Q. My wife and a man she knew declared their conversion to Islam. They were then able to get married and live together as man and wife. I am told that if I became a Muslim, I can regain my wife. But I feel this is all wrong. Could you please comment on this situation.
(Name and address withheld)
A. It is certainly very wrong to play with religion. Religion is a matter of conviction. God does not accept our claims of being Muslims simply because we were born in Muslim families. He requires us to believe in Him on the basis of conviction. But when people go to an Islamic court and declare that they have adopted Islam as their faith, how can the judge determine whether they are genuine or not? They are normally questioned about their knowledge of Islam, and if they show that they know the basic Islamic principles, their claims of conversion to Islam are accepted. However, before a judge declares the marriage of a woman convert to be nullified, he should call in her husband and explain to him the facts of the matter and give him a choice of either accepting Islam or the dissolution of the marriage.
If what you say is true about your wife and her man, it is a serious situation abusing the laws of Saudi Arabia. Hence, it should be looked into. How to go about it is not easy. Perhaps your consulate may take up the matter with Saudi authorities so as to bring about some legislation to tighten up the rules in order to prevent such abuse of the law of the country.
Innovation or Deviation?
Q. Could you please explain the concept of bid’ah, and what it means from the Islamic point of view.
S.S. Raza
A. Most people translate bid’ah as innovation, which from the Islamic point of view is wrong, as it seeks to invent some new practice or beliefs that the Prophet (peace be upon him) has not sanctioned. But the English word “innovation” carries good connotations which are at variance with the Islamic concept. Hence, it is better to translate it as “deviation”. This is a more accurate rendering of the Islamic meaning of the word.
When we speak about the principles of faith and proper values, or about Islamic worship, then we have to remember that God has made the religion of Islam perfect. He clearly states this in the Qur’an, as He says: “This day I have perfected your religion for you.” (5: 3) What is perfected by God cannot be made “more perfect” by man. Thus, any increase or decrease in acts of worship, or the types of worship we offer, is a deviation. Any status given to any human being, without relying on the Qur’an or the Hadith, is a deviation. Any belief or ideas or concepts that have not been stated or explained in the Qur’an or the Sunnah is a deviation.
To give some examples: The Prophet says that travel may be made to visit only three mosques: the Haram in Makkah, the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah and the Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. To add any mosque anywhere in the world and say that visiting it is in itself an act of worship, or that it is recommended, or brings this or that reward, is deviation. The Prophet stated what Sunnah prayers we may offer, some of which he specified in number of rak’ahs, while some he has left for our choice, as in the case of night worship. To add to the specified ones is deviation. To believe that visiting the grave of some historical figure, devout as he might have been in his life, benefits us with reward from God, or with answering our prayer, or healing our illness, or fulfilling our wishes, is deviation.
All such deviation comes under the Islamic term bid’ah, and it should be shunned.
Fiancée’s Job and Appearance
Q. I am engaged to a girl who is working in order to support her family. She is better qualified than her two brothers, and she is the highest wage earner. I spoke to her about quitting her job after I read in a book that Verse 18 in Surah 24 requires Muslim women to cover their faces. Although she expressed her agreement to leave her job if I ask her to do so, I realize that this will put her family in great difficulty. If she covers her face at work, she is certain to lose her job. I cannot support her family through my modest earnings. How do I reconcile these requirements?
A.A. • Jeddah
A. The verse you mention has nothing to do with women’s dress in public. It is a short verse which says: “Thus God makes plain His revelations; and God is all-knowing, wise.” It is Verse 31 of this surah that deals with how women should appear in public. The only part of this verse that relates to dress says: “Let them, i.e. women believers, draw their head-covering over their bosoms.” This means that a woman should use her scarf or any similar headdress to cover the upper part of her body, which means the neck, shoulders and chest. It says nothing about covering her face. In fact, there is no statement anywhere in the Qur’an that makes such a requirement. In the Hadith, it is made absolutely clear that a woman should cover her head and her body, revealing nothing other than her face and hands.
