Given that you were raised by an American family, didn’t you find the rule about pardah a little hard?
First, what is pardah? Some of you may know what pardah is, while some of you may not. For those who are unaware of the term, pardah is a Persian word meaning ‘curtain.’ More specifically, pardah has two forms: 1) physical segregation of the sexes and 2) the requirement for women to cover their bodies and conceal their form. It is important to note the different between hijab and pardah as the definitions seem relatively similar if not exact. Hijab is an Islamic moral tradition while pardah does not necessarily conform to Islamic principles. Pardah is built upon the concept of preserving honor, modesty, and respect.
As is often the case, there are different types of pardah. Women can experience severe pardah or mild pardah and anything in between. However, upon hearing the term pardah, many people imagine the more severe forms. When a women withdraws into such pardah, her personal, social, and economic activities outside of her home are often restricted. She is expected to stay home, and if she must leave the house, there are a few guidelines to follow: 1) she should be accompanied by a close male relative if the destination is more than three days and three nights (by foot or on an animal with breaks for resting and eating). Scholars usually explain this distance to be 48 miles; 2) she should be completely covered so that men cannot see here. This usually entails the use of a burqa or niqab; 3) and she should not mix with non-related men unless absolutely necessary.
Within the house, physical segregation is achieved with walls, curtains, and/or screens. In South Asian homes where pardah is observed, there are often two parts of the house: 1) the zenana where only the women and related men are allowed, and 2) the mardana, the outer part of the house for guests and men.
So how do I, as an American, find the rules of pardah? Tough? Easy? Well, truthfully I am much different than the ‘average American,’ whatever that might be. Throughout the last year I have become exceptionally more conservative than I was two years ago. Thus, the rules of pardah are not necessarily something I see as tough.
When it comes to the second part of pardah (the covering of a women’s body and shape), I’m all for it. Hijab and modesty are a huge part of Islam. Muslim women should be covering their bodies, concealing their curves and contours from the probing eyes of unrelated men. I’ve also done some experimenting with the niqab and have not found that to be a terrible idea. As I’ve stated many times before, I don’t think it’s necessary to cover one’s face. However, there are plenty of excellent benefits in doing so.
I find it relatively easy to leave the house dressed in my abaya and scarf. Yes, sometimes both can be annoying: I might trip over the abaya or the scarf might be a bit tight, and in warm weather, the combination of the two mean lots of sweat. But in the end it feels unnatural to go into the world without either; the abaya and hijab have become a part of what I would normally wear outside the house. The niqab has yet to grow on me and whether I continue to wear it in the future is still undecided. But I would even become used to the niqab if I made myself wear it long enough.
The first part of pardah (the physical segregation of the sexes i.e. hiding away the women) does cause some issues with me. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying men and women should mix. Rather, it’s better to keep men and women apart; there’s much less temptation in such a situation and Shaytan has a harder time luring people to sin.
Instead, the issue I have is the idea of being locked away indoors all the time. I greatly enjoy the outdoors – even if it’s just a walk in the park. In Minnesota I lived in a rural area and many times in a day I would find myself outside; basically any time I became bored, I would go outside. Even here I spend at least a few hours a day outside of the house. Spending the vast majority of my time behind walls is not exciting to me.
Yet, maybe as I begin to start a family and settle down a bit more, my time will be occupied by more things and my desire to be outside will wane – at least a little bit. However, I can never really see myself as the person who doesn’t mind being cooped up in the house all the time.
At the end of the day, I have no problem with pardah nor do I find it tough despite being raised by an American family. A few years ago, had someone asked me this same question, I would have answered with a resounding yes, it would be hard to follow. But in learning more about Islam and in becoming far more conservative, pardah really isn’t that bad.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Ask me something!
No comments:
Post a Comment