Afzal 1

Momal Afzal

Dr. Bazian

Muslims in America

Fall 2018

Case study of a “Milad”

Throughout my life, I have visualized the cultural aspect of religion. Growing up in a

Pakistani culture made me feel as if being a female in an Islamic community has its own

additional boundaries when reaching out to the world, and one has to accept it without

questioning it. I have seen the community carelessly exchange the words “haram” -meaning

religiously prohibited- and “aib” -meaning culturally inappropriate- as if both mean the same and

carry the same consequences. The unconscious analysis of the society led me to wonder whether

gender inequality is a cultural imposition -in the name of religion- or a command in the Shariah

law - meaning the divine law sent down by the one and only God. Analysing a sacred ritual

called “Milad” - meaning a social gathering to praise God and His last Prophet (Peace Be Upon

Him)- reignited my interest regarding the gender roles in the Islamic society. Therefore, I am

studying the ritualistic behavior of individuals at a "Milad," focusing on the aspect of gender

roles under the light of Islam because I want to find out the restrictions imposed on the veiling of

women, and how it influences their participation in Holy ceremonies like Milad. The research is

to aid the reader better understand whether Allah, the one and only God, is the one who enforces

veiling on women at a Milad, or whether it is solely a societal norm. The distinction is important

to understand, because Islam, one of the world’s dominant religions, is often misunderstood and

misrepresented around the world, which may lead to unpleasant consequences. My personal

belief is that, although, the rules and distinctions were sent down by Allah, and elaborated upon
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by and through the life of the Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him), the society plays a huge role in the

implementation of the divine law. Almost all the religious scriptures including the divine law and

the ‘Hadiths’ -meaning a collective record of sayings and customs that are related to Prophet

Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) and His companions- are in Arabic. Therefore, many scholars

from across the world, for the understanding and convenience of the people around the globe,

have interpreted the scriptures into multiple languages. Because multiple scholars have translated

and interpreted the Islamic scriptures, there exist several interpretations, and there also exists

ambiguity in what the true exposition of the divine law and the Hadiths are.

The research revolves around the sacred ritual Milad, but what is a Milad? A Milad is a

ritual that is adopted by a majority of the Muslims, specifically by Sunni Muslim community, in

which individuals of all races, colors, ages, and casts come forth to pray to God, and remember

God and His Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him). Milad can be performed in several different ways,

and anyone may modify it according to their necessity and desire. For instance, a milad may be

performed in a huge space or a balcony; it may be conducted among a million people or two-to-

three individuals; and it may be done by reading poems (praising Allah and His Messenger

(Peace Be Upon Him)), or the Holy Qur'an. In other words, there is no limitation to how a Milad

may be conducted. The Milad I attended, was conducted in a big hall where individuals

accommodated and engaged themselves in the act of reading, remembering, thanking and asking

Allah to fulfill their desires, and praising Allah and His Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him).

Upon entering the Milad ceremony, the first thing I noticed was a veil that was dividing

the hall into two sections, separating the men from the women. The physical separation

foreshadowed the following numerous instances where the two genders were treated differently.

The separation seemingly put women at a disadvantage, as the stage was secluded into the male
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section of the hall, and females who volunteered to deliver a speech or read a verse from the

Holy Qur'an, unlike the males, were not allowed to go up the stage, instead they were given a

microphone to use from behind the veil.

The second most evident distinction that I noticed at the Milad was that the physical

appearance differed among the two genders. Many females were dressed in salwar- a pair of

light, loose, pleated trousers tapering to a tight fit around the ankles- with a kameez- a loose

garment typically full sleeves reaching down to knees- along with a big shawl. Many others were

dressed in similar long loose garments, such as frocks along with long scarfs. On the other hand,

males were dressed in either salwar and kameez or regular pants (such as jeans) and shirts

(including dress shirts and t-shirts). In contrast, among the individuals of Pakistani diaspora,

which majority of the gathering was constituted of, it is socially acceptable for a male to show up

in jeans and a t-shirt, whereas, it was culturally inappropriate for a female to walk in with any

outfit other than loose garments. It is also not acceptable for a woman to walk in without a scarf,

in any case. If a female walks in, dressed in anything but loose garments, the community

immediately criticize her decision of doing so. For instance, when I asked a Muslim Pakistani

woman -in her mid-forties- who attended the Milad, what she thinks of a woman who attends the

