Abul A'la Maududi, Purdah and the status of Women in Islam, 1991, p. 140, Taj Company Ltd, Lahore, Pakistan.
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The real place of women is the house and she has been exempted from outdoor duties…She has however been allowed to go out of the house to fulfil her genuine needs, but whilst going out she must observe complete modesty. Neither should she wear glamorous clothes and attract attention, nor should she cherish the desire to display the charms of the face and the hand, nor should she walk in a manner which may attract attention of others. Moreover she should not speak to them without necessity, and if she has to speak she should not speak in a sweet and soft voice.

— Abul A'la Maududi on Purdah

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "The real place of women is the house and she has been exempted from outdoor duties…She has however been allowed to go out of the house to fulfil her genuine needs, but whilst going out she must observe complete modesty. Neither should she wear glamorous clothes and attract attention, nor should she cherish the desire to display the charms of the face and the hand, nor should she walk in a manner which may attract attention of others. Moreover she should not speak to them without necessity, and if she has to speak she should not speak in a sweet and soft voice." in the context of "Abul A'la Maududi, Purdah and the status of Women in Islam, 1991, p. 140, Taj Company Ltd, Lahore, Pakistan." to mean that wisdom is timeless.

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Source: Wikiquote: "Purdah" (Quotes) The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
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About Abul A'la Maududi

Syed Abul A'la Maududi Chishti (Urdu: ابو الاعلی مودودی; September 25, 1903 – September 22, 1979), also known as Abul A'la Maududi, was a journalist, theologian, Muslim revivalist leader and political philosopher. He was the founder of the Jamaat-e-Islami and the first recipient of the King Faisal International Award from Saudi Arabia. He has been the second person in history whose absentee funeral was observed in the Kaaba.