Do I have to Wear Hijab at home?

Do I have to Wear Hijab at home?

Question:
Asalaamua'likum. I would like a Scholarly opinion insha'Allah - may Allah swt reward your efforts and grant you Jannah.

My husband is very pious mash'Allah and I am trying to improve in my practise of Islam (I am a revert) I try to cover myself appropriately and wear niqab outside of the house most of the time.

My husband feels it is a higher/advanced level of adab to also wear a headcovering (eg, scarf) at home. As he has taqwa, he feels doing so is more modest and brings greater blessings into the home through one's modesty. He suggests (never enforces, alhamduillah for his good character) that I should wear headcovering even in seclusion with no visitors or non-mahrams. I have no objections to doing this if evidence or proof of this is presented as I wish to obey my husband.

From my studies I have found no evidence of women being required or even recommended to keep on hijab at home. My husband says I will not find evidence of this because it is adab and therefore more subtle - not from Quran and Sunnah. My husband is from Pakistan and I am concerned that this is actually a cultural practice and that there is no recommendation/benefit from my doing so. I am happy to do it to please him but I am equally very keen to follow true Islam without cultural norms being mistaken for such.

Could you please clarify if covering at home is more inline with the principle of 'haya? If not, will I be sinning if I refuse? (not out of stubboness, rather the intent to avoid cultural practices or innovation in deen) Jazakha'Allah khair
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Answers :
Wa'alikum wa salaam, barak Allah feek.

Dear Samara, Walaikumsalaam,
Hijaab is an act of worship because Allah has commanded it and it is only required infront of non mahrams, be that at home or in public. Likewise we do not need to observe hijaab infront of non mahram. Claiming that wearing hijaab at home infront of non mahrams including the husband brings more blessings is a complete innovation. Of course we should maintain modesty infront of mahrams too, but the rules are more relaxed with the husbands, a woman can wear anything she wants infront of him.

Our Prophet(saw) taught us complete adab/manners as he was the best of mankind so we should do our best to follow him. If we do so, we will find a healthy balance in all areas of life. If your husband wants to gain blessings, leave innovations and do what Allah and the Prophet(saw) have taught us. Simple daily things can be an act of worship when done for the pleasure of Allah (without innovating), eg a wife beautifying herself for her husband, enjoying time with one's spouse/children can be an act of worship.

The Prophet(saw) fasted sometimes but not everyday, he forbade fasting everyday. He (saw) prayed night prayers, but slept too and he forbade praying all night everynight. He advised that when guests are around, do not engage in voluntary salaah or extra quran recitation, as we should give our guests their due time. The point being, that Islam is not harsh or inhumane and it caters for our every need, because humans have strengths, weaknesses, emotions and desires and need space to express themselves in a healthy and balanced manner.

Pakistani culture has some strange, frustrating and illiterate customs and alot of them hold no link to Islam. Islam is a very simple easy religion, we should be moderate and stick to what has been advised and not go over board. Going over board makes things unnatural and will only make us depressed and eventually we will run out of steam and get tired of the deen. I love wearing hijaab, but if I wasnt able to let may hair down in front of non mahrams, it would drive me mad, afterall I'm female and human. Furthermore, we are not nuns, we are Muslim women and we are allowed to and are encouraged to display our beauty in a halaal and healthy manner.

Sister, I am glad that you questioned your husband's thoughts on hijaab because many revert sisters think that their husbands know the deen better and hence end up being taken advantage of, so Alhumdulillah. Maybe you could show your husband examples from the Sunnah of when the wives of our Prophet (saw) beautified themselves for him (saw). Furthermore remind your husband, that as Muslims, we are encouraged to take the middle ground and making our religion stricter than it actually is will scare both muslims and non-muslims away.

Allah is Beautiful and gentle and loves his creation to be beautiful and gentle too.

SisterZ
IslamicAnswers.com, Editor

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Why Do I Wear Hijab?

Why Do I Wear Hijab?
By : Sultana Yusuf ali
       
I probably do not fit into the preconceived notion of a "rebel". I have no visible tattoos and minimal piercing. I do not possess a leather jacket. In fact, when most people look at me, their first thought usually is something along the lines of "oppressed female." The brave individuals who have mustered the courage to ask me about the way I dress usually have questions like: "Do your parents make you wear that?" or "Don't you find that really unfair?"

