakaian. Misalnya, orang-orang Koma di Nigeria percaya bahwa jika wanita mengenakan pakaian, mereka akan menimbulkan murka para tuhan2 yang dapat menyebabkan kematian atau kemandulan. Kepercayaan ini sama tidak masuk akalnya dengan kepercayaan bahwa rambut wanita, tetapi bukan rambut pria, termasuk di antara bagian-bagian pribadi (aurat) mereka.
Suku Koma Nigeria, yang wanitanya tidak mengenakan pakaian karena takut mati
Pakaian kesolehan
Ayat 7:26 diatas menyatakan bahwa pakaian kesolehan adalah jenis pakaian yang paling baik. Jadi apakah kesolehan itu? Jawabannya dapat ditemukan dalam Quran ayat 2:177 di bawah ini.
Ketakwaan/kesolehan itu bukanlah memalingkan wajahmu ke arah timur atau ke barat, tetapi ketakwaan/kesolehan [sejati] adalah pada orang yang beriman kepada Allah, Hari Akhir, para malaikat, Kitab, dan para nabi, dan memberikan kekayaannya, meskipun mereka cinta hartanya, untuk kerabat, anak yatim, orang yang membutuhkan, musafir, mereka yang meminta [bantuan], dan untuk membebaskan budak; [dan yang] mendirikan sholat dan memberikan zakat; [mereka yang] memenuhi janji mereka ketika mereka berjanji; dan [orang-orang yang] sabar dalam kemiskinan dan kesulitan dan selama pertempuran. Mereka itulah orang-orang yang benar, dan mereka itulah orang-orang yang bertaqwa/soleh. (2:177)
Perhatikan bahwa kesolehan dari sudut pandang Al-Qur’an sama sekali tidak ada hubungannya dengan jenis pakaian yang dikenakan wanita atau bagaimana mereka memakainya. Jelas, menurut Tuhan persyaratan pakaian tertentu kurang penting dibandingkan keyakinan (keimanan) kepada Tuhan, Malaikat-Nya, Kitab-Nya, Nabi-Nabi-Nya, berbagi kekayaan, berdoa, dll. Itu mungkin karena ayat-ayat yang berkaitan dengan pakaian wanita adalah anjuran bagi wanita untuk mengurangi perhatian yang tidak diinginkan atau gangguan, bukan perintah ketat yang menentukan apakah Anda akan pergi ke Neraka atau tidak.
Penutup kepala untuk identitas Muslim
Sebagian wanita akan berkomentar bahwa mengenakan hijab diperlukan atau didorong untuk mendukung identitas mereka sebagai seorang Muslim. Pertama-tama, tidak ada sesuatu yang namanya pakaian Islami dari sudut pandang Alquran. Apa yang orang sebut pakaian Islami tidak lebih dari pakaian tradisional yang biasa dipakai di negara-negara Islam. Tidak ada ayat dalam Alquran yang mengatakan bahwa wanita Muslim perlu mengidentifikasi diri mereka dengan mengenakan hijab. Disamping itu, mengenakan hijab pasti tidak meningkatkan kemungkinan Anda untuk diizinkan masuk Surga. Perhatikan, misalnya, orang-orang berikut yang disebutkan dalam Al-Qur’an. Identitas mereka sebagai istri atau keturunan nabi mungkin membuat Anda berpikir bahwa mereka pasti orang yang soleh padahal sebenarnya sebaliknya, mereka tidak soleh.
Sebagian besar keturunan nabi Ibrahim dan nabi Nuh tidak soleh/bertaqwa. (57:26, 37:113, 2:124)
Istri nabi Nuh dan nabi Lut, meski tinggal bersama mereka, tidak soleh/bertaqwa. (66:10)
Putra Nabi Nuh itu berperilaku jahat. (11:46)
Putra-putra Nabi Yakub mencoba membunuh saudara mereka, Yusuf. (11:1-18)
Sekarang, mengingat betapa jahatnya Firaun, Anda mungkin berpikir bahwa istrinya juga jahat. Ternyata, sangat menariknya dan mengherankan bahwa istri Firaun sebenarnya soleh/bertaqwa meskipun suaminya salah satu pelaku kejahatan terburuk sepanjang masa. (66:11)
Demikian pula, identitas seseorang muslimah dengan berhijab tidak ada hubungannya dengan ketakwaan dari sudut pandang Islam. Ini tidak berbeda dengan laki-laki yang berpikir mereka harus memiliki janggut panjang untuk mengidentifikasi diri mereka sebagai Muslim yang agamanya kuat. Jika memiliki janggut panjang sebenarnya membuat laki2 lebih soleh daripada orang yang tidak memiliki janggut, lalu apa yang harus dilakukan pria yang secara alami tidak memiliki janggut? Mendapatkan transplantasi rambut?
Penutup kepala untuk menjadi sederhana / rendah hati
Sebagian wanita Muslim akan berpendapat bahwa mereka memakai hijab untuk menjadi sederhana / rendah hati. Tidak ada perintah Alquran untuk berpakaian sederhana atau berperilaku sederhana / rendah hati. Jika kita melihat bagian pertama dari ayat 24:31, kita menemukan beberapa terjemahan bahasa Inggris di mana penerjemah (Pickthall dan Yusuf Ali) salah menerjemahkan artinya. Mereka mengganti “alat kelamin” dengan “kesederhanaan / rendah hati”. Semua penerjemah lainnya secara benar menggunakan istilah “alat kelamin”.
