Being forced to wear the pardah

Q. A man forces his wife to wear the pardah (the veil) and to perform Salah. The wife agrees to wear the pardah and to perform Salah only because the husband obliges her to do so. In such a case, is it not better for the wife to refrain from doing these two actions rather than doing it to please her husband and not Allah?

R. Doing a good deed or refraining from doing an evil deed should be motivated solely by the purpose of pleasing Allah Ta'ala or by His fear. The reward for such an action will be proportional to the degree of sincerity. This does not mean that an action that is motivated by something other than pleasing Allah is devoid of benefits. Thus a young girl who abstains from leaving the house, either for fear of being blamed or for fear of being punished by her family, deserves our encouragement. It cannot be said that it is not worth it for her not to leave her house because she does not do it to please Allah. On the contrary, her exit is likely to create more problems and can, as a result, lead to more anger of Allah. Similarly, one should encourage the practice of Salah and the wearing of pardah even if these acts are not performed only to please Allah Ta'ala.

It should be noted that often a person does a good deed out of ostentation at first, and then by practicing this action, it becomes a habit and gradually it is done with sincerity and thus becomes Ibaadah.

As for Salah performed under duress or for the sole purpose of pleasing one's husband, it is valid if all the basic rules and principles are observed. The Salah, thus made, should not be repeated since the person concerned has fulfilled his duty. And, in this way, the person will not be punished for neglecting an obligation (a Farz). However, she will not have the promised reward of Salah, and her action will be accompanied by the (grave) sin of ostentation.

Moreover, the Salah of a person who pretends to perform it when he does not even intend to do so, will not be valid. In short, the Salah in the context mentioned in the question is similar to that of a person who came to the mosque not for the fulfilment of the Salah itself, but to attend a nikah for example.

[English version of "Être forcée à porter le pardah" – Al Haadi – Vol. 1 No. 4]