[2]. The Institutes of Mahomed, held in the same estimation as our Bible.
[3]. Zeenut, literally ornamented, means such parts as are usually covered; such as the breast, from the knee to the ancle, from the wrist upwards, the hand, shoulders, &c.
‘Neither the husbands, nor the wives, will, by any means, allow jealousy to be the cause; for they say, ‘Were a woman viciously inclined, even encircled by walls of iron, she would, by some contrivance or other, find means for accomplishing her purpose. It is not,’ say they, ‘against such their precautions are aimed: it is, that the minds of those who are really pure may not be contaminated through the force of bad example; and, that women, being naturally weak, and easily led astray, as may be inferred from the story of poor Eve, it becomes the duty of the husbands to guard them from the flowery paths of temptation.’ Such, indeed, is the force of education, that a lady of Hindostan, of decent parentage, would rather suffer death than exposure to public view. In imprecating the greatest evils on the head of an enemy, a female could not conceive any term so severe as those which conveyed a wish that the veil of concealment might be rent asunder. However, notwithstanding the seclusion of the ladies is so much talked of, and deemed so harsh, it will, probably, on investigation, be found, that the prohibition extends only to such as could have but a slight intercourse with them, even if the full influence of social communication obtained. Their rules respecting muhrem and na muhrem, words implying forbidden and not forbidden, are, in their principle, simple enough, viz. ‘That a woman may be seen by any man whose relationship to her precludes marriage’; though custom has established many deviations from this rule; all which seem to have arisen, not from jealousy, but from a mistaken sense of modesty.
‘In the upper provinces, all the brothers visit each other’s wives without distinction; but, in Bengal, only those junior to the husband. Indeed, in Bengal, the distinctions of muhrem, and na muhrem, are so whimsical, and amount to such a mixture of Hindu superstition and Mahomedan prejudice, as would render a detailed account of them disgusting to the reader. I shall therefore comprize what I have to say on the subject in as few words as possible.
‘A wife, even in Bengal, may enjoy the society of all her own male relations. In this light are considered chellas, children brought up in the family, and the relations of the nurse; the nurse being considered as standing in the same relationship as the natural parents; and often, among the great in the upper provinces, where two females are solicitous to form an intimate connection, it is accomplished, as completely as marriage could do it, by obtaining a female of one family to suckle a child belonging to the other. Male friends, of the respectable class, though never permitted to see each other’s wives, make enquiries after the ladies’ healths, send and receive compliments, and are sometimes permitted (with the precaution of the curtain) to free and unrestrained conversation. It may be seen from the above, that the circle of a lady’s male acquaintance may be much more extensive than Europeans would in general suppose; for, taking advantage of the spirit of the regulations, and waiving the more preposterous, half a dozen sisters might enjoy the society of a number of men, little less limitted than falls to the lot of most ladies of the middle ranks in colder climates; and it must be remembered, that, what is said here generally applies to the middle ranks, including the lesser Ameers.[[4]]
[4]. Ameers are persons high in office, or of illustrious families. This title is also bestowed on military commanders.