Terjemahan yang benar
Dan katakanlah kepada wanita yang beriman agar mereka menundukkan pandangannya dan menjaga alat kelaminnya (Arab: furuujahunna)… (24:31)
Terjemahan Pickthall
Dan beri tahu wanita yang beriman untuk menurunkan pandangan mereka dan menjadi sederhana / rendah hati… (24:31)
Terjemahan Yusuf Ali
Dan katakanlah kepada wanita yang beriman agar mereka menundukkan pandangan dan menjaga kesederhanaan mereka … (24:31)
Jika Anda ragu tentang arti sebenarnya dari kata Arab فُرُوجَهُنَّ (furuujahunna), maka Anda dapat memverifikasi arti yang benar dalam kamus Edward Lane (tangkapan layar di bawah).
Mengatakan bahwa arti dari فُرُوجَهُنَّ (furuujahunna) adalah “kesederhanaan / rendah hati” adalah tindakan yang tidak adil terhadap Al-Qur’an dan menyebarkan kebingungan di antara umat Islam yang menganggap semua terjemahan Quran sama2 benar dan akurat.
Logikanya, menutupi rambut tidak secara otomatis membuat seseorang sederhana / rendah hati. Sebagai contoh, seseorang dapat mengenakan hijab mewah dengan berbagai hiasan seperti berlian (palsu atau tidak) dan pola emas seperti di foto di bawah ini. Itu tidak terlihat sederhana. Bahkan, itu terlihat kebalikan dari sederhana. Memang, wanita Muslim tidak berpakaian seperti itu setiap hari, tetapi banyak yang melakukannya dengan derajat yang berbeda-beda di acara-acara khusus.
Sekarang, anggaplah seseorang memakai hijab polos daripada yang mewah. Tapi, mereka juga memakai make-up untuk memperindah dan mempercantik wajah mereka. Ini sangat sering terjadi. Jika tujuan mengenakan hijab adalah untuk membuat diri mereka terlihat sederhana / rendah hati, maka mereka telah meniadakan usaha itu dengan menghabiskan banyak waktu memakai make-up, mis. pada contoh foto di bawah ini. Perhatikan bahwa memakai riasan adalah perhiasan (zeenah) yang menurut bagian 1 ayat 24:31, itu dilarang.
Jika seseorang peduli tentang kesederhanaan / rendah hati, mereka harus fokus untuk memiliki perilaku dan sikap yang sederhana / rendah hati, mis. menolak untuk mengambil pujian atas pencapaian besar, daripada salah percaya bahwa menutupi rambut mereka tiba-tiba akan membuat diri mereka sendiri dan semua orang di sekitar mereka berpikir bahwa mereka rendah hati.
Jika seseorang khawatir tentang apakah mereka boleh berpakaian menarik, maka perlu diingat bahwa menurut Quran ayat 7:26 (lihat di atas), Tuhan sebenarnya mendorong manusia untuk berpakaian menarik karena Dia secara harfiah menciptakan pakaian untuk dua tujuan:
untuk menutupi alat kelamin
sebagai perhiasan/kecantikan (Arab: رِيشًا ree-sha)
Menurut kamus Edward Lane, pengertian رِيشًا adalah pakaian yang menandakan hiasan dan kecantikan.
Jika Tuhan menciptakan pakaian agar manusia terlihat bagus, maka kalau orang dengan sengaja menolak memakai pakaian yang indah, berarti itu sama saja dengan tidak menghargai ciptaan Tuhan. Pertimbangkan Quran bab 55 yang menyebutkan banyak ciptaan Tuhan diikuti dengan pertanyaan yang berikut:
Maka nikmat Tuhanmu yang manakah yang kamu tolak?
Pertanyaan itu diulang sebanyak 31 kali, kemungkinan besar untuk menekankan bahwa kenikmatan yang Tuhan ciptakan untuk manusia harus diapresiasi / dihargai, bukan diingkari / ditolak!
Yahudi ortodoks memiliki praktik tertentu seperti sunat laki-laki, metode penyembelihan khusus untuk menghasilkan daging halal (kosher), dan “sheitel”, yang merupakan persyaratan bagi wanita yang sudah menikah untuk menutupi rambut mereka. Muslim memiliki praktik yang sangat mirip meskipun tidak disebutkan atau diwajibkan dalam Al-Qur’an. Tidak mengherankan, kitab suci Yahudi (Taurat) juga tidak mewajibkan wanita untuk menutupi rambut mereka. Sebaliknya, persyaratan Yahudi ini berasal dari sumber sekunder Yahudi (Talmud). Perhatikan bahwa kitab suci Yahudi (Taurat) seperti Kitab suci pengikut Nabi Muhammad (Alquran) sedangkan Talmud Yahudi (pengikut Nabi Musa) seperti hadits pengikut Nabi Muhammad.
Artikel ini merinci tentang praktek Yahudi dan asal-usul menutupi rambut seseorang. (bahasa Inggris)
Berdasarkan kesamaan antara agama orang Yahudi dan Islam dan fakta bahwa agama orang Yahudi datang sebelum Islam, mungkin dan masuk akal untuk percaya bahwa beberapa ahli agama Islam jaman dulu dipengaruhi oleh agama orang Yahudi untuk mengadopsi praktik-praktik Yahudi ini ke dalam Islam.
Kesimpulan
Analisis di atas menyimpulkan secara jelas bahwa wanita diwajibkan untuk menutupi payudara mereka tetapi BUKAN rambut mereka. Hampir semua wanita di dunia memenuhi perintah Quran utk menutupi payudara mereka dengan mengenakan pakaian seperti baju.
العديد من المسلمين يعتقدون أنه يجب على النساء المسلمات تغطية شعرهم. فيما يلي تحليل متعمق يثبت أنه وفقاً للقرآن لا يجب على النساء تغطية شعرهم.
