Mani (Mainstream): Modi, I saw your wife in the market yesterday.
Modi (Moderate): Yes, she told me.
Mani: I hardly recognized her with that abaya and the black hijab.
Modi: We had relatives visiting for a few days. She did not know them, so she decided to be cautious.
Radi: She should be cautious all the time, Modi. Women are required by the Qur’an to wear the hijab
Modi: That is where you are wrong, Radi. I thought you knew everything.
Radi: It is in the Qur’an; I saw it.
Modi: Radi, the word hijab is in the Qur’an only four times. Each of those times the word did not mean an article of clothing but a screen.
Radi: What? You are lying to me again.
Mani: No, Radi. I know about that also; my wife has told me often enough. Look, she told me so many times I know them from memory: Verses 7:46, 17:45, 19:17, and 42:51. In the first one, hijab meant 'barrier'. In the second, it also means 'barrier'. In 19:17, describing Mary, our Mariam, hijab (hijaban) suggested a place of seclusion, a separation from others. Finally, and this is the closest we come to an article of clothing; in 42:51 it is said that "It is not given to mortal man that God should speak to him otherwise than through sudden inspiration (revelation) or [by a voice, as it were,] from behind a veil...."
Radi: You know I am going to look them up.
Modi: Radi, my Kitab (Qur’an) is on the table under the cloth. You can look them up there.
Radi: I will wait until I am home. I do not feel like going through all the ablutions right now before opening your Qur’an.
Modi: You just went through your ablutions for morning prayer an hour ago. Why are you not still clean?
Mani: He probably broke wind again between the restaurant and here. (Both laugh)
Radi: I do not understand why al-Kitab does not mention the abaya or chador.
Mani: Umar wondered about that also, remember. He wanted Muhammad (pbuh) to publish a revelation much stricter on women’s clothing. He was disappointed with that first one at Zainab’s wedding.
Radi: But Modi, how could our holy Prophet (pbuh) even know what would be in any revelation?
Mani: Have you not ever wondered at the convenience of some of the revelations, Radi?
Radi: Of course not. Muhammad received the revelations as Allah saw fit to pass them to him. He could never know what was to be revealed.
Modi: The prophet after his wedding to Zainab was annoyed at what he considered the rudeness of his wedding guests, and lo! He received a revelation ending that annoyance forever. Allah gave instructions as to how visits were to be handled in the Prophet's household.
Mani: And when he argued with his family and friends when 'A'isha was not in her enclosed howdah and then showed up with a young Muslim soldier. That was a scandal until Muhammad (pbuh) went into his tent and had a revelation that she was innocent.
Radi said nothing and just stared at them. He fingered his knife as if debating on using it.
Modi: Radi, these things are not unknown. You already know about Zainab’s wedding and you can read more details in Bukhari, 8:24.255 and 257. The 'A'isha scandal is well known, and she herself has written about it. The revelation was in verses 24:11-20.
Radi: Are you trying to say that the Qur’an was not written by Allah, that Our Most Beloved ...
Mani: We are saying nothing of the kind, Radi. We are just showing you that Allah in the nick of time lifted Our Most Beloved from some pretty tight spots by in some cases mentioning mere mortals by name.
Modi: Remember, we are talking about modesty among women. You insisted that the Qur’an ordered all women to wear the hijab. Our position is that al-Kitab only enjoined women–and men–to dress and act modestly. We showed you that whenever the word hijab was used in the book (Qur’an) it had nothing to do with a full body sheath, covering everything but the eyes.
Radi: But if you and your wives believe all of that, why don’t they dress the way they want and just toss the veils and things?
Modi: Because some of your friends, Modi, would beat them unmercifully without even asking why they were wearing those other garments. They could break an arm or a leg or lose an eye. And these things would happen because people like you have your own idea of what the Holy Book means, and you force those meanings on others who only want to live in peace. I would not want my loving wife subjected to that type of abuse.
Radi: I know what the Holy Book says.
Modi: The book is not written in your Arabic, Radi! There are also foreign words used whenever Arabic had no words for some meanings. You have not studied Classical Arabic. You do not know what is in the Book; you cannot read it.
Radi: But my imam...
Modi: Your imam is an extremist radical, bent on destroying the planet if Islam cannot rule the world. He is a nut case, a fanatic. He is so far out even al-Qaida won’t have him. Is that the kind of people you respect? You are my good friend, Radi, but your other friends will see the flames. They are not bound for Paradise.
Mani: Unless you want to accompany him in the fire, you had better find a real imam.
Radi looks from Modi to Mani and back. He does not know what to think.
Modi: What is on your mind?
Radi: I don’t know how to ask...
Mani: We are all friends here. Go ahead and ask.
Radi: I need to know. May I do my ablutions here and go over the Qur’an with you? If you two are right, I need to know quickly. Modi, I could have killed you a few minutes ago.
Modi: I know, Radi. But you are my friend. I should never have to watch my words when I speak with you. I speak from my heart. I can see that you trust the wrong people, and it looks to me as if you are bound for the fire yourself. Neither Mani nor I want that to happen. You cannot kill people because you disagree with them.
Modi and Mani join Radi in doing their ablutions. Modi looked at his watch and noted the time.
They have about an hour and a half before the Adhan call, which Modi refers to as "Bilal calling" after the first muezzin, Bilal ibn Ribah.
Radi: I am a little dizzy after all of that reading and analysis.
Mani: We cannot blame you. It takes quite a lot of effort to read the Holy Book even when you know exactly what verses to read.
Modi: Just imagine some poor people who try to read the Qur’an, manage to stumble their way through it, and think they know it.
Mani: I suggest we throw some water on our faces and try to recover before Mosque.
Modi: Did you ever tell Radi that joke about the red-headed imam?
Mani: I would not tell that one now; no! It is almost time for Mosque, and Radi has finished his ablutions. He needed a full body wash because of breaking wind like that.
Modi: Yes. That’s the best time.
Mani: OK, but he is going to hate you. Hey Radi, did you hear the one about the red-headed imam?
Minutes later, Radi was laughing so hard, he again passed gas. He stopped laughing with his eyes wide open and again let out a loud noise involuntarily. His face contorted in anger.
Mani: You know that every time he laughs that hard he can’t hold it in; he breaks wind. Now he has to do his full body wash all over again. He is livid!
Modi: Come on, hurry before he finishes. He still has his knife.
Mani: It is a good thing we are all friends here.
HJS
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