Text Box: بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم Friday Sermon HAZRAT AMIR’UL MOMENEEN MUHYI-UD-DIN AL KHALIFATULLAH Munir Ahmad Azim 16 July 2010 (03 Shabaan 1431 Hijri) (Summary of Friday Sermon) After having greeted everybody with the Salutations of Peace, the Khalifatullah read the Tashahhud, Taouz and Surah Al Fatiha and then he said: وَقُل لِّلْمُؤْمِنَاتِ يَغْضُضْنَ مِنْ أَبْصَارِهِنَّ وَيَحْفَظْنَ فُرُوجَهُنَّ وَلَا يُبْدِينَ زِينَتَهُنَّ إِلَّا مَا ظَهَرَ مِنْهَا وَلْيَضْرِبْنَ بِخُمُرِهِنَّ عَلَى جُيُوبِهِنَّ وَلَا يُبْدِينَ زِينَتَهُنَّ إِلَّا لِبُعُولَتِهِنَّ “And tell the believing women to lower their gaze and guard their chastity, and not display their beauties except what is apparent, and to draw their veils over their bosoms, and not to reveal their beauties except to their husbands.” (24:32) While the Qur’an exhorts the woman to dress decently, she prefers to ignore the commands of her Creator in order to satisfy her base passion and imitate others in the field of fashion. The way the woman is dressed nowadays is provocative to the point of indecency. The way the woman dresses today has contributed much to the moral degradation of society because morality depends to a large extent on it; Islam condemns all insanity and immorality. The Qur’an explains this clearly: “Stay away from all things and all practices that lead to Zina (fornication).” (17:33) To prevent immorality, insanity and indecency from eating alive the society, Allah shows us more than once in the Quran the way decency must be observed. Decency does not mean only hiding the private parts but hiding all parts of the body and this applies both for men and women. The man must hide the body parts that lie between the navel and the knees while the woman all her body except her face and wrists. In the Quran, Allah says: “O Prophet! Tell thy wives and thy daughters and the women of the believers to draw their veils over them: it is the mark of virtue and a check against the words of men.” (33:60). The formal order must be observed by women as well as by men. For it is the source of morality. “Exhort the believing women to lower their gaze and to preserve their chastity. God is acquainted with everything they do.” (24:31). The believing woman has no right to follow other women in the way they dress, because many of them are simply following in the footsteps of Satan, and needless to say that those who follow in his footsteps, Satan command them to do such things which brings dishonour and command them criminal (unlawful) acts. They do not have a perfect moral code to guide them and for this reason they are in manifest error. But the believer, when he accepts Islam as a religion must submit to all its principles and not only a part of it! “It is not appropriate for believers of both sexes follow their own choice ...” (33:37). How can we achieve piety and chastity if we continue to imitate these people who have gone astray whose way of dressing only serves to immorality, indecency, provocation etc? “O you who believe! Do not be like the unbelievers ...” (3:157) The woman must dress according to the laws set by her Creator; she should in no case be carried away by the whims of her passions and ambitions. She also must never follow the unbelievers and ungrateful for Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: “He who follows the example of others is one of them.” It is inconceivable for a woman to follow a particular fashion invented by those who have the wrath of God upon them. She must on the contrary follow the path of truth, the path traced by the Creator, the One who knows all the weaknesses of man. “Maintain your distance from those who view their religion as a game and frivolity; the life of this world has blinded them.” (6:71) Thus, it is essential to every believing man and woman to dress according to Islamic principles. The woman in particular is not an article of exhibition and is expected to maintain a clean and healthy environment. She has no right to appear in public in transparent and provocative clothes. She should stay as far as possible in her house. “Remain quietly in your houses, and do not flaunt your beauties like in the time of ignorance, observe the hours of prayer, give alms, and obey Allah and His Messenger. God wants to keep you from the abomination of vanity, and ensure you a perfect purity.” (33:34). The Muslim woman must cultivate modesty and shame, because shame is part of faith. The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Decency is part of faith and one who has no decency has no faith.” Nowadays the Muslim woman imitates fashion spread by enemies of Islam without even knowing if it is allowed to dress in such a way or not. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “How many well-dressed woman in this world will be naked on the Day of Resurrection!” What a shame for those women who believe themselves well dressed in this world but are in fact not. It is the duty of parents to ensure the high morals of children in accordance with the teachings of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him), to do their best to oppose this scourge with courage, firmness and determination; such scourge which leads to immorality and decadence. Every head of the family must ensures that the people of his house dress decently, that is to say, according to Islamic principles and not follow the trends of the wicked and the damned on earth. Every father must bear in mind that he will be answerable to Allah for the way he raised his family. “O believers! Save yourself and your family from a fire that will have the men and stones as combustibles.” (66:7) May Allah guide us on the right path and protect us from the torment of Hell, Ameen!