Modesty - - -

Modesty is a virtue which Islam demands of Muslim men and women. The most powerful verses commanding the believers to be modest occur in Surah al-Nur and begin with the words: Say to the believing men that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty; that will make for greater purity for them: and Allah is well aware of what they do. (24:31)

The rule of modesty is equally applicable to men and women. A brazen stare by a man at a woman or another man is a breach of correct behaviour. The rule is meant not only to guard women, but is also meant to guard the spiritual good of men. Looking at the sexual anarchy that prevails in many parts of the world, and which Islam came to check, the need for modesty both in men and women is abundantly clear. However it is on account of the difference between men and women in nature, temperament, and social life, that a greater amount of veiling is required for women than for men, especially in the matter of dress. A complete code of modesty is laid down in the Qur’an as follows: And say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty; and that they should not display their beauty and ornaments except what (must ordinarily) appear thereof; that they should draw their veils over their bosoms and not display their beauty save to their husbands, or their fathers or their husbands’ fathers, or their sons or their husbands’ sons, or their brothers or their brothers’ sons, or their sisters’ sons, or their women, or the slaves whom their right hands possess, or male servants free of physical desire, or small children who have no sense of sex; and that they should not stamp their feet in order to draw attention to their hidden ornaments. And O believers! Turn all together towards Allah, that you may attain bliss. (24:31)

Hafsah, daughter of ‘Abdur-Rahman, once came before ‘A’isha wearing a thin shawl over her head and shoulders. ‘A’isha tore it up and put a thick shawl over her. The Messenger of Allah also said, “Allah has cursed those women who wear clothes yet still remain naked.” The khalif, ‘Umar, once said, “Do not clothe your women in clothes that are tight-fitting and reveal the shapeliness of the body.”

The above-mentioned traditions make it explicitly clear that the dress of Muslim women must cover the whole body, whether in the house or outside, even with her nearest relatives. She must not expose her body to anybody except her husband, and must not wear a dress that shows the curves of her body. Sheikh Muhammad Nasiruddin al-Albani, are of the opinion that, because modern times are particularly full of fitnah (mischief), women should go as far as to cover their faces because even the face may attract sexual glances from men. Shaikh al-Albani says, “We admit that the face is not one of the parts of the body to be covered, but it is not permissible for us to hold to this taking into consideration the corruption of the modern age and the need to stop the means for further corruption.”

Dealing with Fashion Trends

Dealing with Your Teenager and the Latest Fashion Trends. Are you the parent of a teenager? If you are, you likely already know that many teens want to look their best, at least fashion wise. For that reason, many teens keep up on the latest fashion tends and use them. While this is okay in some aspects, it can result in your teenager wearing baggy pants showing their boxers or revealing shirts that show off too much cleavage. While these do seem to be popular fashion trends, do you really want your child displaying them? If not, you may be wondering what you should do. When it comes to your teenager and fashion trends that you may not necessarily approve of, your first thought may be to lay down the law. As a parent, this is your right to do, but did you know that you may actually end up causing more damage? Do you remember what it was like being a teenager? If you were like most teenagers, there was a good chance that the last thing you wanted was to be told how to dress by your parents and the same is likely so for your own teen. That is why you may want to think about taking a different approach. One of the many instances where you should speak to your child about their fashions is if it may end up causing them some harm. As previously mentioned, many of the latest fashion trends for women and for girls are low cut shirts and low rise pants. This often ends up leaving a good portion of the body exposed. In today?s society, you always need to be on the lookout for sexual predators. While your teenager may not necessarily be interested in someone, someone may actually end up getting that type feeling from them. This could put your teenager in a weird and possibly dangerous situation. If that is the case, you may want to take the time to explain that, as it may sink in better than if you were just to say ?change your clothes; you can't wear that.? It is also important that both you and your teenager remember that fashion trends regularly change. It is not uncommon for a fashion trend to only last a few months. If you are not happy with the current fashion trends, but your teenagers are, you may want to encourage them to explore other options. There are a number of fashion magazines and online fashion websites that have a large number of fashion trends and information on those trends. Not all fashion trends require the wearing of ?skimpy,? clothing. For that reason, you may want to explore other options. If your teenager is a girl, it could actually turn into a neat mother daughter bonding experience between the two of you. Something else that you may not necessarily think about, but should, is if your child goes to high school. Many high schools have dress codes and these dress codes often prohibit the wearing of revealing clothing. While not all schools actively enforce their dress codes, many out there do. Like with being told not wear certain clothes by their parents, many teenagers may feel angered being told by school officials. For that reason, you may want to take action before anything serious happens that could seriously jeopardize your child and their school records. It is not uncommon to hear of instances where children are suspended from school due to not following the school?s dress code. In short, teenagers and fashion are something that just seems to click together. While it is important for your teenager to fit in with others and be popular at school, they do not necessarily have to be wearing the ?hottest,? clothes or fashion accessories to do so. They may not necessarily understand it at the time, but as a parent it is your job to help them and keep them safe.

The Sialkot incident

The torture of two brothers by the mob has shocked me and I am sure many other Pakistanis alike; not only the very act is horrendous, but also the constant airing of the horrendous video by TV channels in every news bulletin. Please for the sake of the families of the deceased and all Pakistanis stop this cheap advertisement of barbarianism.

Our police, the defenders of law, are spineless. Not all of them, as we have the example of the brave Safwat Ghayoor. But those men in black and brown present there and let it happen can be branded criminals.

They not only shirked away from their duty but also gave the killers a free hand to exercise their muscle. In my opinion, this should be considered an act of high treason. They forgot that they were policemen hired to safeguard the lives of the people. It may have been a normal day of routine torture for them, but this time it was not done by them but by the general public who were illiterate, maniac, and criminals to the core. They forgot they were beating humans. I am sure the ones who were beating did not even have the slightest relation to the incident which triggered all this. The very HRCP is nowhere to be seen. I would like to remind the human right workers that those boys too had rights. Are you waiting for orders from your superiors from abroad to raise hue and cry? A very strict judgment should be passed in this case against all those who were involved and those who stood watching. May Allah help us all. May the souls of the deceased rest in peace in heaven.

WHY should the police have intervened when the victims were not their colleagues who most of the time are busy making money? They were two brothers who were tortured to death by a mob who suspected them to be robbers.

It seems as if a theatre was going on under open sky where mob was the killer and 14 policemen were silent spectators, or protectors to complete the process of social justice.

Section 155-C of the Police Ordnance came to help soon after the murder of two innocent youths who were dubbed robbers by rivals to take revenge of what they did in the cricket match. The police claimed having arrested some of the nominated accused but not all those who announced the victims to be robbers, torturing them with wooden sticks and iron rods and hanging their bodies with a tree and tried to burn these.

How many further suo motu actions will be taken by the? Why do reforms not take place in the police departments? Why are all of them corrupt and why do they take bribe on the roads all the time? Why they help in increasing the crimes and supporting the accused instead of eradicating them? Why do we call them policemen instead of official criminals? Answers to these questions are very simple but what can be done in this respect when the whole system is corrupt.