seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
Quran 24:31. And tell the believing women to restrain their looks, and to guard their privates, and not display their beauty except what is apparent thereof, and to draw their coverings over their breasts, and not expose their beauty except to their husbands, their fathers, their husbands' fathers, their sons, their husbands' sons, their brothers, their brothers' sons, their sisters' sons, their women, what their right hands possess, their male attendants who have no sexual desires, or children who are not yet aware of the nakedness of women. And they should not strike their feet to draw attention to their hidden beauty. And repent to God, all of you believers, so that you may succeed.
There is only one verse today.... there is "so much commentary" on that one verse.... I had to pull it out by itself.Here's the commentary.
To guard the relations between males and females and to check a too free intermingling of men and women, the Qur’ån now lays down another injunction in addition to that which requires both sexes to lower their gaze when they meet each other. It requires women in particular not to display their adornment. There is a difference of opinion as to what zßnat means. According to some it includes the beauty of the body, while according to others it is exclusively applied to external adornments. The use of the same word in the concluding portion of the verse, let them not strike their feet so that the zßnat that they hide may be known, clearly supports the latter view, as the only adornment that can be known by the striking of the feet consists of external ornaments. But even taking the first view, there is a clear exception here, illå må ˚ahara min-hå — except what appears thereof or except that which it is customary and natural to uncover. Now in the first place it must be remembered that what is prohibited is the display of beauty, as elsewhere expressly indicated by the word taburruj: “And display not (your beauty) like the displaying of the ignorance of yore”. As to what parts of the body the woman is required to cover and what she may uncover the following summary of the earlier views relating to this exception given by IJ should suffice: (1) it means the adornment of dress or the clothes that a woman wears; in other words, she is not required to cover the clothes she wears; (2) it means the adornment which the woman is not required to cover, such as collyrium, rings, bracelets and her face; (3) the exception relates to a woman’s clothing and her face. After relating these opinions, IJ adds: The most correct opinion is that the exception relates to the face and hands. As an argument corroborating this opinion he says that, when praying, the woman is not required to keep her face and hands covered — hands up to the elbow — while she is required to cover the rest of the body. According to Ïadßth, the Prophet himself is reported to have told Asmå’, his wife ‘Å’ishah’s sister, when she appeared before him in thin clothes, through which parts of her body could be seen: “O Asmå’, when woman attains her puberty it is not proper that any part of her body should be seen except this, and he pointed to his face and hands”. This settles conclusively that Islåm never enjoined the veil or covering of the face.
Before Islåm women used to appear in public with their breasts partly uncovered. The khimår (pl. khumr) means a head-covering, and women were thus required to cover their breasts with a part of their head-covering. The head-covering as worn in the East conceals the arms, the neck and the bosom, as also the ornaments worn in the ears or on the neck or over the bosom, and the covering over of these parts is what is required here by the addition of the words over their bosoms.
By their women, some commentators understand Muslim women, but it is a fact that women of other faiths mingled with believing women in the time of the Prophet, and therefore all women are meant. I think the word their has been added only to indicate all such women who come in contact with them, or women who are on the same social level with them. Those whom their right hands possess include male and female slaves. Next to slaves are mentioned tåbi‘ßn, or those who follow, from tabi‘a, he followed. Servants are here called followers because they follow the master. To this is added the qualifying phrase ghairi uli-l-irbati, which is ordinarily translated as meaning not having need (of women). But irb really means cunning or guile or deceit or wickedness or mischievousness , need being only its secondary significance when the need leads to cunning, the proper word for need being arab. Therefore some take these words as meaning idiots or persons deficient in intellect (LL). But while an idiot is not necessarily free from sexual impluse, he is certainly unfit for service. According to Mujåhid these words mean people for whom their belly is their sole concern and about whom it is not feared that they will mislead women — la yuhimmu-h∂ illå ba∆nu-h∂ wa lå yukhåfu ‘ala-l-niså’i . This is really what is meant. In these words, ghari uli-l-irbati, are spoken of male servants, who take up service only as a means of living and not with the mischievous intention of getting intimacy in the house. It should be noted that women are nowhere forbidden to employ male servants or to appear before them. What this verse prevents is only display of female beauty except to those most nearly related to women, and this is a preventive measure against the spread of loose ideas of morality, and a step to help restraint of sexual passions, which is all that the Holy Qur’ån aims at.
See what I mean? This verse is saying.... Don't be a peacock!
God adorns male birds with beauty and the ability to dance.
This is so that another peacock will be attracted to him for his beauty or his dancing prowess.
Healthy beautiful birds have vibrant color and that strut is something to watch.
So peacocks survive.
Human females don't need to show off their beautiful adornments. They have a mind and a soul to attract the right mate.
Put your adornments... the ones that drive male humans mad.... away. There's no need to show them off in public.
Tell women to stop being so attractive to men!
"Tell women to guard their privates."
