CONCEPT OF MAHRAM & NA MAHRAM IN ISLAM
Together We Can Make A
Difference………………..
Assalam O Alaykum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa
Barakatuhu
"WHO IS MAHRAM AND WHO IS
CONSIDERED TO BE NA-MAHRAM BOTH FOR MEN AND WOMEN".
Well, it is no doubt one of the most
important issues of THE TEACHINGS OF ISLAMIC SOCIETY. But unfortunately it’s
the most neglected area today. ISLAM has laid a great stress on to this point,
whose clear cut proof we can easily find out in SURAH NISA, SURAH NOOR AND IN
SURAH AHZAB.
WHO IS CONSIDERED TO BE MAHRAM FOR
MUSLIM MEN:
Any woman, with whom a man has a
relationship (of blood or foster) that precludes marriage, is considered a
Mahram to him. Mahram women include his mother, grandmother, daughter,
granddaughter, sister, aunt, grandaunt, niece, grandniece, his father's wife,
his wife's daughter, his mother-in-law, his foster mother, foster sisters, and
any foster relatives that are similar to the above mentioned blood relatives.
IN SURAH NISA, ALLAH RABB UL IZAT ORDERS MUSLIM MEN:
"And marry not women whom your
fathers married, except what has already passed; indeed it was shameful and
most hateful, and an evil way. Forbidden to you (for marriage) are: your
mothers, your daughters, your sisters, your brother's daughters, your sister's
daughters, your foster mother who breastfed you, your foster sisters, your
wives' mothers, your stepdaughters under your guardianship, born of your wives
to whom you have gone in -but there is no sin on you if you have not done so
(to marry their daughters), the wives of your sons who spring from your loins,
and two sisters in wedlock at the same time, except for what has already
passed; verily Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. " [4:22-23]
All the man's female relatives
mentioned in these verses are considered his Mahrams,
because it is unlawful (haram) for him to marry them,
except the wife's sister mentioned last, who is not a Mahram because he can
marry her if he divorces his wife, or if she dies.
Moreover for a Muslim man, ALLAH
ALMIGHTY also Orders him to lower his gaze. In this context ALLAH ALMIGHTY
Commands in the following verse of SURAH NOOR:
24:30] Say to the believing men that
they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty: that will make for
greater purity for them: And Allah is well acquainted with all that they do.
Here it is also to be kept in mind by
all the believing MEN that such orders of "lowering the gaze" were
first ordained onto them and in the very next verse same orders were prescribed
onto the believing women.
But what happens commonly in the Muslim societies today is that
"PARENTS
DO WARN THEIR DAUGHTERS NOT TO LOOK AT MALES BUT THEY FORGET TO TEACH THEIR
SONS THAT THEY TOO ARE STRICTLY PROHIBITED BY ALLAH ALMIGHTY AND HOLY PROPHET
(SAW) TO NOT STARE AND RAISE THEIR GAZE TOWARDS FEMALES."
REAL TRAUMA:
And no doubt this is the crux of the
matter why Muslim Societies Today are ruined and going onto the verge of
disaster. Its parents’ duty indeed to tell their children both sons and
daughters, about the clear cut commands of ALLAH ALMIGHTY, so that there may
arise no indecent, immoral and unethical situations as today we are seeing and
unfortunately facing in our Islamic Societies. In fact if the children are
being warned about these all commands from the very childhood and are bewared
that in case of disobedience of such rules they ll
have to face ALLAH ALMIGHTY'S wrath & RASOOL ALLAH (SAW)'s anger in both
the worlds, then from the earliest age, a sense of aversion from all such
prohibited acts ll develop in them. They ll realize that from these things ALLAH ALMIGHTY WILL BE
ANGRY at them and this concept will be so firm in their minds that on reaching
the age of maturity they ll never ever INSHA ALLAH
TALA indulge themselves in any indecent, UNISLAMIC Acts.
