I FIND MYSELF revisiting the life of Isa (as) and his mother Maryam (as) around this time of year. Their stories have many lessons for us today.
Take these two ayat. The Qur’an describes how Maryam (as) was visited by Jibrael (as), in human form.
فَٱتَّخَذَتْ مِن دُونِهِمْ حِجَابًا فَأَرْسَلْنَآ إِلَيْهَا رُوحَنَا فَتَمَثَّلَ لَهَا بَشَرًا سَوِيًّاقَالَتْ
إِنِّىٓ أَعُوذُ بِٱلرَّحْمَٰنِ مِنكَ إِن كُنتَ تَقِيًّا
‘And she took, in seclusion from them, a screen. Then We sent to her Our Angel, and he represented himself to her as a well-proportioned man. She said: “Indeed, I seek refuge in the Most Merciful from you, [so leave me], if you should be fearing of Allah.” (Maryam 17-18)
Maryam (as) feared being alone with an unknown man and appealed to his sense of taqwa (mindfulness of Allah).
This idea of avoiding khalwa, i.e. not being alone with a non-marriageable person is established in Islam.
The Prophet ﷺ said: “No man is alone with a woman but the Shaytaan is the third one present.” (Tirmidhi)
Our jurists define khalwa (seclusion) as a man being alone with one woman who is not a mahram (unmarriageable kin) within an enclosed area in such a way that a third party cannot see or enter upon them.
We can appreciate its wisdom. Allah ﷻ created human beings and there is a natural attraction between men and women for the purpose of procreation. However, that basic instinct needs to be regulated. Otherwise, it can lead to problems.
Liberal societies have turned this upside down. People need to be free to do as they please, they say. They look down on Islam, accusing it of being backward and oppressive.
Yet #Metoo has exposed just where liberalism has taken society and what harms it has caused. Not just to women but to men as well.
It is ironic that today in the corporate and professional world, clear advice is given to avoid being alone with a client of the opposite gender.
It has taken liberalism this long to work out that which Islam made clear 1400 years ago- that leaving a man and a woman alone together has the potential to lead to problems.
There remains one important difference. What drives our behaviour is what Maryam (as) mentioned- taqwa. What drives liberal behaviour is managing corporate reputation or the threat of ending one’s career on false allegations. Liberal views on sexuality however remain unchanged which is why we see that nothing really has changed.
Yet another reason why the world needs the light of Islam.
Living For Islam 