Out of the darkened room, a single light glows.
Qul a’udhu bi rabbin-nās.
Malikin-nās.
Ilaahin-nas.
Her clear voice commands my full attention. The recitation folds in over itself, echoing and reverberating. I’m transported from a tiny New York apartment to a concert hall – as if I’m experiencing a live event instead of a digital recording from a computer.
Everything around me disappears.
Min sharril waswasil khan-nas… Alladhi yu-waswisu fee sudoorin-nas… Minal jinnati wan-nas.1
It’s beautiful. I have chills and her voice tugs at my soul. It’s ethereal and the feelings the recitation invoke of me are ineffable. I’m frozen in this one moment of praising God.
Suddenly, a voice from the audience: WOO!
My senses snap back and I snicker. Excited by the awesomeness of the recitation, a concert-goer shouts out his appreciation. Packaged in that one WOO, I could hear a giddiness, fan excitement and maybe even a touch of exoticism upon hearing Arabic erupt from the sound mixer. I’d like to imagine he slapped his thigh and thought, “oh man, this is my favourite Qur’anic verse!” But after speaking with the performing artist, I know that he was probably just an unknown factor in a crowd, sharing his appreciation of music.
The Qur’an isn’t just read. It’s lived.
Last month I had the unusual opportunity to speak with Sajida Jalalzai – by day a brilliant PhD student at Columbia University and by night a talented trip-hop, indie singer with the New York band A Bit Cagey.
I was intrigued when I heard that she opened a recent concert with the recitation of the Qur’an.
While it’s not surprising to hear that a practicing Muslim would want to begin an event by evoking the sacred text, even during a non-religious event – some would definitely be surprised to hear that a female artist recited the Qur’an in front of a mixed gender audience:
I know that I don’t really reflect the “norm” of Islamic etiquette, but I have absolutely no problem with women reciting Qur’an in front of non-mahrem.
The first divine injunction given to the Prophet Muhammad via the angel Gabriel was to “recite,” and I think that this is both a privilege and charge given to every Muslim, both men and women. I think that if a man is sexually aroused by a woman reciting a holy scripture, he’s got more problems than I can help him with.
Over 1, 400 years ago in the month of Ramadan, the first verse of the Qur’an was revealed, “Recite! Read in the name of your Lord who created you…” (96:1) And ever since then, Muslims have been reading the Qur’an in melodious and breathtaking recitations.
The recitation of the Qur’an is an art form. Children as young as five are enrolled in special schools to learn tajweed, the rules and guidelines on how to perfect pronunciation and chanting melodies. People commit a few verses, vast portions, or the entire Qur’an to memory. During Ramadan, congregations hold special evening prayers – aiming to complete the entire scripture before the end of the month. And at special events, like weddings, births, funerals, blessings and at the start of just about any formal event, those who are especially skilled in the recitation are asked to entertain the audience. The Qur’an is at the centre of the Islamic faith.
The very best reciters become world famous, winning international competitions, traveling from mosque to mosque, creating a fan-base of groupies and needing a massive promotional machine to handle all of the record deals and music videos. They become walking, talking, living Qur’ans.
Unfortunately, women are rarely are the celebrated keepers of God’s word.
During the early Islamic community women played integral roles in preserving the Qur’an, either protecting and maintaining physical copies or becoming authoritative Qur’anic scholars. Today there are only a few women known for their recitation and renowned for their unique talents – and certainly not to the level of fame that their male counterparts enjoy.
Some Muslim etiquette calls for women to recite only in front of other women and never in front of non-mahrem or unrelated male family members. Many women who want to learn tajweed have to seek out the few female teachers who tutor students from their homes, or join the rare mosque program when a skilled female teacher can be found. And even then, learning is largely limited because there is no economic support allowing women to build a career out of reciting the Qur’an.
Otherwise women are encouraged to recite quietly in the mosque (and not to be overheard) or learn to recite at home by listening to any of the 300+ ubiquitous male superstars on easily accessible and profitable CDs, DVDs and mp3 downloads.
Part of the reason for this exclusion comes from a specific interpretation of a Qur’anic verse extolling the wives of the Prophet not to be “soft in speech” lest their voices tempt hearts that are easily moved by desire (33:32). Culture also plays a huge role – so does tradition. This results in people interpreting the verse to say that all women cannot recite in front of men due to the natural, alluring charms of their voice.
When I asked Sajida how this belief factored into how she interpreted the WOO! she said that it really didn’t bother her:
It would be one thing to experience that reaction while reciting the Qur’an in front of a Muslim audience, but you can’t expect non-Muslims to be cognizant of the kind of respect that insiders would give to the recitation. I didn’t begin my performance with the Qur’anic recitation for the sake of those in attendance, but because it was meaningful for me to start the concert with a prayer to God. The “woo” guy was simply voicing his appreciation on a musical level, but personally, I had a deeper spiritual intention than simply singing a pretty “concert opener.”
Some popular exceptions to the vast collection of male reciters include a small handful of female stars who recite in front of male judges, mixed audiences, come from supportive communities or who make their recitations available online. In 1964 Malaysian legend Faridah Mat Saman was the first female champion reciter in the famous International Tilawah Al-Quran competition and has won the competition four times; a few years ago the then 12-year old Egyptian reciter Somaya Abdel Aziz made waves on Egyptian and and Turkish television; Al-Jazeera profiled Amina Zubairu the 2010 Qur’an competition winner in Nigeria; Sharifah Khazif Fadzilah, with shockingly gorgeous vocals won the International Tilawah Al-Quran competition in 2010; and even the great Egyptian singer Umm Kulthum has one or two Qur’anic recitations recorded for antiquity.
