The Hijab Why !
Аll praise belongs to Allah who has guided His believing servants to
do acts of obedience and made it easy to do righteous deeds.
Every Muslim has been created to worship Allah alone, without associating partners with Him. Тhe life of every Muslim whether they are mаlе or female should bе based upon Islam, because Islam is not merely a religion but a complete way of life in true submission to Allah. Being а certain age, sex or from a certain гасе does not exempt one from doing good deeds and actions and the amount of reward is not affected by the person’ s wealth, status or race. Allah does not look upon your wealth, уоur status, or your race. Rather it’ s your righteousness and humility that Allah looks out for.
Islam is а universal religion, which is both complete and perfect at the same time. It is neither for men more then women nor women more then men. It gives both equal rights and both shall bе judged equally according to their actions, as Allah says in the Noble Qur’an:
“Whoever works righteousness, man or woman and has faith, verily to him we will give а new life and а life that is good and pure and we will bestow оп such their reward according to the best о! their actions” (An-Nahl 16:97)
Thus the above verse shows, very clearly, that each person will be judged according to their deeds and actions and not their status, age оr sex and their reward will be according to their actions.
Being a Muslim should make one proud without looking down at another Muslim. Our main aim as а Muslim should be to please Allah in as many ways as we possibly can. Praying, fasting, paying Zakah, performing Hajj, showing kindness and wearing the hijab, these are all some of the actions, which can gain us a lot of reward.
We shall Insha Allah look at one of these many ways of gaining Allah’s pleasure and reward by discussing the Hijab, the dress of every Muslimah (а Muslim woman), which is а proof of the modesty and nobility of every believing woman. We as Muslim sisters must remember that the Hijab is one of our means of getting into Paradise. Wе should feel honoured and dignified. Wе should feel protected, secure and obedient. Wе should feel guarded like а pearl. In Paradise everyone will have eternal youth and never get old and enjoy what they like forever.
The Hijab, by many, has been seen as а sign of ‘oppression’ upon Muslim women. However the true Muslimah considers it to be a humble act of worship. Allah says in the Noble Qur’an:
“О Prophet! Tell your wives and your daughters and the women of the believers to draw their cloaks (veils) all over their bodies…” (Al-Ahzab 33: 59)
Above is one of the verses in the Noble Qur’an instructing the women to cover themselves. Allah further says in the Noble Qur’an:
“And tell the believing women to reduce [some] of their vision and guard their private parts and not expose their adornment except that which [necessarily] appears thereof and to wrap [a portion of] their head covers over their chests and not expose their adornment except to their husbands, their fathers, their husbands’ fathers, their sons, their husbands’ sons, their brothers, their brothers’ sons, their sisters’ sons..” (An-Nur 24:31)
Both of the above verses make it very clear for a Muslimah, that she should cover herself completely according to the rules set for us, except in front of those whom Allah has made lawful for us not to do so in the above verse.
The next question a Muslimah may ask is at what age must we start to observe the Hijab?
Аbu Dawood reported from Aishah that Asma, the daughter of Аbu Bakr, came to see the Рroрhеt (Peace and blessings of Allah bе upon him) wearing a thin dress. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) turned away and said to her, “О Asma! When а woman reaches the age оf puberty, she саnnot reveal аnу раrt of her body except this and this.” And he pointed to his face and hands.
The above Hadith (а report from or about the Prophet) and the Ayahs from the Noble Qur’an clearly show that firstly the Hijab is fard (compulsory) upon every living Muslim woman who has reached the age of puberty. Secondly, that she must keep herself covered when going out and in front of non-mahram (Men that а woman can marry) men.
In another Hadith narrated by Aishah, the Prophet (Peace and blessings of Allah Ье upon him) said, “Allah does not accept the prayer оf a woman who has reached the age оf puberty unless she is wearing the head covering. (Аbu Dawood and Tirmidhi)
Allah and His Messenger have given us very clear and unmistakable instructions as to the way and when a Muslimah must wear the Hijab. The explanations to the ‘whys’ and ‘buts’ that many реорlе use to question the Hijab have also been given and are also looked upon further in this book.
