Indexed OCR Text

341
The Life of Muhammad
wife of his son (daughter-in-law)." Allah provides the
following reply to these hypocrites:
مَا كَانَ مُحَمَّدٌ أَبَا أَحَدٍ مِّنْ رِّجَالِكُمْ وَلَكِنْ رَّسُوْلَ اللهِ وَخَاتَ الَِّّيْنَ وَكَانَ اللهُ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ
عَلِيْمًا.
"Muhammad is not the father of any of you men. Rather, he is
the Messenger of Allah and the seal of Prophets. And Allah is
aware of everything."
Eminent scholars and researchers relate the story of Zaynab's
radiyallāhu 'anhā marriage to Rasūlullah exactly as we have
done. As for the story that has been propagated by the enemies
of Islam and those bereft of any religiosity - this is a product of
the fabrications of the hypocrites. They claim that Rasūlullah's
eyes fell on Zaynab radiyallahu 'anha and his heart
immediately became inclined towards her. And that the words
of the Qur'an "and you were concealing in your heart" actually
refer to Rasūlullah % concealing his love for her.
True believers can never ever believe this story. It is a product
of the fabricators, forgers and liars, for which they have no
proof. The commentators unanimously state that this story is a
fabrication, a lie and a forgery. Apart from this story being
baseless and unsubstantiated, it is also irrational. The reason
being that Zaynab radiyallāhu 'anhā was Rasūlullah's
paternal cousin. She used to be around him in her childhood.
Rasūlullah % saw her on numerous occasions. There was no
hijab with her nor was the order to observe hijab revealed as
yet. Even after her marriage [to Zayd 4%], Zaynab radiyallāhu
'anha did not observe the hijab with Rasulullah . Now did
Rasulullah ¿ see her for the first time after her marriage with
Zayd 4% ?! And he never saw her before this ?! If he was
attracted to her beauty, why did he ask Zayd 4% to marry her?
That too, considering the fact that Zaynab's radiyallahu 'anha
family were not totally happy with this marriage? Why did

342
The Life of Muhammad
Rasūlullah % not marry her from the very beginning, her family
would have been extremely happy to have her married to
Rasūlullah % ?!!
Rasūlullah's & pure sight
It is rationally and traditionally established that the Prophet of
Allāh s is ma 'sum (divinely protected from sin). His eyesight
and his gaze are pure, chaste and untainted.
On the day when Makkah was conquered, Rasulullah
permitted the killing of certain people. He said: "Even if these
people hold on to the cover of the Ka'bah, they should not be
spared - they should be killed." Among them was a person by
the name of 'Abdullah ibn Sa'd ibn Abī Surh. 'Uthman
caught him by his hand and presented him before Rasūlullah
and repeatedly asked Rasūlullah % to accept his pledge of
allegiance. In other words, that Rasūlullah # should forgive
him for his crimes. Rasūlullah % remained silent. Eventually,
after much persistence, he accepted his pledge. He then turned
towards the gathering of people and said to them: "I remained
silent all this while so that anyone of you could have got up and
killed 'Abdullah." An Ansārī person said: "O Rasūlullah! Why
did you not just indicate to us with your eyes [and we would
have understood and killed him]?" Rasūlullāh % replied:
ما كان لنبي أن يكون له خائنة الأعين
"It is not lawful for a Prophet to commit any treachery with his
eyes."
Allah % says:
يَعْلَمُ خَائِنَةَ الأَعْيُنِ وَمَا تُخْفِي الصُّدُوْرُ
"Allah knows the treachery of the eyes and what the chests
conceal."

343
The Life of Muhammad
From this we learn that the eyes of a Prophet are protected from
treachery. Just as a Prophet of Allah s is ma'sum, in like
manner, his eyes are also ma'sum. Moreover, Allah s says in
the Qur'an:
قُلْ لِلْمُؤْمِنِيْنَ يَغُضُوْا مِنْ أَبْصَارِهِمْ
"Say to the believers to lower their gazes."
From this we learn that to lower the gaze from looking at the
unlawful is from among the requirements of īman. Rasūlullah
is the first believer among the creation. Just as the īman of
the entire universe is just a minute reflection of the īman of
Rasūlullāh , in like manner the chastity and purity of the
eyesight and gaze of the entire universe is a minute reflection of
the chastity and purity of the eyesight and gaze of Rasūlullah
. Moreover, Rasūlullah's % soul was a conglomeration of
sanctified and angelic qualities and attributes. It was pure of
base desires. His companion, i.e. Satan who is the companion
of every single person, was subjugated and under his control.
He was forced to remain obedient to him. He therefore could
not incline towards anything but good.
An explanation of the verse: And you were concealing in your
heart something which Allah wants to reveal, and you were
fearing the people. Whereas you ought to fear Allah more"
From the above explanation, it becomes absolutely clear that
the hypocrites' claim that the words "you were concealing in
your heart something which Allah wants to reveal" meant that
Rasūlullah % was concealing his love for Zaynab radiyallahu
'anhā is absolutely incorrect. This is nothing but a baseless
fabrication. The correct meaning is that Allah informed you
through revelation that after Zayd divorces Zaynab, she will
come into your marriage. So what you actually concealed in
your heart was this prediction of this marriage which Allah
later brought to the open by the words "We gave her to you in

344
The Life of Muhammad
marriage". As for the words "and you were fearing the people"
- these mean that you were feeling shy to inform the people
about this - that you order someone to divorce his wife. The
word aus means "to feel shy" or "to fear". Rasulullah's _ fear
was that the hypocrites would start taunting and criticizing him
or that they would harbour ill thoughts about him. In so doing,
it is they who will have to suffer the consequences.
The above explanation of this verse is narrated by Imam Zayn
al-'Abidīn and as-Sadī. Hakim Tirmidhī has gone at length in
explaining that this Tradition is hasan - good. It is also the
explanation chosen by Hafiz 'Asqalanī rahimahullah in Fath
al-Bārī.
Imam Qurtubī rahimahullah quotes the explanation of Imām
Zayn al-'Abidīn rahimahullāh in his Tafsir and then writes:
قال علماءنا رحمة الله عليهم وهذا القول أحسن ما قيل في هذه الآية وهو الذي عليه
أهل التحقيق من المفسرين والعلماء الراسخين كالزهري والقاضي بكر بن العلاء القشيري
والقاضي أبي بكر بن العربي وغيرهم.
"Our 'ulama' say that this explanation of this verse is the best.
It is the explanation that is adopted by the eminent
commentators and erudite 'ulamā' like az-Zuhrī, Qādī Bakr ibn
al-'Alā' al-Qushayrī, Qādī Abu Bakr ibn al-'Arabī and others."]
Date of the marriage
Hafiz Ibn Sayyid an-Nās rahimahullah says that Zaynab
radiyallāhu 'anhā came into the marriage of Rasūlullah % in 4
A.H. while others say it was in 5 A.H. She was 35 years old at
the time of her marriage.2
1 Tafsîr Qurtubî, vol. 14, p. 190.
2 'Uyûn al-Athar, vol. 2, p. 304.

