Why should I wear hijab?

Why should I wear hijab?


This is a good question and there is a beautiful answer! Allaah has commanded us with every action that is good for us and prohibited us from performing every action that is bad for us. Allaah orders the Muslim woman to wear the hijaab when she steps out of the security of her home or when in the presence of strange men. So to wear the hijaab is a source of great good for you – the Muslim woman - for many reasons. Among them: You please Allaah. You are obeying the commands of your Lord when you wear the hijaab and you can expect great rewards in return.

It is Allaah's protection of your natural beauty. You are too precious to be "on display" for each man to see.

It is Allaah's preservation of your chastity.Allaah purifies your heart and mind through the hijaab. Allaah beautifies your inner and outer countenance with hijaab. Outwardly your hijaab reflects innocence, purity, modesty, shyness, serenity, contentment and obedience to your Lord. Inwardly you cultivate the same.

Allaah defines your femininity through the hijaab. You are a woman who respects her womanhood. Allaah wants you to be respected by others, and for you to respect yourself.

Allaah raises your dignity through the hijaab. When a strange man looks at you, he respects you because he sees that you respect yourself.

Allaah protects your honour 100% through your hijaab. Men do not gaze at you in a sensual way, they do not approach you in a sensual way, and neither do they speak to you in a sensual way. Rather, a man holds you in high esteem and that is just by one glance at you!

Allaah gives you nobility through the hijaab. You are noble, not degraded, because you are covered and not naked.

Allaah demonstrates your equality as a Muslim woman through the hijaab. Your Lord bestows upon you equal worth as your male counterpart, and gives you a host of beautiful rights and liberties. You express your acceptance of these unique rights by putting on the hijaab.

Allaah defines your role as a Muslim woman through the hijaab. You are a someone with important duties. You are a reflection of a woman of action not idle pursuits. You display your sense of direction and purpose through your hijaab. You are someone that people take seriously.

Allaah expresses your independence through the hijaab. You are stating clearly that you are an obedient servant of the Greatest Master. You will obey no one else and follow no other way. You are not a slave to any man, nor a slave to any nation. You are free and independent from all man-made systems.

Allaah gives you the freedom of movement and expression through the hijaab. You are able to move about and communicate without fear of harassment. Your hijaab gives you a unique confidence.

Allaah wants others to treat you – a Muslim woman - with kindness. And the hijaab brings about the best treatment of men towards you.

Allaah wants your beauty to be preserved and saved for just one man to enjoy: your husband.

Allaah helps you to enjoy a successful marriage through wearing hijaab. Because you reserve your beauty for one man alone, your husband's love for you increases, he cherishes you more, he respects you more and he honours you more. So your hijaab contributes to a successful and lasting marital relationship.

Allaah brings about peace and stability in the society through the hijaab! Yes this is true! Men do not cause corruption by forming illegal relationships because you - the Muslim woman - calm their passions. When a man looks at you, he feels at ease, not tempted to fornicate…

So a Muslim woman in hijaab is dignified, not dishonoured, noble, not degraded, liberated, not subjugated, purified, not sullied, independent, not a slave, protected, not exposed, respected, not laughed at, confident, not insecure, obedient, not a sinner, a guarded pearl, not a prostitute…

Dear Muslim sister! Come towards the gates of Paradise with us! Fulfill your duties towards Allaah, put on your adornment - put on your hijaab, and race towards Jannah (Paradise) by doing all good actions. You should agree by now that wearing hijaab is extremely beneficial – it must be - because Allaah only commands what is good……and believe me, dear sister, it is good to obey the commands of your Lord…

"Their reward is with their Lord: Gardens of Eden underneath which rivers flow wherein they will dwell for ever; Allaah is pleased with them, and they are pleased with Him; this is (in store) for whoever fears his Lord." [Sooratul-Bayyinah 98:8]

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Wearing and Understanding Hijab in Saudi Arabia

Wearing and Understanding Hijab in Saudi Arabia

It’s undoubtedly one of the most misunderstood symbols. The Hijab has been attacked many times, nationally and internationally. Whether you travel through America, Europe, or the Middle East one thing is evident: that you will see a Muslim woman wearing Hijab in some form. I am one of them; I reside in California and grew up in Orange County. I adore American culture, and like so many Muslim women, I choose to wear Hijab.

Hijab has many forms, and many looks. Each woman has her own personal reasons for wearing Hijab. This article is not meant to showcase one individual as correct or incorrect in her decision. Rather it is meant to explain the different looks of Hijab, and hopefully relieve some of the stigma associated with wearing it.

