illustration: Tooba-tul-Muntaha
Source: Dr. Mubarak Ali, “Almiyah-e-Tarikh”, Chapter 7, pp. 67-76, Fiction House, Lahore (2012).
Translated by: Rabia Aslam
Introduction
In feudal societies, the status of woman is always that of property. Where her freedom, rights and opinion depend on the will of a man. The purpose of this society is to promote such values by which women are kept submissive and obedient to men and all avenues of their freedom are blocked. Muslim society in Medieval India was divided into two classes. One was the class of elites or nobles and the other consisted of common people and working class. The upper class created cultural and moral values such as honor, dignity, chastity, splendor and kept best valuable equipment for the living that included, diamond jewelry, elephants, horses and palaces. Elites consumed luxury meals and wore fine clothes. They gathered beautiful women in their harem as if they were collecting rare valuables. They built high-walled palaces to protect their wives. Kept soldiers and eunuchs on guard. They were strictly ordered to put on veils so that others could not see them. It created the values of “honor and family dignity”. These feudal values also affected the working class of the society, but the majority of the people could not adopt these values because the economic needs forced them to go out of the confines of the house and look for a livelihood. In addition to work, she was forced to take care of livestock and work in the fields. In the cities, women from poor families worked as house-cleaners, baby sitters for upper class. These feudal values were limited to a class that was politically, economically and socially superior. This feudal society of the Muslims remained stable during the reigns of the Delhi Sultans and the Mughal dynasties. In this society, the position of woman was just of a ‘product’ which was the property of a man and she had to let go off her freedom, self and ego. In the way in which her life was developed, it was her responsibility as a daughter to serve her parents, to be obedient to the husband as the wife, and to raise the children as the mother (1).
In this feudal society, the man had a high position and he wished that these values would not change and that there would be no situation where the woman would break these shackles and become free. But with the passage of time these values began to change. Western ideas and civilization gradually began to affect our feudal society. These changes shocked the proponents of ancient values. These elites were opposed to any change in society and were not ready to modify the status of women.
The books and writings of Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanvi (1868-1943), a renowned Deobandi religious scholar, represent this mindset, especially his best-seller book ‘Bahishti Zewar’ (literally meaning Heavenly Jewels). Maulana’s era was a time of clash of modern and ancient values when the ancient system of life and its values were dying in the last stages of its obsolescence and fatigue and the buds of modern trends and ideas were beginning to sprout. He tried to stop the decay of feudal system with religious and moral support and also tried to keep the woman in the same place that the feudal system had reserved for her on religious grounds.
To tame the women, Maulana wrote ten parts of ‘Bahishti Zewar’ so that after reading them, a woman can easily recognize the superiority of a man and not only be satisfied with her slavery but also consider it a source of pride. It teaches all the tips and tricks that a woman may need to mold herself into a good slave. It covers everything from religious issues to cooking and household chores that can keep a man happy. Therefore, it has become customary that these ten volumes of ‘Bahishti Zewar’ (which are combined as one) are given to the girl in dowry so that she can read it and be mentally ready for slavery. Here an attempt is made to analyze the concept of a perfect woman that Maulana has presented in this book and to examine his ideas in the light of the culture and values that developed in the background of feudal society (1).
Women education
By the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, modern Western education had become popular, and our religious scholars, despite recognizing modern requirements, were strongly opposed to women’s education. They considered modern Western education sort of necessary for men, but for them this education was extremely dangerous for women.
Sir Syed Ahmad Khan bluntly pointed out the fact that he was against women’s education because an ignorant woman is unaware of her rights and therefore is satisfied of her current state. However, if she is educated and aware of her rights her life will be tormented (2). Sir Syed also opposed the opening of girls’ schools. And insisted that they read only religious books and stay away from the popular books of modern times which he considered dodgy (3).
Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanvi considered that only religious education was necessary for women because religiously ill-informed women cannot distinguish between disbelief and polytheism nor do they develop faith and love of Islam. They speak whatever they want in their ignorance. Knowledge of religion is essential for them to save their faith and religion. Maulana strongly opposed all forms of education for women other than religious education and considered it extremely harmful for women (4). Maulana also strongly opposed to girls going to school and getting education there, as the school will be attended by girls of diverse backgrounds, classes and views which will affect their values and morals. He was of a view that if the girl is exposed to an English instructor then it would not be good for her reputation and faith (5).
According to Maulana, the right way is for two or four girls to study at home and take a teacher who doesn’t ask for salary because it makes education blessed (6). Maulana was aware of the secret that socializing has a profound effect on individual mindset and thinking pattern so he wanted to block this path and wished that the woman of the house doesn’t step out of the four walls.