345
The Life of Muhammad
The dowry was stipulated as 400 dirhams. (Sīrah Ibn Hisham)
Ibn Ishaq rahimahullah writes that this marriage was performed
by her Zaynab's radiyallāhu 'anhā brother, Abū Ahmad ibn
Jahsh. This seems to contradict the previous Hadith. It is
possible that this marriage was performed later. Allah g knows
best.
Walīmah
Since this marriage took place under the special supervision of
Allah , and then specific verses concerning it were revealed,
Rasulullah gave special attention to the walīmah (marriage
feast) for this marriage. The Sahih of Imam Bukharī
rahimahullah narrates from Anas 4% that Rasulullah did not
pay as much attention to the walimah of any wife as he paid for
his marriage to Zaynab bint Jahsh radiyallāhu 'anhā. He
slaughtered a sheep and invited the people. He fed them meat
and bread which they all ate to their fill. The people departed
after the meal. However, three persons remained seated and
continued talking. Due to his extreme bashfulness, Rasūlullāh
did not say anything to them. However, he got up from the
assembly so that these people will get the message [that they
should leave]. Rasulullah went to the room of 'A'ishah
radiyallāhu 'anhā who congratulated him on the occasion of
his marriage. He then went to the other wives and greeted them.
In the meantime, these verses were revealed:
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِيْنَ آمَنُوا لاَ تَدْخُلُوا بُيُؤْتَ النَّبِيّ إِلاَّ أَنْ يُؤْذَنَ لَكُمْ إِلَى طَعَامِ غَيْرَ نَاظِرِيْنَ إِنَاهُ
وَلَكِنْ إِذَا دُعِيْتُمْ فَادْخُلُوْا فَإِذَا طَعِمْتُمْ فَانْتَشِرُوْا وَلاَ مُسْتَأْنِسِيْنَ لِحَدِيْثٍ إِنَّ ذَالِكُمْ كَانَ
يُؤْذِي النَّبِيَّ فَيَسْتَحِْيْ مِنْكُمْ وَاللهُ لاَ يَسْتَحْيِيْ مِنَ الْحَقِّ وَإِذَا سَأَلْتُمُوْهُنَّ مَتَاعًا فَاسْئَلُوا هُنَّ
مِنْ وَّرَآءِ حِجَابٍ ذَالِكُمْ أَطْهَرُ لِقُلُؤْبِكُمْ وَقُلُؤْيِنَّ.
"O believers! Do not enter the houses of the Prophet except
when you are permitted to a meal and not [so early as] to see its

346
The Life of Muhammad #
preparation. But when you are invited, then go. Once you have
eaten, disperse without lingering for idle talk. Surely this would
cause harm to the Prophet and he might feel shy of [asking] you
[to leave]. Allah is not shy of saying the truth. When you go to
ask his wives anything that you need, ask them from behind a
screen. In this there is great purity for your hearts and their
hearts." (Sūrah al-Ahzāb, verse 53)
The above is the gist of several Ahadith of Imam Bukharī
rahimahullāh and Imām Muslim rahimahullāh.
Virtues and merits
Zaynab radiyallahu 'anhā used to boast to the other wives of
Rasūlullah % that their marriages were conducted by their
relatives while her marriage was conducted by Allah dig in the
seven heavens. (Tirmidhī)
In reality, this was not boasting and bragging. Rather, it was
expressing the bounties of Allah %. Her extreme happiness and
love for Allah , caused her to express this bounty and favour
of Allah . It is for this reason that Resulullah would also
hear her saying this but he would remain silent.
Sha'bī rahimahullah narrates that Zaynab radiyallāhu 'anhā
used to say to Rasūlullah : "O Messenger of Allah! I have
three reasons to be proud of you: (1) My grandfather and your
grandfather is the same person, i.e. 'Abdul Muttalib. Another
Tradition states: "I am the daughter of your paternal aunt." This
also comes to the same meaning. (2) Allah % performed your
marriage to me in the heavens. (3) Jibra'il Se was the one who
was making all the arrangements in this regard."1
1 Zurqānî, vol. 3, p. 246.

347
The Life of Muhammad
عن عائشة أنها قالت كانت زينب بنت جحش تساميني في المنزلة عند رسول الله صلى
الله عليه وسلم وما رأيت امرأة قط خيرا في الدين من زينب وأتقى الله وأصدق حديثا
وأوصل للرحم وأعظم صدقة.
""Ā'ishah radiyallāhu 'anhā says: Zaynab bint Jahsh used to
compare her position and my position before Rasūlullah . I
have not come across a woman more religious than Zaynab,
more fearful of Allah, more truthful in speech, more concerned
about maintaining relationships, and more generous in charity."
The Tradition of Zuhri rahimahullah has the following
additional words:
وأشد تبذلا لنفسها في العمل الذي تتصدق به وتتقرب به إلى الله عز وجل.
"more hardworking and giving the income thereof in charity
and gaining the proximity of Allah s thereby."1
Piety
When the hypocrites accused 'A'ishah radiyallahu 'anha of
adultery (details of which were given previously), Zaynab's
radiyallāhu 'anhā sister, Hamnah bint Jahsh, in her naivety
also joined this [accusation]. However, when Rasūlullah
asked Zaynab radiyallāhu 'anhā about 'A'ishah radiyallāhu
'anhā, the former replied:
يا رسول الله أحمى سمعي وبصري والله ما علمت عليها إلا خيرا. رواه البخاري، ج1،
ص365، كتاب الشهادة باب تعديل النساء بعضهن بعضا.
1 Ibn 'Abd al-Barr, al-Istî'ab, under the biography of Zaynab bint Jahsh
radiyallāhu 'anhā.

348
The Life of Muhammad %
"O Rasūlullah! I am safeguarding my ears and eyes. I take an
oath by Allah I do not know anything but good about
'Ã'ishah."
In other words, if I have not seen something with my own eyes
or heard with my own ears, how can I utter it with my tongue?
My knowledge and certainty about her is nothing but good.
It is a well known fact that 'A'ishah radiyallāhu 'anhā was her
co-wife. She was also fully aware that 'A'ishah radiyallahu
'anhā was the most beloved wife of Rasūlullah . Had she
wanted, she could have said something that would have caused
'A'ishah's radiyallahu 'anha status to fall in the sight of
Rasūlullah . However, her excellent piety and faithfulness did
not permit her to even remain silent. Instead, she took an oath
in the name of Allah s and confined herself to just one short
sentence in order to emphasise her point. In a Tradition of
Sahīh Bukhārī, 'Ā'ishah radiyallāhu 'anhā herself attests to the
piety and faithfulness of Zaynab radiyallāhu 'anhā:
فعصمها الله بالورع
"Allah % protected her [from this tribulation] on account of her
piety."
Another Tradition quotes the following words of 'A'ishah
radiyallāhu 'anhā:'
وإن الله عصمها بالورع
"Surely Allah
protected her [from this tribulation] on
account of her piety."1
1 Al-Isabah, vol. 4, p. 313, under the biography of Zaynab bint Jahsh
radiyallāhu 'anhā.

349
The Life of Muhammad #
Worship
Zaynab radiyallāhu 'anhā had a special affinity with worship.
She used to worship Allah % with extreme humility and
humbleness. When Zayd > conveyed Rasulullah's % proposal
to her, she immediately engaged in istikhārah salāh.
Maymūnah radiyallāhu 'anhā narrates that on one occasion
Rasūlullāh
was distributing some booty among the
Muhājirūn when Zaynab radiyallāhu 'anhā suddenly began
speaking. 'Umar 4% hushed her. Rasulullah said: "O 'Umar!
Leave her alone, do not say anything to her, surely she is a
woman who is an awwah - extremely soft-hearted in her
worship of Allah (g."
A person asked: "O Rasūlullah! What is the meaning of
awwāh?" Rasūlullah % replied: "It means a person who is very
humble and unassuming." Rasulullah then recited the
following verse:
وَإِنَّ إِبْرَاهِيْمَ لَحَلِيْمٌ أَوَّاهُ مُنِيْبٌ
"Surely Ibrahim is forbearing, soft-hearted and constantly
turning [to Allāh]."1
On one occasion Rasulullah % was going towards his house and
'Umar % was also with him. On reaching his house, he sees
Zaynab radiyallāhu 'anha engrossed in salah and supplications.
On seeing her like this, Rasūlullah % said:
إنها لأواهة 2
"Surely she is extremely soft-hearted."
1 Zurqānî, vol. 3, p. 247.
2 رواه الطبراني وإسناده منقطع وفيه يحي بن عبد الله الباهلي وهو ضعيف. مجمع الزوائد، ج9، ص 247.

350
The Life of Muhammad %
Umm al-Mu'minīn Umm Salamah radiyallāhu 'anhā has the
following to say about Zaynab radiyallāhu 'anhā:
كانت صالحة صوامة قوامة صناعا تصدق بذالك كله على المساكين. (الإصابة ترجمة
زينب بنت جحش)
"She was a righteous woman who used to fast a lot and engage
in night prayers (tahajjud) a lot. She used to practise
handicrafts and give the income of all that into charity to the
poor."
Abstinence
When 'Umar
des sent the annual expenditure to Zaynab
radiyallahu 'anha for the first time, she thought that the money
was for all the wives of Rasulullah % and said: "May Allah
forgive 'Umar, he was more capable of distributing it among all
the wives [he should not have given me this responsibility]."
The people who were present there said to her: "All this is for
you [and not to be distributed to the other wives]." She said:
"Glory be to Allah and she concealed herself from the wealth
[so that she does not have to see it]."
She ordered Barzah bint Rāfi' radiyallāhu 'anhā to keep that
wealth one side and to cover it with a cloth. She then said:
"Take out a handful of money from beneath that cloth and go
and give it to so and so orphan. Take another handful and give
it to so and so person." When that wealth was distributed and a
little was left, Barzah radiyallahu 'anhā said to her: "May
Allah forgive you, we also have some right over that wealth."
Zaynaba radiyallāhu 'anhā replied: "Okay, you may take
whatever is beneath that cloth." Barzah radiyallāhu 'anhā says:
"When I lifted that cloth, I saw that there were 85 dirhams left."
When all the wealth was distributed, she raised her hands and
said:

351
The Life of Muhammad %
اللهم لا يدركني عطاء عمر بعد عامي هذا
"O Allah! May the stipend of 'Umar not find me after this
year."1
Consequently, Zaynab radiyallāhu 'anhā passed away within
that year.
Another Tradition states that her annual stipend was 12 000
dirhams. When this amount of money from the Islamic
Treasury came to her, she constantly made this supplication:
اللهم لا يدركني هذا المال من قابل فإنه فتنة
"O Allah! May this wealth not come to me in the future for it is
surely a tribulation."2
On saying this, she immediately began distributing this money
to her relatives and the poor and needy. When 'Umar 4% was
informed of this, he said: "It seems that Allah s has willed
good for her." He immediately sent another 1000 dirhams. He
conveyed his salāms to her and said: "You have given that
12000 dirhams in charity, you should now keep these 1000
dirhams for your personal needs." On receiving this second
amount, she immediately distributed it as well.3
Demise
The Sahih of Imams Bukhārī and Muslim rahimahumallah
narrate from 'A'ishah radiyallahu 'anha that on one day,
1 Narrated by Ibn Sa'd and Ibn al-Jauzî on the authority of Barzah bint Rafi'
radiyallāhu 'anhā. Hāfiz 'Asqalānî rahimahullah narrated this Tradition in
detail under the biography of Barzah bint Rafi' radiyallahu 'anhā. Refer to
al-Işābah, vol. 4, p. 254.
2 Fath al-Bārî, vol. 3, p. 228, Kitāb az-Zakāh.
3 Al-Isābah, under the biography of Zaynab bint Jahsh radiyallahu 'anhā.

352
The Life of Muhammad %
Rasūlullah % said to his pure wives: "The one from among you
whose hands are the longest will be the first to join me [after
my demise]." Rasūlullah % was referring to generosity and big-
heartedness while the pure wives took the literal meaning.
Consequently, when the pure wives used to meet after the
demise of Rasūlullah , they would measure each others hands
to see whose hands are the longest. Zaynab radiyallahu 'anhā
was a bit short. When she was the first one to pass away, they
all realized that Zaynab's radiyallahu 'anha hand was the
longest in giving charity. She used to physically work with her
hands, she used to tan leather and whatever income she derived
from all this, she would give it in charity.
She had even prepared her shroud (kafan) before she could pass
away. Qasim ibn Muhammad narrates that when Zaynab's
radiyallāhu 'anhā death approached, she said: "I have already
kept my shroud ready. 'Umar 4% would probably send a shroud
for me. You should use one shroud for me and give the other
one in charity." After her demise, 'Umar 4% sent five pieces of
cloth for her shroud after having applied perfume to them. She
was enshrouded in the shroud that 'Umar 4%
sent while her
personal shroud was given in charity by her sister Hamnah
radiyallāhu 'anhā.1
'Umrah says that when Zaynab radiyallahu 'anha passed away,
I heard 'Ā'ishah radiyallāhu 'anhā saying:
لقد ذهبت حميدة متعبدة مفزع اليتامى والأرامل
"[How sad]! A woman who possessed praiseworthy qualities,
who was an ardent worshipper of Allah , and who was a
refuge for the orphans and widows has departed."
1 Narrated by Ibn Sa'd.