A while back, a couple of girls in Montreal were kicked out of school for dressing like I do. It seems strange that a little piece of cloth would make for such controversy. Perhaps the fear is that I am harboring an Uzi underneath it! Of course, the issue at hand is more than a mere piece of cloth. I am a Muslim woman who, like millions of other Muslim women across the globe, chooses to wear the hijab. And the concept of the hijab, contrary to popular opinion, is actually one of the most fundamental aspects of female empowerment.

When I cover myself, I make it virtually impossible for people to judge me according to the way I look. I cannot be categorized because of my attractiveness or lack thereof.

Compare this to life in today's society: We are constantly sizing one another up on the basis of our clothing, jewelry, hair and makeup. What kind of depth can there be in a world like this? Yes, I have a body, a physical manifestation upon this Earth. But it is the vessel of an intelligent mind and a strong spirit. It is not for the beholder to leer at or to use in advertisements to sell everything from beer to cars!

Because of the superficiality of the world in which we live, external appearances are so stressed that the value of the individual counts for almost nothing. It is a myth that women in today's society are liberated! What kind of freedom can there be when a woman can not walk down the street without every aspect of her physical self being "checked out"?

When I wear the hijab I feel safe from all of this. I can rest assured that no one is looking at me and making assumptions about my character from the length of my skirt. There is a barrier between me and those who would exploit me. I am first and foremost a human being, equal to any man, and not vulnerable because of my sexuality.

One of the saddest truths of our time is the question of the beauty myth and female self-image. Reading popular teenage magazines, you can instantly find out what kind of body image is "in" or "out." and if you have the "wrong" body type, well, then, you're just going to have to change it, aren't you? After all, there is no way that you can be overweight and still be beautiful.

Look at any advertisement. Is a woman being used to sell the product? How old is she? How attractive is she? What is she wearing? More often than not, that woman will be no older than her early 20s, taller, slimmer and more attractive than average, dressed in skimpy clothing. Why do we allow ourselves to be manipulated like this?

Whether the 90s woman wishes to believe it or not, she is being forced into a mold. She is being coerced into selling herself, into compromising herself. This is why we have 13-year-old girls sticking their fingers down their throats and overweight adolescents hanging themselves.

When people ask me if I feel oppressed, I can honestly say no. I made this decision out of my own free will. I like the fact that I am taking control of the way other people perceive me. I enjoy the fact that I don't give anyone anything to look at and that I have released myself from the bondage of the swinging pendulum of the fashion industry and other institutions that exploit females.

My body is my own business. Nobody can tell me how I should look or whether or not I am beautiful. I know that there is more to me than that. I am also able to say "no" comfortably then people ask me if I feel as though my sexuality is being repressed. I have taken control of my sexuality. I am thankful I will never have to suffer the fate of trying to lose/gain weight or trying to find the exact lipstick shade that will go with my skin color. I have made choices about what my priorities are and these are not among them.

So next time you see me, don't look at me sympathetically. I am not under duress or a male-worshipping female captive from those barbarous Arabic deserts! I've been liberated.
www.load-islam.com/

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The Obligatory Conditions For An Islamic Hijab

The Obligatory Conditions For An Islamic Hijab

1. Covering ALL Of The Body

It is an agreed position by many respected scholars that the face and hands of the woman must be covered. Some scholars say it is permissible to uncover the face and the hands of the woman as long as there is no fitna (infatuation) caused by this action. Two things must be taken into consideration

a) if she is beautiful and beautifies her face and hands with external substances, or

b) the society around her is corrupt where men do not lower their gaze, then it is prohibited for her to uncover her face and hands.

On the authority of the wife of the prophet (pbuh), Umm Salama (RA) said:

"When the verse was revealed that they should cast their outer garments over their bodies' was revealed, the women of Ansar came out as if they had crows over their heads by wearing outer garments.

2. The hijab must not be a display

The hijab itself must not be a display. Allah ordained it so as to cover the beauty of women and not for showing off. Allah (swt) says `And not show of their adornment except only that which is apparent.' (S24:31).

AND

`And stay in your houses and do not display yourselves like that of the times of ignorance.' (S33:33).

It is in no way logical that the hijab itself be a source of display.