But you will rarely, it ever, see these women reciting on television or have their hauntingly personal expressions of God’s word signed to a record label. Even though many Muslim television channels have Qur’an playing 24 hours a day during Ramadan – not one will be a truly celebrated female.
This lack of recognising female talent is an indication of a larger, negative spiritual attitude toward women. Arguing that public recitation is forbidden because God made our voices naturally charming and alluring to attract the opposite sex is horrendously sexist, heterocentric as well as objectifying.2 It’s okay for women to become famous by singing secular and corruptible non-religious songs but it’s not okay to recite the pure and heavenly Qur’an.
Through the recitation men can publicly lead prayer, become imams and scholars, while within the religious realm women are asked to be silent and are often prevented from accessing positions of religious influence. It also insinuates that women are physically capable of tainting the sacred recitation by our very existence. This can have a direct impact on how we relate to our own bodies and how we connect to the revelation:
I consider it a privilege to be able to recite the Qur’an. Growing up, I was never taught the proper rules of tajweed, but as a musician, I still found myself making melodic arrangements of certain chapters and verses. Music has always been a way for me to connect to something larger than myself, so what better way to commune with God than recitation of the Qur’an?
There are many wonderful female reciters who go unrecognised and women who may never be offered the opportunity to learn how to recite because of their gender. Some who learn on their own do so in private with hushed, reserved voices.
And because of this, the larger religious world remains robbed of many talented and amazing women.
1 The translation and (male) recitation of this verse is available here. You can find Sajida’s recitation here.
2 The Qur’an is beautiful. I’m not a native speaker of Arabic and sometimes the only way I can relate to the words is through the beauty of the recitation. Anyone who thinks that a person can’t be affected by a powerful voice is kidding themselves. That’s what makes a reciter good — their ability to sway the hearts of others, irrespective of gender.
Cross-posted at Womanist Musings
wood turtle 
August 11, 2011 at 10:07 am
When I was 16 I walked through a mosque calling the adhan, hitting beautiful high pitched notes perfectly, delighted at the sound of my own ringing voice. It was an exercise of wholesome power, to call people to prayer, to watch them move and align to worship God.
I was promptly stopped. “Your voice is beautiful,” the man said.
I could tell from his tone that this was not a compliment.
“How will men resist it?” he continued. “How will they control themselves?”
Same way I can resist punching you in the face.
“I sound more beautiful than any man here!” I bragged. “I can drag out notes and hit each one with precision. How DARE you interrupt me! Have you no shame?”
At the word shame he startled. He had planned, I highly suspect, to pull that one on me first.
“Damnation on the man who dares interrupt a woman of God calling worshippers to prayer! Damnation on his arrogance!” I exclaimed in queenly hysterics. “Damnation I say!”
“Be quiet!” he commanded.
A friend ran up to me. “Nahida!”
“What?”
The man, having succeeded in stopping me, swiftly walked away with an incredulous look on his face.
My friend burst into laughter. “You have such balls.”
Anyway, that was totally a derail. Heh. The point: women are awesome, and I really loved this post.
August 11, 2011 at 10:16 am
I love this. So much. And I can so see you doing that!
August 11, 2011 at 11:04 am
You said all the things I have been thinking and questioning about our beautiful religion so eloquently. Sometimes I feel like it’s just such a tangle of misogynistic interpretation and it gets me down, especially as a revert. Muslim women who stand up for their rights at the mosque etc are made to feel like they are somehow going against God and Islam, it’s so sad. Women should not be seen or heard at the mosque, when we live loud and bold lives outside of it? Doesn’t jive with me.
I echo Sajida’s sentiment regarding women’s voices and if a man is aroused by her reciting the Quran – he’s got issues. It makes me feel good to know that there are other Muslim women who have feminist leanings and are not afraid to speak out or do something about it. And Nahida? You ROCK!
August 11, 2011 at 6:12 pm
Her voice could command your attention to the words because you are a woman. But whether or not you like it, to the men in the audience, her voice was very likely commanding attention only to herself.
“Feminist leanings”? I’m sorry but whether or not you’re willing the accept the truth, the reality is that men were made a certain way, and if women let them at it, no-one will suffer but women themselves. There’s no point complaining that some men have “more problems than we can deal with”. Just face the facts and act accordingly. Men are like that. If they weren’t, the human race wouldn’t continue. Humans have senses, there is nothing sexist about it, it’s an old proven truth which Islam is not afraid to admit, and given the facts, it holds the woman in far higher esteem than allowing her to become an object of men’s entertainment. Islam requires her to be covered and protected to ensure not only that she is not molested or objectified, but to avoid the possibility of even such *thoughts* from popping up in men’s minds.
The experiment of having her out for all to admire – whether it be her body, her voice, or anything “pleasing” for men – has already been tried and has failed miserably. In the supposed “free world” of the sophisticated men who are so exposed to her flesh and her voice everywhere they go, so exposed that surely they shouldn’t have felt the need to ogle or think about anyone at all – in that land she is little more than a dog whose very worth is quantified by subjective ideas of beauty. The pathetic state of the woman in the West is precisely why Islam would like to keep her protected, honored, and respected. The highest number of rapes per minute in the world are in the “land of the free”. This is the reality that you might want to deny but which God wanted to protect us from. (No, this is not to say the men in Muslim countries have upheld the laws of God and given her her due honor and respect, but that is besides the point. The focus here is the idea of exposing off one’s feminine beauty to unrelated men – in whichever way – be it the voice or otherwise.)
It’s important for women to remember who they worship in the first place.
