Maulana Hali said:
“Although no village and no town and no city can be saved from the great influence of the time, there is such a holy and vital injunction of purdah to protect the chastity and honour of our families that no charm and appeal of the time can influence them as long as Muslims continue to follow Islam and do not free themselves from the bondage of Shari’ah. Certain Muslim countries have adopted the way of the Europeans in their style of home, food, dress and means of transportation viz. in every sphere of life. But as their following of Shari’ah did not let them free themselves from purdah, no European nation has even the one-tenth of whatever chastity and honour is still there among the Muslims of those countries. – Then, O my elders and youngers! Do not give up the injunction of purdah and its powerful norm as this is the only thing left in this last phase [of human life] in which we can take pride over all other nations of the world, and this is the only thing whereby the [Muslim] nation can keep intact chastity and sense of honour. Wa ma alaina illal balagh!”
After 1857 mutiny
Maulana Altaf Husain Hali, all educated Muslims of the subcontinent know, was an eminent thinker and statesman. With the help of his writings, oration and poetry, he undertook the task of shaking the Muslim Ummah to rise to the occasion at a time when after 1857 mutiny the British government had made a hell of the lives of Muslims in the subcontinent and the local majority population, in accordance with its time-serving tradition, also had gone with the occupying government (while this was the first great public revolt against the foreign rule, the voice of which was raised by Muslims). At that time Britain was also ruling over many Muslim countries. Therefore, seeing the zeal and enthusiasm of Muslims in 1857 as well as their ideological base, they accelerated their efforts to derail the publics of Muslim countries from their very foundation. The most effective weapon (in their hands) was cultural aggression. So well-to-do locales of Muslim countries adopted the colour of the ruling culture in their style of living, food habits and dress, to which Maulana Hali has pointed. But, despite this the Muslims not only did not give up their Shari’ah injunctions but remained committed to their faith and fundamental values; hijab or purdah was one of them.
The farsighted would’ve noted it
The great poet of Musaddas Hali expected this much of the Muslims in the subcontinent. The above mentioned writing is in fact a letter that Maulana Hali then addressed to the dignitaries of Panipat. This letter is there in Muqalat-e-Maulana Altaf Husain Hali. This letter has been reproduced here from Nida-e-Khilafat (Apr 17). The farsighted would have noted that this scholar of the 19th century has pointed in his letter to such a great wisdom. Association with fundamental values is the essence of the Ummah, and the opposite forces want to derail them from these values. Had Maulana Hali been living today, he would have taught us why the western nations oppose Islamic purdah. And what these nations are afraid of. Scholars of the west know that if the benefits and advantages of purdah are made known to women in the west, they would revolt against their traditional culture and then would turn to other injunctions of the Shari’ah as well. So [they think] at the very outset it is necessary to derail Muslims themselves from this great value, and make so much propaganda against purdah that non-Muslim nations may not form any positive opinion about it. Now the farsighted would have decided as to what they have to and should do.
“Although no village and no town and no city can be saved from the great influence of the time, there is such a holy and vital injunction of purdah to protect the chastity and honour of our families that no charm and appeal of the time can influence them as long as Muslims continue to follow Islam and do not free themselves from the bondage of Shari’ah. Certain Muslim countries have adopted the way of the Europeans in their style of home, food, dress and means of transportation viz. in every sphere of life. But as their following of Shari’ah did not let them free themselves from purdah, no European nation has even the one-tenth of whatever chastity and honour is still there among the Muslims of those countries. – Then, O my elders and youngers! Do not give up the injunction of purdah and its powerful norm as this is the only thing left in this last phase [of human life] in which we can take pride over all other nations of the world, and this is the only thing whereby the [Muslim] nation can keep intact chastity and sense of honour. Wa ma alaina illal balagh!”
After 1857 mutiny
Maulana Altaf Husain Hali, all educated Muslims of the subcontinent know, was an eminent thinker and statesman. With the help of his writings, oration and poetry, he undertook the task of shaking the Muslim Ummah to rise to the occasion at a time when after 1857 mutiny the British government had made a hell of the lives of Muslims in the subcontinent and the local majority population, in accordance with its time-serving tradition, also had gone with the occupying government (while this was the first great public revolt against the foreign rule, the voice of which was raised by Muslims). At that time Britain was also ruling over many Muslim countries. Therefore, seeing the zeal and enthusiasm of Muslims in 1857 as well as their ideological base, they accelerated their efforts to derail the publics of Muslim countries from their very foundation. The most effective weapon (in their hands) was cultural aggression. So well-to-do locales of Muslim countries adopted the colour of the ruling culture in their style of living, food habits and dress, to which Maulana Hali has pointed. But, despite this the Muslims not only did not give up their Shari’ah injunctions but remained committed to their faith and fundamental values; hijab or purdah was one of them.
The farsighted would’ve noted it
The great poet of Musaddas Hali expected this much of the Muslims in the subcontinent. The above mentioned writing is in fact a letter that Maulana Hali then addressed to the dignitaries of Panipat. This letter is there in Muqalat-e-Maulana Altaf Husain Hali. This letter has been reproduced here from Nida-e-Khilafat (Apr 17). The farsighted would have noted that this scholar of the 19th century has pointed in his letter to such a great wisdom. Association with fundamental values is the essence of the Ummah, and the opposite forces want to derail them from these values. Had Maulana Hali been living today, he would have taught us why the western nations oppose Islamic purdah. And what these nations are afraid of. Scholars of the west know that if the benefits and advantages of purdah are made known to women in the west, they would revolt against their traditional culture and then would turn to other injunctions of the Shari’ah as well. So [they think] at the very outset it is necessary to derail Muslims themselves from this great value, and make so much propaganda against purdah that non-Muslim nations may not form any positive opinion about it. Now the farsighted would have decided as to what they have to and should do.
13/05/12 khabar-O-Nazar by Parwaaz Rahmani, sehrozaDAWAT, translated by: Abu Yusuf
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