Maulana places special emphasis on women’s curriculum so that a certain kind of mind can be developed through it. Therefore, he considered the Qur’an, the books of religion, and the ten parts of the ‘Bahishti Zewar’ to be sufficient. With regard to his book, he further explains that the sexual matters in it should either be explained to a woman when she is mature enough or left unmarked. When it comes to reading, only the ability to read is mentioned. As of learning the art of writing, Maulana emphasizes that there is no harm in teaching about writing if a woman is not ambitious, otherwise she should not be taught (7). Moreover, she can only be taught to write to the extent that she is able to pen-down the necessary letters and household accounts, but not more than that (8). Maulana places special emphasis on what and what kind of books women should read, for example, it is not permissible to look at and read books on beauty and love. Collections of poetry and especially modern novels should not be read by women and it is not permissible to buy them, so if anyone sees them with their girls, they should burn them immediately (9).
Maulana seems so cautious about the books that he considers many religious books to be unsafe for women because most of the religious books contain illicit content for certain age group. He is deeply saddened that in his time women read all kinds of books and that is why they are confused and their habits are deteriorating and the thoughts are getting dirty, so Maulana thinks that if you want to read a book of religion, show it to a religious scholar before reading it, if he agrees, then read it, otherwise not (10). But Maulana is not satisfied with that either, because he does not trust anyone other than himself and no religious scholar is as sane as him as per his intellect. Therefore, he provides a list of books that are useful for women to read, such as ‘Naseehat-ul-Muslimeen’, ‘Rasla Aqeeqah’, ‘Taleem-ud-Din’, ‘Tahfat-ul-Zaujain’, ‘Forough-ul-Iman’, ‘Islah-ul-Rasoom’, ‘Bahesht Nama’, ‘Dozakh Nama’, ‘Tambih-un-Nisa’, ‘Taleem-un-Nisa’ including ‘Dulhan Nama’, ‘Hidayat-tun-Nisa’ ‘Marat-tun-Nisa’, etc. After this Maulana censors the books which according to him are very harmful to read such as: poetry books, ‘Inder Sabha’, ‘Qissa Badr-i-Munir’, ‘Qissa Shah-i-Yemen’, ‘Dastan-i-Amir Hamza’, ‘Gul Bakawli’, ‘Alif Laila’, ‘Naqsh-i-Soleimani’, ‘Fa’l Namah’, ‘Maujiza-i-Aal-i-Nabi’, ‘Araish-i-Mehfil’, ‘Jang Nama-i- Hazrat Ali’ and the exegesis of surah Yousuf. Maulana explains that there are some raw stories in these books and it is harmful for women to read the words of love and romance. About the books ‘Marat-ul-Aroos’, ‘Mahzaat’ and ‘Ayyami’, he says “there are some good things, but there are some that weaken the faith” (11). In his views, reading novels always has a bad impact and newspaper is a waste of time (12). From these views his thoughts about women’s education become clear to us that he always believed in very limited education for women and wanted to protect the feudal system by keeping women ignorant and ill-informed.
Financial status of women
In a feudal society, one of the foundations of a man’s superiority is that he is responsible for the family’s livelihood and the woman is always in need of his financial support. In this regard, Maulana says that earning a living is necessary only for men and it is his duty to provide for the bread and sustenance of woman (13). Explaining bread and sustenance, he says that providing bread and cloth are obligatory for a man, while housework is obligatory for a woman. The man is responsible for arranging kitchen and cutlery items. The salary of the laundress is not the responsibility of the man and the woman should wash the clothes with her own hands and if the man pays for it, it is his favor (14).
Submission towards husband
In a feudal society, the husband has the status of a virtual god for the woman, so it is necessary for the woman to obey her husband. If she disobeys her husband’s orders, it is considered a violation of the values of the society. The instructions given by Maulana to women in this regard indicate that he wants to maintain the superiority of men in the name of religion and morality.
He emphasizes that a woman should obey all the orders of her husband. Even if he asks her to take a rock from one mountain to another and then from the second to the third, the wife must abide by the orders. If the husband calls his wife for some work while she is cooking, she should get up immediately and address to him (15). The obedience of a man is necessary, if he does not allow her wife to offer the optional prayers (‘Nafl’), she must follow. It is important to take good care of her beauty and if he wants her to put on makeup and she doesn’t, then the husband has the right to beat her. She must not go anywhere without the permission of her husband, neither to relatives nor to others (16).
Maulana considers the purpose of wife’s life to be the happiness of the husband. In this regard, he has given complete instructions for the woman. For example, she should win his heart and read his eyes. If he orders her wife to stand with her hands tied all night, she should still obey his command because it is for her own good. Never be disrespectful towards her husband as it will ruin both the worlds. If a woman’s wish is not fulfilled, she should remain quiet and not say a word to anyone about it. She should never be stubborn about anything. If there is any problem with the husband, she should learn to compromise. If the husband ever gifts something, whether she likes it or not, she should express happiness over it. If the husband gets angry, she should not talk in such a way that he gets irritated, she should look at his mood and talk. If he is angry, apologize and plead with him. Never consider her husband as her equal and should not take any kind of service from him.