Do they worship the idea of showing off their charms to the world, or do they worship their Creator Who created all of us and knows what is best for us in order that we may succeed and prosper, both in this world and the next. He created both women and men and told both of them to lower their gazes and both of them to observe Hijab. Since He is the Creator, He knows what is best for us and what things cause us distractions, He knows us better than ourselves. The only difference in the Hijab that our Creator prescribed for both sexes, is the amount of the body and behavior that should be covered, and this is based on what arouses which sex.
Since most of the woman is created beautiful and attractive, then for her safety and honor and respect, she is to remain mostly protected and covered from those with whom marriage is allowed. Whether or not you would like to accept it, the reality – as admitted by many honest men – is that the more modestly a woman dresses and behaves, the more she *is* respected, by Muslims and non-Muslims alike. Studies have also proven that the more modestly a woman presents herself, the more she appears to be a human equal and less an object or a toy to the mind of men.
Since women are not aroused that easily by men, the part of the body of the man that must be covered is at least from the navel to the knee.
Apart from that, both sexes are supposed to dress modestly, in clothes that are neither tight nor transparent, and to refrain from unnecessary mixing.
Even scientifically and physiologically it is well known that the man is both psychologically and physically far more prone to arousal than women. It is the way God created them. So who are women trying to defy when they claim “if a man gets aroused he has more problems than I can deal with”. Are they trying to live in opposition to the very laws of nature?
First learn the sciences of Arabic, Quran, Tafseer, Hadith, Sunnah, Seerah, Fiqh, and so on, before falling for “that verse was misinterpretted” or whatever other claims please you. Even common sense and logic dictate that the closer you go to the source, the more likely you are to find the essence in its purity and originality. If you want to know the true rulings and interpretations regarding music and hijab laid down by God Himself and revealed directly to the Prophet (peace be upon him), go down to the sources directly in Arabic, and then see the lives of the believing men and women of that time, and how they followed the orders of God. Learn from the true scholars. If you’re concerned about which scholar to trust, read the Istikhara prayer to ask Allah for direct guidance. Follow what is right, regardless or whether or not it is easy or convenient or whatever pleases your sense of ego.
Remember this life is a test, we are not here to please ourselves, but to submit our wills to God. And in doing so, we get a far greater pleasure than we could ever get if we followed whatever it was that we “feel like doing” or “would like to believe”. If women were told the amount of rewards they would get by submitting their modesty to the will of Allah, they would give up everything for it. And likewise for men.
And no, it is never okay to become famous by singing secular and corruptible non-religious songs, be they by men or women. In fact, working for fame (ie. one’s own ego and self-idolization) in any way at all is disallowed. Reciting the Quran is fine because we are commanded to beautify it, to recite the Words of the Lord and praise Him. But the Quran is not allowed to be a business, a matter of material profits and losses, or a means for personal gain. It is a sacred Message, revealed to all of humanity, for free.
If we had sincerity to the Message at all, we would be concerned about how well we communicated it. It would bother us if we knew that the way we are communicating the words is “distracting” people inappropriately.
August 11, 2011 at 6:55 pm
Her voice could command your attention to the words because you are a woman. But whether or not you like it, to the men in the audience, her voice was very likely commanding attention only to herself.
Not my problem.
“Feminist leanings”? I’m sorry but whether or not you’re willing the accept the truth, the reality is that men were made a certain way,
Yes, made with patriarchal bias which they project into interpretations of the Qur’an and uphold by keeping women out of school.
Islam requires her to be covered and protected to ensure not only that she is not molested or objectified
I had an aunt who was raped while she was wearing a burka. F*ck you.
The focus here is the idea of exposing off one’s feminine beauty to unrelated men – in whichever way – be it the voice or otherwise.
The focus here is that you should stay out of my relationship with God.
spam spam spam I can’t even get through the rest.
August 11, 2011 at 7:25 pm
That’s quite an extensive and at times, offensive comment. Though I think you’re missing the point, I’m going to assume you mean well.
As a woman, is it not my right to be able to connect to the Quran in ways that I see fit? I think it’s wonderful that there are female voices available to help facilitate this.
Men are not mindless beasts incapable of controlling their senses or desires. Women in any context are not dogs. Any reality that supports the objectification of women is due to a system of marketing, sexism, power and patriarchy and is not due to one’s inherent makeup. Rape does not happen because of a lack of modesty.
Women who cover can still be objectified.
And yes, anyone who is sexually aroused or inappropriately distracted while listening to a religious text needs to examine their intentions.
I do not tell people what to do or how they should study. Especially without making an effort to understand the knowledge and experiential tools at their disposal and from where they are coming.
I would hope that others would afford me the same honour when proving sincere but unsolicited naseeha.
August 12, 2011 at 10:39 am
Paragraph A. The voice of women also attracts other women, just as the voice of men attracts other men. And according to your post, they were just made that way. And while I’m at it, I’ll throw out an uncited reference to a study that back up that point. Maybe I’ll create that study in Wikipedia right after this.
