-
Obligation Of Khimar For Elder Women Making It Compulsory
Assalamu Alaikum
I have a confusion. In an ayat of Surah Noor, it is said that older women can discard their siyaab (which ghamidi sahab says its the khimar mentioned in a previous verse) as long as they don’t display their adornments. Doesn’t it mean that the function of this cloth wasn’t to hide the adornments but something else, because even without the cloth women aren’t allowed to display their adornments?
Ghamidi sahab says that the purpose of khimar is to hide the adornments on the chest but if that was the case, why would the later verse say that old women can discard their siyaab if they don’t display their adornments? Doesn’t it mean that showing adornments ( except that what’s apparent thereof) is not allowed whether or not a woman is wearing that piece of cloth? And that piece of cloth( khimar/sayab) is obligatory for young women whether or not they’re wearing any adornments?
I’ve read ALL discussions on this topic ( and also on the topic of pardah) on this app but couldn’t find a convincing answer to this question.
Thank you
-
3 Replies
-
Obligation Of Khimar For Elder Women Making It Compulsory
updated 10 months ago
2 Members
·
3
Replies
-
وعلیکم السلام
That’s a good question and one that Dr. Amir Gazdar raises in his book. I would have adopted Dr Gazdar’s view, the view you too are proposing, had it not been for the position of وليضربن بخمرهن على جيوبهن. It is sandwiched between لا يبدين زينتهن. And that to me is strong evidence that the point of covering the جيب was ornaments. We also have to be careful with the word جيب. Usually, it is glossed as chest which it doesn’t mean. It actually means the opening of a shirt from where you enter your head. I don’t know whether we have information on the clothing of ancient Arabia to know whether women generally wore deep necked shirts (I don’t know whether this is the right term for it or whether I just came up with it 😅. Also, it isn’t that I don’t know of the reports we have. I am aware of them. I just don’t trust them yet.)
Also, I do think it would be better if women of this era wore a shawl over their chests but that would be due to the previous order which was يحفظن فروجهن and because modern dressing seems to be form fitting. The chest is still outlined in the clothes worn. And if we consider the chest included in فروجهن, then I don’t think women would be comfortable if other parts included in فروجهن were outlined as such, so I don’t think the chest should be outlined either. At least, that is where I’m at.
But is the Quran saying this very thing with وليضربن بخمرهن على جيوبهن? Is it clarifying what would otherwise need to be inferred from يحفظن فروجهن? I am not yet sure due to the wording and arrangement of the sentence. So, I have also asked a similar question here on the forum but I think you have worded it better.
-
Salam bro
Thank you so much for responding. Can you plz share Dr Amir Ghazdar’s view here. I don’t understand Arabic so his book is out of access for me 😅
Also, can please anyone from the Ghamidi center plz help me with this question? Thank you
-
Yes bro, i had also heard about the deep-necked shirts somewhere, but I don’t think the purpose of khimar would be that because it would mean that old women could take of this piece of cloth, which would reveal those parts.
Hiding the shape of the chest makes more sense but I’m not sure about it. Let’s wait for someone more knowledgeable than us to comment here
-
Sponsor Ask Ghamidi
