Our Inward & Outward: Part II
• Last Updated on February 20, 2017 @ 9:44 am by Islaminlife Admin
(Please read Our Inward & Outward: Part I first; We are continuing)
The outward of man is the mirror of his inward condition From here you understand another ruling; that is: The outward of man is the reflection of his inward state. I can remember a very good example in this regard. If the regular Imam of a mosque suddenly appears in the Mehrab (the place where the Imam leads the prayer) in the Mosque completely bare and announces – Dear brothers! I have come to inform you a ruling that even in this state I will be able to lead the prayers”. Will you people ever allow such an Imam to enter into the mosque again? Rather you would say he has gone crazy. Though the Imam’s argument is: I know all the rulings of prayers; I know how to read the Quran; though outwardly I have no clothes on my body, my inward is completely pure; you should not judge me looking the outward state and so on… Not to mention, none of you will pay a heed to the Imam. Rather that Imam would be taken for mental treatment. Why did you conclude that his inward state has gone ruined ( i.e. he has gone crazy) ? Yes, only by seeing his outward condition. His outward is the reflection of his inward.
The importance of outward
Those who claim, inward is major, whatever be the outward – they are indeed making big mistake. One person once said, “If intention is al lright, if the heart is in pure state and if one refrains from sins – that is enough. Why do we need a dress code?” I told him, “Well, take for instance, your mother and sister are very pious; regularly saying prayers, accomplishing other activities of Deen too. You just take one of their ‘Urna’ (the Garment woman wear in sub-continent over their dress); wear it; go the market. I will give you 15 rupees as prize (that time it was much more in value) if you can do so.” Listening me the man replied, “People will laugh and mock at me if I do so.” I simply told him, “Forget about people’s mocking; if your mother and sister is such pious, why do they need to wear Urna?” By listening this the man became silent. Just as it is not rational and also adverse to morals that brother wears his sister’s ‘Urna’; similarly it is disobeying the Shariah to refuse to comply with outward rulings, such as: dress code and guise. Allah Taala has imposed the right orders on us. As it is wrong to take man’s guise for woman, it is also wrong for man to take a woman’s guise. Tt has been mentioned in Hadith that (meaning), Rasulullah ﷺ has cursed such man taking the guise of woman; and he also has cursed such woman who take the guise of man.
As it is a punishable offense for a police to wear clothes of postal department, similarly it is a punishable offense for an officer of postal department to wear clothes of a police. Shariah has also prescribed different clothes, i.e. dress code for man and woman. For man to be covered under the veil is against his manly spirit; likewisee, for a woman not being under the veil is against her womanly spirit.
Extracted from Hz Abrarul Haq (R)’s lecture – the last Khalifa of Hz Thanvi (R)