Paragraph B: Your analysis on the origins and continuation of the human species is phenomenally shortsighted. Take the ancient Greeks, pour instance, where homosexuality amongst aristocratic men was normalised to such an extent that ceremony developed around it – Pederasty. The commoner men in the army were likewise encouraged to develop homosexual relations with one another in an effort to relieve soldiers’ sexual tensions while travelling away from home. Both the Athenians and the Spartans engaged in this, and both city-states absolutely dominated their geographic regions for many centuries. Continuing with the Greek example, the ancient Greeks also treated their women very poorly; Greek women were confined to the house and largely uneducated, and the only women seen in public were so poor that they had to work – referred to in literature as prostitutes (although, whether they actually engaged in the sex trade en masse is a debatable question). Women were kept confined because they were seen as unable to control their own sexual desires, as out of the ten parts of desire (as Zeus and Hara discovered) nine parts of desire belonged to women. – Sound familiar? It’s also the title of an offensive book to Islamic women – In fact, one of the most famous Greek plays from that time period is the comedy Lysistrada, where women hold out sex from men in order to bring an end to the war. It’s a comedy, because women on a sex strike is just pure fantasy right? NINE parts of desire. To sum up my response to your second paragraph, civilisation can not only survive with institutionalised homosexuality, it can also thrive and rule dominant over nearby civilisations whilst practicing homosexual traditions. Homosexuality in society not only predates the advent of Islam (in a historical sense, since the Prophet (peace be upon him) only revealed the Quran to the world about 14 centuries ago), but continues to exist today, both male and female, within Islam and without.
So yes the “human race” will continue, as it always has. And yes, your comments are both insanely heteronormative as well as sexist. As a man, I object to your characterisation of my inability to control my own sexual desire. As a feminist, I object to your characterisation of women as nothing more than objects of desire, instead of persons who suffer under the patriarchal embrace of ignorant persons who have convinced themselves that women are mere objects needing control.
Paragraph C. Wow, so much fail in your third paragraph. First off, a statistic of “rapes per minute” is totally insane, as failed states like Somalia or Congo (where mass rapes have been perpetrated as a means of punishing locals) have zero ability to conduct statistical collection. And zero ability to enforce punishment upon the rapists, meaning rapes go unreported. And why focus exclusively on rapes? Why not on honour killings? Now most of the “free world” does not collect stats specific to honour killings, except the Netherlands, but honour killings are by far a more terrible crime. Honour killings are not Islamicly mandated, but they are widely practiced throughout much of the sub-Saharan world as well as pockets of the middle east – the “non-free world” (or Muslim countries, since that is what I derived from your assertion). And referring to uncovered women as “dogs” is a level of such privilege and ignorance that it’s difficult to address with an academic demeanour. If women dress any way that they feel is appropriate, anther their dress reflects a statement about their religion, sexuality or personality, then there is no reason for them not to do so. Many people in the west are not Muslim, many are not Christian, and in Canada we have quite a lovely mélange of religious traditions. Some people are not Muslim and never will be, not matter how societal diversity or adversity to our ideas makes us feel, it is nonetheless something that must be accepted. If you feel threatened by differences of opinion, gender, sexuality or religion then it is a fault of your own, and should never be acted upon by referring to another human being as a ‘dog’. It is a statement more hurtful than you probably realise.
Referring to women dressing as they want in the west as an ‘experiment’ is quite silly – women can dress in religious garb as much women can dress differently; whereas Iran, Saudi Arabia (and now France and the Netherlands to a limited degree) have removed that choice from women. There are enforceable punishments for women who try to dress differently in the aforementioned countries. Take Canada as an example, if laws were enforced to a total secular scale that women were forbidden from wearing religious garb or symbols from any religious tradition, then the element of choice is removed. A woman would no longer be able to don the hijab as a method of feeling closer to G*d. It is the element of choice in clothing that allows all women the ability to be a full person. The removal of that choice also removes an element of personhood.
Paragraph D-F. Women are easily aroused by some men. FYI. If the man is attractive enough, and that particular Muslimah is able to be aroused by men, then yeah. What you are likely referring to is the patriarchal norm of sexualising women. Men are socialised in a heteronormative manner to aggressively sexualise women, in order to fulfil their full identity as a man. As a man, you are taught to think that you have the impetus for any sexual interaction while the women does little else but passively receive your ‘impetus’ – very untrue. To highlight the Greek play I referenced earlier in this post, the women (who were largely ignored as an object of sexuality by their husbands) bemoaned the fact that they were unable to find any more dildo’s since the war began. What you have been taught (not in the holy book, I might add) is categorically untrue. So when someone says that it is not their problem if a man gets aroused, it means just that. If an aroused male believes that he should have total sexual control over women, and a woman arouses him, and thus the woman is to blame for his arousal, then the fault clearly lays with the male. A woman has her own sexuality, equal to a man’s, and should be considered from that viewpoint. It is no more valid to say that women should not hear men reciting scripture, because it would be the man’s fault for her arousal, than it is to apply that same reasoning to male arousal from female voice.
What your logic is, is sexist.
Yes, the Quran was revealed to all humanity for free, but interestingly enough, the “un-free world” does a much bigger business in that than the west. These people turn a profit not because they are revealing the Prophet’s (peace be upon him) message for a price, but because they possess a unique skill in the way they can recite it.
I would love to address your point that covered women are abused less, which is grossly untrue, but I believe Nafisa covered that point nicely.
I like the way you ended your post, so I won’t comment on it; however, realise that women are persons, not objects, and calling any person of any religion a ‘dog’ is the epitome of ignorant maliciousness.
If you choose to respond to this, please stop citing ‘scientific studies’ about random things. You’re not actually citing anything, and furthermore, you are trying to quantify belief. It’s belief, not science.
I was offensive in parts, but so were you. I hope you find this post helpful. If there are any spelling or grammatical errors, I appologise, this was published from my phone 🙂
August 13, 2011 at 4:07 pm
Yes, Nahida is awesome.
Woodturtle is also awesome.
And Aaron is awesomeness.
And I love this post.
And getreal, please spare us the “West-imprisoned-women-while-Islam-liberated-her-by-covering-and-protecting-her-debate” It’s much exhausted, stereotyped, and faulty.
