Question:

I recently came across a statement made by a scholar in the west, he states: “In Medina there were women walking around bare breasted! This is a historical fact, there were uncovered women in Medina because the slaves were not allowed to cover! So Muslims should get out of this obsession with women! It’s a sickness in our own hearts. Just lower your gaze! We’re living in a society where people are walking around naked and we’re worried about a girl not wearing a scarf on her head. A lot of men make it a hijab between a woman and her imaan. Not all of you are acting like Sahabah! Why do we want our women to be like Sahabeyat?! I challenge you to put on a robe or a turban for one day! The reason why a lot of women are leaving Islam is because we’re chasing them out of Islam! We should know the time we’re living in!”

Is there any substance in this claim? As this seems to radically trivialise the command of Hijab.

Answer:

The person you mention needs to mention proof that is authenticated for what he is saying. It does not seem factual. Even if it were, our duty is to follow Allah taala and His Messenger (Sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam) and they have clearly made Hijab etc. an obligation. The other danger with this view is that it actually undermines the whole Shariah as he is basically saying the Shariah is to be determined by the trends current in society, and no scholar has ever uttered such a bizarre thing. Having said this, as Muslims we should be forgiving and compassionate in regards to the weaknesses of others and not treat them with disdain or disrespect.

Rather, they are still our sisters and we should advise them sincerely and do Dua for them. It is recorded by Imam Ibn al-Jawzi that the Sahabi Abu Dharr r.a. saw some people hurling abuse at someone who had been caught in some sin, and he reprimanded them saying: "Don't abuse him." They said "Don't you have hatred for him?" He replied that A believer only has hatred for the action not the person.

Mufti Mohammed Sajjad

Wallahu Aalam bis-sawab

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The answer to this question is the opinion of the scholar and does not reflect the opinion of other scholars of As-Suffa Institute and As-Suffa Institute as an organisation.