WEBVTT

00:00.000 --> 00:06.400
There is no reference to covering the head with a headscarf in the 31st verse of Surat An-Nur of the Qur'an.

00:07.700 --> 00:13.420
Say to the believing woman that they should lower their eyes and guard their private parts and not display their adornments,

00:13.660 --> 00:17.940
except for what normally shows, and draw their head coverings across their breasts.

00:18.800 --> 00:23.440
Actually, there is no reference to covering the head in that part of the verse.

00:23.820 --> 00:28.240
That is translated as, and draw their head coverings across their breasts.

00:28.640 --> 00:35.840
The Arabic word khumar, which is translated as head covering in some commentaries and translations of the Qur'an,

00:36.260 --> 00:40.300
is derived from the root word khamar, that means to cover.

00:40.620 --> 00:48.280
This word means to cover something, yet there is no reference to the head in the Arabic original of the verse.

00:48.760 --> 00:54.360
In the Arabic original of the verse, which is translated as, draw their head coverings across their breasts,

00:54.360 --> 00:56.300
there is no word for draw.

00:56.300 --> 01:03.440
The verb yadribna is derived from the root durabha, and it means to cover, to strike, to conceal.

01:04.220 --> 01:08.740
The word juyu bihana is the plural form of the root word jimnyabba,

01:09.040 --> 01:15.340
which has always been used to signify an opening of a shirt, or a sleeve, or a pocket, or the bosom, heart.

01:15.340 --> 01:21.600
In Arabic, the word is used in descriptions such as, opening a pocket in a shirt, placing in a pocket.

01:22.380 --> 01:26.520
That means the part of the body that the covering should be placed on is woman's breasts.

01:26.860 --> 01:30.800
The command defined in the verse is not to cover the head, but the breasts.

01:30.800 --> 01:36.560
The second part of the verse defines the ones who are allowed to see the adornments of woman,

01:37.100 --> 01:41.360
which actually explains the extent of the freedom women are given.

01:41.360 --> 01:47.600
They should only display their adornments to their husbands, or their fathers, or their husbands' fathers,

01:47.920 --> 01:53.260
or their sons, or their husbands' sons, or their brothers, or their brothers' sons,

01:53.620 --> 01:58.100
or their sisters' sons, or other women of those they own as slaves,

01:58.100 --> 02:01.380
or their male attendants, who have no sexual desire,

02:01.720 --> 02:05.120
or children, who still have no awareness of a woman's private parts.

02:05.120 --> 02:09.280
The verse states that, apart from their husbands,

02:09.660 --> 02:13.000
there is no drawback for their male attendants,

02:13.140 --> 02:15.580
who have no sexual desire, or children,

02:15.940 --> 02:18.580
who still have no awareness of woman's private parts,

02:18.980 --> 02:20.820
to see woman's adornments.

02:21.780 --> 02:26.480
This information shows us that there is a reference to genitals and breasts

02:26.480 --> 02:28.340
in the word adornments.

02:28.980 --> 02:31.900
Consequently, the 31st verse of the Surat An-Nur

02:31.900 --> 02:35.500
actually explains the broad extent of the freedom women enjoy.

02:36.020 --> 02:39.200
There are grave inconsistencies in the hadiths used to claim

02:39.200 --> 02:42.680
that use of headscarves is fard, religious obligation.

02:43.120 --> 02:46.960
The impaired reasoning of those who put forth these hadiths is noteworthy.

02:47.680 --> 02:49.960
First, let us have a look at the related hadiths.

02:55.060 --> 02:57.340
Narrated Aisha Umu Mumin

02:57.340 --> 03:00.560
May God have mercy on the early immigrant woman.

03:00.560 --> 03:05.280
When the verse that they should draw their veils over their bosoms was revealed,

03:05.520 --> 03:09.520
they tore their thick outer garments and made veils from them.