However, these questions should not arise. The order of the Creator should be taken and acted upon without question just like Imam Bukhari reports оn many occasions about the women of the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) used to. Without wanting an explanation, they would take the command of Allah and act upon it without the ‘buts’ and the ‘whys’. The women, as soon as they heard of the revelation regarding the Hijab, they cut the edges of their waist sheets and covered themselves without question. These were great women. They did not wait to be persuaded or coaxed into obedience. They knew that as true worshippers of Allah they had to gladly follow His orders straight away and this was for their own good from Allah. These women who were promised Paradise but still they carried out Allah’ s orders with pleasure and happiness. They had love for their Lord, their religion and their Prophet. Thus they abided by every rule and regulations without question or complaint. Allah states in the Noble Book:
“It is not fitting for а believer, men or women, when Allah and His Messenger have decided a matter for them to have аnу option about their affair…” (Al-Ahzab 33: 35)
The Muslimahs of today should try and follow the magnificent example of the Prophet (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). They should fol1ow the example of the women from the Muhajiroon and Ansar, who were considered the best in the way they stuck to the commandments of Allah. The Muhajiroon left Makkah for the sake of Allah and the Ansaar welcomed them in Medina for the sake of Allah and they were united in brotherhood for the sake of Allah. Any woman who accepts Allah as her Lord and Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) as the Messenger cannot reject any act of faith, let alone an action that is compulsory to do. The Muslimah is telling the people, through her Hijab, that she should be judged for her mind and not her body. She is reflecting honesty and purity by wearing the Hijab and indicating to others that she is an honourable person who respects herself.
The Muslimah cannot go against the rules set for her, especially when out punishment for disobedience has been clearly put in front of us. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, “There are two types of the people of Hell that I have not seen. People with whips like the tails of oxen, with which they beat the people and women who are dressed yet still appear naked, who are inclined to evil and тake their husbands incline towards it also. Their heads are like the humps of camels, leaning to one side. They will not enter Paradise, or even smell the scent, although its scent can be smelt from such a distance. (Sahih Muslim)
Lets look at the women of today’s society. What do women wear when they go out? What do we see оп the television and in the magazines? Women with clothes on, but still you can see their skin. These clothes highlight the contours of her body and invite others to gaze at her. They are determined to show off their body. However, Islam does not degrade a woman in such a way. Islam wants the opposite for a woman. Islam brings out the good qualities of an individual and removes the bad characteristics. It gives dignity and stops a person becoming cheap. Subhanallah, so true is this saying of the Prophet and so right is their punishment since they disobey their Creator with such vanity. Тhis Hadith should be enough for a Muslim woman who has sound faith and loves her religion to wear the Hijab. The one who chooses to disobey her Lord, then her punishment is clearly the Fire, the fire whose heat is severe and the pain from it indescribable.
There was once an occasion where а journalist was once visiting а university in Damascus. She care across a Muslim woman wearing the Hijab and asked her whether she found it too hot in the summer. The Muslim woman responded to her by quoting the following verse from the Qur’an:
“The fire of hell is fiercer in Heat.” (At-Taubah 9:81)
Such should be the attitude of every Muslim woman. We should honour the Hijab and stand up for it in anу way possible. It is our shield, our protection from the evil in this life and a way of achieving good in the next. If someone feels а small bit of discomfort because of hijab then this is nothing compared to security in this life and everlasting happiness in the next life.
The way of dress in the world of fashion changes as each day goes by. The different types of dress, skirts, and blouses come and go. It is something that еуеп the designers themselves cannot keep up to date with or rather keep up with at all. It is so amazing. The world of fashion is determined to design every dress to be a source of attraction. It is geared towards promoting temptation for the opposite sex and encourages physical relationships outside marriage. We hear about all these designers designing a certain style or dress for certain people, who then go out and model these outfits for magazines, catwalks, papers etc. Thеу put themselves on display without shame, on the market of the shaytan (devil). It is a huge industry and a lot of money is involved. The world of fashion need us to be morally low, not to control our greed and not care about Аllah and what awaits us in the next life. That way they can guarantee making money for themselves from our wealth that Аllah gave us and take us away from useful and charitable spending. The dress of the Muslim woman on the other hand is to cover as much as one possibly can, and not to make herself and her body an item of display or а source of attraction. With her Hijab she proclaims that she is neither a сheap toy for the pleasure of others nor a commodity on sale no matter how much is offered for her to lose her honour. Such а huge amount of money is spent in chasing fashion and style that never lasts long enough that it is incredible. Wealth is wasted on vanity and creating passions that make one another untrue to each other. All around we see and hear of family break-ups, loss of shame, реорlе taking sexual partners in a way worse than animals and distrust of one another due to this culture of free mixing supported by wearing clothes exactly the opposite of Hijab.
The famous writer Aishah Lemo states in her book, “Contrasting western fashions which every уеаr concentrate quite intentionally оп exposing yet another public gaze: one has seen the rise and fall of the mini dress, the micro skirt, the wet look, hot pants, the see-through; the topless and other garments designed to display the intimate part of a woman’s body.”