3. The hijab must not be transparent The purpose of wearing hijab must be achieved. In order for the hijab to be a cover, it must not be made of transparent material making the woman covered only by name, while in reality she is naked. The prophet (pbuh) is quoted as saying: "In the latest part of my Ummah (nation of Muslims) there shall be women who would be naked in spite of being dressed, they have their hair high like the humps of the Bukht camel, curse them, for they are cursed. They will not enter Al-Jannah and would not even perceive its odour, although it's fragrance can be perceived from a distance of 500 years travelling by camel" This indicates that a woman could cause herself a grave and destructive sin if she puts on a garment that is thin and transparent and which clearly shapes her body's features.

4. Hijab must be roomy, and not tight.

The hijab is a safeguard against fitna. If it is tight, it will be descriptive of the woman's body and this violates and defeats the whole purpose of hijab.

5. The hijab must not be perfumed

On the authority of Ad'Diya Al-Maqdisi, the prophet (pbuh) said:

"Any woman who perfumes herself and passes by some people that they smell her scent, then she is a Zaniyah (adulteress)."

6. The hijab shouldn't resemble the dress of a man

Imam Ahmed, an-Nissa'ee reported the prophet (pbuh) to have said: "Women who assume the manners of men are not from us and also those of men who assume the manners of women." Abu Huraira narrated that: "The Prophet (pbuh) CURSED the man who wears the dress of a woman and the woman who wears the dress of a man."

7. The hijab must not resemble the garments of the kuffar

Abu Dawoud and Ahmed have related the prophet (pbuh) said: "The one who take the similitude (manner) of a certain people, then he/she becomes one of them."

Abdullah bin Ummar (RA) said: "The Prophet (pbuh) saw me wearing two garments dyed in saffron (orange), whereupon he said: these are the clothes (usually worn) by the kuffar, so do not wear them."

8. The hijab should not be for fame

Abu Dawoud and Ibn Majah have related the prophet to saying: "The one who wears a garment designed for a worldly fame, Allah will make them wear a garment of humility on the Day Of Resurrection then he will be set ablaze." The garment of fame is any garment a person wears to make themselves look famous. This applies whether the garment is highly precious and shows admiration to the life of this world or if it is chosen of a low quality to show lack of interest to this worldly life. The person may put on clothes with distinct colours so as to draw attention, act proudly and/or arrogantly.

9. Concealed ways of display

Examining the various conditions about the hijab one can clearly recognise that many of the young Muslim women are not fulfilling these conditions. Many just take "half-way" measures, which not only mocks the community in which she lives, but also mocks the commands of Allah (swt). They consider what they put on now wrongly as "hijab" So, O muslimoon, be mindful to Allah (swt) and His Messenger (pbuh), and do not deceived by those who "bless" this action of yours and conceal their true intentions. Do not be deceived, and there is no excuse to follow the evil.

If you are sincere in achieving Al-Jannah, then be mindful of these things, insha'allah..

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Women Have To Wear Hijab

 Women Have To Wear Hijab 

QUESTION:  Do old women have to wear Hijab as there is a verse in Surah al-Nur which indicates that they don’t have to? Please explain.

ANSWER:

In the name of Allah, Most Compassionate, Most Merciful

Firstly, let us look at the translation of the Qur’anic verse towards which you have alluded. Allah Most High says in Surah al-Nur:

“And the Qawa’id among women who do not hope for marriage, it is no sin on them if they discard their (outer) clothing in such a way as not to show their adornment. But to refrain is better for them. And Allah is all-Hearer, all-Knower.” (V, 60)

The great scholar of Tafsir, Imam Ibn Kathir writes in his famous exegesis (tafsir) of the Qur’an:

“The meaning of “Qawa’id” is: those women who no longer think that they can bear children, and the meaning of “who do not hope for marriage” is that they no longer have any desire for marriage. Other commentators have stated the meaning as: “Those women from whom desire and sexual passion is not (typically) acquired.” (Tafsir Ibn Kathir, 3/406)

The meaning of “discarding their garment” as explained by Imam Ibn Kathir narrating from Ibn Abbas and others is: “The Jilbab or Rida (outer clothing)”. Meaning, old women do not have to cover themselves with the outer garment under the condition that they do not adorn themselves.

The great Hanafi scholar and Mufassir, Imam Abu Bakr al-Jassas writes in his book Ahkam al-Qur’an:

“There is no difference of opinion amongst the scholars, in that an old woman’s hair is part of her nakedness (awra), thus it will not be permissible for a non-Mahram to look at the hair of an old woman. If she performed her Salat with her hair exposed, her Salat will be invalid. The meaning here is that, she has to cover her hair, however it is permissible for her to discard the cloak, and expose her face and hands because desire is not gained by looking at her.” (Ahkam al-Qur’an)

From the above, we can conclude that the Hijab is also necessary for the elderly. However, it is permissible for old women to keep their face and hands exposed and not wear the outer cloak, provided they do not adorn themselves and there is no fear of Fitna.

