Abdul Muqit Chowdhury :
The Holy Quran reveals : “Say to the believing men/That they should lower/Their gaze and guard/Their modesty ; that will make/For greater purity for them:/And God is well acquainted/With all that they do.” (Sura Noor 24 : Ayat 30, The Holy Quran Translation and Commentary by A. Yusuf Ali)
“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 husband’s sons/Their brothers or their brother’s sons/Or their sister’s 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 God, that ye/May attain bliss.” (Sura Noor 24: Ayat 31, Do)
Allama Yusuf Ali comments on lowering gaze and guarding modesty : “The rule of modesty applies to men as well as women. A brazen stare by a man at a woman (or even at a man) is a breach of refined manners. Where sex is concerned, modesty is not only “good form” : it is not only to guard the weaker sex, but also to guard the spiritual good of the stronger sex.” In the next comment he says: “The need for modesty is the same in both men and women. But, on account of the differentiation of the sexes in nature, temperaments and social life, a greater amount of privacy is required for women than for men, especially in the matter of dress and the uncovering of the bosom.”
Another comment of the Commentator on verse 31: “Zinat means both natural beauty and artificial ornaments. I think both are implied here, but chiefly the former. The woman is asked not to display of her figure or appear in undress except to the following classes of people : (1) her husband (2) her near relatives who would be living in the same house, and with whom a certain amount of neglige is permissible ; (3) her women, i.e, her maid servants, who would be constantly in attendance on her ; some Commentators include all believing women; it is not good form in a Muslim household for women to meet other women, except when they are properly dressed ; (4) slaves, male and female, as they would be in a constant attendance ; but this item would now be blank, with the abolition of slavery ; (5) old and infirm men-servants ; and (6) infants or small children before they get a sense of sex.”
In the conclusion we quote a verse from the Holy Quran : “Eschew all sin/Open or secret:/Those who earn sin/Will get due recompense/For their “earnings”. (Sura An’am 6:120, Do)
We should train ourselves in the month of Ramzan to uplift us from all sins-open or secret-to attain Bliss of Allah Rabbul Aalameen.
The Holy Quran reveals : “Say to the believing men/That they should lower/Their gaze and guard/Their modesty ; that will make/For greater purity for them:/And God is well acquainted/With all that they do.” (Sura Noor 24 : Ayat 30, The Holy Quran Translation and Commentary by A. Yusuf Ali)
“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 husband’s sons/Their brothers or their brother’s sons/Or their sister’s 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 God, that ye/May attain bliss.” (Sura Noor 24: Ayat 31, Do)
Allama Yusuf Ali comments on lowering gaze and guarding modesty : “The rule of modesty applies to men as well as women. A brazen stare by a man at a woman (or even at a man) is a breach of refined manners. Where sex is concerned, modesty is not only “good form” : it is not only to guard the weaker sex, but also to guard the spiritual good of the stronger sex.” In the next comment he says: “The need for modesty is the same in both men and women. But, on account of the differentiation of the sexes in nature, temperaments and social life, a greater amount of privacy is required for women than for men, especially in the matter of dress and the uncovering of the bosom.”
Another comment of the Commentator on verse 31: “Zinat means both natural beauty and artificial ornaments. I think both are implied here, but chiefly the former. The woman is asked not to display of her figure or appear in undress except to the following classes of people : (1) her husband (2) her near relatives who would be living in the same house, and with whom a certain amount of neglige is permissible ; (3) her women, i.e, her maid servants, who would be constantly in attendance on her ; some Commentators include all believing women; it is not good form in a Muslim household for women to meet other women, except when they are properly dressed ; (4) slaves, male and female, as they would be in a constant attendance ; but this item would now be blank, with the abolition of slavery ; (5) old and infirm men-servants ; and (6) infants or small children before they get a sense of sex.”
In the conclusion we quote a verse from the Holy Quran : “Eschew all sin/Open or secret:/Those who earn sin/Will get due recompense/For their “earnings”. (Sura An’am 6:120, Do)
We should train ourselves in the month of Ramzan to uplift us from all sins-open or secret-to attain Bliss of Allah Rabbul Aalameen.
