What is the ancient and present age of johiliyya?

Ancient and Present Age of Jôhiliyya (QarI MuûaMMaD ùayyIB states):

The Qur’an refers to two periods in the history of mankind as the times of Jóhiliyya. One is the period between the coming of Nñú e and Idrīs e and the second period is that between the time of ‘ösó e and our Blessed Prophet s which is also defined as the period of Fatra. The women of these two periods exposed their bodies and abused the freedom to leave their homes to an extent unheard of before that time. As a result, they came to be regarded as exhibitable objects that can be enjoyed by all. They were no longer like the precious gems that are protected by their owners, but became public property that can be exploited by anyone at any time. They walked the streets, adorned with jewelry and perfumes, luring men with their promiscuousness as well as by flaunting their beauty and scantily-clad bodies. The frequent intermingling of women with men other than their husbands created a situation whereby it was possible for a woman to be her husband’s and a lover’s at the same time. Without any thought for their honor, respect, chastity and modesty, these women never hesitated to please men with anything they ever wanted from a woman. It was such shamelessness and immoral acts of past nations which the Qur’an refers to as tabarruj al-jóhiliyya.

The shameless society we live in today, and more particularly, the West’s hedonistic societies, have pushed far past the point to which past nations of the times of Jóhiliyya went in their lewdness and promiscuity. The revealing dresses and vanity and display of the women, along with the shameless and lewd behavior of the men in these societies, which have become the norm of society and labeled modern civilization, not only mimicks the age of Jóhiliyya but, in its excesses, surpasses it.

This is the same fitna molded in a new mold

Undoubtedly, the women of today enjoy equal rights and freedom. But, in reality, what else do these rights translate into except the freedom to leave their homes half-dressed and unhindered to wander in parks and other public places? She dresses provocatively in a way that draws special attention to the most alluring parts of her body and walks amo- rously to attract the attention of men around her. In this way, a single woman makes numerous boyfriends while the married woman creates a number of rivals for her husband. Married women openly meet and have fun with their male friends without permission from their husbands. In such instances, the law does not side with the husband as, legally, he has no right to interfere in his wife’s personal life. This is because she is free in her own right to do as she pleases. What this means is that modern society is obligated not to defend and safeguard the moral values of a society but instead to facilitate and contribute to its immorality and moral decay.

SEVERAL EXAMPLES OF INDECENCY IN THE PRESENT DAY JôHILIYYA

The consequences of legalizing indecency is that society has become accustomed to and increasingly accepting and supportive of lewdness. The Salvation Army [Europe office], a not-for-profit organization founded on the principle of helping the helpless and poor, is also involved in helping unwed mothers during their pregnancy and delivery by providing them with maternity homes. In 1928, the Calcuttabased Forward magazine published the following excerpt from a New York magazine which reported some findings from a paper issued by the Salvation Army.

Twenty years ago, the majority of women availing themselves of the maternity home facilities were older, mature women who were

well aware of the possible consequences of their immoral behavior. Now the situation has changed drastically. The vast majority of women who now come to these maternity homes are in fact young students and immature girls who should be worrying about their schools rather than preparing for motherhood. According to the latest statistics these young girls represent 42 percent of the population of these homes and their average age is only 16. ( Teachings of Islam and Christian Nations, July 13, 1925)

The above excerpts attests to the high numbers of unwanted pregnancies. This is despite the fact that numerous methods of birth control are now easily available and becoming pregnant by accident is almost impossible. The statistics in the above quote show that a very small number, perhaps one out of every couple of hundreds, of those who actually engage in illicit sexual activity find themselves in a maternity home. Despite prostitution being illegal in England and not included in the rights of women, one trustworthy source, a lady, writes:

In the three years from 1915 to 1917, over 20,000 women were arrested in London alone for prostitution. These were only the ones who were unlucky or stupid enough to get caught for, in fact, there are thousands more who have practiced this trade all their lives and have managed to elude the law. ( Inqilób, July 1, 1928 as quoted in Ta‘līmót–e-Islam)

John Pull writes:

There are over 40,000 prostitutes in New York City, not counting those girls who use their homes, hotels and other public places to carry on their trade. It has been calculated that one out of every ten women in New York is involved in such a trade and that an estimated 5,540,000 men avail themselves of their services during a year. In other words 15,180 men visit such women every day, many of whom suffer from sexually-transmitted diseases. ( Inqilób, July 1, 1928 as quoted in Ta‘līmót–e-Islam)

The June 1935 edition of the magazine Mahshar-e-Khayól stated that 30,000 women in London practiced prostitution with a legal license. Even if such women are visited by a minimum of five men a day, which is obviously a very conservative number, then 150,000 men a day and 54,750,000 a year openly commit legal adultery in the city of London alone.

In the city of Glasgow, young women announced that they would set up kissing stands to raise money for the college students of the city. Selling a kiss for six shillings each, these young women raised thousands of pounds.

In London, there are young women’s associations whose members vow to never marry, but having affairs and illicit sexual relationships are not against their constitution.

Female students at one American university were asked in a survey to list the qualities and skills which were necessary for girls to have before entering universities for the first time. Over 200 girls responded. A summary of the results of this survey was published in the newspaper Madina.

