A sermon by the Shaykh regarding those who call for the equality of women with men and their liberation.
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The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah, and that is sufficient, and peace be upon His chosen servants. I bear witness that there is no god but Allah alone, with no partner, and praise be to Him in the Hereafter and the first. And I bear witness that Muhammad is His slave and His Messenger, the chosen one and the intimate friend, may Allah send blessings and peace upon him, his family, his Companions, and whoever follows their guidance, and may He send abundant peace.
As for what follows:
O people, we did not mention what we mentioned in the first sermon of this Friday except to make clear two matters: First, the foolishness of those who call for the equality of women with men, or that women have the same rights as men, because this contradicts the Shari'ah of Allah, contradicts the fitrah (the innate natural disposition) of Allah, and contradicts the condition of women, who need correction. For this reason, Allah the Mighty and Majestic said:[An-Nisa 4:34]
As for the second matter, I hold the guardians of women responsible for the foolishness that occurs among some of them in being lax about the hijab and being lax about leaving off perfume when they go out to the markets. Some women have become increasingly lax about the hijab, and we do not know what the future will hold if we do not rein in this thought, which contradicts what the Islamic religion prescribes regarding women, namely the command for women to cover themselves and not to display their adornment. Allah the Exalted said to the wives of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family), who are the noblest of women and the most distant from the pre-Islamic age of ignorance, and who are among the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), who protect the Mothers of the Believers more strictly than they protect their own mothers and daughters. Allah said to them:[Al-Ahzab 33:33] In this is evidence that the display of adornment by a woman is the display of the pre-Islamic age of ignorance, and that her not staying in her home is from impurity, for Allah the Exalted said, in explaining the reason for this ruling: [Al-Ahzab 33:33]
And the responsibility in this matter lies with the men. They must keep track of their women and whether they go out to the markets for a need or without a need, and if they go out, how they go out. I have seen and heard that some women are lax about the niqab (the face veil). The niqab was known in the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family); a woman would cover her face with a small opening for her eye so that she could see the road. But some foolish women have started using a mask instead of the niqab, meaning she puts a mask over her nose and mouth and leaves the eyes, and perhaps the forehead, exposed, and she does not care about it. She walks in the markets. Let this woman know that she has contradicted the truth, and whoever imitates her bears a sin, and this woman who opened this door also bears a sin. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:As-Sunan al-Kubra lil-Nasa'i 12:118
Another calamity has appeared, which is what some women do in wearing what is called sarawil (trousers) that connect to the chest, known as pants. Wearing pants, whenever a person considers it, one finds that the requirement of the Book and the Sunnah indicates its prohibition, because it exposes the woman's thighs, their size, and the size of her legs. And even if she claims today that it is loose, it will be tight tomorrow. Perhaps women will use pants the color of the skin, so that when she wears them, it is as if she is naked. The gradual decline of women in this matter is a known thing. Therefore, I see that it is incumbent upon men to prevent their women, both young and old, from wearing pants, because it leads to the exposure of the 'awrah (the part of the body that must be covered), even if in the long term. And I think that if they are allowed to do so, it will happen in the short term.
In it is also a type of imitating men, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) cursed the women who imitate men. So you, O men, you have a great responsibility, and by Allah, you will not be saved from it except if you fulfill it in the manner you were commanded. It is very regrettable that a person cares about his wealth, whether there is a loss or a profit in it, and if a sheep is lost, he searches for it. How then with his women, for whom he is responsible for their care and their responsibility? You, O men, must fear Allah regarding your women and prevent them from doing what they should not do, before the matter becomes severe and you are no longer able to control it.
And as for what we clarified in the sermon regarding the difference between women and men in legal and natural matters, we do not intend by this to belittle the status of women. The one who calls for the seclusion of women and their staying in their homes is, by Allah, the one who truly honors them, not the one who calls for their distortion and the tearing of their cover. It is this one who calls for mistreating them. As for those who call for preserving what came in the Shari'ah of Allah and what came regarding the women of the Salaf (the earliest generations) of this Ummah (the Muslim community), they are, by Allah, the ones who honor them, and they are the ones who give them their rights.
I ask Allah the Exalted to protect our land from the evils of fitnah (trial, discord or temptation). O Allah, protect our land from the evils of fitnah and from the misguidance of the misguiders, O Lord of the worlds. O Allah, strengthen our leaders in suppressing corruption and the corrupters, O Most Merciful of the merciful, O Possessor of Majesty and Honor. Our Lord, forgive us and our brothers who preceded us in faith, and put not in our hearts any resentment toward those who have believed. Our Lord, indeed You are Full of Mercy, Most Merciful. I say.