And Allah knows best

(Mufti) Muhammad ibn Adam
Darul Iftaa

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The Reasons Of Wearing The Hijab In The First Place

With respect to your opinion of wearing the hijab during prayer, I highly suggest looking at the reasons of wearing the hijab in the first place.

The reasons of wearing the hijab are not just to limit the attraction from men (don’t we also then need something to limit our attraction for men?) we should not think we are wearing it for men in the first place. The intention is to wear it for God, now the end results will be to limit attraction from men (in order to prevent indecent acts or thoughts) and to force men not to judge a woman by her appearance and to evaluate her by her personality, character, and morals; but wearing the hijab is also to have self-respect, be humble, respectful, and modest. The hijab demands respect, I know when a girl wearing the hijab is around, guys will stop swearing and cracking bad jokes. That also does not mean that not wearing the hijab will result in more disrespect but the hijab definitely assures it – of course if the girl is wearing it right.

Trying not to get of topic, now..
Why do you think we are required to wear the hijab even infront of the blind? The elderly?
Is it so we don’t attract them? The blind can’t see..the elderly would likely see us as their children or grandchildren..

Now when we are praying (not just the do3a2 but also the salat) we need to be only thinking about God, so we need to be modest because we are being connected on a deeper level with God, we are not even looking at him as we would look at a human to even consider any of what you call the degradable sexual aspect. So the reasons of wearing the hijab during prayer can differ based on your view of the intention and reasons of wearing the hijab.

On top, we know and believe that God sees us everywhere not only while praying but we wear it while praying because we would be in a connection with him, praying, making doa’s, asking for anything. The hijab gives a feeling of peacefulness, humility and purity during prayer.

Even the women who wear the hijab outside..end up taking the hijab off at home..then they end up wearing the hijab again for prayer..which would go back to your point -why assume that it is only during prayer that He can see you? But it is not perceived this way..

Now we also make the wodo2 before prayer but that does not mean we believe that God sees us only while praying so we have to be clean? The wodo2 gives the spiritual feeling and purity plus the connection that will be about to start when you pray. That also does not mean we are dirty the rest of the time. I’m giving this example so you can compare it with the hijab.

Why do we make wodo2 even if we just took a shower? Is it because we are STILL dirty?
There are many things we can make discussions about that will only take us downhill..it’s like we are dragging ourselves to a deeper misunderstanding when we start talking like “ahel el kalam”..
I’m not wearing the hijab in public and I always need the feeling of remembering that I’m a Muslim which I would get while praying. I need to keep wearing it every now and then to remind myself of it and to make it easier to wear it in the future also.

I don’t know why the discussion took the road of giving God human characteristics if we wear the hijab during prayer, we should not even look or think of Him that way in the first place.
Do the Christians believe God is only at the church? That’s why some cover when they are inside or are about to be married?..do they believe God will be looking at them in a humanely way? NO..no..no..
Please don’t take my words as making you wrong. But I totally see this topic from a different perspective.

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In The Quran Allah Commanded Women To Cover Their Hair

THE HIJAB IS A COMMANDMENT FROM ALLAH

When asked to explain why they covered, the women I interviewed said they believed that in the Quran Allah commanded women to cover their hair, and that Prophetic statements backed that up. For them, Hijab symbolizes, not oppression or terrorism, as it does in mainstream Western discourse, but “purity,” “modesty,” a “woman's Islamic identity,” and “obedience, or submission to God and a testament that you're Muslim.” Halima, a convert to Islam, adds that Hijab symbolizes “the woman's power to take back her own dignity and her own sexuality.”


HIJAB: NOT THE RESULT OF
AN ‘ANTI-WOMAN' INTERPRETATION

The women I interviewed are aware of feminist arguments that they are being duped by an anti-woman interpretation of the Quran. However, they reject this suggestion, and in so doing demonstrate they do not follow Quranic verses blindly.

They have considered various interpretations of the Quran, and chosen that which made most sense to them. They are not, as conventional wisdom in the West suggests, duped women following the dictates of men.

They all believed that the Quranic verse asking women to cover their hair is straightforward.