Also, why is it that when men and women *alike* risk sexual arousal from the other party, Islam asks them to lower their gazes and keep their trousers on, asks *them* to engage in actions that recoil the sexual arousal rather than simply locking the other person up. But when men fear sexual arousal from a woman’s voice while reciting Quran, she’s supposed to shut up?
August 11, 2011 at 10:27 pm
[…] Bit Cagey got a mention in a recent post on WoodTurtle, a blog about Islam and feminism. WoodTurtle interviewed ABC’s Sajida Jalalzai about their […]
August 12, 2011 at 12:11 am
Great article!
Just some notes for haters: the majority opinion is that the woman’s voice is NOT ‘awrah.
Additionally I have had several male tajweed teachers and they do not believe it is haraam for a woman to recite in front of them. I know many more women with male tajweed teachers. It seems this opinion that women cannot recite in front of men is more popular among the uneducated masses than the scholars.
Moreover many scholars, and hufaadh of today have had female tajweed and memorization teachers.
just saying.
Recite on sisters. We need to hear your voice.
August 12, 2011 at 2:52 pm
You are right, there needs to be more women reciters of the Quran, inspiring other women to read the Book.
And it’s very strange that most of the people who claim to be pious and protective of the women (by shutting them up) always argue men are built a certain way (perhaps it only applies to them!). Then you would think by their logic it’s we men who are defective! But logic is alien to them.
August 12, 2011 at 10:37 pm
I being a non-muslim and very interested in the daily workings of muslim women have trouble with some of the aspects of Islam and have consequently made a couple of harsh postings. There are some aspects of the belief that I cannot now nor will ever be able to stomach. With that said, There is nothing my sharp tongue could have spewed out that could be any more offensive than the vitriol you have posted. Women are made from the same flesh and blood men are, and thus are entitled to as much respect as you. If men are incapable of controlling their sexual desires then they should be dealt with harshly. That is merely an excuse to justify any sexual wrong doing. You are just as capable of controlling yourselves as we are. If religious verse stimulates you, yes you have a definite problem and other
issues you should see a professional about. The entire reason muslim women are fighting for their rights is due to men like yourself who justify their evil hearts and blame it on the heads of the good muslimahs of the world. Shame on you and all of your ilk!
August 26, 2011 at 8:10 pm
wow. i should have to known to expect such responses, and such abuse too.
let me clarify some thing that i ought to have made in my earlier post.
it is NOT that it is disallowed for a woman to recite the Quran.
however it should not be done in a way that exposes the attractiveness of her feminity. this is why those who *do* recite it, recite it with beautiful but non-“arousing” manners.
the point is simply this: be careful you’re not being all “soft and seductive” when you talk! That is all.
the thrust of my post was regarding the attitude of so many women with regard to *Hijab and modesty* IN GENERAL, and i did mention that.
secondly, let me clarify that I AM A WOMAN, i am interested in participating in the Interational Tilawat Competitions MYSELF, and no man in my entire life has ever caused me to cover my face, not once. the niqab was an informed choice made on education of the Quran and the Sunnah and noticing how personally, in my own soul, I feel more at peace, and open to God, by doing so. I am sorry if that offends you. I meant offense to no one.
Islam is supposed to liberate us, give us sophistication and manners.
I have noticed however, that in general, the lot of people who talk about Islam in terms of what they wish the interpretations of Holy Scripture would be (rather than what they know it to be based on a knowledge of the language, Sunnah, history etc) they have a tendency to spew complete disdain, hatred, and outright abuse. furthermore, in general life, their attitude (not meaning any of you in particular here, but according to my exposure to people who hold your type of opinions) their attitude towards what is supposed to be a private bedroom matter is so “out there”, so unsophisticated, so disrespectful, and so casual, and it comes out in their jokes, thoughts and questions. they claim that Islam is “so sexist”. Yet their own normal conversation isn’t guarded when it comes to sensuality.
None of my words were intended abusive to anyone in particular. And yet some people claiming to have understood better than the scholars (who spent their entire studying and teaching Islam for no personal gain whatsoever) what the correct interpretations of the God’s Words are, they display such reactionary abusive behavior. if four lettered words are a part of your vocabulary, by all means do whatever you like, but please have some respect and refrain from such words when faced with a topic that demands more responsible behavior, at least in Ramadan! the Islamic scholars, however their opinions might have differed, never stooped so low as to abuse. if you are so enamored to hear the recitation of the Quran, have you forgotten the message of the Quran? True speech and good words. The Muslims are supposed to be a people who “promote good” and “forbid evil”.
If you take the above comment as offense, please calm down. Try to recognize the difference between stating advice or principles based on facts, and hurling reactionary abuse and insult. For all of those who trumpet tolerance and liberalism, where is their tolerance? I apologize on behalf of all Muslims who have given you advice in a manner that you found insulting. *IF* they did so. I find several times, however, that the manner of advice is not close to being abusive, but the manner of reaction, in the heat of ego, is totally out of proportion. This may be my own experience, so it is not to say that a lot of people out there do not force/advise/insult others who apparently practice Islam less than themselves.
Yes, women who cover CAN still be objectified. But this is far less “likely”. And laws are not made based on exceptions, but on the general state of being. Ask yourself honestly, if two women of equal beauty stand side by side, one covered fully and the other with her beauty exposed – if a man who can’t be trusted comes along, who will he objectify/tease/”check out”? Read some history, check out the crime statistics in those places and times when Islam was *truly* implemented in its purest form. Do not bring examples from groups of Muslims or regimes that are barely representative of Islam.