353
The Life of Muhammad %
She passed away in 20 A.H. in Madinah. 'Umar % performed
her janāzah salāh. She was 50 or 53 years old at the time of her
demise. She was 35 years old when Rasulullah married her.1
The question of hijab
All the Prophets and Messengers of Allah , all the sages of
the world, all the intellectuals of the world and all self-
respecting people of the world are unanimous in stating that
adultery is a very evil crime. It is a great blemish for self-
respect and self-honour. It is the fountain of evil characteristics
and despicable acts. It is also witnessed that by looking at
women, it causes the hearts of men to become enamoured and
seduced. In like manner, by looking at men, women become
inclined towards men. At times, this causes them to fulfil their
lusts in unlawful ways (i.e. out of wedlock). This causes the
destruction and ruin of the honour, respect, dignity and lineage
of both parties. All that is happening in the world in this regard
does not even need to be mentioned - it is so clear.
Wisdom and self-respect demanded that this door be shut. It is
for this reason that the pure Shari'ah promulgated certain
injunctions in order to save us from adultery:
1.
وَقَرْنَ فِيْ بُيُؤْتِكُنَّ وَلاَ تَبَرَّجْنَ تَبَرُّجَ الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ الأَدُوْلَى
"Remain in your homes and do not make a display of
yourselves like the former display of the days of ignorance."
2. If women have to speak to strange men in their homes, the
order is as follows:
لاَ تَّخْضَعْنَ بِالْقَوْلِ فَيَطْمَعَ الَّذِيْ فِيْ قَلْبِهِ مَرَضٌ وَقُلْنَ قَوْلاً مَّعْرُوْفًا
1 Al-Işābah, vol. 4, p. 314.

354
The Life of Muhammad
"Do not speak in soft tones or else the person in whose heart is
a sickness will begin harbouring desires. And speak in a proper
manner."
3. The above order was to women. The following order is
addressed to men:
وَإِذَا سَأَلْتُمُوْهُنَّ مَتَاعًا فَاسْتَلُؤْهُنَّ مِنْ وَّرَآءِ حِجَابٍ ذَالِكُمْ أَطْهَرُ لِقُلُوبِكُمْ وَقُلُؤْيِنَّ
"If you have to ask them for any goods, ask them from behind a
veil. That is purer for your hearts and their hearts."
4. The men are ordered not to look at strange women.
قُلْ لِلْمُؤْمِنِيْنَ يَغُضُوْا مِنْ أَبْصَارِهِمْ وَيَحْفَظُوْا فُرُوْجَهُمْ
"Say to the believing men to lower their gazes and safeguard
their private parts."
5. The Shari'ah prohibits women from calling out the adhan,
the iqamah and from leading the salah.
6. Women are prohibited from reading the salah aloud even if it
is a salah that is normally read aloud (i.e. the maghrib, 'isha
and fajr salāhs).
7. Women are prohibited from saying the talbiyah (labbayk)
aloud during the pilgrimage.
8. A young woman is prohibited from even greeting a strange
man.
9. Women are prohibited from being massaged by strange
women.
10. Men are prohibited from looking at the reflection of strange
women in mirrors, water, etc. Based on this, it will be even
more prohibited to look at the photograph of a strange woman.
This is because this is more dangerous than looking at her
reflection in water.

355
The Life of Muhammad %
11. It is prohibited to mention a woman by way of showing
your desire for her.
12. It is prohibited to fantasize about strange women.
13. If a man is engaged in intercourse with his own wife but he
imagines or pictures some other woman before him, this is also
prohibited.
14. The left over food [or drink] of a strange man is
reprehensible for a woman. The same applies to a man.
15. It is prohibited to embrace a strange woman or to shake her
hands. Some ignorant sufis take the pledge of allegiance
(bay'ah) from strange women by shaking their hands. This is
prohibited. If their pledge is taken, it has to be from behind a
veil, it has to be verbal, and not by shaking hands.
People of intelligence and self-respect can ponder over the
above points and inform us if there can be better ways than
these to protect and safeguard a person's honour and respect.
The Hadith narrates a lengthy sermon of Rasulullah & in which
the following words are mentioned:
النساء حبالة الشيطان
"Women are the snares of Satan."1
In other words, women are one of the snares of Satan through
which he traps people. By entrapping them in this snare, he
demonstrates to the people the manner in which to worship
their lusts.
There is a saying of Sulayman stal:
امش وراء الأسد ولا تمش وراء المرأة
1 Fayd al-Qadîr, vol. 2, p. 177.

