Importance of Modesty in Protecting Family
Hojat-ol-Islam Jalil Mohebi made the remark in a debate recently held at a university in Mashhad about hijab and family. Following are excerpts from his remarks:
There is a comparison made between the rule of the church (in the Middle Ages) and the religious rule in Iran. We should see if it is an accurate comparison. (The fact is that they are not comparable). A government that has philosophy, social sciences, Fiqh, and ethics is fundamentally different from one that has no basis.
If you look at Shia Fiqh, you see that there are efforts for attracting benefits and preventing harms mentioned for all rulings.
God does not issue rulings out of imprudence but considers a benefit or preventing a harm. Anyone studying Shia Fiqh agrees with this.
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What are these efforts to attract benefits and prevent harms based on? One basis could be about what Dr Soroush says. He believes that whatever is mentioned in the religion about attracting benefits and preventing harms is for our life in the hereafter not in this world. He says if you want to have a healthy life in this world, you should go to empirical sciences. Hence, we no longer have anything like the religion’s social rulings.
Another view is that of philosophers who follow Mulla Sadra. They say when you implement the religion’s rulings, you improve your life both in this world and the next.
There is also another view that says religions has come to build life in this world and that religious rulings prepare the ground for us to know God and then go to God in the next world.
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The first view is rejected by Shia scholars. If we accept the second or third view, we have agreed with the fact that religious rulings are for worldly benefits.
When we talk about Haya (inherent sense of modesty) and Hijab, what is the scope of this Hijab? The society should decide about this.
The benefit of Haya and Hijab is protecting the institution of family. Islam’s intellectual system is based on protecting family rights. The values of individuals and society must be in the interest of the family system. That is why there are restrictions defined for man and woman.
And if these restrictions are not respected and immodesty spreads in society, it would lead to the collapse of family.