If the husband comes home from abroad, he should be asked about his mood, he should be massaged and food should be arranged for him immediately. It is her job to comfort him. In domestic matters, Maulana instructs that the wife does not have the right to ask her husband about the salary, income and expenses. Likewise, the wife should keep everything neat, the living room, sleeping mattress, and other things. If the husband meets another woman, she can ask him to stop in private. She should not humiliate him publically. If he still doesn’t comply with her request then she must just stay patient. Maulana states, that God has created a man with the nature of a lion, therefore he cannot be controlled or shamed. The simplest way to subdue him is by flattery and obedience (17). In this regard, Maulana mentions a woman. “In Lucknow, there is a man who stays out with the prostitute day and night. He doesn’t come home at all. Instead, he orders food and the wife cooks for him. See, the whole society applauds this wife and she will get a high place in the sight of God” (18).
Limited public space
A woman must not ask her husband for a separate home, she must consider the house of her husband her only place for the living. She must never call her husband by name and must stay obedient to her father and mother-in-law (19). It is not permissible for women to play card games either (20). Maulana also mentions about female clothing, he says that a revealing dress or a shirt in which the back, abdomen or arms are naked or a thin cloth that barely covers the head or the body is forbidden. The most suitable garment for a woman is long pants, full sleeve shirt made of thick cloth and a veil that covers the entire body (21).
Maulana is convinced to keep the woman at home, the program he has prepared in this regard is noteworthy. For example, she can go to see her parents once a week. She does not have the right to visit other relatives more than once a year. Similarly, parents can also visit her once a week. Husband has the right to not allow his wife to stay at her parent’s home for long (22). He also considers it unethical for a woman to attend ceremonies. Even so, neither in grief nor in sickness. Especially when people gather on the occasion of marriage, it is not permissible to visit the house of a ‘non-mahram’ (is someone who is not mahram by blood, by marriage or by suckling) relative at that time. If the husband gives permission, he will be a sinner. After this Maulana writes with great regret that this ruling was not implemented anywhere in colonial India and not considered immoral at all (23).
Maulana’s arguments against attending cultural events, marriages and social gathering are as follows: this is a wasteful expenditure, because of which the husband has to bear the burden of expenses. He believes there is no point in calling a tailor at home and communicating with him, as by he may look at her hand that has henna or bangles, while she is talking, something which is utter disgrace. It is obscene for a woman to walk home at night without her husband accompanying, and the obscenity has no limits if it is a full moon. In the ‘doli’ ceremony, a woman may get distracted and unknowingly reveal her skin. Women may wear perfumes and hence the smell may cover the entire area, which amounts to showing one’s beauty to strangers. Sometimes women carrying the ‘doli’ suddenly enter a venue, without inquiring about the presence of strangers there. Male servants pretentiously cover their faces while serving the women, but they still ogle. Sometimes boys as young as ten or twelve would mix with women. For these reasons, he recommends women to not attend social gatherings and considers leaving home as indecent (24).
Conclusion
Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanvi’s book ‘Bahishti Zewar’ fully reflects the mindset that was created by the feudal culture and values in India. But still his work could not stop the modern ideas and social consciousness and could not provide any stability to the old traditions in Medieval India.
References:
(1) There is a novel of the famous German writer Bertolt Brecht on this subject which has been translated into Urdu by the author under the title “Do Sala Aurat”. See the half-monthly Urdu periodical “Parcham” Karachi. April 1 to 15. pp. 28-29, (1979).
(2) Sir Syed Ahmad Khan, “Maktoobat-i-Sir Syed”, p. 381 Lahore, (1959).
(3) Ibid, p. 382.
Altaf Hussain Hali, “Hayat-i-Javed”, p. 696, Lahore, (1946).
(4) Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanvi, “Beheshti Zewar”, Part 1, pp. 79-80, Lahore.
(5) Ibid, p. 84.
(6) Ibid, p. 85.
(7) Ibid, Part 4, p. 85.
(8) Ibid, p. 38.
(9) Ibid, Part 3, p. 59.
(10) Ibid, Part 10, p. 47.
(11) Ibid, pp. 47-48.
(12) Ibid, Part I, p. 83.
(13) Ibid, Part 4, p. 29.
(14) Ibid, p. 33.
(15) Ibid, p. 34.
(16) Ibid, p. 34.37.
(17) Ibid, p. 37.
(18) Ibid, Part 2, p. 57.
(19) Ibid, Part 3, p. 58.
(20) Ibid, Part 7, p. 54
(21) Ibid, Part 4, p.29
(22) Ibid, Part 8, p.15.
(23) Ibid, p. 14-17.
