This is a command from Allah to the believing women, and jealousy on His part
over the wives of His believing servants. It is also to distinguish the
believing women from the women of the Jahiliyyah and the deeds of the pagan
women. The reason for the revelation of this Ayah was mentioned by Muqatil bin
Hayyan, when he said: "We heard -- and Allah knows best -- that Jabir bin
`Abdullah Al-Ansari narrated that Asma' bint Murshidah was in a house of hers in
Bani Harithah, and the women started coming in to her without lower garments so
that the anklets on their feet could be seen, along with their chests and
forelocks. Asma' said: `How ugly this is!' Then Allah revealed:
[وَقُل
لِّلْمُؤْمِنَـتِ يَغْضُضْنَ مِنْ أَبْصَـرِهِنَّ]
(And tell the believing women to lower their gaze...)'' And Allah says:
[وَقُل
لِّلْمُؤْمِنَـتِ يَغْضُضْنَ مِنْ أَبْصَـرِهِنَّ]
(And tell the believing women to lower their gaze) meaning, from that which
Allah has forbidden them to look at, apart from their husbands. [Some] scholars
said that it is permissible for women to look at non-Mahram men without desire,
as it was recorded in the Sahih that the Messenger of Allah was watching the
Ethiopians playing with spears in the Masjid on the day of `Id, and `A'ishah the
Mother of the believers was watching them from behind him and he was concealing
her from them, until she got bored and went away.
[وَيَحْفَظْنَ
فُرُوجَهُنَّ]
(and protect their private parts). Sa`id bin Jubayr said: "From immoral
actions.'' Abu Al-`Aliyah said: "Every Ayah of the Qur'an in which protecting
the private parts is mentioned means protecting them from Zina, except for this
Ayah --
[وَيَحْفَظْنَ
فُرُوجَهُنَّ]
(and protect their private parts), which means protecting them from being
seen by anybody.''
[وَلاَ يُبْدِينَ
زِينَتَهُنَّ إِلاَّ مَا ظَهَرَ مِنْهَا]
(and not to show off their adornment except that which is apparent,) means,
they should not show anything of their adornment to non-Mahram men except for
whatever it is impossible to hide. Ibn Mas`ud said: "Such as clothes and outer
garments,'' Meaning what the Arab women used to wear of the veil which covered
their clothes and whatever showed from underneath the outer garment. There is no
blame on her for this, because this is something that she cannot conceal.
Similar to that is what appears of her lower garment and what she cannot
conceal. Al-Hasan, Ibn Sirin, Abu Al-Jawza', Ibrahim An-Nakha`i and others also
had the same view as Ibn Mas`ud.
[وَلْيَضْرِبْنَ
بِخُمُرِهِنَّ عَلَى جُيُوبِهِنَّ]
(and to draw their veils all over their Juyub) means that they should wear
the outer garment in such a way as to cover their chests and ribs, so that they
will be different from the women of the Jahiliyyah, who did not do that but
would pass in front of men with their chests completely uncovered, and with
their necks, forelocks, hair and earrings uncovered. So Allah commanded the
believing women to cover themselves, as He says:
[يأَيُّهَا
النَّبِىُّ قُل لاًّزْوَجِكَ وَبَنَـتِكَ وَنِسَآءِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ يُدْنِينَ
عَلَيْهِنَّ مِن جَلَـبِيبِهِنَّ ذلِكَ أَدْنَى أَن يُعْرَفْنَ فَلاَ
يُؤْذَيْنَ]
(O Prophet! Tell your wives and your daughters and the women of the believers
to draw their cloaks all over their bodies. That will be better, that they
should be known, so as not to be annoyed) [33:59] And in this noble Ayah He
said:
[وَلْيَضْرِبْنَ
بِخُمُرِهِنَّ عَلَى جُيُوبِهِنَّ]
(and to draw their (Khumur) veils all over their Juyub) Khumur (veils) is the
plural of Khimar, which means something that covers, and is what is used to
cover the head. This is what is known among the people as a veil. Sa`id bin
Jubayr said:
[وَلْيَضْرِبْنَ]
(and to draw) means to pull it around and tie it securely.
[بِخُمُرِهِنَّ عَلَى
جُيُوبِهِنَّ]
(their veils all over their Juyub) means, over their necks and chests so that
nothing can be seen of them. Al-Bukhari recorded that `A'ishah, may Allah be
pleased with her, said: "May Allah have mercy on the women of the early
emigrants. When Allah revealed the Ayah:
[وَلْيَضْرِبْنَ
بِخُمُرِهِنَّ عَلَى جُيُوبِهِنَّ]
(and to draw their veils all over their Juyub), they tore their aprons and
Akhtamar themselves with them.'' He also narrated from Safiyyah bint Shaybah
that `A'ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, used to say: "When this Ayah:
[وَلْيَضْرِبْنَ
بِخُمُرِهِنَّ عَلَى جُيُوبِهِنَّ]
(and to draw their veils all over their Juyub) was revealed, they took their
Izars (waistsheets) and tore them at the edges, and Akhtamar themselves with
them.''