Nadia captures the women's position well: “I have to say that when I read the Ayah (verse) that says take your headdress and put it over your bosom (Quran 4:30-31), it's pretty clear to me that there is an assumption that you're wearing a head dress, and that's part of the Islamic dress.
I mean why didn't He [Allah] just say ‘wear a high neck collar?' {laughs} You know, if it was your bosom that was the important thing then why wasn't there more stress on, um, you know put a button in the top of your shirt, or something, I dunno. Or make sure your bosom is covered, or um, that kind of thing.”

Raneem, a convert to Islam, added even if Hijab was just a cultural thing, “it's a good thing to do.”

WHY DO MUSLIM WOMEN WEAR HIJAB AND NOT THE MEN?

Westerners are often puzzled to see Muslim women covering their bodies more than Muslim men do, and see that as a proof of the woman's inferior status.

Islam lays out a dress code for both male and female believers, but the requirements for covering are different: a man is to cover from navel to knee, and wear opaque, loose clothing (tight jeans are out of the question); women cover more, everything but face and hands.

All of the women I interviewed believe that these differences are due to inherent differences between men and women.

They say that men are more easily turned on sexually than are women. The point to covering is not that sexual attraction is bad, only that it should be expressed between a husband and wife inside the privacy of the home.

A public space free of sexual tensions is seen as a more harmonious and peaceful place for human beings, men and women, to interact, do business, and build a healthy civilization.

EVEN MANY NON-MUSLIM MEN SEEM TO RESPECT HIJAB

These women see Hijab as a benefit to society, as a protection for women, and as a source of inner peace.

Several women, especially converts who started covering in their twenties, felt men, even non-Muslim men, approached them more respectfully, did not try to flirt with them or make “leering” comments, and treated them as ‘persons' not ‘sex-objects.'

Halima also pointed out that male-female interactions were based on more than just the clothes: Hijab is a mode of decorous behavior as well, “when you're covered, you're not going to be a flirtatious person.”

WOMEN SHOULD CARE HOW THEIR DRESS AFFECTS MEN

My interviewees reject the feminist argument that women should not care how their dress affects men.

They reply that Muslim women and men are brothers and sisters in faith, and find nothing wrong in helping men practice their faith better.

As Zainab, a convert to Islam, said: “women have been exploited so much, and men make such silly fools of themselves over women, that I really think it's a good thing for the men, that women wear Hijab. Why encourage jealousy or envy or anything like that? Why encourage the negative emotions?”

MALE-FEMALE DIFFERENCES NOT A SIGN OF INEQUALITY

Many feminists argue that to believe in male-female differences is to accede to women's oppression, because it is these differences which have been used to stop women from realizing their potentials.

The Muslim women in the survey do not agree that believing in male-female differences is to believe women and men are unequal.

They all believed that men and women are different, and that women and men are equal in Islam. For these women, the principal definition of equality is how human beings are in relation to Allah.

The Quran unequivocally states that men and women are equal in the eyes of Allah. Men and women were created from a single soul, and are both the trustees of Allah on earth (Quran 2:30), individually responsible and accountable for their actions.

However, these women do not believe that male-female differences include traditional western notions of men being more rational or intelligent than women.

In addition, the women were not of the opinion that a woman's childbearing nature meant she could not be in the work force, and nor did they believe that a man's duty to support his family financially meant that he should not do household chores.

The women referred back to the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), who used to mend his clothes, sweep his house, and perform other chores.

The view that men and women have inherent differences is a source of the conflicting understanding of women's position in Islam between the West and my interviewees.


EQUALITY BETWEEN MEN AND WOMEN IS NOT SAMENESS

They argue that equality does not have to mean sameness, and criticize western presumptions that if men and women are not doing something in an identical manner they must be unequal.

Nor do the women believe that Hijab hinders their freedom, rather Hijab is seen as a device to facilitate Muslim women's movements outside the home.

Nadia expresses the sentiment well: ”I kinda see [Hijab] the opposite way [from being a sign of constraint]. I kinda think that if you've covered yourself Islamically, then there wouldn't be a reason for you to stay home, I mean that was the whole point, that you've removed the attention to yourself, so now you're out there to do your business, based on who you are, I mean what you have to say and what you're going to contribute and not what you look like, and that kind of thing.”

The women argue that the idea that Hijab means women should not go outside is contradicted by the Sunnah of the Prophet: during his lifetime women were very actively involved in the community, in business, in fighting wars, in scholarship and so on.