To answer Zeina, the “man” is not the only one shutting up the woman. In the first place, “man” does not MATTER, so please stop relating the matter of Hijab to patriarchy, or men’s preference. What matters to us is our Creator, Who gave us guidelines for a successful prosperous society. Read the words of Quran and Hadith on Hijab in Arabic and notice that none of the words are disparaging to women in the least, rather they are words of Guidance, which itself is a blessing. Secondly, if men are so attractive that they become a threat to the women too, it is indeed right that they hide themselves. men and women are *equally* supposed to be at their best “non-seductive” behaviors. there is in fact an instance where one particularly handsome and vain man was sent abroad simply because he attracted the women so much and caused them so much trouble. in fact, the traditional Islamic garb is the SAME for men and women. ALL LOOSE ROBES and HEAD COVERINGS (in the form of turbans, head caps, etc). the only difference is that the woman might also have her face covered.
I will leave with three things for thought.
1. the reality of the matter is that the vast majority of rapes that take place in the world are men raping women, not the other way around. this is a fact no matter where or when you look. you can never change that, no matter how offended you feel at it, whether you are a man or a woman. Please, drop your emotions and face the facts. And if you think homosexual Greece was a prosperous society, please open your mind to understanding the “long term effects” of certain practices, and to studying different definitions of “prosperity”.
2. look at all the other major religions of the world. the further you go back in history, the closer you get to their Scriptures, the more you find that women were meant to be dressed up, not down, in almost the same way and this is a sign of the woman’s elegance, respect, and chastity in society. if the fact that Islam is so caring and protective of women (really, as any good father would be who loved his daughter) is objectionable to you, then take a look at the Christian nuns, the Jewish priestesses, the dressing as prescribed by the Vedas to the Hindus. and just think about it.
3. if you are sincere in your relationship with God, then to clear this matter off, why not read the Istikhara dua with an open heart? to receive clear guidance from God as to what is the truth of this matter. It’s Ramadan anyway, inshaAllah Allah will respond to your queries. why do i suggest this? because your arguments will prove to be nothing but wishful conjecture that will fall flat its face when compared to any real scholarly debate that deals with facts. perhaps you have simply not had exposure to Islamic scholarship for what it really is. I assure you it is the most honest, transparent, complete, and convincing scholarship I have ever known, which is NEVER based on personal opinions and biases. You have no right to jump to conclusions if you haven’t been exposed to it. (i can say this as a PhD candidate at one of the world’s recognized research universities). (If anyone’s interested in learning Islam for real, ie. the Arabic, the Hadith Sciences, Quran Tafsir according to authentically reported Hadith from the Prophet (peace be upon him) etc, please send an email at aisha_saak@hotmail.com)
Please understand that I have said none of this with any air of righteousness, and if I happened to have even an atom of arrogance in my heart, then may God forgive me and set me right. Everything I said is for your information and to set the record straight. The true attitude of a Muslim should be when faced with advice, do not react, verify its truth, and if it is correct, accept it. The truth will remain the truth, whether or not we like it. The best thing for us is to at least accept its truth, even if we find ourselves unable to live up to it for the time being.
I regret starting a post that i should have foreseen would have produced so much unpleasantness. Again, my initial post was not merely about reciting the Quran by women, but the un-scholarly, emotional and dismissive attitude of women towards the whole idea of modesty in general, as I saw it.
May Allah guide us to recognize the Truth as Truth, and falsehood as falsehood. And last night was the 27th. I hope Allah grants us all a blessed Night of Power and accepts it from us.
Peace
August 26, 2011 at 9:04 pm
oops. i didn’t realize i wasn’t posting under “getreal” as i did before, but i’m the same person.
also – i actually re-read my own post and realize that while i didn’t openly abuse anyone, i did sound somewhat haughty. so i’d like to apologize for that.
woodturtle made a good point – of providing unsolicited naseeha in an unfitting manner. perhaps you were right. I must tell you that my post wasn’t prompted by your words in particular or to you in particular but by a massive amount of anti-islam hate that i have gotten so sick and tired of, which is unfortunately perpetrated by people who have hardly a clue what they’re talking about (if they’re not outright liars who deliberately indulge in selective quoting), which then leaks into the Muslims as well. and so, ideas like “covering women up degrades women” have become “debates” amongst the muslims today, which i saw here on this page, although covering up is neither a form of degradation nor does it cause any serious problems in anyone’s life, but it is a non-issue that is totally blown out of proportion, and does no good apart from confusing the masses, creating divisions, and spreading corruption. and please remember, I am saying this as an educated, degree-holding niqabi. (or at least, “educated” according to today’s standards. although really, what does our education system teach us in terms of the things that really matter? life, manners, love, honesty, self-sacrifice, patience, respect, etc?)
to answer your question, do you not have a right to connect with the Quran as you see fit?
It is definitely every human’s right to connect with the Quran, man or woman.
However, as human beings that have been created by an All-Wise and All-Just Creator, it is in our best interests that we place His Words, His guidance, and the sincere guidance of His chosen Messenger (peace be upon him) – who was a mercy and a guide for *all* times, above our own personal opinions. This applies to both men and women. This is no different from asking a qualified dietitian what would be the most suitable diet for you, and recognizing that you do not have a “right to interpret” the diet plan in any manner as you “see fit”, and scrambling the meals and their contents to suit your taste – simply because you recognize that you are not qualified to do so. That is why you trust your dietitian.
Why does it matter? Because if I want to connect with God in a way that I like, and I happen to like something that is just “not right”, such as dancing in trances or drinking heavily to get a “divinely” intoxicated feeling, then where does society go? Since all of us can like different things and do things in the different ways that we see fit according to our personal desires and limited knowledge as human beings, we might just end up destroying ourselves, however well-intentioned the destruction may be.