The first look, which is pretty common, and which so many Muslim women and I have chosen, is the headscarf with modest dress. I will speak for myself that I love to dress up, I love to celebrate my femininity, but I try to stay within Islamic guidelines of modesty while satiating my love of fashion.

The second look is the Abaya, which is a simple robe-like dress that falls on the body not hugging any curves. It is usually seen in black, but most women choose Abayas that have embroidery or even crystals on them. In some places like the Dubai an Abaya can cost upward of $1000 dollars.

The last, and often the most feared and heavily debated, is the Niqab where a woman covers her face and only her eyes are visible. Most people have flashes of oppressed women walking ten steps behind their husbands while drowning in the layers of cloth. I will not say that there are women in this world that are not forced to wear such dress against their will, but I will say that the women I have met in my life that have chosen this lifestyle as a way to strip away from this world and focus only on worshiping their lord.

Through my travels and interactions with Muslim women I have found most choose to wear Hijab and feel comfortable and confident in their decisions. They feel that Hijab keeps them close to what God has asked from them.

While on a trip to Saudi Arabia, I wore the Abaya in order not to stand out too much as a foreigner. I did not mind it, but itched to get back into my clothing. Most women in Saudi Arabia own hundreds of these robes, some embellished in Swarovski crystals. To some it is simply a cultural overthrow that is placed on their beautiful fashionable clothing as respect until they arrive to their desired destination; for others it is more for religious practice.

On one outing in Saudi Arabia I met Naeema, a 43-year-old mother and pharmacist. She had this to say about Hijab: “We are educated, we love fashion, we love to dance and sing and we enjoy life just like everyone else, we just dress a little differently.” Naeema had felt hurt and frustrated while traveling through Europe she was verbally attacked and disrespected for her choice to wear the Abaya.

To respect, and to show one another dignity, is a universal language, which can best be practiced by understanding each other’s cultural and religious beliefs. The only way to do this is through talking to others and in particular while we travel educating ourselves on different customs. From my life experiences, we seem to all be the same inside, we just look a little different on the outside.

Source : http://www.intheknowtraveler.com/archives/9765

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What's it like to wear the hijab in Halifax?

 What's it like to wear the hijab in Halifax? 

 Anisa finished draping her floral head-scarf around my shoulders and stood back.

“What do you think?”

I looked into the mirror in the bathroom on the bottom floor of Park Lane and felt—as any secular Westerner might—uncomfortable, but excited. A woman wearing running shoes and her hair in a short bob finished washing her hands next to us and smiled.

“It looks beautiful,” she said.

When she left, Anisa turned to me: “Did you hear that!”

Two hours later, my hope that everyone in Halifax was this unquestioningly accepting had vanished, and my experiment felt, at least partly, like a failure.

What is the hijab?

We met at The Seahorse last fall during PechaKucha night. Anisa Awad stood out immediately with her big smile that shows her teeth, and her cool style. She gave a talk that night about her experience moving to Halifax over a year ago from the United Arab Emirates (she’s originally from Palestine), and showed us photos she took of Halifax—the waterfront, the birds, the buildings.

I interviewed Anisa for Halifax Magazine about her choice to wear the hijab, and we became friends. I told her I wanted to wear the hijab in Halifax and asked if she would chaperone me. She agreed.

The word “hijab” has numerous meanings. Sometimes the word refers to the head scarf Muslim women wear. In the Koran, it means “covering”—a modest style of dressing. What “modest” means can be open to individual interpretation, but sometimes it is government legislated, or dictated by religious leaders or family members.

Many, but not all, Muslim women cover their hair, arms and legs to express modesty. Some women cover their faces too. The Koran also encourages men to dress modestly.

I used to think there were strict rules governing how a Muslim woman could dress. I thought, based on this false assumption, that their religion was oppressive. I wrongly associated the niqab—a version of the hijab that covers the lower half of the face—with forced wear.

But after visiting Turkey, Egypt and Morocco, wearing the hijab in mosques and researching the garment, I’ve shed those misconceptions about the style of dress.

Western curiosity
“Do you wanna take a picture with him?”

The guy was slurring a bit, pointing at his friend, a bachelor out for his last hurrah in a mascot costume that vaguely resembled a cat. We were on Argyle Street and the four of them had been drinking.

“Sure,” I said, digging in my backpack for my camera.

We posed for a few photos with the drunk cat, and I took the opportunity to ask what they thought of the hijab.

We had already asked a couple people for their opinions about the garment. One young woman said it was an expression of religious freedom and she was fine with it. Another woman said she experienced reverse culture shock coming to Halifax because it lacked diversity compared to Toronto, and Scarborough where she grew up. She saw the hijab every day back home.