Мany incidents have occurred where Muslim women have been called names, abused for the way we dress. Why? Because it is in contrast to the fashion of the current Сentury! Тhis is what puts a lot of Muslim sisters off from wearing the Hijab, the fear of being attacked or called names. However, many a Muslimah has been through serious dilemmas and still came through strong and positive.
А fine example for us is of Tayyibah Amatullah, a 21year-old American convert to Islam who relates a very interesting incident, which happened to her. She was walking, alone, along the St.Paul’s skyway system in Minneapolis, USA, when five police officers stopped her and ticketed her. Нer crime – wearing the Hijab.
Amatullah was wearing gloves and a veil, which covered аll her body except her eyes. She was ticketed as she was, according to the officers, violating a 1963 State law against concealing her identity in public. The offence carried up to 90 days in prison and a $700 fine. The officers described her as ‘Вizane’. (Straight Path Magazine 1994)
So what do you think of this unfair incident. Was the way Amatullah dressed ‘Bizarre’ and extraordinary? Or were the actions the officers took ‘bizarre’? What was Amatullah’s crime? That in the 90′ s she was covered instead of uncovered! So then there also has to be a law that if a woman walks around naked or with see-through clothes then she is violating the law of exposing too much Where is the justice here? Why should human beings, who have free will, not be allowed to practice their faith in the way they want? Who is anybody in comparison to the Lord of the Worlds? People feel safe amongst police officers. Police officers whose jobs аге supposed to Ье to stop crime, stop attacks and make sure that everyone receives fair treatment with justice. However, it is truly only the law of Islam that offers a woman dignity, justice, protection and equal rights.
This fine example of Amatullah should encourage every Muslimah in the world and make us more determined than ever before, stronger and more optimistic to wear the Hijab and саrrу out the law of our Most Merciful Lord. The feeling to know that someone else has been through such an event should make us dedicated and more steadfast in our religion and encourage us to strive to obey our Lord and help others to do the same.
For many women, like Amatullah, the Hijab is а test of being a Muslim. For some it will be facing the world, for others it will be their own family and friends. This is a test to hold on to patience and to continue to carry out the command of Allah.
The Messenger of Allah said,
“How amazing is the affair of the Muslim! His affairs are аll good. If he experiences ease, he is grateful and that is good for him. If he experiences hardship, he faces it with patience and perservence and that is also good for him“. (Sahih Muslim).
Allah knows the best.
Every Muslim has been created to worship Allah alone, without associating partners with Him. Тhe life of every Muslim whether they are mаlе or female should bе based upon Islam, because Islam is not merely a religion but a complete way of life in true submission to Allah. Being а certain age, sex or from a certain гасе does not exempt one from doing good deeds and actions and the amount of reward is not affected by the person’ s wealth, status or race. Allah does not look upon your wealth, уоur status, or your race. Rather it’ s your righteousness and humility that Allah looks out for.
Islam is а universal religion, which is both complete and perfect at the same time. It is neither for men more then women nor women more then men. It gives both equal rights and both shall bе judged equally according to their actions, as Allah says in the Noble Qur’an:
“Whoever works righteousness, man or woman and has faith, verily to him we will give а new life and а life that is good and pure and we will bestow оп such their reward according to the best о! their actions” (An-Nahl 16:97)
Thus the above verse shows, very clearly, that each person will be judged according to their deeds and actions and not their status, age оr sex and their reward will be according to their actions.
Being a Muslim should make one proud without looking down at another Muslim. Our main aim as а Muslim should be to please Allah in as many ways as we possibly can. Praying, fasting, paying Zakah, performing Hajj, showing kindness and wearing the hijab, these are all some of the actions, which can gain us a lot of reward.
We shall Insha Allah look at one of these many ways of gaining Allah’s pleasure and reward by discussing the Hijab, the dress of every Muslimah (а Muslim woman), which is а proof of the modesty and nobility of every believing woman. We as Muslim sisters must remember that the Hijab is one of our means of getting into Paradise. Wе should feel honoured and dignified. Wе should feel protected, secure and obedient. Wе should feel guarded like а pearl. In Paradise everyone will have eternal youth and never get old and enjoy what they like forever.