Muslims, because of a structural lack of Islamic education in society, have unfortunately fallen into the trap of assuming that they are their own gods (to put it very very crudely, but i hope you get the point) and consequently whatever it is that THE God or His Messenger really mean when they say something – that loses relevance. We think we can interpret things as we like. But there is absolutely no space or allowance in Islam or in Islamic scholarship for “personal opinion”, all laws are supposed to be derived entirely from the Quran and the Hadith, and there are no ifs and buts about it. (Sometimes a single verse or Hadith might have a mutiplicity of meanings, which is always finite and inherent in the grammar of the language itself, and that is one of the reasons that we have four different schools of Fiqh. Not scholars’ personal opinions or interpretations of Quran/Hadith).
You’re right, i should have understood where you’re coming from. as i said in my post above, if you’re interested in unbiased and honest exposure to true Islamic scholarship, please do drop me a line. I know of an academy offering free online courses for women in English. Extremely relevant courses for the current times, and the teachers are qualified (ie. they know Arabic, they know the methodology of Law and Hadith sciences and so on).
Again, sorry for sounding rude. For the sake of avoiding miscommunication, I think I should also let you understand where other people might sometimes be coming from as well.
A lot of people who appear to have a holier-than-thou attitude, or who you feel are “intruding” in your relation with God, might indeed hold you in contempt, and if that is so, remind them that there is no place for self-righteousness in Islam when it comes to interpersonal individual relations (dealing with leaders/politicans etc is another matter), and that Allah the Most Gracious and Just, has said in the Quran:
“He knows you very well, since He created you from clay, and when you were foetuses in your mothers’ wombs. So do not claim purity for yourselves. He knows best those who have fear of Him.” (Quran: 53: 32)
However, Islam is also very clear on the idea of “enjoining good and forbidding evil”. So some of those people might only be trying to hang on to that principle – which is very important, because as the famous saying goes “silence is complicity”, and to let something that is wrong slip by is to allow an evil to perpetrate in society. Those who offer you advice may also only be considering you their equal and trying to offer you guidance as a good friend must do. Now, in all honesty, what might have happened is that started out perfectly nicely, politely, and respectfully until they got rebuked, abused, and mocked at by a multitude of others who preach tolerance but seem incapable of practicing it themselves. Of course, the best attitude would be to still be respectful, but then, we’re all human. Just thought it might be useful for you and your readers to be aware of this side of the story as well.
Peace 🙂
August 26, 2011 at 11:11 pm
The abuse, getreal, unfortunately starts with your own screen name. And the moral framework is relative to each person and it’d be folly to impose your own on everybody else. The same applies to the religious framework.
Also folly is to assume you know the scholarly level of knowledge of those whom you are conversing with.
Please refer me to where you felt it was implied that anyone of the commenters or author of the blog that “covering up degrades women”. What I believe we are all defending is the woman’s right to make up her own mind and make her own choices and to not be policed by anyone.
And now that you mentioned that you are not against a woman reciting the Quran but she and the man alike should keep their intentions in check and be as “non-seductive” as possible, I’m wondering what you found disagreeable in the post to begin with, seeing as that was woodturtle’s whole point of the post (unless I’ve hugely misunderstood)
And I think you completely missed the point of my comment. Indeed, man does not matter. Indeed, all we care about is Allah subhanahu wa Taala. But when man is in charge and goes around policing women, saying things like “it is haram to work” and “it is haram to recite the Quran in public”, using so-called religious power, to impose their patriarchy, then that becomes a bit of a problem.
August 27, 2011 at 11:06 pm
My “abuse” did not consist of foul language. I was in disbelief at the way people can be so dismissive about things in nature that time and nature have proven to be universally consistent (such as the absolute reality that women are indeed a far greater source of distraction to men than men are to women).
To say “such and such is not my problem” is to forget our role as active and responsible members of society. It is indeed our problem. We can only claim ourselves free of the responsibility if we have done everything in our power to avoid it, by following God’s own Advice. The “not my problem” attitude is the real problem.
I certainly do not agree with the way some men go about sending reminders to women, and no doubt if they’re sincere, they should be polite in their reminders or avoid them altogether if they bring no benefit, but I disagree even more with the way that women jump to equate these reminders with “patriarchy”. If women could get past their sensitivities about men they might be able to consider the laws of God Himself. Had they been following the laws, men wouldn’t be bothering them in the first place. My disagreement is at the general attitude that women seem to have today – they require that men lower their gaze and so-and-so, without bothering to fulfill their own share of responsibilities. (Of course I do not mean you in person, I do not know you, you might be completely modest – I’m talking about the generally found attitude these days.)
Also, my disagreement was not about reciting Quran in public in of itself, and it was not with the author per say, but in response to the whole page – the article plus the follow-up comments as well. As I said earlier, the point was the “general attitude” some women have towards Hijab.
Everyone is allowed to pray in a mosque, and there is nothing wrong in it, be it a man or woman, as long as all people carry themselves well, behave appropriately, focusing on what matters, and respecting the manners of the place of worship. If that is the case, then indeed if any man bothers a woman, he is to blame. On the other hand if a woman does not make any effort to guard her charms, exposes herself without a care in the world because “it’s not her problem” that someone finds her attractive, then she has no right to get fired up at anyone for offering her reminders, no matter who offered it, man or woman. Again, I am not claiming anything about anyone here on this page.
Women reciting is the not the problem.
The problem is that record deals and the entertainment industry have become a “standard” for us Muslims, something that we look up to and attribute respect to.