الحجاب
يشير العديد من المسلمين إلى غطاء رأس المرأة بـ “الحجاب”. لم تُذكَر كلمة “الحجاب” في القرآن كغطاء للرأس. فيما يلي جميع المراجع لكلمة “الحجاب” في القرآن ومعانيها.
للدلالة على الحجاب بين أصحاب الجنة (الجنة) وأصحاب النار (الجحيم) (7:46)
حجاب بين أولئك الذين لا يؤمنون بالآخرة (17:45)
الفصل/ العزلة/ الحجاب الذي طبقته ماري بينها وبين شعبها (19:17)
في إشارة إلى النبي سليمان (عليه السلام) وعلاقته فيما يتعلق بخيوله (38:32)
للدلالة على التحريم الذي سيتعرض له الظالمين من ربهم يوم القيامة (83:15)
للدلالة على انفصال زوجات الرسول (33:53)
ادعاء الكفار للدلالة على الحجاب بين ما يؤمنون به وبما يدعوهم النبي إليه (41.5)
وليضعن غطاء رؤوسهن (بِخُمُرِهِنَّ) على صدورهن (جُيُوبِهِنّ)
عدم إظهار زينتهن إلا لأزواجهن أو آبائهن
السياق
من أجل فهم صحيح للآية، يجب علينا فهم سياقها. من الواضح أن سياق هذه الآية يتعلق بزينة أو جمال المرأة، حيث أن هذه الآية تخبر النساء بعدم إظهارها. الكلمة العربية لـ “زينتهن” هي ( زِينَتَهُنَّ) التي استخدمت مرتين في هذه الآية. بشكل عام، تمنع الآية النساء من إظهار زينتهن. السبب وراء ذلك يتعلق بالآية 33:59 التي تخبر النساء بارتداء ثياب خارجية لتجنب تعرضهن للمضايقات مثل ارتداء ثياب خارجية يساعد على اخفاء جمال المرأة.
فيما يلي تفسير للكلمات الرئيسية في هذه الآية.
زِينَتَهُنَّ
أصلُ كلمة زِينَتَهُنَّ من الحروف الجذرية ز-ي-ن. وفقاً لمعجم إدوارد لينز، تشير هذه الكلمة “زينتهن” بوضوح إلى التبرج، تجميل النفس، أو الزينة إلى حد يمكن أن يصبح سبباً للجذب.
إِلَّا مَا ظَهَرَ مِنْهَا
تعني هذه العبارة “إِلَّا مَا ظَهَرَ مِنْهَا” والتي تشير إلى الزينة / الجمال (باللغة العربية: زينة).
بِخُمُرِهِنَّ
تعني هذه الكلمة ” بغطائهن”. كلمة “خمار” (جمع خُمُر) تعني الغطاء كما هو مشار إليه في معجم إدوارد لينز.
أي شيء يغطي شيء هو غطاء. غطاء الرأس هو نوع من أنواع الخمار حيث أنه يغطي الرأس وهذا ينطبق على كلاً من الرجال والنساء.على سبيل المثال، في الأجواء الحارة مثل الشرق الأوسط، ترى الرجال يغطون رؤوسهم بسبب الحر. في الولايات المتحدة، يلبس الرجال عادة قبعة إذا كان الطقس حاراً في الخارج. في سياق الآية 24:31 أعلاه، تعني هذه الكلمة غطاء الرأس.
جُيُوبِهِنَّ
أتت كلمة جُيُوبِهِنَّ من الحروف الجذرية جيب. وفقاً لمعجم إدوارد لينز، في سياق الآية القرآنية 24:31 أعلاه تعني صدر المرأة.
شرح الآية
الآن بعد فهمنا للكلمات الرئيسية، يمكننا شرح ماذا تقول الآية أعلاه.
البند 1 يخبر النساء بعدم إظهار زينتهن / جمالهن.
البند 2 يستثني الجمال / الزينة التي تعتبر كمظهر طبيعي، على سبيل المثال وجه جميل، عيون، إلخ.
البند 3 يخبر النساء بتغطية صدورهن. يأتي هذا البند بعد البند 2 لأنه يوضح أن الصدر، على الرغم من أنه يعتبر جمال طبيعي، ليس جزءاً من الاستثناء في العبارة 2 أعلاه. على الرغم من أن الآية تخبر النساء ليضعن غطاء رؤوسهن على صدورهن، لا يعني هذا أنه على النساء تغطية رؤوسهن أو شعرهن. عندما نزلت هذه الآية، من المحتمل أن كلاً من الرجال والنساء كانوا يغطون شعرهم لأن شبه الجزيرة العربية كانت ولا تزال منطقة حارة جداً.
لا. لا تشير هذه الآية في أي موضع إلى كلمة ” شعر”. إذا كان الله يريد حقاً من النساء تغطية شعرهن، كان من الممكن أن يقول ببساطة “واجعلهنّ يضعن غطاء على رؤوسهن وصدورهن”، لكنه لم يقل.
هل تطلب هذه الأية من النساء تغطية رؤوسهن؟
لا، إن الإشارة إلى ” غطاء الرأس” ليست أمراً لتغطية الرأس. نظراً لأنه يجب ارتداء أغطية الرأس عادة في شبه الجزيرة العربية عندما نزلت الآية، فإن الآية تشير إلى أن تغطية الصدر يمكن القيام به عن طريق ارتداء غطاء رأس طويل على الصدر. في الوقت الحاضر بالطبع، يستطيع القميص أن يفعل ما هو أفضل بتغطية صدر المرأة أكثر مما يفعله غطاء الرأس.
Head coverings to protect from heat
Some people may argue that head coverings (Arabic: khimaar) used in Arabia when the verse was revealed were not meant to protect people from the heat but rather specifically to hide a women’s hair from men in general. This argument seems invalid since verse 16:81 indicates that God created garments one kind of which was to protect people (both men and women) from the heat.