Girls should be aware of what masculinity is and what femininity is and what are their characteristics and requisites. She should know how to dance, smoke, drink, and hug a member of the opposite sex. She should not indiscriminately respond to every male

who appears interested in her; instead she should select her partners on the basis of her taste and interests. She should also know how to handle herself with someone who has been drinking or is coming on too strong and against her will. One girl’s response was more specific. She believed that girls should have some experience beforehand in hugging and kissing men so as to prevent embarrassment due to inexperience when they go to university. Thus, they will have the ability to effectively handle themselves with other male students, teachers, or staff of the university. Also she should know how to tactfully discourage physical overtures from those she does not like. ( Siyósat, Lahore, May 28, 1923 5 Ta‘līmót-e-Islam, p. 105)

An American scholar writes:

What is the purpose of our cinema, theater and the cars we drive?

They teach us about crime and illicit relationships because of which we learn to steal, to run off with women. They aid in indecency and obscenity which has resulted in men losing their sense of honor and women losing their chastity. Family life is in ruins. Free women don’t care for the men and men do not care for them. The best gift given to a friend or acquaintance is their wife or daughter and women enjoy and desire the lustful glances of men.

George Allen Endalon writes in his book Civilization:

Words of respect are uttered in praise of the qualities of chastity, modesty and honor but everyday life is devoted to the pursuit of adultery, fornication and syphilis    ⁽ Ta‘līmót-e-Islam, p. 105⁾

These same needs for sexual excitement led to the convening of international exhibitions in the west. Exhibitions of what commodity? No, not commercial items but rather beauty pageants to exhibit and judge women’s bodies. The purpose of these beauty pageants is to select the most beautiful woman from the female representatives of different countries around the world. The winning country and province is then praised in glowing terms. Not only are there pageants to choose the most beautiful women, but also shows to choose the woman with the most beautiful body parts. Only recently there was a “most beautiful thighs” pageant to decide which of the young women competing had the most perfect thighs in terms of color, size, shape, etc. The winners of such shows are awarded prizes. One can easily estimate where the values of people are headed today.

The few examples and statistics presented above, which do not represent the entire west but only a few cities and only over a limited time frame [65 years ago], are sufficient to give the readers some inkling of the extent to which male and female intermingling and immodesty have sunk human beings to the level of animals. It also clearly demonstrates the extent to which people, who have denounced religion in favor of their own man-made laws and modernization, are losing the very characteristics which make them human. Sacrificing true happiness, mental peace and satisfaction, the doors of hell are being opened to swallow the entire human race.

This is the progressive and enlightened culture to which its avid, almost fanatical converts [our “enlightened” younger generation], are inviting us. Articles and columns opposing and misrepresenting hijab as defined by Shari‘a fill the pages of newspapers and magazines in order to ensure that Asia follows the West on the road to shamelessness and renounce hijab. It is sad to see we have become dumb, deaf and blind; our hearts have hardened to the truth, and our minds are indoctrinated. We have lost the ability to grasp the reality and enlightenment of Islam. The Shari‘a taught its followers the ways of modesty, purity, and faith, to save them from the morally destructive and deadly repercussions that follow after disregarding the hijab. Muslims are taught, not only to eschew the shameless and immodest behavior which characterizes both the first and second periods of Jóhiliyya, but also to avoid any similarity or resemblance to it. It is for this reason that Islam presented, against tabarruj al-jóhiliyya, a natural alternative of hijab, which fosters modesty and ensures positive outcomes. It not only protects the honor of the virtuous Muslim women but also guarantees material success, protection of human virtues, and national integrity.

It should be kept in mind that the above examples, which were taken from the book Shar‘ī Parda by Qari Muúammad ùayyib are from sixty years ago. Since then, the West has witnessed a manifold increase in indecency, lewdness, and corruption in their society. It is a phenomenon which the Western people themselves are well aware of, for it is they who have created the laws which legalize and protect such “rights” of its citizens. Countless incidents take place on a daily basis which illustrate this. One such event took place in the city of Kitchener, Canada, and was reported by the K.W. Record in its October 25th, 1988 edition:

A 40-year old Canadian immigrant of Chile lived in Canada with his 34 year old Chilean wife. One day, upon returning home he found his wife in bed with another man. He went to the police to report the incident and was told that they could not take any action as her actions were not against the law. He returned home, but once there, could not bear to simply do nothing; he called the police again. Two police officers soon arrived, apprised themselves of the situation and informed him that they could not do anything. They advised him to go to sleep on the sofa in the other room and left. Unable to control his emotions any longer, the husband picked up a knife and stabbed his wife in the back. She was admitted to the hospital for her injuries and soon recovered. No charges were brought against her. Her husband, however, was brought to trial and, being found guilty of stabbing his wife, was sentenced to jail for a year and a half.

Incidents such as these are commonplace here and do not surprise or astonish the local residents. It is hard to find college or university girls who remain virgin until they are married. As a matter of fact Westerners are often surprised that the people of East still expect unmarried girls to remain virgin until the time of marriage.