The problem is that Sajida J. has in all likelihood neither studied classical Arabic, nor been a close companion of the Prophet (peace be upon him); she has not learned the methodology of Islamic Law; what causes a Hadith to climb ranks in terms of authenticity or otherwise, and its implications on our lives, the practices of the Prophet (peace be upon him) whom God Himself appointed as our teacher and guide; his detailed life and environment; the lives of those whom he told us to emulate; the works of those scholars whom he told us to follow; the idea of Maslaha Mursala – wider social understanding and benefit… Sajida J. is simply a research student who happens to have a penchant for singing and would like to include what she presumes to be Quranic spritiuality in her concerts, yet her words are being given more importance than the words of the very people whom God Himself assigned to be our teachers. Would you claim those teachers were “imposing their own beliefs” on us? I made no claims of my own, and do not believe I have the right to do so. I merely referred to them.
The problem is that we believe there are “personal interpretations of Islam” when in fact Islamic law is so clear, so uncomplicated, so transparent, but Muslims are being confused into taking misnomers as “interpretations” as facts, so that we can then say – “this was misinterpreted – so I can’t know for sure – might as well go along with my own interpretation” or for that matter “I can justify what I’m doing using so-and-so verse because it’s up to my own interpretation”. If the Perfect Word of God were up to our own interpretations, it would be our word, not His. Human life and justice and truth is too important to be left to us individuals’ personal frameworks, because no human’s framework is complete, and if we were supposed to operate on that alone, we would be falling miserably short justice and many other ideals. Only God has absolute knowledge.
This is not my opinion. This is not my own personal prejudiced being “imposed” on you, on the contrary I am practicing the “freedom of expression” so touted by the “liberals”.
As I write my thoughts out (thanks woodturtle by the way for allowing such long posts) – I’m realizing that perhaps *that* is the biggest problem of all. The idea that anyone’s opinion or interpretation can be taken as valid, regardless of their qualifications. That would still be an understandable approach if we humans did the same in any other field of knowledge, but we do not. If we need a doctor’s opinion, we would not settle for a street-quack, we would need assurance of their qualifications. If there were an international conference on theoretical physics taking place, we would not consider ourselves worthy of making any statements in it without even an undergraduate major in the field. Yet we take Islam, the final, timeless way of life revealed by the Creator of the Universe, as something pathetic enough for any Tom, Dick or Harry to make claims about, based on their own individual frameworks, and regardless of their qualifications.
I posted my email address above (aisha_saak@hotmail.com) where you can drop me a line if you’re interested in knowing what Islam really says about “multiple interpretations”, from the works of those whom God Himself gave the knowledge and authority to guide us. Works which – if you read them – you will discover for yourself the all-encompassing beauty, awesome justice, breath-taking perfection, and complete and utter honesty of Islam – things that you can hardly ever discover from sources that give greater importance to their own interpretations and their own personal preferences.- even if only out of innocent ignorance.
With that, I seriously have no more to say. If I offended anyone I sincerely apologize. I certainly didn’t mean to be offensive. On the other hand, if anyone is sincere to the Words of God, they will have the open-mindedness to consider that there might be an ounce of truth in the idea of there being a complete lack of “personal opinions” in Islam, and perhaps explore it.
August 28, 2011 at 5:22 pm
@Zeina, Yes to all of this.
August 28, 2011 at 5:21 pm
Salaams getreal — I appreciate your long comments because you have a valid opinion that should be heard and you have some interesting ideas that I think would go nicely with an appropriate post on Islamic interpretations, application of fiqh or how to deal with the fallout from improper Islamic education.
But I really fail to see how, for example, you felt that this post or the atmosphere on this blog was anti-hijab/niqab (perhaps you can explain this to me so I can better understand your point of view.) You did not see yourself represented in this post — which is problematic for me, since I try to make sure that everyone’s opinions are represented in some form at appropriate times.
Now, you speak about holier-than-thou attitudes and provide your credentials as a candidate at an esteemed institution providing knowledge of the authentic Islamic sciences, and yet you make some pretty serious assumptions about the subject of my interview. What makes you think Sajida does not know Classical Arabic? What makes you think she is unfamiliar with any of the Islamic sciences? She is NOT “simply” a research assistant with a side project in music. She has had a full and rich life before her current position — one that I did not feel was necessary to reference. I don’t need to share her pedigree to validate her recitation of the Qur’an.
Like any woman (like the women who participate in the Qirat competitions) she is allowed to recite the Qur’an. Please refrain from speaking poorly about my interview subjects. It’s embarrassing.
Now, I know you mean no offense. And I truly appreciate the time you took to write, and I hope you continue to do so on my blog!
But let me just say, I highly doubt there is any woman anywhere who would somehow beautify her voice with layers of seduction when reciting Qur’an. If she is reciting with the proper tajweed, then the words themselves will be beautified through the recitation method. This is where I find that people (not the scholars. I’ve never accused the scholars. In fact, Ibn Taymiyyah supported women leading men in prayer, and therefore reciting Qur’an in a mixed setting. I always maintain that Islam is perfect — it’s Muslims who mess it up) miss the point when producing pamphlets and random fatwa banks saying that it is haraam for women to recite Qur’an. Because it’s people who say that because a verse refers to the voices of a select group of women, therefore Qur’an will become a tool for seduction if all women utter it.
And I just can’t agree with that.
June 24, 2015 at 5:20 pm
[…] Safi: Words of God in women’s voices: Women reciting the Qur’an in public – Wood Turtle: The keeper of God’s words (I find these words of the author’s very beautiful and powerful: “The Qur’an is […]