The first reference to “garments” in the verse above must refer to head coverings because if it’s hot outside, people all over the world would cover their head. Other types of garments (e.g. shirt, pants, etc), do not protect people from the heat but rather make them feel more hot, unless the protection from heat was to prevent skin cancer, which was probably not the intent of this verse.
Also note that the Arabic word used for “garments” is “sarabeel” which according to the Edward Lanes Lexicon means “anything that is worn” so a head-covering falls into that category.
الشعر كــ زينة
سيجادل بعض الناس أن شعر المرأة زينة ولذلك لا يجب عليها إظهاره وفقاً للبند 1. هذا الجدال غير صالح بسبب
الجمال الطبيعي لشعر الشخص مشابه تماماً للجمال الطبيعي لوجه الشخص وبالتالي هو مستثنى وفقاً للبند 2.
من غير المنطقي أن نعتبر الشعر في نفس فئة الصدر، خصوصاً وأن الرجال أيضاً يمتلكون شعر والذي قد يكون سبباً للجذب عند النساء.
ليست كل النساء لديها شعر جميل. بعض النساء تمتلك شعراً غير جذاب. بالنسبة لهن، فإن تغطية شعورهن في الواقع يجعلهن أكثر جمالاً. ولذلك لا يمكننا أن نفرض بأن الشعر “زينة” بنفس الطريقة التي يُعتبر فيها الصدر زينة.
الآية 7:26
كما ذُكر في الآية 25:33، فإن القرآن هو التفسير الأفضل. ولذلك، يجب أن ننظر إلى الآيات الأخرى في القرآن لشرح آيات مؤكدة أفضل من اتخاذ افتراضات متحيزة.
في الآية 7:26، نقرأ أن الله صنع لباساً للناس (الرجال والنساء معاً) لتغطية أعضائهم الشخصية والتي، إذا تم إظهارها، فهي سبب للعار. قد يوافق أكثر الناس أن شعر النساء ليس سبباً للعار أو عضو خاص وبنفس الأمر الصدر الذي يعتبر عضو خاص. وبصرف النظر عن هذا، يقول الله كيفما اخترت أن تغطي جسمك بالملابس ، فإن الأهم هو أن تتصرف باستقامة.
لاحظ كيف أن البر الحقيقي من وجهة نظر قرآنية لا علاقة له إطلاقاً بنوع الملابس التي ترتديها النساء أو كيف يرتدونها. بشكل واضح، يعتبر الله أن متطلبات الملابس المحددة أقل أهمية من الإيمان بالله وملائكته وكتبه ورسله وتقاسم الثروة والصلاة، إلخ. لعل ذلك يتجلى في أن الآيات المتعلقة بملابس النساء هي “توصيات” للنساء لتقليل الانتباه غير المرغوب به وإمكانية التعرض للمضايقة بدلاً من الوصايا المتشددة التي تحدد ما إذا كنت ستذهب إلى الجحيم أو لا.
جدال الحديث
سيجادل بعض المسلمين أنه في مكان ما في آلاف الأحاديث هناك قول يطلب من النساء تغطية شعرهن. إثبات أن الحديث لا يمكن استخدامه للشريعة الإسلامية يمكن الاطلاع عليه في
لدى اليهود الأرثوذكس ممارسات معينة مثل ختان الذكور، أساليب الذبح الخاصة لإنتاج لحم الكوشر و “الشعر المستعار”، وهو شرط المرأة المتزوجة لتغطية شعرها. لدى المسلمين ممارسات متشابهة حتى ولو كانت لم تُذكر ولم تُطلب في القرآن. من غير المثير للدهشة، أن الكتاب المقدس اليهودي لا يطلب من النساء تغطية شعرهن. على العكس، جاء هذا المطلب اليهودي من مصادر ثانوية يهودية (التلمود). تتناول هذه المقالة بالتفصيل الممارسات والأصول اليهودية فيما يتعلق بتغطية شعر المرأة. بناء على التشابه بين اليهودية والإسلام وحقيقة أن اليهودية جاءت قبل الإسلام، فمن الممكن والمعقول الاعتقاد بأن بعض العلماء المسلمين تأثروا منذ فترة طويلة باليهودية لتبني هذه الممارسات اليهودية في الإسلام.
الخلاصة
يجب أن يوضح التحليل أعلاه أن المرأة مطالبة بتغطية صدرها وليس شعرها.
مُلحق
تشابه للمساعدة على فهم الآية 24:31
سيستمر بعض الناس في جدال أن الآية 24:31 لا تزال تعني أنه على النساء تغطية رؤوسهن أو شعرهن لأنها تشير إلى “تغطية الرأس”. للمساعدة على فهم لماذا هم مخطئون، فيما يلي تشابه مكتوب مشابه للآية 24:31 بأربع بنود.
و قُلْ للأطفال ..
ألا يتركوا ألعابهم في أي مكان عندما ينتهون من اللعب
استثناء ألعاب معينة لا يمكن وضعها جانباً بسهولة
واجعلهم يضعون أقلام التلوين الخاصة بهم في حقائبهم
وعدم ترك ألعابهم في المطبخ وغرفة المعيش
السياق
من الواضح أن هذا البيان له علاقة بالأطفال وأين يضعون ألعابهم.
استثناء
بعض الألعاب مستثناه من وضعها جانباً لأنها قد تكون كبيرة جداً.
أقلام التلوين
أقلام التلوين، التي تعتبر ألعاب، ليست مستثناة من وضعها جانباً. بما أن كل طفل لديه حقيبة، فإنهم يستطيعون وضع أقلامهم التلوين في حقائبهم.
هل يطلب هذا البيان أن يرتدي الأطفال حقائبهم على ظهورهم مثل حقيبة الظهر؟
لا، كلمة “الظهر” لم يتم ذكرها في أي مكان في البيان.
هل يطلب هذا البيان أن يكون لدى الأطفال حقيبة؟
لا. الإشارة إلى “حقيبة” ليست أمراً بالحصول على حقيبة. بما أن الأطفال عادة يكون لديهم حقائب، على سبيل المثال حقيبة طعام، حقيبة ظهر، حقيبة رياضة، إلخ، يقترح البيان أنه يمكن وضع أقلام التلوين في حقائبهم. في هذه الأيام يرتدي الأطفال سراويل ب جيوب. يمكنهم ببساطة وضع أقلامهم التلوين في جيوبهم. لا ضرورة للحقيبة. علاوة على ذلك، فإن سياق البيان يتعلق بوضع الألعاب جانباً، وليس ما إذا كنت ستحمل حقيبة أو لا.
الخلاصة
من هذا التشابه، نرى على الرغم من أن البيان يقترح على الأطفال وضع أقلامهم التلوين في حقائبهم، هذا لا يعني حرفياً ولا يعني وفقاً للسياق أن الأطفال مطالبون بامتلاك حقيبة. هذا مشابه للآية 24:31 حيث يقترح الله من النساء بتغطية صدورهن بغطاء الرأس لإخفاء زينتهن. هذا لا يعني حرفياً ولا يعني وفقاً للسياق أن النساء مطالبات بتغطية شعرهن.
Many people associate Muslims with Arabs – possibly because the Quran is in Arabic and Prophet Muhammad was an Arab. However, statistics show that the majority of Muslims as of 2019 are from South Asia.
2017 Statistics
According to Wikipedia, as of 2017, here are the top 8 most populous Muslim countries, ordered by Muslim population.
Rank
Country
Muslim Population
Percentage of World Muslim Population
1
Indonesia
231,000,000
12.7%
2
Pakistan
212,300,000
11.1%
3
India
200,000,000
10.9%
4
Bangladesh
153,700,000
9.2%
5
Nigeria
95,000,000–103,000,000
5.3%
6
Egypt
85,000,000–90,000,000
4.9%
7
Iran
82,500,000
4.6%
8
Turkey
74,423,725
4.6%
Most Muslims don’t speak Arabic
All but one country, Egypt, in the list above are non-Arabic speaking countries and they make up more than half (58.7%) of the world Muslim population.
Most Muslims are from South / Southeast Asia
Furthermore, the first four countries in the list above are all in South/Southeast Asia and make up almost half (43.9%) of the world’s Muslim population. As of 2017, there were 986,420,000 Muslims in Asia and only 370,070,000 Muslims in the Middle East and North Africa (Arabic-speaking countries), i.e. there were 2.6 times as many Muslims in Asia as there were in the Middle East and North Africa.
Most populous Muslim country
Though Indonesia currently has the largest population of Muslims, it likely only became so as of 1947 when the British divided India into India and Pakistan. And in 1971, India was further divided into India and Bangladesh. Had either of these partitions not happened, India would by far have the largest percentage of Muslims worldwide. Furthermore, projections suggest that by 2050 India will have the world’s largest population of Muslims, with estimates expected to reach at least 300 million.
Islam to be largest religion by 2070
The Pew Research Center estimates that by 2070, Islam will overtake Christianity, due to a faster birth rate (2.7 children per family vs. 2.2 for Christian families). As of 2017, Islam is the fastest-growing religion in the world.
Many Muslims believe that Muslim women must cover their hair. Following is an in-depth analysis proving that according to the Quran, women do not have to cover their hair.
Hijab
Many Muslims refer to a woman’s head covering as “hijab”. The word “hijab” is never mentioned in the Quran as a head covering. Following are all references to the word “hijab” in the Quran and their meaning.
To signify the veil between the companions of the garden (Paradise) and the companions of the fire (Hell) (7:46)
The veil of partition between those who do not believe in the hereafter (17:45)
The separation / seclusion / screen Mary introduced between herself and her people (19:17)
In reference to Prophet Solomon (pbuh) and in relation to the narrative with regards his horses (38:32)
To signify the debarring that the transgressors will experience from their Lord on the Day of Judgement (83:15)
To signify the separation of the Prophet’s wives (33:53)
The claim of the disbelievers to signify the veil between what they believe and what the Prophet is calling them to (41.5)
The veil that God uses to speak to mankind (42:51)
And say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and guard their genitals (Arabic: furujahunna); that they should not display their adornment (Arabic: Zeenatahunna) except what is apparent of it (ma zahara minha) and let them draw their head coverings (Arabic: Bi’khumurihinna) over their bosoms / chests (Arabic: Jayubihin) and not to display their adornment (Arabic: Zeenatahunna) 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 God, that ye may attain Bliss. (24:31)
Let’s analyze this verse by breaking it up into 4 clauses.
And say to the believing women…
to not display their adornment (Arabic: Zeenatahunna زِينَتَهُنَّ)
except what is apparent of it (Arabic: illa ma zahara minha إِلَّا مَا ظَهَرَ مِنْهَا)
and let them draw their head coverings (Arabic: Bi’khumurihinna بِخُمُرِهِنَّ) over their chests (Arabic: Juyubihinna جُيُوبِهِ)
and not to display their adornment (Arabic: Zeenatahunna زِينَتَهُنَّ) except to their husbands, their fathers,…
Context
In order to correctly understand this verse, we must understand its context. The context of this verse clearly has to do with a woman’s adornments / beauty which the verse tells women not to display. The Arabic word for “their adornments” is Zeenatahunna (زِينَتَهُنَّ)which is even used twice in this verse. In general, the verse prohibits women from showing off their beauty. The reason for this is likely related to verse 33:59 which tells women to wear an outer garment to avoid being harassed as wearing an outer garment helps hide a woman’s beauty.