His inhibitions lowered, one of the inebriated guys said, “Honestly, it makes me wanna bang you!” Then, inexplicably, he took his shirt off. His friends followed suit.

When I left the house to meet Anisa for our experiment, I had high hopes. I experience more street harassment from males in the summer and I wondered, naively, if wearing the hijab would deflect some of the honks, wolf whistles and rude comments. It didn’t discourage that sort of attention when I was in the middle east, and it didn’t in Halifax either. (Granted, this time I solicited their opinions.)

The man’s slightly more coherent friend said the hijab made him wonder what was underneath.

In general, people we passed on the street looked at me for a fragment of a second longer than usual. It felt like curiosity. I didn’t sense negativity.

Assumptions about the hijab
Overall, the experience felt positive when we stopped at Pizza Corner. I recognized an old friend from high school walking down the street toward us. (To avoid embarrassing her, I’ll call her Caitlyn.)

I greeted Caitlyn and her friend, and introduced them to Anisa. Caitlyn acknowledged my head scarf immediately, and I told her about the experiment.

“But your shirt is too short—it’s not covering your bum,” she said.

Generally, the hijab covers the hair on a woman’s head, and her arms, legs and everything in between.

The shirt covered the top five inches of my pants. My skin wasn’t exposed.

Anisa explained to her that there are different ways to dress modestly, and the length of my shirt didn’t matter as long as I was covered.

Caitlyn and her friend began asking Anisa questions about her head-scarf—all the same questions I had asked her, but without permission: How long have you been wearing it? Why did you decide to wear it? How does it feel to wear it here?

Anisa answered their questions politely, but I could tell she was getting weary.

The conversation ended awkwardly when Caitlyn’s friend asked Anisa why she was wearing makeup, in a tone that suggested she shouldn’t.

Anisa was taken aback by the girl’s question. She was wearing a translucent line of eye-shadow along her lashes.

Makeup doesn’t have any relation to the hijab, she explained.

Caitlyn’s friend looked embarrassed, her cheeks slightly red.

We said goodbye to them and walked toward Spring Garden Road.

When we arrived at her building, Anisa was honest: “I didn’t have a good time,” she said.

By starting a dialogue about the hijab, I disturbed biases lurking just below the surface. And when Anisa heard these misconceptions and stereotypes, she felt hurt and annoyed.

The hijab is a superficial part of Anisa’s personality. She’s more than that—a new MBA student at Dalhousie, a political thinker, a sister and a daughter.

The goal of the experiment wasn’t to hurt anyone; the goal was to challenge my own biases. By that measurement, the experiment was a success.

One assumption I used to make was that the hijab always indicated the wearer was Muslim, but Anisa told me that wasn’t true—it can be a cultural garment, too.

But the cost of the experiment—that Anisa felt hurt by the assumptions and stereotypes she heard—didn’t feel worth it.

Challenging assumptions
The next day, I ran into Caitlyn and her friend at a yard sale. We talked about the previous day’s conversation and I told them Anisa’s reaction.

Caitlyn said she wouldn’t have asked so many personal questions if I hadn’t said we were doing an experiment. Religion isn’t a topic usually discussed within the first 30 seconds of an introduction, but by using the word “experiment,” I gave Caitlyn the impression she could ask Anisa anything.

There was no malice behind their questions.

A Buddhist, Caitlyn has heard uninformed comments like, “You eat meat? I thought Buddhists didn’t eat meat.”

Though Caitlyn and her friend’s biases stung when Anisa heard them, the opportunity to ask Anisa questions helped them better understand the hijab, Caitlyn said.

Source :http://www.openfile.ca/halifax/story/whats-it-wear-hijab-halifax

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Wearing the Hijab, an Overview

Wearing the Hijab, an Overview

Muslims girls face many different issues when it comes to wearing the hijab in public. There are many reasons for these issues. Most of the largest issues come from schools where Muslims girls feel it is their right to be able to wear their hijab. Girls that insist on wearing the hijab are told that they are not conforming to the school uniform policy and are forced to take it off.
One of the most documented cases is that of Shabina Begum.  Begum was a pupil at Denbigh High School, in Luton, England. In this situation, Begum took her case to the court along with her brother, stating that the school was violating with her rights to manifest her religion and her right to education. The problem was not that she could not wear the hijab, but she could not wear the jilbab, a form of dress that covers the entire body. She first lost the case, but later won it. The school went on to say that by wearing the jilbab, she was indirectly forcing the other girls in the school to wear it as well. The accuracy of this statement is arguable. It may have been a hollow statement offered by the school as a last minute hope to get extra credibility within the case.

