Muslim men who order their women to trail behind them?

youtube!

Is this the norm because I have noticed it a lot lately,always the man in front with the lady a few steps back. Just wondering if it is part of Islam or a personal decision.

mmalaka

personal decision.....

biko

I'd say it's a cultural thing rather than religious.

hivizman

biko wrote: »

I'd say it's a cultural thing rather than religious.

Yes, I would agree.

I have a book called The Ideal Muslimah by Muhammad Ali Al-Hashimi, which is published by a Saudi-based company to set out "the characteristics which a Muslim woman should adopt and follow in order to become a true role model and example to be emulated". The book contains a long chapter on "The Muslim woman and her husband", which includes a section with the title "She is obedient to her husband and shows him respect." However, the chapter does not specifically identify walking behind one's husband as something mentioned in any hadiths. Given the level of detail in this book, I am sure that, if there had been a specific hadith on this topic, it would have been included.

A verse in the Qur'an is often quoted as authority for the duty of a wife to be obedient to her husband. This is Surat an-Nisaa 4:34. The verse contains the sentence (in the Mohsin Khan translation): "Therefore the righteous women are devoutly obedient (to Allah and to their husbands), and guard in the husband's absence what Allah orders them to guard (e.g. their chastity, their husband's property, etc.)." The words in parentheses are not actually in the Qur'an, but are the translator's editorial additions, based on some classical interpretations of the Qur'an. However, the word translated here as "devoutly obedient", when it appears elsewhere in the Qur'an, has the meaning of being obedient to Allah, and the extension to the husband is probably taking the meaning of the word too far. That said, there are various reports that Muhammad praised wives who were obedient to their husband.

So I would suggest that there is no requirement derived from Qur'an or Sunnah that wives should walk behind their husbands. However, if this is considered respectful in a particular culture, then a wife may choose to walk behind her husband as part of her general duty to show him respect.

ginada

If you look at non-Muslim couples they often do it too, especially when the man is fed up shopping and wants to go home. Walking fast, to stop you from window shopping, lol. It's not a respect thing it's a safety thing, like, if there's a hole in the ground, he'll fall in it first, lol. In most Muslim countries the footpaths are attrocious and there are uncovered manholes and pieces of metal fence sticking out, etc. There's a Muslim saying, that you get a blessing for removing an obstacle from the path e.g if there is broken glass or something that somone might trip over, so in general Muslim men would be used to looking for hazards in their path.

antoniolgj

hivizman wrote: »

However, if this is considered respectful in a particular culture, then a wife may choose to walk behind her husband as part of her general duty to show him respect.

Where are the feminists when we need them? I think feminism stops when multiculturalism begins…

Ronagig

antoniolgj wrote: »

Where are the feminists when we need them? I think feminism stops when multiculturalism begins…

Simple - Because we are so aware of the white/black issues all we need to do is substitute and see if whatever is being discussed still would hold true
eg.
A person has to walk a couple of paces behind another because they are black, this is to show respect to the person in front.......
Hmmm need I go on?
I just like common sense

aujopimur

It reminds me of a joke I heard, I'll post in humour later.

fedor.2.

mmalaka wrote: »

personal decision.....

Ah thats ok then..................jesus

uck51js9zml2yt

fedor.2. wrote: »

Ah thats ok then..................jesus

why do you think its ok to blaspheme the name of Jesus when its not ok to speak in the same manner as Mohammed?

Gumbi

Emmeline Shrilling Chessboard wrote: »

why do you think its ok to blaspheme the name of Jesus when its not ok to speak in the same manner as Mohammed?

It's OK to do both? If it bothers anyone else it's their problem.

biko

I am by no means an Islamic sccholar but came across this:

Al-Ghazali, Revival of the Religious Sciences, Chapter 7 - An Exposition of the Aspirant's Obligations Regarding the Renunciation or Undertaking of Marriage.

Sa'id ibn Jubayr said, 'Temptation came to David (upon whom be peace) merely through a glance.' Therefore he told his son [Solomon] (upon whom be peace), "O my son! Walk behind a lion or a black cobra, but never walk behind a woman".

The Revival of the Religious Sciences is widely regarded as the greatest work of Muslim spirituality, and is perhaps the most read work in the Muslim world, after the Qurʾān.

Note that it seems he refers to Jews (David/Solomon).

Condatis

biko wrote: »

Al-Ghazali, Revival of the Religious Sciences, Chapter 7 - An Exposition of the Aspirant's Obligations Regarding the Renunciation or Undertaking of Marriage.

The Revival of the Religious Sciences is widely regarded as the greatest work of Muslim spirituality, and is perhaps the most read work in the Muslim world, after the Qurʾān.
(David/Solomon).

That was to ensure that he wasn't looking at the woman's bum.

Forgotten_1

biko wrote: »

I'd say it's a cultural thing rather than religious.

I think you have been changed. Fruit of my posting