HIJAB GIVES WOMEN SELF-ESTEEM

An aspect of Hijab that came through strongly in the interviews was how wearing Hijab gives these women sources of inner strength and a high level of confidence and self-esteem.

For example, men and women learn from an early age that women (all of them) are beautiful, and this is the reason they cover. That message is good for women's self-esteem, as well as for the way men think about women.

The message compares favorable to that of the West where we see anorexia and bulimia on the increase as young women attempt to reach an unattainable ideal of female beauty.

HIJAB GIVES WOMEN INNER PEACE

Many women stressed how comfortable they felt wearing Hijab, how it made them feel good about themselves, and brought them a feeling of inner “peace”.

Ellen, a convert to Islam, stresses that in Hijab she feels “like I am doing something to please Allah, you know....it makes you feel good about yourself. You feel different in a good way, because you're not exposing yourself and you know, you're not exposed to many things like you would be if you're not covering.”

DISCRIMINATION AGAINST WOMEN WHO WEAR HIJAB

Muslim women in the West who cover suffer daily indignities from the people around them because of the way they dress.

The Western image that they are oppressed, or represent a terrorist religion makes it difficult for them to be accepted easily by the Canadian community.

Because Islam is not well understood in the West, some converts also have problems with their families, friends and colleagues about becoming Muslim and about wearing Hijab.

Other women face opposition from their own (Muslim) families as well, in their decision to cover. This is because in many Muslim countries, the West has been seen as the model to imitate in order to ‘progress,' and they tried to shed Islam and all that was associated with it.

Hijab is associated with something ‘backward,' ‘low-class' people do, or as something only old women do.

Many see Hijab as ugly and as reducing the chances for a young woman to get married.

Muslims who grow up in Canada often object to Hijab, taking on the Western perception of the meaning of Hijab. Several of the women (born Muslim) in this study had battled families in order to cover.

SOME POSITIVE REACTIONS TO HIJAB

And yet, many of the women I interviewed stressed that overall they do not get too many hostile reactions and some of them also experience positive reactions from non-Muslims.

They think that Toronto (Canada) is so multicultural that people are used to seeing all different kinds of dress.

BRINGING UP THE HIJAB
QUESTION WHEN IT'S NOT RELEVANT

Sometimes Muslim women have problems with people in situations where their identity is really irrelevant to the situation at hand.

Zainab has been a patient in a hospital and had her doctor tell her she should not have embraced Islam because she became a “second class citizen.”

He asked her “don't you know how badly the women are treated in Islam?”

Rania, who is a doctor, finds sometimes patients will interrupt their visit to her to ask her “Where is she from?” Or why is she “dressed like that?” Rania said that she finds that “there's the time to explain and then there's the time to just give a brief answer and go on to other things...I mean you may look like a Muslim, but you have a job to do, and let's talk about why you're here, and I'm the doctor and you're the patient okay?”

THE PRESSURE TO ‘LOOK CANADIAN'

Given these kinds of negative reactions to Hijab, it is not surprising that many Muslims try to hide their Islamic identity. The pressure for Muslims to assimilate to the ways of the West is great.

Safiyah is under such pressure from her husband to “look Canadian”. He did not seem to mind that she wore Hijab in Algeria, but in their first six months in Canada, so many people stared at them, that he felt uncomfortable with her in Hijab.

Although the staring didn't bother Safiyah, her husband has successfully pressured her to stop covering.

The women I interviewed referred to Canada as a multicultural and multi faith society in a positive way, and appreciate the liberty and protection Canadian law gave them to practice their religion as any other group can.

They thought as does Halima: “if Canada boasts you can practice your religious freedom of thought and beliefs, if a woman believes she should wear her Hijab why shouldn't she? She's not hurting anybody, I mean if people can go down Yonge street [a popular Toronto haunt] almost naked, why should her putting a scarf on her head bother people, even for that matter wearing a veil on face, why should that upset somebody?”

HIJAB IS A RESPECTABLE THING

Muslim women want non-Muslims to think that Hijab is a respectable thing, not degrading or “oppressive.”

They like to be seen just as an ordinary person who deserves to be respected. Raneem said, “Just take me as I am you know, like they should accept me for who I am, not for the way I look and that goes for everybody.”