The Hijab, by many, has been seen as а sign of ‘oppression’ upon Muslim women. However the true Muslimah considers it to be a humble act of worship. Allah says in the Noble Qur’an:
“О Prophet! Tell your wives and your daughters and the women of the believers to draw their cloaks (veils) all over their bodies…” (Al-Ahzab 33: 59)
Above is one of the verses in the Noble Qur’an instructing the women to cover themselves. Allah further says in the Noble Qur’an:
“And tell the believing women to reduce [some] of their vision and guard their private parts and not expose their adornment except that which [necessarily] appears thereof and to wrap [a portion of] their head covers over their chests and not expose their adornment except to their husbands, their fathers, their husbands’ fathers, their sons, their husbands’ sons, their brothers, their brothers’ sons, their sisters’ sons..” (An-Nur 24:31)
Both of the above verses make it very clear for a Muslimah, that she should cover herself completely according to the rules set for us, except in front of those whom Allah has made lawful for us not to do so in the above verse.
The next question a Muslimah may ask is at what age must we start to observe the Hijab?
Аbu Dawood reported from Aishah that Asma, the daughter of Аbu Bakr, came to see the Рroрhеt (Peace and blessings of Allah bе upon him) wearing a thin dress. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) turned away and said to her, “О Asma! When а woman reaches the age оf puberty, she саnnot reveal аnу раrt of her body except this and this.” And he pointed to his face and hands.
The above Hadith (а report from or about the Prophet) and the Ayahs from the Noble Qur’an clearly show that firstly the Hijab is fard (compulsory) upon every living Muslim woman who has reached the age of puberty. Secondly, that she must keep herself covered when going out and in front of non-mahram (Men that а woman can marry) men.
In another Hadith narrated by Aishah, the Prophet (Peace and blessings of Allah Ье upon him) said, “Allah does not accept the prayer оf a woman who has reached the age оf puberty unless she is wearing the head covering. (Аbu Dawood and Tirmidhi)
Allah and His Messenger have given us very clear and unmistakable instructions as to the way and when a Muslimah must wear the Hijab. The explanations to the ‘whys’ and ‘buts’ that many реорlе use to question the Hijab have also been given and are also looked upon further in this book.
However, these questions should not arise. The order of the Creator should be taken and acted upon without question just like Imam Bukhari reports оn many occasions about the women of the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) used to. Without wanting an explanation, they would take the command of Allah and act upon it without the ‘buts’ and the ‘whys’. The women, as soon as they heard of the revelation regarding the Hijab, they cut the edges of their waist sheets and covered themselves without question. These were great women. They did not wait to be persuaded or coaxed into obedience. They knew that as true worshippers of Allah they had to gladly follow His orders straight away and this was for their own good from Allah. These women who were promised Paradise but still they carried out Allah’ s orders with pleasure and happiness. They had love for their Lord, their religion and their Prophet. Thus they abided by every rule and regulations without question or complaint. Allah states in the Noble Book:
“It is not fitting for а believer, men or women, when Allah and His Messenger have decided a matter for them to have аnу option about their affair…” (Al-Ahzab 33: 35)
The Muslimahs of today should try and follow the magnificent example of the Prophet (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). They should fol1ow the example of the women from the Muhajiroon and Ansar, who were considered the best in the way they stuck to the commandments of Allah. The Muhajiroon left Makkah for the sake of Allah and the Ansaar welcomed them in Medina for the sake of Allah and they were united in brotherhood for the sake of Allah. Any woman who accepts Allah as her Lord and Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) as the Messenger cannot reject any act of faith, let alone an action that is compulsory to do. The Muslimah is telling the people, through her Hijab, that she should be judged for her mind and not her body. She is reflecting honesty and purity by wearing the Hijab and indicating to others that she is an honourable person who respects herself.
The Muslimah cannot go against the rules set for her, especially when out punishment for disobedience has been clearly put in front of us. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, “There are two types of the people of Hell that I have not seen. People with whips like the tails of oxen, with which they beat the people and women who are dressed yet still appear naked, who are inclined to evil and тake their husbands incline towards it also. Their heads are like the humps of camels, leaning to one side. They will not enter Paradise, or even smell the scent, although its scent can be smelt from such a distance. (Sahih Muslim)
Lets look at the women of today’s society. What do women wear when they go out? What do we see оп the television and in the magazines? Women with clothes on, but still you can see their skin. These clothes highlight the contours of her body and invite others to gaze at her. They are determined to show off their body. However, Islam does not degrade a woman in such a way. Islam wants the opposite for a woman. Islam brings out the good qualities of an individual and removes the bad characteristics. It gives dignity and stops a person becoming cheap. Subhanallah, so true is this saying of the Prophet and so right is their punishment since they disobey their Creator with such vanity. Тhis Hadith should be enough for a Muslim woman who has sound faith and loves her religion to wear the Hijab. The one who chooses to disobey her Lord, then her punishment is clearly the Fire, the fire whose heat is severe and the pain from it indescribable.