03:10.740 --> 03:12.880
Narrated Safiya bin Shaiba

03:12.880 --> 03:14.460
Aisha used to say,

03:14.840 --> 03:15.900
When, the verse,

03:16.280 --> 03:17.800
they should draw their veils,

03:18.100 --> 03:20.220
humar, over their necks and bosoms,

03:20.460 --> 03:21.800
Juyub, was revealed,

03:22.200 --> 03:25.200
the ladies cut their waist sheets at the edges

03:25.200 --> 03:28.100
and covered their faces with the cut pieces.

03:35.280 --> 03:36.260
Narrated Aisha

03:36.260 --> 03:37.660
Umu Muminin

03:37.660 --> 03:39.160
Safiya,

03:39.580 --> 03:40.560
daughter of Shaibbeh,

03:41.200 --> 03:43.600
said that Aisha mentioned the women of Ansar,

03:43.820 --> 03:45.980
praised them and said good words about them.

03:46.540 --> 03:47.360
She then said,

03:47.720 --> 03:49.780
When Surat An-Nur came down,

03:50.180 --> 03:51.160
they took the curtains,

03:51.800 --> 03:53.500
tore them and made headcovers,

03:53.820 --> 03:54.220
veils,

03:54.220 --> 03:54.840
those of them.

03:59.180 --> 04:00.240
Umu Muminin Aisha

04:00.240 --> 04:03.180
is reported to praise the women of Al-Ansar

04:03.180 --> 04:04.460
in these words,

04:04.700 --> 04:06.880
I did not see any woman better

04:06.880 --> 04:08.780
of those of Al-Ansar

04:08.780 --> 04:10.900
in their confirmation of God's book

04:10.900 --> 04:12.740
and the faith in the revelation.

04:13.320 --> 04:16.060
As soon as the chapter of An-Nur was revealed,

04:16.340 --> 04:17.360
containing the words,

04:17.700 --> 04:20.520
and they draw their headcovers over their neck slits,

04:20.660 --> 04:22.760
and they were informed of it by their men,

04:22.760 --> 04:24.280
every one of them,

04:24.460 --> 04:25.280
without exception,

04:25.640 --> 04:26.500
took her robe,

04:26.780 --> 04:27.080
shawl,

04:27.280 --> 04:29.000
and wound it around her head,

04:29.380 --> 04:30.680
in conformity with,

04:30.900 --> 04:31.860
and faith in,

04:32.240 --> 04:34.660
what God had revealed in His book.

04:34.660 --> 04:37.440
They came next morning behind the messenger,

04:37.820 --> 04:39.880
with those wound robes on their heads,

04:40.220 --> 04:42.640
as if a crow was sitting on their heads.

04:42.640 --> 04:44.740
In all of those hadiths,

04:44.740 --> 04:47.860
there is a reference to the revelation of the verse saying,

04:48.120 --> 04:48.820
when the verse,

04:49.120 --> 04:51.820
that they should draw their veils over their bosoms,

04:51.980 --> 04:52.640
was revealed.

04:53.060 --> 04:54.600
According to this narration,

04:54.780 --> 04:56.520
in these fabricated hadiths,

04:56.520 --> 05:00.020
women already have headscarves covering their heads,

05:00.020 --> 05:03.280
and their headscarves flow down from their heads,

05:03.740 --> 05:05.860
yet their bosoms are left uncovered.

05:06.860 --> 05:09.060
According to the fabricated hadiths,

05:09.100 --> 05:11.500
and according to the warning added to the verse,

05:11.920 --> 05:14.540
while women already had a cover on their heads,

05:14.800 --> 05:17.820
it is stated that they need to cover their bosoms,

05:18.180 --> 05:22.080
with that large part of cloth flowing down from their heads.

05:22.080 --> 05:26.280
So, it is claimed that women need to use this cover here,

05:26.640 --> 05:28.320
which is claimed to be there already,

05:28.680 --> 05:31.760
and cover their bosoms with this wide piece of cloth.

05:32.280 --> 05:35.260
This is what the fabricated hadith means.

05:35.680 --> 05:36.040
Nevertheless,

05:36.420 --> 05:38.120
in none of those hadiths,

05:38.240 --> 05:41.100
their bosoms are covered by this long cover on their heads.

05:41.560 --> 05:44.300
Now see what these fabricated hadiths claim.

05:44.600 --> 05:47.100
According to these fabricated hadiths,

05:47.100 --> 05:48.640
when the verse is revealed,

05:48.980 --> 05:51.980
it is stated that women cut off a piece of cloth

05:51.980 --> 05:53.940
from their skirts or from their dresses,

05:54.300 --> 05:56.860
and added another cover on their heads,

05:57.280 --> 05:58.880
that are already covered.

05:59.440 --> 06:00.540
With the words,

06:00.720 --> 06:02.840
they tore their thick outer garments,

06:03.020 --> 06:04.240
and made veils from them,

06:04.360 --> 06:05.880
in the fabricated hadiths,

06:06.260 --> 06:09.040
it is claimed that women did not cover their bosoms,

06:09.200 --> 06:11.640
with the cover they already have on their heads,

06:11.880 --> 06:14.660
but tore pieces from their garments,

06:14.660 --> 06:17.280
and covered their heads once more.

06:17.820 --> 06:18.780
By doing so,

06:18.940 --> 06:20.940
they would not be abiding by the command,

06:20.940 --> 06:24.000
to draw their head coverings across their breasts,

06:24.440 --> 06:26.340
which they claim belongs to God.

06:26.560 --> 06:29.180
So that is the cover flowing down from their heads,

06:29.620 --> 06:31.720
and they do not abide by this command.

06:33.240 --> 06:35.460
So the fabricated hadiths claim,

06:35.660 --> 06:39.060
that women covered their already covered heads once more.

06:39.460 --> 06:39.780
However,

06:39.980 --> 06:41.540
according to these explanations,

06:42.120 --> 06:44.120
their bosoms still remain uncovered.

06:44.120 --> 06:44.800
So,

06:44.800 --> 06:47.280
with these fabricated hadiths,

06:47.280 --> 06:48.240
they add a command,

06:48.380 --> 06:50.740
that is not defined in the verse of God,

06:50.840 --> 06:53.980
yet they do not abide by this command they came up with.

06:54.520 --> 06:55.260
As is seen,

06:55.580 --> 06:56.900
this impaired reasoning,

06:57.140 --> 06:58.260
is an evidence showing,

06:58.400 --> 07:00.760
that God made the plots devised,

07:01.080 --> 07:03.460
by those who fabricated superstitions,

07:03.460 --> 07:04.680
backfire.

07:05.180 --> 07:06.420
God informs us,

07:06.480 --> 07:08.480
that Islam is a religion of ease.

07:08.820 --> 07:10.080
I seek refuge in God,

07:10.140 --> 07:11.180
from the accursed Satan.

07:11.900 --> 07:12.180
He,

07:12.680 --> 07:13.160
God,

07:13.460 --> 07:14.400
has selected you,

07:14.640 --> 07:16.600
and not placed any constraints upon you,

07:16.660 --> 07:17.260
in the religion,

07:17.600 --> 07:19.300
the religion of your forefather Ibrahim.

07:19.940 --> 07:21.540
God desires ease for you,

07:21.760 --> 07:23.620
he does not desire difficulty for you.

07:24.120 --> 07:25.120
We will ease you,

07:25.280 --> 07:26.080
to the easy way.

07:27.020 --> 07:28.860
Our blessed prophet also commanded,

07:28.860 --> 07:30.840
make things easy for the people,

07:31.240 --> 07:32.780
and do not make it difficult for them,

07:33.120 --> 07:34.120
and make them calm,

07:34.300 --> 07:35.240
with glad tidings,

07:35.500 --> 07:36.780
and do not repulse them.

07:37.600 --> 07:39.660
Those who portray Islam as difficult,

07:39.920 --> 07:42.360
by adding on commands God did not reveal,

07:42.640 --> 07:44.440
put forth an understanding of religion,

07:44.840 --> 07:46.600
that is far removed from the Quran,

07:47.260 --> 07:48.960
and is not possible to live by.

07:49.520 --> 07:51.360
As God commanded by the verse,

07:51.940 --> 07:53.440
I seek refuge in God,

07:53.540 --> 07:54.720
from the accursed Satan.

07:55.460 --> 07:56.980
They invented asceticism.

07:56.980 --> 07:59.180
We did not prescribe it for them,

07:59.620 --> 08:00.720
purely out of desire,

08:00.860 --> 08:02.300
to gain the pleasure of God.

08:02.580 --> 08:03.400
But even so,

08:03.500 --> 08:04.480
they did not observe it,

08:04.560 --> 08:05.820
as it should have been observed.

08:07.320 --> 08:08.240
Those who claim,

08:08.340 --> 08:09.100
that covering the head,

08:09.160 --> 08:10.280
is a religious obligation,

08:10.660 --> 08:12.420
even though it is not commanded in the Quran,

08:12.920 --> 08:14.120
have caused millions of women,

08:14.240 --> 08:15.560
to remain distant to Islam.

08:16.660 --> 08:17.900
Additionally in the Quran,

08:18.040 --> 08:20.860
in the 59th verse of Surat al-Azab,

08:21.280 --> 08:22.200
God says,

08:22.300 --> 08:22.800
that women,

08:23.020 --> 08:23.780
when necessary,

08:24.180 --> 08:25.860
for instance in unsafe environments,

08:25.860 --> 08:27.280
in which they think,

08:27.360 --> 08:28.420
they could not be safe,

08:28.500 --> 08:30.340
in revealing decollete clothes,

08:30.720 --> 08:32.460
should temporarily cover themselves,

08:32.640 --> 08:34.360
completely with outer garments.

08:35.240 --> 08:36.740
I seek refuge in God,

08:36.820 --> 08:38.020
from the accursed Satan.

08:38.760 --> 08:39.280
O Prophet,

08:39.480 --> 08:41.060
tell your wives and daughters,

08:41.260 --> 08:42.540
and the women of the believers,

08:42.800 --> 08:44.380
to draw their outer garments,

08:44.380 --> 08:46.200
jala bi bihina,

08:46.660 --> 08:48.060
closely round themselves,

08:48.540 --> 08:50.480
yu nina a lehina,

08:50.720 --> 08:52.300
this makes it more likely,

08:52.300 --> 08:53.800
that they will be recognized,

08:54.100 --> 08:54.960
and not be harmed.

08:55.500 --> 08:56.680
God is ever forgiving,

08:57.120 --> 08:57.880
most merciful.

08:59.020 --> 09:00.540
The command of the verse,

09:00.720 --> 09:01.280
is explicit.

09:01.840 --> 09:03.440
Jilba means an outer garment,

09:03.800 --> 09:05.380
that covers from head to toe.

09:06.160 --> 09:07.020
The idolaters,

09:07.240 --> 09:08.500
and the hypocrites of the time,

09:08.620 --> 09:09.960
were harassing Muslim women,

09:10.100 --> 09:10.800
with their words,

09:10.880 --> 09:11.560
and their behavior.

09:12.100 --> 09:13.680
In the face of such behavior,

09:13.860 --> 09:14.960
this verse was revealed,

09:15.080 --> 09:15.760
for Muslim women,

09:15.820 --> 09:17.380
to cover themselves temporarily,

09:17.840 --> 09:18.820
in these circumstances.

09:19.540 --> 09:20.560
Meaning in environments,

09:20.760 --> 09:22.080
where they might be harassed,

09:22.100 --> 09:23.500
if they wore revealing clothes,

09:24.140 --> 09:25.300
to make themselves known,

09:25.440 --> 09:26.900
and distinguished with their coverings.

09:27.640 --> 09:29.660
According to the command of this verse,

09:29.900 --> 09:31.280
Muslim women cover themselves,

09:31.400 --> 09:32.160
from head to toe,

09:32.280 --> 09:33.460
when they enter an environment,

09:33.600 --> 09:34.180
they believe,

09:34.320 --> 09:35.440
they might be harassed,

09:35.480 --> 09:36.640
and wear outer garments,

09:36.640 --> 09:38.660
that would cover every part of their bodies,

09:38.800 --> 09:39.860
and their body lines.

09:39.860 --> 09:42.200
Depending on the severity of the risk,

09:42.400 --> 09:43.820
even the face should be covered.