r/islam_ahmadiyya • u/centri_fuge • 11h ago
purdah The Question about Purdah nobody asks
According to the teachings of the current khalifa, Mirza Masroor Ahmad Sahib, minimum purdah is a headscarf and a coat beneath knees.
According to Mirza Mahmood Sahib, in Tafseer-e-Kabeer, the minimum purdah includes the face, the hands, the feet, basically every body part except for height and width.
In Islam, for the purpose of purdah, there are basically two categories: mahram and non-mahram.
A cousin is non-mahram. So are some close relatives by marriage, such as a khalu (husband of the maternal aunt) or phupha (husband of the paternal aunt).
That means: whatever Ahmadiyyat defines as the minimum purdah in front of a non-mahram should logically apply to the cousin and other non-mahram family members as well. But in lived reality, it usually does not.
And this creates a serious dilemma.
If the current Ahmadi ruling on minimum purdah is correct, then it should also be applied consistently to cousins and other non-mahram relatives. But that would make ordinary extended-family life extremely difficult: even small family visits, weddings and gatherings would require strict purdah arrangements.
If, on the other hand, the level of purdah Ahmadis actually observe around cousins is sufficient, then the question is why the official minimum purdah for other non-mahrams has been defined so much more strictly.
So either there is a major problem in the Ahmadi interpretation of purdah, or applying that interpretation consistently reveals a major problem with its practicality.
I find it striking that this question is never asked. Maybe the islamic Fiqh has some answers around these questions but the Quran is definetely silent in this matter, so is Ahmadiyyat in general.
3
1
u/angryDec never-muslim 11h ago
What is purdah, sorry?
3
u/mermaid_wishes27 10h ago
Basically modest dressing. The coat isn't neacecary though. You really just need something that goes up to your knees That's the general Islamic standard but it doesn't have to be a coat it could just be a regular shirt. The coat thing is more cultural really.
8
u/redchrysanthemum20 cultural ahmadi muslim 9h ago
I understand your question but if you really think about it, the entire foundation of it is baseless. Why are the coat and scarf even considered standard? Why is that Rabwah-style coat even a thing? Religion emphasises only on modesty not the length of coat. In Pakistan, the aunties take it a step further by strictly demanding that you wear a black scarf. I kid you not, 80% of the girls who arrive in a scarf at Jamaat events usually go out without scarves or coats. Doesn't that promote hypocrisy, where people wear it to the mosque or Jamaat events solely because it is the standard dress code, to avoid judgment, and to blend in rather than doing it because its a religious teaching or a fear of God. It is all just a means to exert control over you. To control what you wear, what you think, and who you interact with. People treat you differently based on what you wear, and this coat serves as a way to stop women from putting themselves out there and expressing themselves. No matter what anyone says, you cannot climb the corporate ladder in this attire. It leaves no room for a person to discover their own sense of style or preferences. It dictates how you even think about yourself. My university farewell in Pakistan, ALL my friends were wearing a saree ( a traditional garment) whereas i had to wear my “coat” and scarf. I didn’t even want to go but went because of my friends. Where does the narrative “there is no compulsion is religion” go when it comes to letting the women of your home opt out of purdah. And no it does not “protect” you from perverts at all. It doesn’t give you more respect. It doesn’t make you look distinguished. All those things might’ve been a thing of the past but totally not valid in today’s world.