There was once an occasion where а journalist was once visiting а university in Damascus. She care across a Muslim woman wearing the Hijab and asked her whether she found it too hot in the summer. The Muslim woman responded to her by quoting the following verse from the Qur’an:
“The fire of hell is fiercer in Heat.” (At-Taubah 9:81)
Such should be the attitude of every Muslim woman. We should honour the Hijab and stand up for it in anу way possible. It is our shield, our protection from the evil in this life and a way of achieving good in the next. If someone feels а small bit of discomfort because of hijab then this is nothing compared to security in this life and everlasting happiness in the next life.
The way of dress in the world of fashion changes as each day goes by. The different types of dress, skirts, and blouses come and go. It is something that еуеп the designers themselves cannot keep up to date with or rather keep up with at all. It is so amazing. The world of fashion is determined to design every dress to be a source of attraction. It is geared towards promoting temptation for the opposite sex and encourages physical relationships outside marriage. We hear about all these designers designing a certain style or dress for certain people, who then go out and model these outfits for magazines, catwalks, papers etc. Thеу put themselves on display without shame, on the market of the shaytan (devil). It is a huge industry and a lot of money is involved. The world of fashion need us to be morally low, not to control our greed and not care about Аllah and what awaits us in the next life. That way they can guarantee making money for themselves from our wealth that Аllah gave us and take us away from useful and charitable spending. The dress of the Muslim woman on the other hand is to cover as much as one possibly can, and not to make herself and her body an item of display or а source of attraction. With her Hijab she proclaims that she is neither a сheap toy for the pleasure of others nor a commodity on sale no matter how much is offered for her to lose her honour. Such а huge amount of money is spent in chasing fashion and style that never lasts long enough that it is incredible. Wealth is wasted on vanity and creating passions that make one another untrue to each other. All around we see and hear of family break-ups, loss of shame, реорlе taking sexual partners in a way worse than animals and distrust of one another due to this culture of free mixing supported by wearing clothes exactly the opposite of Hijab.
The famous writer Aishah Lemo states in her book, “Contrasting western fashions which every уеаr concentrate quite intentionally оп exposing yet another public gaze: one has seen the rise and fall of the mini dress, the micro skirt, the wet look, hot pants, the see-through; the topless and other garments designed to display the intimate part of a woman’s body.”
Мany incidents have occurred where Muslim women have been called names, abused for the way we dress. Why? Because it is in contrast to the fashion of the current Сentury! Тhis is what puts a lot of Muslim sisters off from wearing the Hijab, the fear of being attacked or called names. However, many a Muslimah has been through serious dilemmas and still came through strong and positive.
А fine example for us is of Tayyibah Amatullah, a 21year-old American convert to Islam who relates a very interesting incident, which happened to her. She was walking, alone, along the St.Paul’s skyway system in Minneapolis, USA, when five police officers stopped her and ticketed her. Нer crime – wearing the Hijab.
Amatullah was wearing gloves and a veil, which covered аll her body except her eyes. She was ticketed as she was, according to the officers, violating a 1963 State law against concealing her identity in public. The offence carried up to 90 days in prison and a $700 fine. The officers described her as ‘Вizane’. (Straight Path Magazine 1994)
So what do you think of this unfair incident. Was the way Amatullah dressed ‘Bizarre’ and extraordinary? Or were the actions the officers took ‘bizarre’? What was Amatullah’s crime? That in the 90′ s she was covered instead of uncovered! So then there also has to be a law that if a woman walks around naked or with see-through clothes then she is violating the law of exposing too much Where is the justice here? Why should human beings, who have free will, not be allowed to practice their faith in the way they want? Who is anybody in comparison to the Lord of the Worlds? People feel safe amongst police officers. Police officers whose jobs аге supposed to Ье to stop crime, stop attacks and make sure that everyone receives fair treatment with justice. However, it is truly only the law of Islam that offers a woman dignity, justice, protection and equal rights.
This fine example of Amatullah should encourage every Muslimah in the world and make us more determined than ever before, stronger and more optimistic to wear the Hijab and саrrу out the law of our Most Merciful Lord. The feeling to know that someone else has been through such an event should make us dedicated and more steadfast in our religion and encourage us to strive to obey our Lord and help others to do the same.
For many women, like Amatullah, the Hijab is а test of being a Muslim. For some it will be facing the world, for others it will be their own family and friends. This is a test to hold on to patience and to continue to carry out the command of Allah.
The Messenger of Allah said,
“How amazing is the affair of the Muslim! His affairs are аll good. If he experiences ease, he is grateful and that is good for him. If he experiences hardship, he faces it with patience and perservence and that is also good for him“. (Sahih Muslim).
Allah knows the best.
mashAllah
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