Advice to the Male-Guardians of Women

 

Advice to the Male-Guardians of Women

Shaikh Saalih Al-Fawzaan حفظه الله تعالى  was asked: “What is your advice to the male guardians of certain women that are lax when it comes to the issue of the Hijaab and who are engrossed in exposing their alluring bodily features to male-strangers in the markets and other places? What is the role of a woman’s male guardian in safeguarding her Religion?”

So he replied: “Allaah says: ‘Men are the protectors and maintainers of women because Allaah has favored some of them (i.e. men) over others (women).’ [Surah An-Nisaa: 34]

Allaah has enabled and entrusted men to take care of and be responsible for women. And He commanded the women to obey Him and forbade them from disobeying Him. This includes the Hijaab.The Hijaab is one of Allaah’s commandments. So therefore it is an obligation on her male-guardian to require her to wear it, regardless is he is her direct male-guardian such as her father, son, brother or someone who has guardianship over her, or if he is the general guardian, such as the Muslim ruler who may mandate the Muslim women to wear the Hijaab.

So the Muslim ruler may oblige the women of his country to wear the Hijaab, in the general sense, while the male guardians in charge of households may oblige the women who live in their homes to wear the Hijaab (in the specific sense). They are responsible for these women. If the women knew that the general ruler in charge of her affairs as well as her specific male-guardian oblige her to obey Allaah and abandon disobeying Him, she would not put up any resistance in these matters. But when the male-guardians show laxity in these matters, the women become audacious. And there are callers to evil, lewdness, and hypocrisy behind them who encourage them to unveil and take off the Hijaab.

So the matter today is dangerous. It is incumbent upon a woman’s male guardians – both the general and the specific ones – to assist and aid one another in obliging the women to abide by the Hijaab. It is also an obligation upon the male guardians, may Allaah grant them correctness, to silence the tongues of those who invite to evil and corruption – those who call to unveiling and to the removal of the Hijaab. This is what Allaah has entrusted them with.”

[Ta’ammulaat fee Awaakhir Surat-il-Ahzaab: 47-48]