Surme Ka Til Bana Ke Rukh-E-Laa-Jawaab Mein...

By Sumit Paul, New Age Islam 18 November 2023 "A Kanpur woman had filed a police complaint claiming that her husband pronounced triple talaq over the phone from Saudi Arabia upon learning that she had her eyebrows shaped." Courtesy, NAI … This reminds me of an Urdu poet Qamar Jalalwi's famous couplet: Surme ka til bana ke rukh-e-laa-jawaab mein Nuqta badha rahe ho Khuda ki kitaab mein (By adding a mole of collyrium on an already beauteous face/ You're adding a dot to the Book of Allah) 'Nuqta Badhana' (adding a dot) is a theological phrase in Urdu which means committing an act of blasphemy as humans have no right to alter even a dot in the 'holy' Book. Such a primitive mindset! What is wrong if a woman gets her eyebrows shaped or goes to a beauty parlour? Will clerics and Muslim men decide whether or not women should visit parlours? Looking beautiful or more presentable is not just a human, particularly a feminine, tendency, it's an individual's inalienable right. "Khud Ke Liye Bhi Toh Sajti Hai Aurat / Zaroori Nahin Ke Saje Faqat Mard Ke Liye Hi " (A woman grooms for herself as well / It's not necessary for her to look pretty for a man). Morbidly patriarchal Islam treats women as chattel and at times, like doormats. A woman's beauty and body aren't properties of a man. She's not a commodity or a personal fiefdom of her husband. She has her entity and personality. "Shabistaan Mein Sajoon Main Shauhar Ke Liye / Baahar Kaajal Lagaoon Toh Kufra Kahlaye Ye " (I embellish myself to look prettier in the bedroom/ But when I apply collyrium outside the four walls, it becomes sacrilegious). A very young Parveen Shakir wrote this couplet when she was in her early twenties. This " Sajna Hai Sajna Ke Liye/ Murjhana Hai Duniya Ke Liye " (To make up only for my husband/ To wither for the world) should come to an end. Enhancement of beauty must never be questioned or condemned. " Haseen Ko Aur Haseentar Bana/ Apni Aankhon Mein Zara Kaajal Laga " (Look even more pretty/ Apply kohl to your eyes). Moreover, who are these uneducated muftis to issue such bovine edicts? Is India an Islamic country? Muslim women mustn't care for these decrees even if issued by Deobandis or Nadwis. ۔۔۔ A regular columnist for New Age Islam, Sumit Paul is a researcher in comparative religions, with special reference to Islam. He has contributed articles to the world's premier publications in several languages including Persian. ---- URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/surme-til-bana-ke-rukh/d/131134 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism