The A To Z Of Hijab

The A to Z of Hijab….!!! By: K.H.Azam Ahamed Azam Ahamed is a freelance writer and can be contacted via his email: [email protected] or blog: www.azamahamed.blogspot.com Note: Part A: Applicable for those who DO NOT wear Hijab. Part B & C: Applicable for all women.

Part A: Say “YES” to Hijab…!!! (Specially For those who DO NOT wear Hijab) The word “Islam” has two literal meanings, accordingly “Peace” & “Obeying Completely”. As the meaning itself expresses, we as Muslims must obey & follow all the orders of Almighty Allah. We have no rights what so ever to follow only what we prefer & to leave the rest. If we do so, it is NOT the real Islam & we are not real Muslims. As we already know, In Islam, acts of worship have been divided into two categories; “Compulsory” (Fardh) & “Optional” (Sunnah). As I mentioned above, “Obeying Completely” includes all the “Compulsory (Fardh)” acts, such as Prayer, Fasting, Zakah, Hijab (Islamic Dress for Women) & many others, these are compulsory acts & we must follow them at all circumstances. We may pray five times a day, we may observe fasting, we may pay Zakah, and we may go for Hajj. Similar to these acts, it is also COMPULSORY for all the matured Muslim women to wear Hijab when ever they appear in front of “Ajnabis” (marriageable person). Let it be a teenage girl or a married woman or an elder woman, it is applicable to all matured Muslim women. In “Salaah” (Prayer), there are few exceptions & options; such as if you are a traveler, you may do “Kasr” (Shortened Prayer) or “Jam’u” (Adjoined Prayer). In “Sa’um” (Fasting), there are few exceptions & options; such as if you are a traveler or a patient, you may not fast on that particular day & instead repeat it on another day. Similarly in most of the compulsory Acts, there are few exceptions & options but as far as the Hijab is concerned, there are no exceptions or options what so ever & it is strictly obligatory on all matured Muslims women. Allah orders in the Holy Quran: “And tell the believing women to lower their gaze and be modest, and to display of their adornment only that which is apparent, and to draw their veils over their bosoms, and not to reveal their adornment save to their own husbands or fathers or husbands fathers, or their sons or their husbands' sons, or their brothers or their brothers' sons or sisters sons, or their women, or their slaves, or male attendants who lack vigour, or children who know naught of women's nakedness. And let them not stamp their feet so as to reveal what they hide of their adornment. And turn unto Allah together, O believers, in order that ye may succeed.” (Holy Quran 24:31) Some people may blame their culture & environment for their stage of Non-Hijab, specially the people in westernized countries. But we should also remember that it is from such a westernized Culture & Environment; a woman (Marva Sherfini) scarified her life to safe guard her Hijab, it is from such a culture & environment; women protest to safe guard their right to wear Hijab. Therefore we may not blame the culture & environment we live in. It is our “Iman” (Faith) which controls everything, it is our Faith which controls our behaviors, and it is our Faith which controls our attitude. Thus if our “Faith” is strong, we may find NO obstacles to practice our Religion & to obey Allah’s orders despite the culture & environment we live. The first priority of every Muslim in this world should be Almighty Allah, secondly his messenger Prophet Muhammed (PBUH) & then our parents. We must love Allah than anything else in this world. But loving Allah means, not saying “I LOVE YOU ALLAH”, instead it means obeying all the orders of Almighty Allah &

