In the name of Allāh,
the Beneficent, the Merciful.
Peace and Blessings of Allāh on Mohammad.
DEDICATED TO
Allāh–the Glorious and the High,
Lord of the worlds
AND TO
Mohammad–who brought the world
to our feet and eternity to our arms.
*
HIJAB/KHIMAR
The Bible also requires that women cover their heads-(Numbers 5:18; 1Corinthians 11:5-6). Mary, the Christian’s “Mother of God”, as Christians depict her, wore hijab.
Shirin Ebadi stated: “Instead of telling [Iranian] girls to cover their hair, we should teach them to use their heads.”1 Why not both? Covering hair does not diminish mental ability.
Islam does not require the Muslim woman to veil her face.
The Muslim woman’s head-cover is not a symbol of her “servitude.” (Is the nun’s head-cover a symbol of her “servitude”? The nudist might view all clothing, including the bikini and thong, as a symbol of “servitude” or repression). Only those unaware of the significance of the hijab would oppose, revile, or militate against it. These garments –overcoat (jalaba) and head-cover (hijab)– are to distinguish the Muslim woman from other women, a mark of devotion and of distinction: of being the exalted nation–(Qur’an 33:59; 24:31; 2:143; 3:110). (Given that Allah forgives all sins [Qur’an 6:54; 39:53], even if a woman lived a loose life, when she turns to Allah she is endowed with this lofty distinction of being of the exalted nation).
“O Prophet, tell thy wives and thy daughters
and the women of believers to let down upon
them their over-garments. This is more proper,
so that they may be known, and not
be given trouble“
(Qur’an 33:59).
“And say to the believing women…..let them
wear their head-coverings over their bosoms”
(Qur’an 24:31).
“And thus We have made you an exalted
nation that you may be the bearers
of witness to the people…..”
(Qur’an 2:143).
-“You are the best nation raised up for men:
you enjoin good and forbid evil
and you believe in Allah”
(Qur’an 3:110.
As their is no hypocrisy in Islam,
to enjoin good we ourselves are to do good,
to forbid evil we ourselves are to avoid evil,
else we lose this lofty/honorable status.
Belief in Allah means He is One and Only,
the Eternal Absolute Who begets not,
nor is begotten;
and incorporates belief in ALL His Angels,
All His Books (though Books prior to the Qur’an,
as shown elsewhere on this site, are not
in their pristine purity), in
ALL His Messengers/Prophets,
in the Resurrection and Day of Judgment).
That these garments -hijab and jalaba- were not of temporary usage is evident from the Prophet’s saying to Asma, who was wearing thin clothes at the time: “O Asma, when a woman reaches the age of menstruation, it does not suit her that she displays her parts of body except this and this, and he pointed to her face and hands” Abu Dawud Vol. 3, #4092.
While this hadith is said to be “mursal” –lacking the name of the narrator who transmitted it from ‘Aishah– it is in accordance with Qur’an 24:31 and 33:59. These verses and hadith also show that the Muslim woman’s face is to be uncovered.
That when the verse on hijab was revealed women cut cloth and covered their faces except their eyes, this was only the women’s understanding NOT THE REQUIREMENT. As clearly shown in Qur’an 24:31 women are to “wear their head-coverings over their bosoms” not over their faces).
Allāh God has conferred upon the Woman of Islam the loftiest position. Islam has ennobled woman. It has adorned her with a crown of excellence. The scarf is more than a piece of cloth on the head; it is embroidery for the soul. To help mold the Woman of Islam into a fortress of modesty and virtue. (Men are to be covered from the navel to the knees and one part of the chest).
Islam intends the scarf to be a symbol of piety and humility. A symbol of beauty and excellence: a beauty and excellence manifesting from within –manifesting through love and obedience to serve our Creator, Nourisher and Sustainer. A beauty that never ages nor tarnishes. A beauty that becomes increasingly resplendent with time.
There is no beauty more lustrous, more alluring and more enduring than beauty of the soul; and no woman more beautiful than she who vests her self for the love of Allāh.
Islam does not forbid women from wearing fine garments and jewelry, (Allah likes to see His bounties on His servants). But it does not allow such appareling for the purpose of vain display. A person cannot attain piety until and unless he has achieved humility. To achieve humility one must exercise simplicity and modesty. The act of covering one’s self helps to build modesty.
The Muslim woman’s body is not a thing to be “ashamed” of, as one critic ignorantly claimed. Islam esteems womanhood as the symbol of purity and motherhood as the gateway to paradise. The Muslim woman covering her body –which is an identification and a reflection of her being of the exalted nation (Qur’an 33:59; 24:31; 2:143; 3:110)– is no “shame” but her passport to Paradise.
Muslim children, male and female, are to be taught from kindergarten the purpose, excellence and magnificence of the hijab:
-Purpose of the hijab: it is an identification and a symbol of purity
-Excellence of the hijab: it is mark of distinction/exaltation of being of high moral and spiritual standard
-Magnificence of the hijab: it is the Muslim woman’s passport to paradise.