The arguments for and against the wearing of the hijab and other religious dress in public are also widespread. There are those that say people should be allowed to follow their religion no matter what it allows in terms of clothing. Others say that it creates unwanted and unneeded tension in society. There are even some Muslim writers say that Begum was overdoing the amount of modesty required, after all the hijab was allowed, why did she have to take it a step further and wear the jilbab.

Sometimes the stereotype is so strong that just by wearing the hijab, women are getting negative images and representations of Arabs thrust upon them. There are may instances of physical abuse when wearing the hijab in public, especially after 9/11. Before the attacks in New York, hijab wearers were always given stares and looks. They were made to feel slightly out of place, but nothing more. After 9/11 occurred, the violence and hatred started to expose itself to these women. Racial slurs were thrown around and physical violence was used, where tearing off the hijab occurred frequently.


There are also many instances of intersectionality between race, religion and gender. African American women Muslims sometimes have to face the racism and anger of not only being black, but also a Muslim who wears the hijab. These problems are widely documented in newspapers and journals. Amina Wadud, Professor of Islamic Studies at Virginia Commonwealth University and author of Qur'an and Woman: Rereading the Sacred Text from a Woman's Perspective, said that "When I wear a hijab, I don't look African and my words are measured with politeness; however, when my hijab is not covering my hair, I become Black and my words lose all value." This shows us how race and religion collide.

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HIJAB in Light of the Quran and Sunnah

HIJAB in Light of the Quran and Sunnah 
Evidences: The obligation of hijab

The wives of the Prophet used to go to Al-Manasi, a vast open place (near Baqia at Medina) to answer the call of nature at night. 'Umar used to say to the Prophet "Let your wives be veiled," but Allah's Apostle did not do so. One night Sauda bint Zam'a the wife of the Prophet went out at 'Isha' time and she was a tall lady. 'Umar addressed her and said, "I have recognized you, O Sauda." He said so, as he desired eagerly that the verses of Al-Hijab (the observing of veils by the Muslim women) may be revealed. So Allah revealed the verses of "Al-Hijab" (33:59) {Sahih Bukhari 1:148}

O Prophet! Tell your wives and your daughters and the women of the believers to draw their cloaks (JALABIB) all over their bodies. That will be better, that they should be known (as free respectable women) so as not to be annoyed. And Allah is Ever Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. {Surah Al-Ahzab: Ayah 59}

NB: The arabic word here is Jalabeeb (plural of Jalbaab), which is the loose outer garment that covers all a woman's body. It says here to use the Jalabeeb to cover all, and scholars say this means to use it to cover her head (agree upon by all scholars)

'Aisha used to say: "When (the Verse): 'They should draw their veils over their necks and bosoms,' was revealed, (the ladies) cut their waist sheets at the edges and covered their faces with the cut pieces." {Sahih Bukhari 6:282}

Narrated Umm Salamah, Ummul Mu'minin: When the verse "That they should cast their outer garments over their persons" was revealed, the women of Ansar came out as if they had crows over their heads by wearing outer garments. {Sunan Abu Dawud}

The lower half of the hijab is a garment that does not show the woman's figure. Jeans and certain obvious garments do not meet this requirement.

Narrated Dihyah ibn Khalifah al-Kalbi: The Apostle of Allah was brought some pieces of fine Egyptian linen and he gave me one and said: Divide it into two; cut one of the pieces into a shirt and give the other to your wife for veil. Then when he turned away, he said: And order your wife to wear a garment below it and not show her figure. {Sunan Abu Dawud}

Narrated Umm Atiyya: We were ordered to bring out our menstruating women and screened women to the religious gatherings and invocation of the Muslims on the two Eid festivals. These menstruating women were to keep away from the musalla. A woman asked, "O Messenger of Allah! What about one who does not have a jilbab?". He said, "Let her borrow the jilbab of her companion". {Sahih Bukhari 8:347}

Recommended Type of Garment

The female companions were known to wear black and dark colors (such as the hadith above, "crows on their heads"), but other colors are also permissible for a woman to wear. She must not wear any color, however, in vanity.