seeking his content or satisfaction in what ever we do. We do so many things to convince & satisfy our parents, we avoid so many things just because our parents ordered. If so, why can’t we obey the order of Almighty Allah??? It is HE who created us, it is HE who fulfils our needs, HE is our lord. If we can obey the orders of our Parents (whom Allah has used as a tool to deliver us to this world), why can’t we obey the orders of the Ultimate savior??? Allah asks us in the Quran “….Is there any creator other than Allah who provides for you from the sky and the earth?” (Holy Quran 35:03) Just think a minute…..!!!! Let me illustrate the importance of Hijab through a practical example; Assume that we have a diamond stone & an ordinary black stone. Obviously “Diamond” is the most valuable thing in our point of view when compared to that black stone, thus we would give maximum protection & security to that diamond stone as it is valuable. We may wrap it, put it inside a safe or a box & keep it always hidden; we won’t show it to everyone. It won’t be visible to everyone. But will we do the same for that black stone as well? Will we put that black stone in a safe or box & keep it hidden? Obviously no. Because that black stone has no value what so ever. It’s spread every where, in streets, in garbage’s, etc. Similarly in Islam women are like “Diamond” stones. We value them highly, we want to protect them, and we want to safe guard them. That’s why we want them to be hidden, that’s why we impose Hijab on them. But where as in the western society the women are like those black stones. They have no value what so ever. They are spread every where. They have NO protection or security. Now coming to most important question, DO YOU WANT TO BE A DIAMOND OR A MERE BLACK STONE? You be the judge. Feel it from the heart……!!!! Part B: Hijab: How Should It Be…??? Encouragingly a large number of people started wearing Hijab all around the world. Different people wear different kinds Hijabs. But are all these Hijabs really fulfills the Islamic criteria? Are all these modern Hijabs Islamic? Do these so-called mini scarves really meet the Shari’ah conditions? When we are to buy a Hijab, we look at its design, we look at its colour, we look its quality, we are concerned whether it is a latest arrival or out dated, but how many of us really bothered whether it really meets the Islamic criteria for Hijab? Unfortunately very few of us are concerned about it. Most of our sisters’ wear different verities of Hijabs & other dresses, but most of them do not fulfill the requirements laid down by the Islamic Shari’ah. Most of our sisters are addicted to fashionable Hijabs, jeans & other dresses. Allah Most High mentioned in Surat An-Nur the main requirements of the Islamic dress. This general description in the Qur'an has been explained in detail in the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him). The Islamic dress should be: ¾ Should cover the entire body except Face & Hands below wrist: Many scholars have clearly expressed that Niqab (Face Cover) is not obligatory rather it’s optional. Even during the time of Islamic khilafah, so many Sahabaas, Thaa’ifeens & Thafauth’thafieens have expressed that it is not obligatory. For example, one of the great companions of prophet, Ibn Abbas (May Allah bless him) who was one of the great Islamic & thafseer scholar of that time, interpreted the Quranic verse “And tell the believing women to lower their gaze and be modest, and to display of their adornment only that which is apparent, and to draw their veils over their bosoms, ……” (Holy Quran 24:31) & explained that what is meant by the term “Apparent” as Face & Wrist. Why most scholars quote Ibn Abbas’s explanation is because, When the final Surah of Quran was revealed, the prophet asked his companions “What do you all think about the revelation of the Final Surah?” then many Sahabaas gave different answers, but Ibn Abbas said “It shows that the message of Prophet is completed & his death is near”, then Prophet (PBUH) was so excited by his reply & embraced him tightly and raised his hands & said “Ya Allah! May you give the deepest knowledge of Islam & Quran to Ibn Abbas”. We have no doubt as to whether the Prophet’s Dua would be accepted or not, thus most scholars believe that Ibn Abbas’s opinion & interpretation for that Quran verse should be accurate and therefore conclude that Niqab (Face Cover) is not obligatory.

¾ It must not be transparent, revealing what is underneath it. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) has informed us that, “Among the dwellers of hell are such women as are clothed yet naked, seducing and being seduced. These shall not enter the Garden, nor shall (even) its fragrance reach them.” Here, the meaning of “clothed yet naked” is that their light, thin, transparent garments do not conceal what is underneath. Once some women of Bani Tamim, who were clad in transparent clothes, came to see `A’ishah, and she remarked, “If you are Believers, these are not the clothes which befit believing women.” On another occasion, when a bride wearing a sheer and transparent head-covering was brought into her presence, she commented, “A woman who dresses like this does not believe in surat an-Nur.” (This is surah 24, which together with surah 33 (al-Ahzab) contains many injunctions concerning purity and propriety, man-woman relations, and dress) ¾ Not carrying a symbol of un-Islamic faiths. ¾ In her choice of clothing she should not imitate non-Muslims, whether they are Jews, Christians, or pagans, for Islam disapproves of conformity to non-Islamic modes and desires its followers to develop their own distinctive characteristics in appearance, as well as in beliefs and attitudes. This is why Muslims have been asked to be different from non-Muslims in many aspects, and why the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) has said, “Whoever imitates a people is one of them”. ¾ Her dress must not be too tight so as to define the parts of her body, especially its curves, even though it may not be transparent. This describes many of the styles of clothing current in the sensuous, materialistic civilization of the Western world, whose fashion designers compete with one another in devising clothing for women which tantalizingly emphasizes the bustline, waist, and hips, etc., in order to elicit the lustful admiration of men. Women who wear such clothes likewise fall under the definition of “clothed yet naked”, since such a dress is often more provocative than one which is transparent. ¾ Not having sheer flagrancy that tempts. ¾ Not displaying excessive ostentation or showing off. ¾ Not to be a dress that is exclusive for men. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) cursed women who try to resemble men and men who resemble women, and prohibited women from wearing men’s clothing and vice-versa. If you see these requirements, you can determine what the moderate Islamic dress would look like and what the meaning of Hijab really is. As for these women who are putting on makeup and wearing tight jeans, they may have not understood the meaning and the core of Islamic dress. Part C: Hijab: Is it only a Dress…??? What is Hijab? Is it merely a dress code? What else come under Hijab? Compared to few decades ago, there is a significant improvement in the no of women wearing Hijab & awareness amongst Muslims about the importance of Hijab due to the endless efforts of our Da’ees (Islamic Activists). But some of them failed to emphasize the “Life of Hijab”, instead they put more emphasis only on the “Dress of Hijab”. We all must remember that Hijab means not only the dress, but there is a life behind it. Just because one wears Hijab, it doesn’t mean that she can do what ever she want & go where ever she wishes. Dress is only a part of Hijab; it is the behavior & character which matters most. She must observe & follow all the behavioral & moral commands prescribed by Islam in connection with “Mahram - Ajnabi” relationships. Sadly, we have been informed of many incidents about the unacceptable behaviors of our Muslim sisters specially while wearing Hijab. In schools, class, streets, public functions, etc the way our sisters (who wear Hijab) behave sometimes even made us cry. Why these kinds of incidents occur quite often? What is the reason for it? It is their attitude “We Can do anything if we Wear Hijab”, which has led our community to such a catastrophic stage. We must remember that, these incidents not only spoil the