Following is an explanation of key words in the verse.
zeenatahunna (زِينَتَهُنَّ)
The word zeenatahunna comes from the root letters ZAY-YA-NUN. According to Edward Lane’s lexicon, this word clearly indicates that zeenatahunna is a reference to make-up, beautifying oneself, or adornment to an extent that can become a cause of attraction.
Anything that covers something is a covering. A head covering is one kind of khimaar as it covers the head. This applies to both men and women. For example, in hot climates such as in the Middle East, you see men covering their heads due to the heat. In the US, people usually just wear a hat if it’s hot outside. In the context of verse 24:31 above, this word means head covering.
juyubihinna (جُيُوبِهِ)
The word juyubihinna comes from the root letters JIM-YA-BA. According to Edward Lane’s lexicon, in the context of the Quran verse 24:31 above it means bosoms, breasts or chest.
Now that we understand the key words, we can explain what the verse above is saying.
Clause 1 is telling women to not display their adornments / beauty
Clause 2 exempts adornments / beauty that are naturally apparent, e.g. beautiful face, eyes, etc.
Clause 3 tells women to cover their breasts. This clause comes after clause 2 because it clarifies that breasts are not part of the exemption in clause 2 above. And although the verse tells women to draw their head coverings over their breasts, that doesn’t mean that women must cover their heads or hair. When this verse was revealed, it’s likely that both men and women covered their hair because Arabia was and still is a naturally very hot place.
Clause 4 then tells women to not display their adornment / beauty except to certain relatives.
Does this verse require women to cover their hair?
No. Nowhere does this verse even mention the word “hair”. If God really wanted women to cover their hair, He could have simply said “and let them draw their head-coverings over their hair and bosoms / chests”, but He didn’t.
Does this verse require women to cover their head?
No. The reference to “head covering” isn’t an instruction to cover the head. Since head coverings must have been commonly worn in Arabia when the verse was revealed, the verse suggests that covering the breasts could be done by drawing a long head covering over the breasts. Of course, nowadays, a shirt would do a much better job at covering one’s breasts than a head covering could ever do.
Head coverings to protect from heat
Some people may argue that head coverings (Arabic: khimaar) used in Arabia when the verse was revealed were not meant to protect people from the heat but rather specifically to hide women’s hair from men. This argument seems invalid since verse 16:81 indicates that God created garments one kind of which was to protect people (both men and women) from the heat.
And God has made for you, from that which He has created, shadows and has made for you from the mountains, shelters and has made for you garments which protect you from the heat and garments which protect you from your [enemy in] battle. … (16:81)
The first reference to “garments” in the verse above must refer to head coverings because if it’s hot outside, people all over the world would cover their heads. Other types of garments (e.g. shirt, pants, etc), do not protect people from the heat but rather make them feel hotter, unless the protection from the heat was to prevent skin cancer, which was probably not the intent of this verse.
Also, note that the Arabic word used for “garments” is “sarabeel” which according to Edward Lane’s lexicon means “anything that is worn” so a head covering falls into that category.
Head coverings to protect from harassment
Some people may argue that head coverings (Arabic: khimaar) are necessary for women to protect themselves from being harassed or from unwanted sexual advances from men. First of all, there is no verse in the Quran that says a head covering per se is to protect women from being harassed (verse 33:59 mentions outer garments, not head covering, to avoid harassment). Secondly, women are just as attracted to as men are to women. Women can also harass men. This is even proven in Quran verse 12:23 where the wife of prophet Joseph’s master sought to seduce him.
And she, in whose house he was, sought to seduce him (prophet Joseph). She closed the doors and said, “Come, you.” He said, “[I seek] the refuge of Allah . Indeed, he is my master, who has made good my residence. Indeed, wrongdoers will not succeed.” (12:23)
In verse 12:32, we see further proof that the wife of prophet Joseph’s master seduced prophet Joseph and even harassed and blackmailed him for refusing her.
She said, “That is the one about whom you blamed me. And I certainly sought to seduce him, but he firmly refused; and if he will not do what I order him, he will surely be imprisoned and will be of those debased.” (12:32)
In fact, not only did the wife of prophet Joseph’s master seduce, harass, and blackmail prophet Joseph, but she even got violent and ripped his shirt according to verses 12:26-29.
[Joseph] said, “It was she who sought to seduce me.” And a witness from her family testified, “If his shirt is torn from the front, then she has told the truth, and he is of the liars. But if his shirt is torn from the back, then she has lied, and he is of the truthful.” So when he [i.e., her husband] saw his shirt torn from the back, he said, “Indeed, it is of your [i.e., women’s] plan. Indeed, your plan is great [i.e., vehement]. And women in the city said, “The wife of al-ʿAzeez is seeking to seduce her slave boy; he has impassioned her with love. Indeed, we see her [to be] in clear error.” (12:26-29)
It should now be clear from the Quran that sexual attraction and harassment can go both ways. Considering this fact and the argument that women should cover their hair to avoid being harassed by men, then it must follow that men should also cover their hair to avoid being harassed by women. Obviously, there is no such requirement in the Quran and no one would think that men would need to cover their hair for this reason. Therefore, the argument that women must cover their hair to avoid being harassed is invalid and not supported by the Quran.
Hair as adornment
Some people will argue that a woman’s hair is an adornment and therefore must not be displayed according to clause 1. This argument is invalid because
The natural beauty of one’s hair is similar to the natural beauty of one’s face and is therefore exempt according to clause 2.
It is unreasonable to consider hair to be in the same category as breasts, especially since men also have hair which can be a cause of attraction for women.
Not all women have beautiful hair. Some women have unattractive hair. For them, covering their hair actually makes them more beautiful. Therefore, we cannot assume that hair is an “adornment” (زينة).
Hair as aurah
Many Muslims will make the baseless argument that a woman’s hair, but not a man’s hair, is their “aurah”, and therefore it should be covered.
In verse 7:26, we read that God created clothes for people (both men and women) to cover their private parts / genitalia which, if displayed, is a cause of shame. Most people would agree that a woman’s hair is 1) not genitalia, 2) not a cause of shame or a private part the same way their breasts are considered private. Regardless of this, God says that however you choose to cover your body with clothes, what’s most important is that you behave righteously.
O children of Adam, We have bestowed upon you clothing to conceal your private parts / genitalia (Arabic: saw-ah) and as adornment (Arabic: reesha). But the clothing of righteousness – that is best. … (7:26)
Note that according to Edward Lane’s lexicon, the definition of سَوْآتِكُمْ is
aurah (عَوْرَة)
“pudendam” (genitalia)
“external portion of the organs of generation” (reproductive parts)
Notice in the screenshot above I highlighted the word “au-rah” (عَوْرَة). It is a synonym for “saw-ah” (سَوْءَةٌ).
You may be wondering why God would need to tell people that He created clothes so people can cover their private parts and that women should, by the way, also cover their chests. This purpose of clothing may seem obvious to most but keep in mind that even today, there are still tribes in many places around the world of people wearing nothing or barely anything. For example, the people of Koma in the Northern part of Adamawa State in Nigeria are of the belief that if women wear clothes, they would incur the wrath of the gods which may lead to their death or barrenness. This belief is just as nonsensical as the belief that women’s hair, but not men’s hair, is among their private parts.
Nigeria’s Koma tribe, whose women don’t wear clothes for fear of death
Clothing of righteousness
Verse 7:26 above states that the clothing of righteousness is the best type of clothing. So what is righteousness? The answer can be found in Quran verse 2:177 below.
Righteousness is not that you turn your faces toward the east or the west, but [true] righteousness is [in] one who believes in Allah, the Last Day, the angels, the Book, and the prophets and gives wealth, in spite of love for it, to relatives, orphans, the needy, the traveler, those who ask [for help], and for freeing slaves; [and who] establishes prayer and gives zakah; [those who] fulfill their promise when they promise; and [those who] are patient in poverty and hardship and during battle. Those are the ones who have been true, and it is those who are the righteous. (2:177)
Notice how righteousness from a Quranic point of view has absolutely nothing to do with the type of clothes women wear or how they wear them. Clearly, God considers specific clothing requirements less important than belief in God, His Angels, His Books, His Prophets, sharing wealth, praying, etc. That is probably because verses related to women’s clothing are recommendations for women to reduce unwanted attention and the possibility of being harassed as opposed to strict commandments that determine whether you go to Hell or not.
Head covering for Muslim identity
Some women will comment that wearing the hijab is necessary or encouraged to support their identity as a Muslim. First of all, there is no such thing as Islamic clothing from a Quranic point of view. What people call Islamic clothing is nothing more than traditional garb that is commonly worn in Islamic countries. There is no verse in the Quran that says Muslim women need to identify themselves by wearing a hijab. Furthermore, wearing a hijab most definitely doesn’t increase your chances of being allowed into Heaven. Consider, for example, the following people mentioned in the Quran. Their identity as being married to or descendants of prophets may make you think that they must be righteous when in fact they are the opposite.
Most of prophet Abraham and prophet Noah’s descendants were unrighteous. (57:26, 37:113, 2:124)
The wives of prophet Noah and prophet Lot, despite living with them, were unrighteous. (66:10)
Prophet Noah’s son was of evil conduct. (11:46)
Prophet Jacob’s sons tried to kill their brother, Joseph. (11:1-18)
Now, considering how evil Pharaoh was, you’re probably thinking his wife must have also been evil. Interestingly, and surprisingly, Pharaoh’s wife was actually righteous despite being married to one of the worse evildoers of all time. (66:11)
Similarly, one’s identity as a Muslim woman by wearing the hijab has nothing to do with righteousness from an Islamic point of view. This is no different than men who think they should have a long beard to identify themselves as religious Muslims. If having a long beard actually somehow made you more righteous than people without one, then what are men supposed to do who naturally don’t have any facial hair? Get a hair transplant?
Head covering for modesty
Some Muslim women will argue that they wear the hijab to be modest. There is no Quranic commandment to dress modestly or to behave modestly, although being modest and not arrogant is in line with the spirit of the Quran. If we look at the first part of verse 24:31, we find a few English translations where the translator (Pickthall and Yusuf Ali) incorrectly translated the meaning by replacing “genitals” with “modesty”. All other translators correctly used the term “genitals”.
Correct translation
And say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and guard their genitals (Arabic: furuujahunna)… (24:31)
Pickthall translation
And tell the believing women to lower their gaze and be modest… (24:31)
Yusuf Ali translation
And say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty … (24:31)
If you are in doubt about the true meaning of the Arabic word فُرُوجَهُنَّ (furuujahunna), then you can verify the correct meaning in Edward Lane’s lexicon (screenshot below).
To say that the meaning of فُرُوجَهُنَّ (furuujahunna) is “modesty” does injustice to the Quran and spreads confusion among innocent Muslims who mistakenly think that they can trust the accuracy of all translations.