Milad dressed in jeans, she responded that “a girl who comes to a Milad dressed in jeans has no

respect for her culture and religion, and certainly deserves criticism.” I asked the same question

to a sixteen-year-old Pakistani Muslim girl to which she responded: “it is disrespectful, even if

she wears a scarf because she is expressing zero sense of respect towards the religion because her

outfit will be revealing and she will be the center of attention for guys.” On the contrary, upon

asking the same question regarding males both of the females responded that it is “okay” for

males to come to the Milad dressed in something like jeans and a t-shirt, for males are expected
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to be less covered than the females because that is just the norm of the society. The norm is

based on the concept of nakedness in the Islamic Shari’a, which is described by Karyono in his

text, “Survey on nudity detection: opportunities and challenges based on `awrah concept in

Islamic Shari'a,” stating that “the limit of male `awrah [-meaning the nudity and nakedness-] is

between the navel and the knees, while the limit of female `awrah is the entire body except the

face and hands.” Although the description of the awrah implies that because a woman’s private

parts are considered all of her body, she must cover it all; and because a man’s private parts are

considered to be only from his navel down to his knees, it is appropriate for him to only cover

that section of the body, the description does not restrict either one of them to any specific

garments that must be utilized to cover the awrah. Hence, the society is ignorant to find it

unacceptable for a female to cover her awrah with western clothes.

Many individuals from across the nation attempt to justify the cultural behavior of

differentiating the two genders through the lens of Islam. It is considered Islamically appropriate

for females to be more covered than the males. The common interpretation, stating that Islam

restricts women’s social interaction (especially with the opposite sex) and encourages them to

wear mantle (clothing), can be found easily. Individuals generating beliefs, such as restricting

women’s social interaction, cite and highlight Islamic scripture as a defense for their

interpretations. They use scripture: verses from the Holy Qur'an and the Hadiths -sayings of the

Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him)- to provide the audience with a narrative. The use of

Islamic scripture assists them to plant, with ease, their interpretations into the mind of the

followers of Islam, as to be the sole justified explanation. Individuals, when supporting the claim

that women must veil, utilize translations of the scripture to aid their argument. Now, the

translations to some extent reflect the interpretation of the translator. This is agreed by Nida, who
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is cited by Habibeh Khosravi and Majid Pourmohammadi in their work “Influence of

Translator's Religious Ideology on Translation: A Case Study of English Translations of the

Nobel Qur'an,” stating that “at times a translator purposely and consciously attempt[s] to change

a message in order to make it conform to his own political, social or religious predilections”

(Khosravi and Pourmohammadi, 1). This is further elaborated upon by the comparison of the

translation of the same verse of the Holy Qur'an by four different scholars of Islam. All the

translations cited in the article were similar but had different interpretations of what the Qur'an is

referring to with specific phrases. In the words of Khosravi and Pourmohammadi, when

translating, the translators used “addition strategy in order to transmit [their] religious ideology

or the religious and cultural ideologies which are dominant in” their local areas. This is to say

that individual’s personal ideologies reflect into their understanding and translation of the holy

text. For instance, individuals from across the world will have a different definition of what falls

under the category of being “customary to be uncovered.” Having said that, in addition to

conveying an altered translation, many modify the scripture to fulfill their own purpose as well.

For instance, the four translations used in Khosravi and Pourmohammadi’s text were all along

the same line as Arbarry’s, one of the scholars cited in the text, which is as follows: “And say to

the believing women, that they cast down their eyes and guard their private parts and reveal not

their adornment save such as is outward; and let them cast their veils over their bosoms, and not

reveal their adornment save to their husbands, or their fathers, or their husband's fathers, or their

sons, or their husband's sons, or their brothers, or their brother's sons, or their sister's sons or

their women, or what their right hands own, or such men as attend them, not having sexual

desire, or children who have not yet attained knowledge of women's private parts; nor let their

hidden ornament may be known. And turn all together to God, O you believers; haply so you
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will prosper” (Khosravi and Pourmohammadi, 9). Altogether, the translations expressed

emphasis on the idea that women are to wear hijabs and loose clothing to follow God’s

command, preserve their modesty, and avoid men’s attention. In other words, it focuses on the

aspect of women needing to cover, veil, and seclude themselves from everyone but specific

individuals. On the other hand, Saud Al-Hassan Khan in his book “Evolution of Veiling Among

