A Message to Chaste Women

O Muslims, fear Allaah, for fearing Him is the best provision, and will have the best result in the Hereafter: {Indeed, the [best] outcome is for the righteous.} [Quran 11:49]

O Muslims, there are a people whose feeling of resentment has erupted and their hostilities have intensified, with the aim of deploying their utmost power and most odious means to exterminate virtue, decency and purity. They are doing this because chastity provokes their anger, embitters their minds and burns their hearts.

They were born in the lap of Islam and brought up in the countries of Islam, but when they grew up, the bitterness of hostility seemed appealing to them and they preferred blindness to guidance, carried the mattocks of destruction, and raised the flag of blatant conspiracy. What good would be expected from such slaves of the enemies of Islam who are too difficult to be emancipated or released. They are in the position of agents, or rather, their slaves or servants.

These people, who do not deserve to be called men, are deceitful and lead others astray. They have been launching a fierce campaign against the purity of the Muslim society and against the Muslim women to make them remove their Hijaab. They wish to desecrate the honor of Muslim women. They want Muslim women to work in the arenas of men and all other areas. They are, thereby, laying the foundation of mixing between the sexes; they want to implant this malicious habit in the Muslim society. May Allaah cut off their hands, silence their tongues, and abate their breath!

•{And they will surely swear, "We intended only the best." And Allaah testifies that indeed they are liars.} [Quran 9:107]
•{And when it is said to them, "Do not cause corruption on the earth," they say, "We are but reformers."Unquestionably, it is they who are the corrupters, but they perceive [it] not.} [Quran 2:11-12]

O Muslims, Islam legislates boundaries to protect women from the plots that are woven by dissolute, notorious hypocrites who seek to exploit them. Muslim women will always be protected by the umbrella of Islam to enjoy honor, pride, and respect. Under the protection of Islam, a woman is a well-guarded pearl, a noble queen, an icon of freedom and chastity, and an honorable sister, whose Hijaab is her beauty, screen is her glory, and outer garment is her honor and perfection. She takes her guidance from Islam and follows her way on the light of the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam.

Let them be despised, these advocates of indecency and supporters of evil conduct, for women do not reap anything beneficial from mixing with men and exposing their bodies, including their hair and arms except tainted glances, mischievous harassment, immoral assaults, weariness, exemplary punishment and evil results:

• {And whoever takes Satan as an ally instead of Allaah has certainly sustained a clear loss.} [Quran 4:119]
• {Then will you take him and his descendants as allies other than Me while they are enemies to you? Wretched it is for the wrongdoers as an exchange.} [Quran 18:50]

O Muslims, these sinful claims and misleading slogans have appeared in the past in many regions and countries. Their patrons succeeded to make women descend from their impenetrable palaces and high forts to remove their Hijaabs and depart from safety. They made women themselves free from all authority; they made them go everywhere and venture into all fields of work. What was the result of all this? It was no more than confinement to the most despicable depths of dissoluteness and wickedness and involvement in the lowest depths of debauchery and depravity.

Now, we have the right to wonder what has the liberated woman, as they allege, and modern woman, as they describe, come to be. She has become humiliated, exploited and enslaved. She has become an instrument of amusement and entertainment in wicked, lustful hands, working with her breasts before her hands, working as a dancer in houses of prostitution, a model in houses of fashion, and a prostitute in bordellos and show business. Is this what they call women’s liberation and empowerment? The Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said:"I am not leaving after me a temptation more harmful to men than [the temptation of] women. So, protect yourselves from [the temptation of] this world and protect yourselves from women, for the first temptation of the Children of Israel was with women."

O Muslims, the absolute separation between men and women is a moral, behavioral, social, and security necessity, because permitting mixing between men and women is the source of every distress and shortcoming and the basis of every evil and vice. In this respect, it is narrated on the authority of ‘Uqbah ibn ‘Aamir Al-Juhani, may Allaah be pleased with him, that he said, “The Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said: ‘Beware of entering upon women.’ A man from the Ansaar (helpers) said, ‘O Messenger of Allaah, what about male in-laws?’ He said: ‘Male in-laws are death.’" [Al-Bukhaari and Muslim]

It is narrated on the authority of Umm Salamah, may Allaah be pleased with her, that she said, "When the Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, would finish prayer, he used to stay for some time. We saw that he did so in order to allow the women to leave before the men." [Abu Daawood]

It is narrated on the authority of Ibn ‘Umar, may Allaah be pleased with him and his father that he said, “The Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said: ‘Would that we leave this gate [of the mosque] for women.’" Naafi‘, may Allaah have mercy upon him, commented, "From that time on, Ibn ‘Umar, may Allaah be pleased with them, never again passed through it until he died." [Abu Daawood]