Logically, covering one’s hair doesn’t automatically make someone modest. For example, one could wear a fancy hijab with various embellishments such as diamonds (fake or not) and gold patterns like the one pictured below. That hardly looks modest. In fact, it looks the opposite of modest. Of course, Muslim women don’t dress like that every day, but many do to varying degrees on special occasions.
Now, let’s say that one wears a plain hijab instead of a fancy one. But, they also wear make-up to embellish and prettify their face, which is actually very common. If the point of wearing the hijab is to make themselves appear modest, then they’ve negated that effort by spending probably a considerable amount of time wearing make-up, e.g. in the example picture below. Note that wearing make-up is an adornment (zeenah) which, according to the first clause of verse 24:31, is forbidden.
If one is concerned about modesty, they should focus on having a modest behavior and attitude, e.g. refusing to take credit for a big achievement, rather than incorrectly believing that covering their hair will suddenly make themselves and everyone around them think that they are modest.
If one is concerned about whether they are allowed to dress attractively, then keep in mind that according to Quran verse 7:26 (see above), God actually encourages people to dress attractively because He literally created clothes for two purposes:
to cover genitalia
as an adornment / beauty (Arabic: رِيشًا ree-sha)
According to Edward Lane’s lexicon, the definition of رِيشًا is clothing that signifies ornament and beauty (adornment).
If God created clothing so humans can look good in them, intentionally refusing to wear beautiful clothing is akin to not appreciating God’s creation. Consider Quran chapter 55 which mentions numerous creations of God followed by the question
So which of the favors of your Lord would you deny?
As if to drill it in your brain, that question was repeated 31 times, most likely to emphasize that the good things that God created for humans should be appreciated, not denied!
Orthodox Jews have certain practices such as male circumcision, particular slaughter methods to produce kosher meat, and “sheitel”, which is the requirement for married women to cover their hair. Muslims have very similar practices even though they are not mentioned nor required in the Quran. Unsurprisingly, the Jewish Bible / Torah also does not require women to cover their hair. Rather, this Jewish requirement came from Jewish secondary sources (Talmud). Note that the Jewish Bible / Torah is like the Quran whereas the Jewish Talmud is like the hadith.
Based on the similarity between Judaism and Islam and the fact that Judaism came before Islam, it is possible and not unreasonable to believe that some Muslim scholars long ago were influenced by Judaism to adopt these Jewish practices into Islam.
Conclusion
The analysis above should make it clear that women are required to cover their breasts but NOT their hair.
Addendum
Analogy to help understand verse 24:31
Some people will still argue that verse 24:31 still means that women must cover their head or hair because it mentions “head covering”. To help understand why they are wrong, the following is an analogy written similar to verse 24:31 with 4 clauses.
And say to the children …
to not leave their toys everywhere when they’re done playing
except certain toys that can’t be easily put away
and let them put away their crayons in their bags
and not to leave their toys in the kitchen, dining room, …
Context
This statement clearly has to do with children and where they put their toys.
Exemption
Some toys are exempt from being put away because maybe they are too big.
Crayons
Crayons, which are considered toys, are not exempt from being put away. Since each child typically has a bag, they can put their crayons in their bags.
Does this statement require children to wear their bags on their backs like a backpack?
No. The word “back” isn’t even mentioned anywhere in the statement.
Does this statement require children to have a bag?
No. The reference to “bag” isn’t an instruction to have a bag. Since children commonly have bags, e.g. lunch bags, backpacks, sports bags, etc, the statement suggests that crayons could be put in their bags. Of course, nowadays kids wear pants with pockets. They could just as easily put away their crayons in their pockets. No bag necessary. Furthermore, the context of the statement has to do with putting toys away, not with whether to carry a bag or not.
Conclusion
From this analogy, we see that although the statement suggests kids put away their crayons in their bags, it doesn’t literally nor based on context require kids to have a bag. This is similar to verse 24:31 where God suggests that women cover their breasts with their head coverings to hide their adornments. It doesn’t literally nor based on context require women to cover their hair.
Many Muslims believe that Zam Zam water is blessed water. However, there is no mention in the Quran of Zam Zam water. The Quran does talk about rainwater and honey, however. The story of Zam Zam is linked with the story of prophet Abraham’s wife, Hagar, his son, prophet Ishmael, Safa and Marwa. However, there is absolutely no mention of Hagar or the Hagar-Ishmael story in the entire Quran. As a matter of fact, there is not even a single mention of the word “Zamzam” in the Quran. Safa and Marwa are not even described as “mountains” in the Quran but rather as “symbols”. Pagan Arabs used to circumambulate (tawaaf) around Safa and Marwa before Islam was revealed to them. The Quran merely allowed this practice of “tawaaf” around Safa and Marwa to continue as optional.
Indeed, as-Safa and al-Marwah are among the symbols of Allah. So whoever makes Hajj to the House or performs ‘umrah – there is no blame upon him for walking between them. … (2:158)
The statement “there is no blame / sin upon him for walking between them (Safa and Marwa)” clearly indicates that newly converted Muslims (ex Pagans) were allowed to continue the practice of walking between Safa and Marwa as they used to when they were pagans. The Quran does not require this practice.
The Healing Power of Honey
According to verses 16:68-69, honey has the power to heal.
And your Lord inspired to the bee, “Take for yourself among the mountains, houses, and among the trees and [in] that which they construct. Then eat from all the fruits and follow the ways of your Lord laid down [for you].” There emerges from their bellies a drink, varying in colors, in which there is healing for people. Indeed in that is a sign for a people who give thought. (16:68-69)
The Reviving Properties of Rainwater
According to verse 50:9, rainwater is referred to as “blessed” water” and has revitalizing properties.