Women,” interprets the same verse as follows: “Oh the believers lower your gaze and cover your

private parts, for it is the best for you, and without any doubt Allah is aware of everything you do

and think. Oh, the female-believers lower your gazes and cover your private parts. Do not

display fitted garments in public, put a shawl on your bosom and do not make your bosom

apparent. Display not your beauty or embellishment, but to your husbands, or to your fathers, or

the fathers of your husbands, or your sons, or the sons of your husbands, or your brothers or the

sons of your brothers, or the sons of your sisters, or your women, or what your right hands

possess, or such of male attendants who have no wickedness in them, or young children who

have not yet attained any concept of the private parts of women. And walk not in a style that

such of your beauty as you conceal is noticed. And oh believers ask for Allah’s forgiveness so

that you may succeed” (Khan, 49). In Khan’s translation the idea -of equality- that both men and

women must lower their gazes and guard their private parts because both of the sexes are obliged

to offer their responsibilities in maintaining the sanctity of the surroundings is emphasized. In

other words, one sex must not be held accountable for preserving one’s modesty; instead, both

genders must play their parts. Khan’s translation can be validated by Dr. Nazeer Ahmed

translation of the verse in his book, “The Qur’an: An English Translation,” which is a translation

of the Holy Qur'an. Ahmed without excluding any parts, translates the whole Qur'an -for the sake

of solely translating- and he translates Surah An-Noor -the abovementioned verse- as following:
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“Say to the believing men to lower their gaze, and guard their chastity- there is purity in it for

them. Indeed, Allah is well aware of what they devise. And say to the believing women to lower

their gaze and guard their chastity, and not show off their beauty, except what is apparent from

it; and draw their covers over their breasts, and not show off their beauty except to… (Ahmed,

451). When citing the verse to argue the claim that women must veil, individuals often tend to

skip the first half of the translation, where Allah commands the men to lower their gaze and

guard their private parts as well. In essence, individuals tend to misinterpret the word of Allah

and impose gender veiling and seclusion upon women during the sacred rituals, namely Milad.

In addition to misinterpretation, individuals also tend to develop and spread (or

communicate) false associations and assumptions regarding the subject. For instance, the idea

that if there will not exist a veil and if women will wear western clothes the men will be attracted

towards them and might lose control. The lost of control then may end up with men and women

sinning, that is either the men sexually assaulting the women, or the two getting involved in

fornication. Although, there exist traditional outfits that are as, or more, attractive than western

clothing the belief still thrives, and this common idea may be discerned in Shaykh Muhammad

ibn Adam al-Kawthari’s text, “Mixed Gatherings: A Detailed Response Regarding Gender

Interaction,” where he asserts that “Where there is free mixing, this natural instinct [-attraction

towards the opposite sex-] will be aroused at some time and lead to the committing of sin.”

Shaykh Muhammad Ibn Adam al-Kawthari implies that in order to prevent the two sexes from

committing sin the two must not be allowed to mix freely, which will be accomplished by

making the women to veil (cover themselves in loose garments) and separating the spaces with a

veil, as well. This assertion is opposed by Saud Al-Hassan Khan, who claims that ending the

concept of veiling does not mean getting involved in fornication, instead unveiling means that
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women must be allowed to freely work and thrive in an environment without having to have long

loose garments on, or be secluded in an area where men are not allowed. In other words, women

just like men (deserve and hence) must be allowed to go around and work without being

secluded. Khan further supports the concept of unveiling by claiming that the concept of veiling

is directly associated with hierarchies. (Khan 27).

Islamic values are not only misinterpreted and misassociated but are misrepresented as

well. An instance of misrepresentation of Islamic regulations is that of gender seclusion. In her

article, “Islam and Patriarchy - and Why It's Important to Understand,” Kathleen Ebbitt, who

holds a degree in history with concentration on Arab-American diaspora, asserts that the gender

seclusion within Muslim cultures is not linked to Islam, “but rather economic structures that

favored the concealment of women within the home.” She elaborates on the claim saying that

the seclusion is linked to mimicking life of upper and middle class “during the time of Islam’s

regional adoption.” In other words, Ebbitt is asserting that the concept of seclusion developed as

a result of expanding social hierarchies during the time when Islam was spreading. The

coincidence of the two events - spread of Islam and expansion of social hierarchies- occurring

simultaneously resulted in individuals linking the two together. This interpretation is also

supported by Saud Al-Hassan Khan in his book, where he states that veiling of women started

for different reasons, and that initiation of veiling cannot be exclusively associated to only

religion, or social, or political aspects. He mentions that one of the reasons of veiling was so

those belonging to the higher class may be distinguished from those belonging to the lower class.