It is narrated on the authority of Abu Usayd Al-Ansaari, may Allaah be pleased with him, that he heard the Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, when he came out of the mosque and saw how men were mixing with women in the street, addressing the women by saying:"Make way, for you are not to be in the middle of the road: walk to the sides of the street!" [Abu Daawood]

Allaah The Exalted, The Almighty, Says in His Noble Book (what means):{And when you ask them for something, ask them from behind a partition. That is purer for your hearts and their hearts.} [Quran 33:53]

These are proofs, from the Book and the Sunnah, that refute the falsehood of every obstinate renegade and put an end to the errors of every insincere deviant who has swerved from his fresh sweet way of Islam to the putrefied stagnant swamp of wickedness and misguidance.

O Muslim girls, be as Allaah The Almighty wants you to be and as the Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, liked for you to be, and not as intended by the propagators of seduction, and advocators of women uncovering their bodies and mixing with men. You are, among us, the ones who are raising generations, the makers of men, the planters of the seeds of virtues and high manners, those who foster noble deeds, and the builders of nations and glories. Do not be a mattock of destruction, an instrument of devastation, and a tool of change and Westernization in the pure lands and populous regions of Islam. Do not be a means for harming the Ummah (nation) of Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam.

O Muslim women, Allaah The Almighty has honored you, made high your esteem and position, and maintained your rights. So, give thanks for the favor and remember His grace. The Hijaab was only enjoined, the outer garment only imposed, and the veil (face-cover) only prescribed to guard your honor, preserve your souls, purify your hearts, and protect you from the means of seduction and ways of dissipation and deterioration. So, abide by veiling and screening, reduce your vision (lower your gaze), guard your chastity, and beware of anything that may draw attention to you and seduce these evil men who have malicious hearts. Allaah The Almighty Says (what means): {And abide in your houses and do not display yourselves as [was] the display of the former times of ignorance.} [Quran 33:33] Furthermore, screen your faces, adornment and the beautiful parts of your bodies from men who are non-Mahram (marriageable) to you.

Let a Muslim woman also avoid translucent clothes that reveal what is beneath it and tight clothes that depict the details and size of her body parts. It is narrated on the authority of ‘Abdullaah ibn Mas‘ood, may Allaah be pleased with him, that the Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa salam, said: "The woman is ‘Awrah (i.e. should not be exposed); and when she goes out, Satan receives her, and she is closest to her Lord when she is in the farthest point of her house." [Ibn Hibbaan]

Muslim women must not pass by men while wearing perfume or incense. In this respect, the Messenger of Guidance, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said: "A woman who wears perfume and passes by men who smell her fragrance is an adulteress." [Abu Daawood and At-Tirmithi]

It is further narrated on the authority of ‘Ubayd, the freed slave of Abu Ruhm, that Abu Hurayrah, may Allaah be pleased with him, saw a perfumed woman who wanted to go to the mosque. He asked her, "O slave of the Compeller! Where are you going?" She said, "To the mosque." He said, "Have you perfumed yourself for this?" She answered in the affirmative. Thereupon he said, "I heard the Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, say: ‘Any woman who wears perfume and goes out to the mosque, no prayer would be accepted from her until she bathes (to eliminate the traces of perfume from her body).’" [Ibn Maajah]

It is narrated on the authority of ‘Amrah Bint ‘Abd Ar-Rahmaan, may Allaah have mercy upon her, that ‘Aa'ishah, may Allaah be pleased with her, said, "Had the Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, seen what women had done after him, he would have prevented them from going to the mosque, just as the women of the Children of Israel were prevented." ‘Amrah was asked, "Were the women of the Children of Israel prevented from going to places of worship?" She answered in the affirmative. [Muslim]

A Muslim woman must avoid being soft in speech, yielding in words, tender in voice or lithe in talk to men, tempting, thereby, men whose faith is weak:{Do not be soft in speech [to men], lest he in whose heart is disease should covet, but speak with appropriate speech.} [Quran 33:32]

A noble, chaste woman would never accept to be a means of sexual stimulation or seduction for anyone, especially those whose eyes are treacherous, whose souls are lowly, and whose mouths are foul. Allaah The Exalted, The Almighty, Says (what means):

• {And let them not stamp their feet to make known what they conceal of their adornment.} [Quran 24:31]
• {O Prophet, tell your wives and your daughters and the women of the believers to bring down over themselves [part] of their outer garments. That is more suitable that they will be known and not be abused. And ever is Allaah Forgiving and Merciful.} [Quran 33:59]