name of those individuals concerned but also the “Concept of Hijab” in Islam. These people should be convicted for spoiling the reputation of Hijab through their immoral behaviors. World’s highest eminent Islamic Scholar & the Great universal Islamic personality Sheikh Dr.Yusuf AlQaradawi (The President of the International Union of Muslim Scholars (IUMS) & the Head of European Council for Fatwa & Research (ECFR)) states in his world renown book, “The Lawful and the Prohibited in Islam” (Al-Halaal Wal-Haraam Fil-Islam): The correct Islamic behavior required of Muslim women which keeps them from wantonly displaying their attractions is characterized by the following: 1) Lowering the gaze: Indeed, the most precious ornament of a woman is modesty, and the best expression of modesty is in the lowering of the gaze, as Almighty Allah says, [...And tell the believing women that they should lower their gazes...] (An-Nur 24: 31) 2)

Not intermingling with men in such a way that their bodies come in contact or that men touch women, as happens so often today in the movies, theaters, university classrooms, auditoriums, buses, streetcars, and the like. Ma`qal ibn Yasar narrated that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “It is better for one of you to be pricked in the head with an iron pick than to touch a woman whom it is unlawful to touch.” (Reported by at-Tabarani and al-Bayhaqi)

3) Her clothing must conform to the standards laid down by the Islamic Shari`ah 4) The Muslim woman walks and talks in a dignified and business-like manner, avoiding flirtatiousness in her facial expressions and movements. Flirting and seductive behavior are characteristics of wrong-minded women, not of Muslims. Allah Almighty says: [Then do not be too pleasant of speech, lest one in whose heart there is a disease should feel desire (for you)...] (Al-Ahzab 33: 32) 5) She does not draw men’s attention to her concealed adornment by the use of perfume or by jingling or toying with her ornaments or other such things. Allah says: [They should not strike their feet in order to make known what they hide of their adornment...] (An-Nur 24: 31) The women of the time of jahiliyyah (pre-Islamic period) used to stamp their feet when they passed by men so that the jingling of their ankle-bracelets might be heard. The Qur’an forbade this, both because it might tempt a lecherous man to pursue her and also because it demonstrates the evil intention of the woman in attempting to draw the attention of men to herself. Similar is the Islamic ruling concerning the use of fragrant perfumes, since here again the intention is to attract men by exciting their desire. A hadith states, “The woman who perfumes herself and passes through a gathering is an adulteress.” (Reported by Abu Dawud and at-Tirmidhi) This hadith has also been reported by an-Nasa’i, Ibn Khuzaymah, and Ibn Hibban in the following words: “Any woman who perfumes herself and passes by a group of people so that her scent reaches them is an adulteress.” Al-Hakim also reported this hadith and said that it has sound transmitters. Conclusion: To conclude, The Islamic dress is not merely covering the head and wearing long sleeves or a long dress down to the ankles. It is a great meaning for the Islamic identity of the Muslim woman. Hijab is the source of salvation given by Islam for women, where no other culture, civilization or religion has given. Yet it’s the duty of every Muslim, let it be Men or Women, to safeguard & protect it as well as to implement it properly. No one could find a single excuse or justification to be ignorant or negligent in Hijab. It’s indeed a religious duty similar to Prayer, Fasting, Hajj, Zakah, etc. Allah Knows Best….!!!!! May Allah show us the straight path….!!!!