WHO IS CONSIDERED TO BE A MAHRAM
FOR MUSLIM WOMEN:
24:31] "And say to the believing
women that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty; that they
should not display their beauty and ornaments except what (must ordinarily)
appear thereof; that they should draw their veils over their bosoms and not
display their beauty except to their husbands, their fathers, their husband's
fathers, their sons, their husbands' sons, their brothers or their brothers' sons,
or their sisters' sons, or their women, or the slaves whom their right hands
possess, or male servants free of physical needs, or small children who have no
sense of the shame of sex; and that they should not strike their feet in order
to draw attention to their hidden ornaments. And O ye Believers! turn ye all
together towards Allah, that ye may attain Bliss".
In this verse not only those who are
MAHRAM for a Muslim women are mentioned but also ALLAH ALMIGHTY'S CLEARCUT
ORDERS about lowering their gaze is given.
MUSLIM WOMEN ORDERED TO TAKE HIJAB
ALLAH ALMIGHTY ALSO COMMANDS Muslim
women to veil themselves before going out or coming in front of any Na-Mahram,
so that they not be molested and teased .its really ALLAH ALMIGHTY'S gift for
all the Muslim women but we, unluckily, ponder over it not.
IN SURAH AHZAB ALLAH ALMIGHTY COMMANDS ABOUT THE
BELIEVING WOMEN:
33:59] "O Prophet! Tell thy
wives and daughters, and the believing women, that they should cast their outer
garments over their persons (when abroad): that is most convenient, that they
should be known (as such) and not molested. And Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most
Merciful".
SHAKING HANDS WITH NA-MEHRAM
The traditions of certain societies
have prevailed over Allah's Shari'ah concerning this matter. Their wrong habits
have overcome the rule of religion so much so that when one presents the rule
of the Shari'ah to them, he is accused of being backward.
Shaking the hand of one's female cousins, or one's
uncles' wives has become as easy as falling off a log in our societies, but if
people considered seriously the dangers of this matter in the Shari'ah, they
would not do it. The Prophet, sallallahu alayhe waalihi wasallam, said,
"It is better for one of you to
be pierced by an iron needle in the head than to touch the hand of a woman that
is not allowed to him." (Tabarani)
This sin is considered a fornication
of the hand, as the Prophet, sallallahu alayhe wa sallam,
said, "The eyes fornicate, and the hands fornicate, and the feet fornicate,
and the intimate parts fornicate." (Ahmad)
Is there a person purer than Muhammad, sallallahu alayhe wa sallam? And in spite of that
he said, "I do not shake women's hands." (Ahmad) He also said,
"I do not touch women's hands." (Tabarani)
Aisha, radhiallahu anha,
said, "No by Allah, the Prophet's hand never touched a woman's hand, he
used to accept their pledge of allegiance by [hearing their] words only."
(Muslim)
Men who threaten to divorce their pious
wives if they refuse to shake their brothers' hands should fear Allah. It
should also be known that wearing a glove or wrapping the hand with a cloth
while shaking hands is not allowed either.
CONCLUSION:
MAY ALLAH ALMIGHTY HELP ALL MUSLIM UMMAH TO FOLLOW
HIS COMMANDS COMPLETELY AND MAY WE ALL MUSLIMS GET COMPLETE UNDERSTANDING OF
THESE WARNING WORDS OF ALLAH ALMIGHTY, SO THAT WE MAY BE SAVED FROM ALLAH
ALMIGHTY'S ANGER AND RASOOL ALLAH (SAW)' S ANNOYANCE IN BOTH THE WORLDS. AMEEN.
33:36]"It is not fitting for a
Believer, man or woman, when a matter has been decided by ALLAH and His
Messenger to have any option about their decision: if any one disobeys ALLAH
and His Messenger, he is indeed on a clearly wrong Path".
JAZAK ALLAH KHAIR.
Written
By: Bint-e-Islam