Hirasat al-Fadila
- Author died
- 1429 AH
- Editions
- Dar al-Asimah lil-Nashr wal-Tawzi
Hirasat al-Fadila (Guarding Virtue) is a contemporary Islamic treatise by the Saudi scholar Bakr Abu Zayd (d. 1429 AH / 2008 CE), devoted to affirming Islamic norms of female modesty, the hijab, and gender boundaries while critiquing Westernization and calls for women's liberation .
Background and Composition
Bakr Abu Zayd composed the work in response to contemporary intellectual currents and media campaigns calling for the liberation of women and changes to their status in the Arabian Peninsula . He defined the treatise as an effort to ground Muslim women in virtue and unveil the claims of Westernized figures who promote vice under modern frameworks such as globalization . In compiling the treatise, the author synthesized material drawn from approximately two hundred books, treatises, and articles concerning women, in addition to classical sources of Quranic exegesis, hadith, and jurisprudence .
Structure and Contents
The book is arranged into two main chapters followed by a concluding discussion:
- Chapter One: Establishes ten foundational principles grounded in Islamic law, including the obligation to believe in the inherent distinctions between men and women, the requirement of the full hijab, the prohibition of gender mixing (ikhtilat), marriage as the crown of virtue, safeguarding children from misleading influences, and the obligation of protective jealousy (ghayrah) over female relatives and believing women . Within his legal argumentation on the hijab, Abu Zayd categorizes the textual evidences cited by those who permit uncovering the face into three categories: authentic and explicit texts that were subsequently abrogated by the verses of hijab; authentic but non-explicit texts that cannot stand against definitive proofs; and explicit texts that are unauthentic .
- Chapter Two: Titled "Exposing the Callers of Women to Vice" (Kashf Duat al-Mara ila al-Radhila), this section critiques the methods and strategies used by Westernized advocates to alter female roles across public life, education, the media, and indiscriminate employment .
The work concludes with an analysis of the historical origins of modern concepts of freedom and equality, their impact on Muslim societies, and the measures required to counter campaigns against traditional morality .
Publication and Reception
The first edition of the book was published in Riyadh by Dar al-Asima in 1421 AH (2000 CE) . It achieved widespread circulation, with 500,000 copies printed across its first four editions before the release of its fifth edition in the same year .
The book was widely praised by traditional scholars and frequently recommended in contemporary legal rulings as a key reference on the hijab and female social conduct . Owing to the work's prominence, Abu Zayd became widely referred to in prose and poetry during his lifetime and posthumously as "the Guardian of Virtue" (Haris al-Fadila) . Conversely, the work drew sharp criticism from liberal writers, who criticized its methodology and accused it of downplaying scholarly disagreement regarding women's issues, even while acknowledging its record sales .
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