Other women veiled when getting involved in the act of fornication, so that when in the process

of infidelity no one may recognize them and, later, point fingers at them (Khan: 9, 30).

Muddassir Quamar in his text, reiterates the analysis of Ebbitt and Khan, by asserting that veiling
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“has much to do with the idea of honor and dignity of families concerning female sexuality that

should not be exposed, hence confining women to households” (Quamar, 3). In other words,

veiling is utilized in many areas with mere intention of limiting women within households.

Quamar continues to further strain upon the distorted Islamic connection with women veiling, by

asserting that “Islam does not enjoin upon women to veil; rather it demands both men and

women to be modest in their attire and avoid direct contact and intermingling” (Quamar, 4). The

assertion implies that Islam does not enforce veiling on women, rather it simply asks both men

and women to avoid fraternizing. Furthermore, to reinforce his assertion Quamar cites “a

religious scholar Ahmed al-Ghamdi — an official of the religious police in Mecca —[who]

argued through his tweets that women need not use the naqab; [veiling] is a matter of choice

because Islam does not make it mandatory for women.” The scholar, later, “reiterated his views

[saying] that, as per Islamic religious scriptures, women are not required to be veiled in public”

(Quamar, 15). These assertions clearly state that Islam does not command women to veil during

social gatherings, such as Milad, and it is sheerly the society that foists veiling upon women.

Besides, the imposition of the veiling of women in social gatherings may also be

questioned by juxtaposing it with Hajj- which is the pilgrimage to Mecca prescribed as a

religious duty for Muslims. Quamar in his article intrigues many to focus on the fact that “most

palpable in the holy places — Masjid al-Haram (Mecca) and Masjid al-Nabawi (Medina) —

where veiling and segregation is not practiced. This is because during the pilgrimage (the Hajj or

Umrah) women are not supposed to veil as part of Ihram (sacred state) but even when women are

not in Ihram, the dress code is not enforced. Nevertheless, it does raise a question; if there is no

need for imposing segregation and veiling in the holy places, then why should it be done in any

other place?” (Quamar 2). In addition, to the factor that Mecca and Madina are the most sacred
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places, it is also worth noticing that during Hajj, millions of individuals -both men and women-

from all across the globe come together to perform the ritual together, and are physically very

near to each other (see image 1 and 2). If anything, for being physically this close to non-

mahram (those individuals whom women are not allowed to display their beauty and

embellishment to, in the abovementioned verse), veiling would have been enforced to prevent

the two sexes getting involved into so-called “committing of sin.” It is clear that when Islam

does not enforce veiling of women at gathering on such a large scale -Hajj- it is unjustified to say

that it enforces veiling at gatherings on a small scale -Milad.

In essence, Allah does command both men and women to cover their private parts and

maintain the sanctity of the environment, but He does not enforce women to veil; rather it is the

society who alters and exaggerates the rules into the enforcement of veiling and seclusion of the

genders. It is important to understand that veiling is an option, not a mandate. Women must be

given their Islamic right of deciding whether or not to veil. Many women will fall into an

inferiority complex, for they are to veil in order to be respected by their community, whereas,

men are not held accountable for similar rules. Although upon given the option, many will opt to

veil but many others will find it as an obstacle between them and the opportunities for a better

and healthy future. Quamar in his text fortify the idea by stating that there exist women,

“particularly in Muslim societies, [who believe Veiling] constitutes an ancient practice that

shackles their freedom and prevents participation in public life” (Quamar, 1-2). Expressing

Quamar's idea differently, women at a Milad are bound to the fetters of veiling, limiting their

participation in all aspects, and more than often putting them at an overall disadvantage. With

that said, the question that why women are not secluded during Hajj is to be investigated upon.
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