356
The Life of Muhammad #
"You may walk behind a lion but do not walk behind a
woman."
In other words, there isn't so much of danger in walking behind
a lion as there is in walking behind a woman. A wise person
once said:
إياك ومخالطة النساء فإن لحظات المرأة سهم ولفظها سم
"Beware of intermingling with women. Surely the gaze of a
woman is an arrow and her words are poison."1
The advantages of hijab and the disadvantages of no hijab
The Islamic Shari'ah promulgated hijab for several reasons.
Some of them are:
1. Protection from adultery.
2. The face of chaste women may be safeguarded from the
filthy gazes of the riffraff.
3. That there may be no taint against their honour and
lineage. No depraved person must be able to have
doubts on the legitimacy of their children. The father
must be able to say with full conviction that: "This is
my son, or this is my daughter." If a woman is not in
hijab, it cannot be said with full conviction and
certainty that these children belong to this particular
husband. Look at the countries of the west and see how
this intermingling of the sexes has resulted in so many
illegitimate children. It is because of this total disregard
for hijab in these countries that adultery proliferated to
such an extent that it is difficult to identify who is a
legitimate child and who is not.
1 Fayd al-Qadir, vol. 2, p. 177.

357
The Life of Muhammad
4. So that the hearts of man and wife may be safeguarded
from the evil whisperings of Satan. When man and
woman begin looking at each other, Satan finds an
opportunity to instil evil thoughts in their hearts.
5. So that the chastity of the wife may remain free from
the doubts and misgivings of her husband and family
members. When a man sees his wife, his sister or his
daughter conversing with a man, he will become
agitated if he has any intellect and self-respect. As for
the person who possesses no intellect and no self-
respect, we are not even addressing him. May Allah
not make us even see such shameless people. Āmīn. To
observe hijab from such shameless people seems to be
rationally incumbent. To remain in the company of such
shameless people is rationally and traditionally
unlawful.
Satan's conversation with Allah
Satan, the accursed, requested Allah % to give him a strong
snare in order to trap people. Allah presented several snares
before him. Satan eventually became very pleased at being
offered women as snares. He displayed his pleasure at this
snare by jumping, dancing and singing.
Maulānā Rūmī rahimahullāh writes in his Mathnawī that when
Satan was expelled from the court of Allah , he took an oath
and said:
فَبِعِزَِّكَ لأُنْوِيَنَّهُمْ أَجْمَعِيْنَ إِلاَّ عِبَادَكَ مِنْهُمُ الْمُخْلَصِيْنَ
"I take an oath by your honour that I will lead all of them astray
except Your devoted servants among them."
Satan then requested the just Allah $ to give him such a strong
snare with which he could trap man and from which he cannot
escape. Allah al presented different snares before him. He first

358
The Life of Muhammad
presented gold, silver and horses before him and said to him:
"You can trap mankind through these items." People are
naturally inclined towards these things. It will therefore be easy
to hunt man through these things and trap him. Allah % says in
the Qur'an:
زُيِّنَ لِلنَّاسِ حُبُّ الشَّهَوَاتِ مِنَ النِّسَآءِ وَالْبَنِيْنَ وَالْقَنَاطِيْرِ الْمُقَنْطَرَةِ مِنَ الذَّهَبِ وَالْفِضَّةِ
وَالْخْلِ الْمُسَوَّمَةِ وَالأَنْعَامِ وَالْحْثِ.
"The love of desirable things have deluded the people.
[Desirable things] like women, sons, hoarded treasures of gold
and silver, branded horses, cattle, and agriculture." (Sūrah Āl
'Imran, verse 14)
Satan said to Allah : "These snares of gold and silver are
good but they have become sour like lemons. The sourness has
caused the lips to become puckered."
When Satan did not like the snares of gold and silver, Allah
presented treasures of jewels before him. Allah s placed these
jewels before him and said: "O accursed one! Here is My
second offer. Take it and go." Satan replied: "O the best of
helpers! Give me a snare that is better than this. Like gold and
silver, the snare of jewels is not very strong." Allah s then
showed him rich and sweet foods, burning drinks, and
expensive silk garments, and said to him: "Here, take these
snares." Satan replied: "O master! I want snares greater than
these. I must be able to fasten man with such strong ropes that
he must not be able to cut and loosen them and then come
running to Your door."
"However, those who are intoxicated with Your love, who are
true servants of Yours, whose hearts are filled with Your love,
they will break these ropes and shackles of mine and throw
them aside. They will not turn towards gold, silver and the
beauty and splendour of this world." As Allah % says:

359
The Life of Muhammad %
إِلَّ عِبَادَكَ مِنْهُمُ الْمُخْلَصِيْنَ
"Except those of them who are Your devoted servants."
"As for the people of this world, they will fall into these traps
of desires. In this way, the men will be separated from the boys.
I therefore require a strong snare that will separate the men
from the boys. O Lord of this universe! I require a snare that
will render even the men so incapable, that no plot and strategy
of theirs will be of any avail to them."
Allah , then presented another snare before Satan. And that
was intoxicants, the harp and the violin. On seeing these things
before him, Satan half-laughed, half became happy, and smiled
a bit. He realized that this snare was better than the previous
ones. They could be of some use. However, he was only half
happy with these items and not totally happy. He realized that
these traps are not sufficient for eternal destruction and eternal
corruption. He therefore asked for a stronger snare. He asked
Allah , for something for eternal deviation. He said: "Remove
all the dirt and grime from the sea of tribulation (fitnah) so that
the people of lusts and desires will assume the sea of tribulation
to be dry and place their feet therein. And like the Copts
[Pharaoh and his people], they will drown in it. Just as You
made the sea a dry path for Musa , put up walls on either
side of the path, the water collected on either side, and the sand
from the depths of the sea began rising, in like manner, You
should make the sea of tribulation dry for me. Place it under my
command so that I can render whatever corruption I wish and
be able to destroy the progeny of Adam . Musa stall was an
exposition of Your name - al-Hadī (the One who guides).
Make my name the exposition of Your name - al-Mudill (the
One who causes to go astray). Just as you turned the Nile river
into a dry bed for the guidance provided by Musa stal and then
drowned the deviated ones, in like manner, turn the entire sea
of tribulation dry for me for the perfection of misguidance. Just

360
The Life of Muhammad %
as the task of guidance was completed through Mūsa ce),
complete the task of misguidance through me."
Note: This knowledge which Satan had about the story of Mūsa
Sales before it actually took place was probably obtained by him
when he looked at the Preserved Tablet (al-Lauh al-Mahfuz).
And Allah g knows best.
Satan said: "O Lord! Give me such a strong snare that this
entire affair may come to an end and the task be completed. I
must be able to place this snare like a rein across their mouths. I
must entrap them in such a way that I can then turn them in
whichever direction I like, without their being able to turn
around. I must be able to take them around in the bazaars and
marketplaces so that the world may be able to see their worship
of their desires and lusts."
When Satan was not pleased with any of the previous snares,
Allah eventually presented the beauty and attraction of
women before him. Their beauty was capable of snatching
away the intellect and patience of men. Allah % said to him:
"Okay, take this snare. You may lead people astray through this
snare and turn up the soil from the depths of the sea of
tribulation."
When this snare of the beauty and attraction of women was
shown to Satan, he began singing, dancing and snapping his
fingers. On seeing the beauty of women, he understood that this
was that sea of tribulation from which no one can pass through
safe and sound. He said: "O Lord! Give me this snare quickly. I
have now achieved my goal. This is the best snare to trap
people." This snare is explained further on.
When Satan saw that the eyes of women are extremely
intoxicating to the extent that they can place a veil over a
person's intellect. He saw that the smoothness and beauty of
the cheeks of these beautiful women can inflame the hearts like