Halima was clear in her views. She said, “I would like them to respect our choice and not exclude women who wear Hijab from certain things [like] in Quebec [...] I mean this is truly oppression, they say the woman is oppressed because she's wearing the Hijab, but the true oppression is preventing somebody from going to school because they have a scarf on their head, the larger issue is we'd like everybody to know about Islam so more people would accept it.”

Sadia said her Hijab should tell others, “That I'm a Muslim, so I want them to know that, I'm doing this because I'm obeying Allah, and it's a free country and I can do what I want. And that I don't' care if I'm accepted by them or not, I'm going to do it anyway.”

Katherine Bullock, a revert to Islam since 1994, was a doctoral candidate at the University of Toronto when this article was published.

This article was originally published in the March/April 1998 issue of Islamic Horizons magazine. It has been reprinted with the permission.

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Each Point Lends Me Towards Hijab

Each Point Lends Me Towards Hijab

 1. Can we safely describe the dress of the sahabi women? Where we there to see how they dressed? Because if we can safely answer this then there would be no disagreements about the two ayat on hijab.

Al-Qurtubi, an eminent mufassir (Qur'anic commentator) stated: "Women in those days used to cover their heads with the khimaar, throwing its ends on their backs. This left the neck and the upper part of the chest bare, along with the ears, in the manner of the Christians. Then Allah (swt) commanded them to cover those parts with the khimaar."

Narrated Aisha, Ummul Mu'minin: Safiyyah, daughter of Shaybah, said that Aisha mentioned the women of Ansar, praised them and said good words about them. She then said: When Surat an-Nur came down, they took the curtains, tore them and made head covers of them. Sunan Abu Dawud: Book 32, Number 4089.

Let's look at the same hadith Sahih Bukhari hadith quoted by pro-niqaabis: "Narrated Aiesha(raa) May Allah bestow is mercy on early emigrant women. When Allah revealed And to draw their veils all over juyubihinna (their bodies, face, necks and bossoms, they tore their moruts (a woolen dress, or waist binding cloth or apron) and covered their heads and faces with those torn Moruts. Sahih Bukhari" Doesn't anyone notice the words between brackets? Why are they there? Keep thinking and insha'Allah I will address this point later.

The Quran tells us to cover but it doesn't specifically say the face or the eyes does it? No it does not. It only says pull the veil over the bosom: WALYADRIBNA BIKHUMURIHINNA 'ALAA JUYOOBIHINNA

WAL=AND

YADRIBNA=PUT

BIKUMURIHINNA=THEIR VEILS

ALAA=OVER

JUYUBIHINNA=THEIR BOSOMS

The Arabic sentence above is directly from the Quran in Roman Transliteration. If you know Arabic you can tell that there is no word in it for FACE or EYES. If you don't know Arabic you are out of luck, you would easily assume that JUYUBIHINNA meant the face or eyes. It certainly doesn't contain the Arabic word NIQAAB. The word juyoob (plural of jaib), also found in the ayah of Surah An-Nur, refers not only to the bosom, as is commonly thought, but also to the neck.

Sheikh Al-Albani says regarding this ayah (verse): If the khimaar covered the face then He ta'aala would not say WALYADRIBNA meaning pull/draw together, but he would have said "let fall" [ using the verb 'sadala' ]. This is ignorance regarding the language.

When you see the translation of the above arabic you see pro-niqaabi people inserting the (face, eyes) in brackets. That is not what it means in Arabic, it is misleading, dangerous, downright confusing, and is a misuage of the language. For example the most widely used interpretation for pro-niqaab is "except that which is apparent means an eye just for seeing." If the Quran says cover the face and eyes as they claim then why did Allah (swt) tell men to lower their gazes? Why would they lower their gazes if their is nothing APPARENT to see? Because you have covered "THAT WHICH IS APPARENT" that Allah (swt) has commanded us that we are allowed to show.

I would suggest that it would be very helpful that instead of all of the words between brackets, if one could quote the hadith or ayah and directly underneath it write the commentary or interpretation. Equivalent to a footnote. That would make it much easier to read. If you have ever read The Noble Quran you know what I mean.

 2. There is a MAJORITY of scholars who support that hijab is fard as opposed to the MINORITY of scholars that rule the niqaab is fard. The prophet (saws) said never will this ummah be able to reach an agreement on something unless it is on the truth. The scholars are the inheritors of the sunnah because they take their knowledge from Muhammad (saws) and the understanding of the the first three generations known as Al Salaf As-Saliheen that includes the sahaba, tabieen, and tatabieen.

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