[وَلاَ يُبْدِينَ
زِينَتَهُنَّ إِلاَّ لِبُعُولَتِهِنَّ أَوْ ءَابَآئِهِنَّ أَوْ ءَابَآءِ
بُعُولَتِهِنَّ أَوْ أَبْنَآئِهِنَّ أَوْ أَبْنَآءِ بُعُولَتِهِنَّ أَوْ
إِخْوَانِهِنَّ أَوْ بَنِى إِخْوَانِهِنَّ أَوْ بَنِى أَخَوَتِهِنَّ]
(and not to reveal their adornment except to their husbands, or their
fathers, or their husband's fathers, or their sons, or their husband's sons, or
their brothers or their brother's sons, or their sister's sons,) All of these
are a woman's close relatives whom she can never marry (Mahram) and it is
permissible for her to show her adornments to them, but without making a wanton
display of herself. Ibn Al-Mundhir recorded that `Ikrimah commented on this
Ayah,
[وَلاَ يُبْدِينَ
زِينَتَهُنَّ إِلاَّ لِبُعُولَتِهِنَّ أَوْ ءَابَآئِهِنَّ أَوْ ءَابَآءِ
بُعُولَتِهِنَّ]
(and not to reveal their adornment except to their husbands, or their
fathers, or their husband's fathers...), "The paternal uncle and maternal uncle
are not mentioned here, because they may describe a woman to their sons, so a
woman should not remove her Khimar in front of her paternal or maternal
uncle.''With regard to the husband, all of this is for his sake, so she should
try her best when adorning herself for him, unlike the way she should appear in
front of others.
[أَوْ
نِسَآئِهِنَّ]
(or their women,) this means that she may also wear her adornment in front of
other Muslim women, but not in front of the women of Ahl Adh-Dhimmah (Jewish and
Christian women), lest they describe her to their husbands. This is prohibited
for all women, but more so in the case of the women of Ahl Adh-Dhimmah, because
there is nothing to prevent them from doing that, but Muslim women know that it
is unlawful and so, would be deterred from doing it. The Messenger of Allah
said:
«لَا تُبَاشِرِ
الْمَرْأَةُ الْمَرْأَةَ فَتَنْعَتَهَا لِزَوْجِهَا كَأَنَّهُ يَنْظُرُ
إِلَيْهَا»
(No woman should describe another woman to her husband so that it is as if he
is looking at her.) It was recorded in the Two Sahihs from Ibn Mas`ud.
[أَوْ مَا مَلَكَتْ
أَيْمَـنُهُنَّ]
(or their right hand possessions. ) Ibn Jarir said, "This means from among
the women of the idolators. It is permissible for a Muslim woman to reveal her
adornment before such a woman, even if she is an idolatress, because she is her
slave-girl.'' This was also the view of Sa`id bin Al-Musayyib. Allah says;
[أَوِ التَّـبِعِينَ
غَيْرِ أُوْلِى الإِرْبَةِ مِنَ الرِّجَالِ]
(Tabi`in among men who do not have desire,) such as hired servants and
followers who are not at the same level as the woman and are feeble-minded and
have no interest in or desire for women. Ibn `Abbas said, "This is the kind of
person who has no desire.'' `Ikrimah said, "This is the hermaphrodite, who does
not experience erections.'' This was also the view of others among the Salaf. It
was narrated in the Sahih from `A'ishah that a hermaphrodite, used to enter upon
the family of the Messenger of Allah and they used to consider him as one of
those who do not have desire, but then the Messenger of Allah came in when he
was describing a woman with four rolls of fat in front and eight behind. The
Messenger of Allah said,
«أَلَا أَرَى هَذَا
يَعْلَمُ مَا هَهُنَا لَا يَدْخُلَنَّ عَلَيْكُمْ»
(Lo! I think this person knows what is they are; he should never enter upon
you.) He expelled him, and he stayed in Al-Bayda' and only came on Fridays to
get food.
[أَوِ الطِّفْلِ
الَّذِينَ لَمْ يَظْهَرُواْ عَلَى عَوْرَتِ النِّسَآءِ]
(or children who are not aware of the nakedness of women. ) Because they are
so young they do not understand anything about women or their `Awrah or their
soft speech or their enticing ways of walking and moving. If a child is small
and does not understand that, there is nothing wrong with him entering upon
women, but if he is an adolescent or approaching adolescence, so that he knows
and understands these things, and can make a distinction between who is
beautiful and who is not, then he should not enter upon women. It was recorded
in the Two Sahihs that the Messenger of Allah said:
«إِيَّاكُمْ
وَالدُّخُولَ عَلَى النِّسَاءِ»
(Avoid entering upon women.) It was said, "O Messenger of Allah, what do you
think about the male in-laws'' He said:
«الْحَمْوُ:
الْمَوْتُ»
(The male in-law is death.)
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