It is indeed the standard view in all four schools of Fiqh that a woman is not required to cover her face or hands. However, some scholars, particularly in our modern times, insist that women must cover their faces. When we look at the evidence they provide in support of this view, we find that the other view is weightier. These scholars start with a certain premise and try to prove it by overstressing particular aspects.
Having said that, I appreciate the dilemma you will put yourself and your fiancée in if you were to ask her to quit her job. Since the only reason for which you want to do that is what you read about women’s appearance, I advise you to stick to the standard view which I have explained. This makes it clear that a woman is not required to cover her face or hands. Indeed, she must not do so when she is offering two of the major types of Islamic worship, namely prayer and the pilgrimage.
As for your other question, I suggest that you consult an elder relative or friend. He will be better able to answer your questions in confidence.
Punishing Mother and Baby
Q.1. As a new Muslim I am confused about the severity of some Islamic punishments. One question that I could not have an answer for concerns the punishment of an adulteress, where the only proof is her being pregnant. Is the child considered innocent? If so, why should that child suffer the mother’s punishment?
Q.2. Since everything is pre-ordained, how come we are made responsible for our actions?
R.A. Mendoza • Riyadh
A.1. The severe punishments you are uneasy about are known as hudood, which means that they are mandatory, determined by God, and cannot be reduced by anyone when the offense is proven according to Islamic requirements. These requirements are very strict and hard to obtain, which means that the punishments themselves are very rarely used. Their purpose is deterrence. Moreover, they are very small in number. Scholars differ as to which offences carry such mandatory punishments, with the highest number put at 7 only, while others saying that they are only 4. This last view is perhaps the more accurate number, making the mandatory punishments applicable only in cases of theft, adultery, false accusation of adultery against women without producing four witnesses in support, and making war against the Muslim state. When these punishments are applied in a community, they work wonders in achieving security for people, property and reputation. To discuss this subject in detail requires much larger space than a newspaper could allocate. What you need is to look at this issue in specialized books, or to discuss them with a scholar.
The case you have cited is a point in favor of Islamic law. Islam does not permit that children should be punished for the sins of their parents. If a woman has been proved to commit adultery through voluntary confession or having four witnesses stating that they have seen the offence being committed, the punishment is applied. If it is suspected that she is pregnant, the punishment is delayed until she has given birth and the child is weaned. This is what the Prophet did with a woman who confessed her offence. He first tried to make her withdraw her confession, as required by Islam. When she insisted, he delayed her punishment until the child was weaned and she came to him carrying the child eating normal food and asking for the punishment to be inflicted on her.
A.2. If we were to say that everything is pre-ordained and that no one can escape their fate, then God’s justice would not allow that anyone should be punished for their misdeeds, nor indeed rewarded for their good deeds. But God has not created us in this fashion. He has given us freedom of choice, and a will to carry out that choice. We do make choices at every point in our lives, and we know that we do so. It is you who chose to convert to Islam, and it is the choice of any Muslim to stand up for prayer, fast, or do the reverse. Indeed it is God’s will to give us such a measure of free choice, so that we can fulfill the task assigned to us, namely build a proper human life on earth.
Should I Cover My Head
Q. I am a 14-year old girl. Is it compulsory for me to cover my hair and face when I go out?
A. Aziz • Dammam
A. When a Muslim attains puberty, regardless of his or her exact age at the time, such a Muslim is required to observe all Islamic duties, such as prayer, fasting, the payment of zakah, and doing the pilgrimage when the condition of ability is met.
In the same way they should implement the requirements of the dress code, which in the case of a Muslim woman is to cover all her body with the exception of her face and hands. Some girls attain puberty early, may be when they are 13, or even 12, while others do not attain it until they are 15 or even older. In each case the mark when Islamic obligations apply is the attainment of puberty.
Arab News Islam 25 August 2003