As for what follows:
O people, we did not mention what we mentioned in the first sermon of this Friday except to make clear two matters: First, the foolishness of those who call for the equality of women with men, or that women have the same rights as men, because this contradicts the Shari'ah of Allah, contradicts the fitrah (the innate natural disposition) of Allah, and contradicts the condition of women, who need correction. For this reason, Allah the Mighty and Majestic said:
Men are in charge of women by [right of] what Allah has given one over the other and what they spend [for maintenance] from their wealth.
الرجال قوامون على النساء بما فضل الله بعضهم على بعض وبما أنفقوا من أموالهمAs for the second matter, I hold the guardians of women responsible for the foolishness that occurs among some of them in being lax about the hijab and being lax about leaving off perfume when they go out to the markets. Some women have become increasingly lax about the hijab, and we do not know what the future will hold if we do not rein in this thought, which contradicts what the Islamic religion prescribes regarding women, namely the command for women to cover themselves and not to display their adornment. Allah the Exalted said to the wives of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family), who are the noblest of women and the most distant from the pre-Islamic age of ignorance, and who are among the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), who protect the Mothers of the Believers more strictly than they protect their own mothers and daughters. Allah said to them:
And abide in your houses and do not display yourselves as [was] the display of the former times of ignorance. And establish prayer and give zakah and obey Allah and His Messenger. Allah intends only to remove from you the impurity [of sin], O people of the [Prophet's] household, and to purify you with [extensive] purification.
وقرن في بيوتكن ولا تبرجن تبرج الجاهلية الأولى وأقمن الصلاة وآتين الزكاة وأطعن الله ورسوله إنما يريد الله ليذهب عنكم الرجس أهل البيت ويطهركم تطهيراAllah intends only to remove from you the impurity [of sin], O people of the [Prophet's] household, and to purify you with [extensive] purification.
إنما يريد الله ليذهب عنكم الرجس أهل البيت ويطهركم تطهيراAnd the responsibility in this matter lies with the men. They must keep track of their women and whether they go out to the markets for a need or without a need, and if they go out, how they go out. I have seen and heard that some women are lax about the niqab (the face veil). The niqab was known in the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family); a woman would cover her face with a small opening for her eye so that she could see the road. But some foolish women have started using a mask instead of the niqab, meaning she puts a mask over her nose and mouth and leaves the eyes, and perhaps the forehead, exposed, and she does not care about it. She walks in the markets. Let this woman know that she has contradicted the truth, and whoever imitates her bears a sin, and this woman who opened this door also bears a sin. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
Whoever introduces a bad practice in Islam, he will bear its sin and the sin of whoever acts according to it until the Day of Resurrection
من سن في الإسلام سنة سيئة فعليه وزرها ووزر من عمل بها إلى يوم القيامةAnother calamity has appeared, which is what some women do in wearing what is called sarawil (trousers) that connect to the chest, known as pants. Wearing pants, whenever a person considers it, one finds that the requirement of the Book and the Sunnah indicates its prohibition, because it exposes the woman's thighs, their size, and the size of her legs. And even if she claims today that it is loose, it will be tight tomorrow. Perhaps women will use pants the color of the skin, so that when she wears them, it is as if she is naked. The gradual decline of women in this matter is a known thing. Therefore, I see that it is incumbent upon men to prevent their women, both young and old, from wearing pants, because it leads to the exposure of the 'awrah (the part of the body that must be covered), even if in the long term. And I think that if they are allowed to do so, it will happen in the short term.
In it is also a type of imitating men, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) cursed the women who imitate men. So you, O men, you have a great responsibility, and by Allah, you will not be saved from it except if you fulfill it in the manner you were commanded. It is very regrettable that a person cares about his wealth, whether there is a loss or a profit in it, and if a sheep is lost, he searches for it. How then with his women, for whom he is responsible for their care and their responsibility? You, O men, must fear Allah regarding your women and prevent them from doing what they should not do, before the matter becomes severe and you are no longer able to control it.
And as for what we clarified in the sermon regarding the difference between women and men in legal and natural matters, we do not intend by this to belittle the status of women. The one who calls for the seclusion of women and their staying in their homes is, by Allah, the one who truly honors them, not the one who calls for their distortion and the tearing of their cover. It is this one who calls for mistreating them. As for those who call for preserving what came in the Shari'ah of Allah and what came regarding the women of the Salaf (the earliest generations) of this Ummah (the Muslim community), they are, by Allah, the ones who honor them, and they are the ones who give them their rights.
I ask Allah the Exalted to protect our land from the evils of fitnah (trial, discord or temptation). O Allah, protect our land from the evils of fitnah and from the misguidance of the misguiders, O Lord of the worlds. O Allah, strengthen our leaders in suppressing corruption and the corrupters, O Most Merciful of the merciful, O Possessor of Majesty and Honor. Our Lord, forgive us and our brothers who preceded us in faith, and put not in our hearts any resentment toward those who have believed. Our Lord, indeed You are Full of Mercy, Most Merciful. I say.