(Notably: Even the Muslim woman who choose to not wear the hijab can attain Jannah. There are varying degrees of being a Muslim according to one’s practice/deeds –much like a person who does more work will receive higher wage– “And for all are degrees according to their doings” (Qur’an 6:133). Seemingly, as sinners are grouped into seven classes for the seven gates of Hell, righteous are grouped into seven classes for the seven Jannahs; according to scholars there are seven Jannah’s:
- Jannat-al-Adan
- Jannat-al-Firdaws (the most prestigious)
- Jannat-an-Naim
- Jannat-ul-Mawa
- Dar-ul-Khuld
- Dar-ul-Maqaam
- Dar-us-Salam (ref. https://zamzam.com/blog/seven-levels-of-heaven/ If link does not connect, please “Google” the address. Thank you).
While the hijab, like prayer, is a Divine requirement, there is no prescribed punishment or physical forcing of Muslims to observe these injunctions. Though we would have to account to Allah for our deliberate refusal to observe them.
Muslim women do not need to seek any “rights” from source(s) outside of Islam. Allah has given woman rights for which she has nothing more to strive, alongside man from birth to Jannah. Muslim women are to learn these rights that Allah/Islam has given them and demand them from their “leaders.” Let these leaders know they cannot defy Allah and deny the Muslim woman her Allah-given rights and yet expect for Allah to give them Jannah!)
Islam-liberated women.
(To women who are of the view that it is discrimination against them, in that men are not required to cover their heads:
-men have to shave their heads at the hajj, women do not;
-men are required to be circumcised, women are not;
-men are required to give women dowry, even though she may possess greater wealth than him;
-men are required to maintain women, whereas women are free to do whatever with their finances. And men also have a dress code –to cover the area from, and including, the navel to the knees and half of the chest.
Even without comprehending the excellence of the hijab, covering the head when required is no price to pay for Allah’s everlasting beauty.
As stated, these garments–overcoat (jalaba) and head-cover (hijab)–are to distinguish the Muslim woman from other women, a mark of devotion and of distinction: of being the exalted nation–(Qur’an 33:59; 24:31; 2:143; 3:110).
Women who are wearing jeans under their over-garment in revolt against Islam must know that they are dressing themselves for the Fire. There is nothing in Islam to protest against –Islam regards womanhood as the symbol of purity; and motherhood as the gateway to Paradise.
Whereas choosing to not wear the hijab (and jalaba) is one matter, why would the Muslim woman desirous of Allāh’s everlasting grandeur revile the hijab?
Revolt against the hijab is revolt against Islam; revolt against Islam is revolt against Allāh; revolt against Allāh is the Sureway to Hell-fire.
Significantly, whereas the critics of Islam charge that Islam discriminates against women and that the hijab is a symbol of the Muslim woman’s subservience; Islam requires that:
-men give a gift to their brides even though she may be wealthier than he is
-men maintain their wives even though she may have a mountain of money
-men be circumcised and women not
-men shave their heads at the Hajj and women not
yet no critic of Islam has charged that Islam discriminates against men; or that Islam teaches hatred of men; or that Islam favors women over men; or that these are symbols of the Muslim man’s subservience to women.
Interestingly, whereas Allāh reveals in His Qur’an 2:228 that women have rights similar to those against her He did not say that men have rights similar as those against him; thus, arguably, women would seem to have more rights on men than men have on women.
Allah is a Just God. He will not discriminate against Woman because of her form and physiology –a form and physiology He gave her; a form and physiology of which she had no choice.
In fact, if form and physiology is the measure of superiority, Woman is superior to Man –she having carried man, gave birth to him and nursed him. Three degrees of excellence and superiority that Man have yet to acquire. Women even have a fourth degree of excellence over men –cloning! Whereas the male sperm can be dispensed with in duplicating the being, the female’s ovum is necessary to develop the clone.
(According to one view, women who wear the veil and burqa run the risk of suffering from a deficiency of vitamin D. That vitamin D supplement is necessary to maintain health.
That the Islamic head-cover and over-garment result in a deficiency of vitamin D seems to imply that Allah requires Muslim women to dress in manner that is injurious to her health.
Incidentally, Catholic nuns are similarly dressed as Muslim women and are secluded in convents and monks are confined in monasteries; has any test been done on them to determine if they suffer from vitamin D deficiency?
Muslim women or not, the woman who are mostly indoors would suffer from a deficiency of vitamin D. This would also be true of men.
Islam does not require women to cover their faces: the face, hands and feet [though feet are usually in shoes], as taught by the Prophet, are to remain uncovered. If this precept is followed, women should not suffer from vitamin D deficiency [unless one is in a wintry country, in which even non-Muslim women would then require supplement]. For we have men in the middle Eastern countries who dressed similarly as women –with head wear and long robe with only their faces and hands and feet being exposed– and there is no report of them suffering from vitamin D deficiency. In fact, people in warm climates are mostly covered –wearing full shirts and pants and shoes, and even suits and ties; and also in cold countries men and women are deprived of sunshine for most of the year.
Enough sunlight on the face and hands should be sufficient for health. And many food products and health tonic are fortified with vitamin D. Though periodic checkup at your doctor is a good consideration).
Seemingly, pre-Islamic usage of the headscarf is also being used to dissuade Muslims from wearing it. So what if the head-scarf was worn 5000 years ago in the Sumerian era by certain women “initiating” young males into “sex”? The Ka’bah once housed hundreds of idols and was circuited by naked men.
Are the many non-Muslim women of today who wear head-scarves do so for the purpose of “initiating” young males into “sex”?
Islam is the only Divine-revealed religion, see Home *
NOTES
1. The Weekly Standard; cited in Readers Digest, Aug; 2008; p. 49.