...'Aisha said that the lady (came), wearing a green veil ...  {Sahih Bukhari 7.715}



that he had seen Um Kulthum, the daughter of Allah's Apostle (saaws), wearing a red silk garment. {Sahih Bukhari 7.733}

The Prophet (saaws) was given some clothes including a black Khamisa. The Prophet said, "To whom shall we give this to wear?" The people kept silent whereupon the Prophet said, "Fetch Um Khalid for me." I (Um Khalid) was brought carried (as I was small girl at that time). The Prophet took the Khamisa in his hands and made me wear it and said, "May you live so long that your dress will wear out and you will mend it many times." On the Khamisa there were some green or pale designs (The Prophet saw these designs) and said, "O Um Khalid! This is Sanah." (Sanah in a Ethiopian word meaning beautiful). {Sahih Bukhari 7.713}

Narrated Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al-'As: We came down with the Apostle of Allah (peace be upon him) from a turning of a valley. He turned his attention to me and I was wearing a garment dyed with a reddish yellow dye. He asked: What is this garment over you? I recognised what he disliked. I then came to my family who were burning their oven. I threw it (the garment) in it and came to him the next day. He asked: Abdullah, what have you done with the garment? I informed him about it. He said: Why did you not give it to one of your family to wear, for there is no harm in it for women.{Sunan Abu Dawud No 4055}

On the authority of Ad'Diya Al-Maqdisi, the prophet (SAW) said: "Any woman who perfumes herself and passes by some people that they smell her scent, then she is a Zaniyah (adulteress)."
Source:http://lutonmuslims.com

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Putin Against Hijab in Schools

Putin Against Hijab in Schools

People’s religious feelings must be respected, but Russia is a secular state, President Vladimir Putin stated in a comment on a recent controversy over a Russian school banning Muslim girls from attending classes while wearing a hijab.

“We should see how our neighbors, European states deal with this issue [wearing hijabs]. And everything will become clear,” Putin said on Thursday, at a meeting with Popular Front movement.

The president stressed that decisions on the matter can only be made in an acceptable form – so that no one is hurt – and after a discussion with clerics.

He pointed out that Russia is home to adherents of different religions and stressed that religious feelings must be treated with great respect.

However, “we are a secular state and we should act on this premise,” said Putin. Under the general rules of a secular state, the church is separated from the state, he observed.

Over 80 per cent of Russia’s population consider themselves Orthodox Christians, Putin noted. If the country retreats from secularism, if everyone is not treated equally, representatives of other traditional religions in the country will “feel infringed upon.”

The president also favored the idea introducing school uniforms. That would help to consider religious feelings and, also, help to sort everyday problems.

“It’s not really pleasant when some [children] come to school chicly dressed, while others are dressed modestly, to put it mildly, and feel like second-rate people,” Putin observed.

There is “a good tradition” in some European countries, where uniforms are worn both in schools and colleges, he noted.

Earlier this month, parents of several Muslim girls in a village in Russia’s Stavropol Region filed complaints at the district prosecutor’s office over their children being banned from school for wearing hijabs. They stated that the school had violated their constitutional rights to education and freedom of religion. The issue drew wide public attention.

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Russian School Bans 5 Muslim Girls From Classes for Wearing Hijab

Russian School Bans 5 Muslim Girls From Classes for Wearing Hijab

A head teacher of a school in Russia’s North Caucasus region banned five Muslim girls from attending classes while wearing a hijab. Indignant parents filed suits at a local prosecutor’s office over the issue.

The scandal erupted a week ago at a school in the village of Kara-Tyube in Russia’s Stavropol region. Several Muslim girls of different ages were told they would not be allowed to enter the school unless they took off their hijabs.

“But that is unacceptable in our religion,” Ravil Kaibaliyev, the father of one of the children told Izvestia daily newspaper.

The children’s parents filed complaints at the district prosecutor’s office, claiming that the school had violated their constitutional rights to education and freedom of religion.

The prosecutor promised to issue a legal assessment of the incident within 30 days, and to take appropriate measures if the school’s headmaster was found to have broken the law.

School principal Marina Savchenko said that wearing a hijab violates school policy, which requires students to attend classes in secular clothes. “We didn’t insist that the girls shouldn’t wear hijab at all, but suggested they replace it with a headscarf while during the school classes,” she told Izvestia.

Russia’s Education Ministry backed the school’s administration, saying that schools are allowed to adopt their own regulations regarding uniform and rules of conduct.

However, Russian children's rights ombudsman Pavel Astakhov said that the school in Kara-Tyube “is clearly overreacting.”

“There are no common rules regarding pupils’ appearance. And a hijab in this case is not some indecent item,” Astakhov said, adding that in Western countries, similar conflicts are usually resolved in favor of tolerance.

Russian Islamic clergy condemned the ban, saying that there are no laws in the country regulating a person’s appearing. Wearing the hijab is also an integral part of the lifestyle of certain Islamic faiths, a senior official from the Council of Muftis told Izvestia.

Source:  http://rt.com/politics/hijab-school-muslim-scandal-464/

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