Where is your compliance with this? Where is your immediate response? It is narrated on the authority of Umm Salamah, may Allaah be pleased with her, that she said, "When the verse (that means): {…to bring down over themselves [part] of their outer garments} [Quran 33:59] was revealed, the women of the Ansaar (helpers) came out as if crows were on their heads due to the garments [they were wearing]." [Abu Daawood]

It is narrated on the authority of ‘Aa'ishah, may Allaah be pleased with her, that she said, "[Some] believing women would attend the Fajr prayer with the Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa salam, wrapped in their shawls, then they would return to their houses when they finished the prayer without being recognized due to the darkness." [Al-Bukhaari and Muslim]

O Muslim woman, adorn yourself with the noblest crown, follow the most guided way, and join the best of tribes. Adorn yourself with piety, faith, fear and shyness of Allaah The Most Merciful. O Muslim woman, be careful of every prostitute displaying her beauty, every partially exposed woman, and every immoral female disbeliever. Give your attention to the statement of the Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam: “There are two types of the dwellers of the Hellfire whom I have not seen: men having lashes like the tails of cows, with which they beat the people; and women who are dressed yet naked who incline (from the truth towards mischief) and prompt others to incline [as such], whose heads are like the inclined humps of camels; they would not enter Paradise nor smell its fragrance even though its fragrance can be smelt from such and such a distance.” [Muslim; and At-Tabaraani adding: "So, curse them, for they are cursed."]

This is the destiny of any naked woman, because a woman who does not cover up properly is actually naked of fear of Allaah, stripped of gratitude for the favors of Allaah, and deprived of all noble manners. This is the destiny of the woman who displays her beauty, imitates men and mixes with them, shows herself, is exposed, tempts others and is tempted herself. So, beware of the evil end, and let not the advocates of companionship between men and women, the enemies of honor, the supporters of dissolution, decadence and deterioration impede you from reaching the good end and the pleasant abode in the high Gardens of Paradise.

O Muslims, whatever leads to a forbidden thing is, in itself, forbidden under the Sharee‘ah. One of the greatest causes of corruption and deviation from the way of chastity and the right direction is a woman who travels alone without being accompanied by a Mahram man and her meeting alone with a man who is a non-Mahram to her. In this respect, it is narrated on the authority of Ibn ‘Abbaas, may Allaah be pleased with them, that he said, “I heard the Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, addressing the people saying: ‘No man should be alone with a woman unless she is accompanied by a Mahram; and no woman should set out on a journey except with a Mahram.’ A man stood up, and said, ‘O Messenger of Allaah, my wife has set out on a journey for Hajj, and I have been enlisted [to fight] in such and such a battle.’ On that the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said to him: ‘Go and perform Hajj with your wife.’" [Al-Bukhaari and Muslim]

It is narrated on the authority of Ibn ‘Umar, may Allaah be pleased with him, that once ’Umar, may Allaah be pleased with him, addressed the people in Al-Jaabiyah, and said, "The Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, stood to address us as I am now addressing you, and said: ‘None of you should be alone with a woman for Satan will be their third.’" [Ahmad]

All of this is to eliminate the causes that may lead to undesirable results, and exterminate the means resulting in immorality.

O fathers and guardians, maintain your women, guard your honor and lineage, avoid negligence and do not be too busy to take care of your women. Beware of negligence that may lead to incurable outcomes. Do not let yourselves become victims of such perdition. rebuff dishonor and protect your household fiercely. Be like a heedful vigilant sentinel, and keep in mind that the noblest of people is he who has the greatest protective jealousy over himself, his family and his honor; and whoever lacks such jealousy, then, the inside of the earth is more suitable to have him than its surface. It is narrated on the authority of Anas, may Allaah be pleased with him, that he said, “The Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said:‘Indeed Allaah will question every guardian about his trust, whether he has maintained or wasted it, until He asks a man about his household (i.e. if he observed his duties towards them).’" [Ibn Hibbaan]

The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said: "And a man is the guardian of his household and is responsible for his trust; and the woman is a guardian in the house of her husband and is responsible for her trust."

Allaah The Almighty Says (what means): {O you who have believed, protect yourselves and your families from a Fire whose fuel is people and stones, over which are [appointed] angels, harsh and severe; they do not disobey Allaah in what He commands them but do what they are commanded.} [Quran 66:6]

May Allaah The Almighty make all of us among those who guide and those who are rightly-guided, who follow the Sunnah of the Master of the Messengers, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam.