Jalib al-Surur li-Rabbat al-Khudur
- Author died
- 1445 AH
- Editions
- Without publisher (Cataloging of King Fahd National Library - Riyadh)
Jalib al-Surur li-Rabbat al-Khudur (Bringer of Joy to the Women of Seclusion) is an admonitory and educational treatise on women's modesty, veiling, and religious ethics by al-Karim bin Salih al-Humayd (d. 1445 AH / 2023 CE).
Composition and Purpose
The author completed the book on Thursday evening, 15 Rajab 1421 AH (October 2000 CE), in Buraydah in the region of al-Qasim. The work is addressed to Muslim women as an exhortation to adhere to the legislated veil (al-hijab al-shar'i), avoid unveiling (sufur) and wanton display (tabarruj), stay within the home, and refrain from frequenting commercial markets or imitating non-Muslim customs.
Content and Structure
The book is structured into short thematic prose sections interspersed with extensive original poetry by the author:
- Introduction (al-Muqaddimah): Reminds the reader that humans were not created merely for play, amusement, eating, and drinking, but to prepare for the afterlife.
- Admonitions on Beauty and Pride: Sections such as Idha Qila.. Innaki Jamilah ("If It Is Said... You Are Beautiful") and Sukr al-Hawa ("The Intoxication of Passion") caution against displaying beauty in marketplaces and wearing garments such as trousers. Dawa' li-l-Nisa' wa-l-Rijal min al-I'jab wa-l-Kibr ("A Remedy for Women and Men Against Self-Admiration and Arrogance") prescribes reflecting on human physical impurities to extinguish vanity, citing statements attributed to Ibn Mas'ud and Malik ibn Dinar.
- Defense of the Veil: Includes al-Hijab, presenting an instructional dialogue between a scholar and a Christian girl in which the veil is likened to a jeweler locking precious gems in a safe to protect them from thieves. Al-Mar'ah al-Salihah outlines the virtues and tranquility of the righteous woman.
- Spiritual Ailments and Sins: The sections Athar al-Ma'asi 'ala al-Qulub ("Effects of Sins on the Hearts"), Tibb al-Abdan wa-Tibb al-Adyan ("Medicine of Bodies and Medicine of Religions"), and Min al-'Uqubat al-'Ajilah wa-l-Mutarattibah 'ala al-Dhunub ("On Immediate Punishments Resulting from Sins") draw directly on abridged material from Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya's al-Jawab al-Kafi, detailing how disobedience blinds and corrupts the heart.
- Specific Social and Moral Cautions: Covers warnings against sheer clothing (al-Thiyab al-Shaffafah), altered forms of the face veil (al-Niqab), music and singing (al-Aghani), and unlawful seclusion with non-mahram men (al-Khalwah Jalibah li-l-Shaqwah). It also includes warnings against television screens (al-Shashah) as tools of moral ruin and against mocking religion (al-Sukhriyyah bi-l-Din 'Alamat al-Nifaq).
- Moral Tales and Reminders of Mortality: Features 'Ibrah ("A Lesson") and al-Ajal Aqrab min al-Amal ("The Appointed Time is Nearer than Hope"), narrating sudden deaths to encourage repentance. Nur min al-Rahman warns against Western cultural imitation.
- Conclusion: Concludes with al-Surur al-Mukhallad ("Eternal Joy") and al-Matab Qabl Ghalq al-Bab ("Repentance Before the Door is Shut"), urging sincere repentance before death.
Polemical and Poetic Sections
The text incorporates several dated polemical poems composed by the author:
- A poem written in 1410 AH refuting the ruling of Nasir al-Din al-Albani regarding the permissibility of uncovering the face and hands, arguing that covering the entire face is obligatory.
- A poem written in Rabi' al-Thani 1411 AH responding to a contemporary writer who praised women driving cars and advocated for unveiling.
- A poem titled Kusuf Shams al-Huda ("Eclipse of the Sun of Guidance"), also dated to Rabi' al-Thani 1411 AH, criticizing calls for women to drive and discard the veil.
Answer updated