Hello again! I haven't posted in so long but I've been reading this site off and on for the past few months. Just wanted to tell you guys about a situation that I'm having in teaching someone about Islam, but I don't really know how to do it since there is so much deviation, I have no idea where to start without getting into an argument. I don't know every proof in the Quran and Hadith by heart so its very difficult to prove my point by saying "I'm right because thats what I was taught" and them saying the same thing! Thats why I find this site so helpful. But I just wanted to start a thread about someone I'm teaching about Islam. She is a Muslim but I don't know exactly how much true knowledge she has but she seems quite stubborn and stuck in the feminist viewpoint that men are making rules for no reason other than to oppress women. That is what scares me the most. I don't want her to say kufur and then I tell her to take shahada and then she says more kufur.
Today for example, we were talking about the demonstrations in her homeland Lebanon. Somehow the conversation turned to women and hijab. Believe it or not, she's seen girls in Lebanon wearing hijab "making out" with men. She called them hypocrites because they dress religous but act in bad ways. I responded "Yes, people sometimes wear clothes, but the clothes shouldn't neccessarily define how high of a rank a person has in the religion. Sometimes its just a costume to hide their evil. What matters in the end is the belief in their heart not what their wearing." She agreed with this and said "I know. I hate how people try to say that I'm not Muslim because I don't wear the hijab." I told her "Not wearing the hijab is a sin but it doesn't make a person fall out of Islam." She said she disagrees with this. She said wearing the hijab isn't a sin and isn't even part of the religion. :? :-o (I'm unsure if this is kufur or not??). I have never heard anyone say this IN MY LIFE. She told me to find her a proof in the Quran which says that the scarf is an obligation and not cultural. I found one thread
http://talkaboutislam.com/forums/index.php/topic,2964.0.html about this topic and Servant of Islam posted Surat an-Nour, ayah 31:
Allah ta^ala said:
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the khimar is what a woman cover her head with, and in this ayah Allah ordered women to cover their heads with the khimar.
My computer couldn't read the text but that wouldn't matter since I can't really understand classical Arabic. Neither can she but I don't want to give her a misguided interpetation from some book I don't know. Can someone give me a word for word translation and explaination of this ayah? I tired to find some online but couldn't find anyone I trust. I know Yusef Ali's translation isn't a source for trustworthy knowledge. I read the geocities website
www.geocities.com/hijabniqab and that helped as well but I want more! Here is the translation I read from Wikipedia, my questions in brackets...
Believers! Enter not the houses other than your own until you have introduced yourselves and wished peace to those in them. That is best for you that you may be heedful. If you find no one in the house, enter not until permission is given to you. If you are asked to go back, go back, for it is purer for you. Allah has knowledge of all which you do. It is no sin for you to enter non-residential places in which there is benefit for you. And Allah has knowledge of what you reveal and what you conceal. [O Prophet!] tell believing men to restrain their eyes and guard their private parts. (Men must avert their eyes from what is forbidden right?)
That is purer for them. And Allah is well aware of what you do. And tell the believing women to restrain their eyes and to guard their private parts and to display of their ornaments (Does this mean body parts? Which body parts?) only those [which are worn on limbs] which are normally revealed and to draw their khum?r (This is the cloak?) over their bosoms (What about the rest of the body except the face, feet, and hands?). They should not reveal their ornaments to anyone save their husbands or their fathers or their husbands’ fathers (father in-law?) or their sons or their husbands’ sons or their brothers or their brothers’ sons or their sisters’ sons or other women of acquaintance or their slaves or the subservient male servants who are not attracted to women or children who have no awareness of the hidden aspects of women. They should [also] not stamp their feet in order to draw attention to their hidden ornaments (dancing?). Believers turn to Allah in repentance that you may prosper.
Is this translation accurate? If not someone give me a good translation and explaination so I can explain it to her. I don't think she's a member of the group "Quran Only" so some Sahih hadiths (preferably narrated by women) would be good. This topic came up when we were having a small discussion about hijab another day. Is Saudi Arabia allowed to enforce the hijab rule? Is there a sharia punishment for not wearing hijab or is it a sin with no punishment in this life? We all know they take it to an extreme (ex: forcing little girls to go back into a burning building to cover up), but do they have the authority to do this in day to day circumstances? Did Abubaker, Uthman, Omar, and Ali (may Allah have mercy on them all) do this?
Back to teaching about Islam. I have a book called "The Creed of Muslims" (accredited by Al-Azhar Al-Shariff) but it deals with refutuing the Whabbies. I don't think I should teach her about justification of celebrating Mawlid and Tawassul before I teach the basic Aqeedah of Islam, 13 attributes of God, etc but I want to do it in a safe and clear way. Like many Lebanese, she is politically motivated in everything she says and believes. I know many people on here are Lebanese and I think that you can guide me in teaching them about Islam. Any other tips on teaching Islam 101 to her and others will be greatly appreciated. Inshallah we will all benefit. Thanks for your time
