In The Name of Allaah, The Most Merciful, The Bestower of Mercy.

Progress and Backwardness In The Minds of The Sinful! [This woman is backward because she wears layers of clothes!]

Al-Allaamah Taqiyuddeen Al-Hilaali [may Allaah have mercy upon him] stated: These two words were not used by the Arabs in the manner intended by writers of the present era because indeed they are from that which the translators translated into Arabic, and transmitted from the European languages, so the Arab writers received and used it in their speech and books. [الرجعية – to go back] is attributed to الرجع – revert] and it is to return to the place in which something was or to the previous state of affairs. As for the contemporaries, the word [الرجعية -to go back or revert] is the characteristic of a person who opposes progress, whose thoughts and beliefs returns to the past, and that is the era (according to them) of ignorance, injustice, clannishness, persistance upon myths and illusions whose darkness has disappeared from the (minds and hearts) of the progessives and the civilized – those who are proceeding rapidly in the ranks of civilization and the seekers of realities, and no obstacle prevents them from that, whether the beliefs or customs which the backward ones (in their view) cling to with bigoted attachment. So they – the progressives- understand and are always on the most advanced stage of this stride as wealthy ones, powerful, happy and scholars; moving forward and co-operating with progressive societies, whilst looking at their fathers and forefathers with contempt and mocking at them whenever they mention their state of affairs. (1)

This is one of the views of the militant secularists and bewildered modernists speaking in the name of progress amongst the Muslims. Anyone who clings to the Sunnah and rejects a progress that is tantamount to violation of the Creator’s commands and prohibitions, then such a person is labelled backward and rigid. However, read what one European writer stated as follows: “When Europeans came to North America, the thing they said about the native Americans was that they were so barbaric, because they walked around naked. The European women were wearing three layers of clothes. Then they came to North America, and decided that the native Americans were backward because they all walked around naked. And now, we walk around naked, and we say that the Muslims are backward because they wear so much clothes”.

Therefore, the basis by way of which the hostile militant secularists they judge what is acceptable or unacceptable is nothing else but vain desires. Allaah [The Exalted] said:

إِن يَتَّبِعُونَ إِلَّا ٱلظَّنَّ وَمَا تَهۡوَى ٱلۡأَنفُسُ‌ۖ

They follow but a guess and that which they themselves desire.

The Robust Principles of Islaam Safeguards a Muslim 

Imaam Al-Albaanee [may Allaah have mercy upon him] stated regarding his discussion with a priest: “Within the perfection of Islam is that it laid down rulings and divine legislation in order for Muslims to preserve their Islamic personality and are not to wasted away (or ruined)– in any era – through the (Un-Islamic] personality of another nation. The scholars who deal with the subject matters of Ijmaa (consensus) say that any society that wants to preserve their personality must preserve their traditions, history and language, and this is an indisputable affair to them in the knowledge (or subject matter) related to consensus. So, I told him that one of the virtues of Islam and the perfection of its legislation is that it has legislated for the Muslims to preserve their Muslim personality and not to imitate those who are in opposition [to their identity (i.e. identity judged to be un-Islamic by the divine revelation)]; rather they should aim to be in opposition to the path of those who are in opposition to their identity. (2)

Un-Islamic Customs

Imaam Abdul Azeez Bin Baaz [may Allaah have mercy upon him] said, “It is obligated on every Muslim that he does not depend on custom; rather he presents it to the pure Islamic legislation (to be judged), so whatever the Islamic legislation affirms is permissible and whatever it does not affirm is impermissible. The customs of the people are not proof to determine the lawfulness of anything. All the customs of the people in their countries or tribes must be presented to the Book of Allaah and the Sunnah of His Messenger [peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him] for judgement, so whatever Allaah and His Messenger made permissible is permissible, and whatever they forbid, then it is obligatory to abandon it even if it is the custom of the people”. (3)

Imaam Muhammad Bin Saaleh Al-Uthaymeen [may Allaah have mercy upon him] said, “The customs cannot make something that is not legislated (in the divine revelation) as something legislated, because of Allaah’s statement: [وَلَيۡسَ ٱلۡبِرُّ بِأَن تَأۡتُواْ ٱلۡبُيُوتَ مِن ظُهُورِهَا – It is not Al-Birr (piety, righteousness, etc.) that you enter the houses from the back] [Surah Al-Baqarah. Aayah 189], despite the fact that it was something they took as their custom and considered it to be an act of righteousness. Whoever takes something as a custom and believes that it is an act of righteousness, then it should be presented to Allaah’s divine legislation [i.e. to be judged]”. (4)

Imaam Muhammad Bin Saaleh Al-Uthaymeen [may Allaah have mercy upon him] also said, “Extremism in related to customs is stringent adherence to old customs and not diverting to what is better than them. As for if the customs are equal in benefit [i.e. the ones judged to be permissible by the divine legislation], then a person remaining upon what he is upon would be better than going along with the new (or emerging) customs”. (5)

Finally, it is absolutely clear that those who seek to vilify female believers for wearing layers of clothes desire nothing else but corruption – a corruption they seek to portray as progress, freedom and liberty. Imaam Abdul Azeez Bin Baaz [may Allaah have mercy upon him] said: They seek to conquer the intellects of the Muslim children and nurture their hearts upon their views, either by making them feel that their ways are superior in every affair-be it in affairs of creed and religion, or that which they speak with by way of languages, or what they consider to be civilized manners, customs etc.. They seek to nurture a great number of Muslims in the Muslim lands until they are intoxicated with their views and return them to their lands. Then they start praising and promoting them until they become the figureheads in their countries. So they spread their ideas through these people…etc They encourage the Muslims in the Muslim lands to learn their languages at the expense of the Arabic language, which is the language of the Qur’aan- the language by way of which the Muslims perform their acts of worship. They also establish many studies that are intended to cause nuisance and glorify what they call popular literature and national heritage…..etc They prepare a large number of people amongst their people to study Islam and the Arabic language and write books, and take up teaching positions in universities- orientalists….etc They also spread propaganda that Muslim women in the Muslim lands are oppressed in order to take them out of their homes and place them where they want. But Allaah (The Most High) said:

يَا أَيُّهَا النَّبِيُّ قُلْ لِأَزْوَاجِكَ وَبَنَاتِكَ وَنِسَاءِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ يُدْنِينَ عَلَيْهِنَّ مِنْ جَلابِيبِهِنَّ ذَلِكَ أَدْنَى أَنْ يُعْرَفْنَ فَلا يُؤْذَيْنَ وَكَانَ اللَّهُ غَفُورًا رَحِيمًا

O Prophet! Tell your wives and your daughters and the women of the believers to draw their cloaks (veils) all over their bodies. That will be better, that they should be known (as free respectable women) so as not to be annoyed. And Allah is Ever Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.” They set up radio programmes designed to mislead gullible young Muslims who do not understand Islam and do not have sufficient knowledge, especially in Africa…. However if the Muslims exercise patience these plots will not harm them. Allaah (The Most High) said: [وَإِنْ تَصْبِرُوا وَتَتَّقُوا لا يَضُرُّكُمْ كَيْدُهُمْ شَيْئًا إِنَّ اللَّهَ بِمَا يَعْمَلُونَ مُحِيطٌ – But if you remain patient and become Al-Muttaqun (the pious – see V.2:2), not the least harm will their cunning do to you. Surely, Allah surrounds all that they do]. (6)

“Shall I Show You a Woman of Paradise?” [Part 1]

“Shall I Show You a Woman of Paradise?” [Part 2]

[Ref 1: An Excerpt from Al-Jaami Ath-Thameen Min Rasaa’il Al-Allaamah Muhammad Taqiyuddeen Al-Hilaali. page 85. slightly paraphrased]

[Ref 2: Asbaab Al-Ijaabah Cassette 2]

[Ref 3: Majmoo Al-Fataawaa 6/510]

[Ref: 4: Tafseer Surah Al-Baqarah 2/299]

[Ref 5: Majmoo Al-Fataawaa 7/7]

[Ref 6: مجلة البحوث الإسلامية العدد 8 ص 286 293 أجراها مع سماحته قسم التحرير – مجموع فتاوى ومقالات متنوعة الجزء الثالث. ]