The Virtues of Hijab

[Mrs.Alhajjri]

1.An act of obedience.

The hijab is an act of obedience to Allah and to his prophet (pbuh), Allah says in the Qur'an: `It is not for a believer, man or woman, when Allah and His messenger have decreed a matter that they should have an option in their decision. And whoever disobeys Allah and His Messenger, has indeed strayed in a plain error.' (S33:36).

Allah also said: 'And tell the believing women to lower their gaze (from looking at forbidden things) and protect their private parts (from illegal sexual acts, etc) and not to show off their adornment except what must (ordinarily) appear thereof, that they should draw their veils over their Juyubihinna.'(S24:31).

Juyubihinna: The respected scholars from As-Salaf As-Saleh (righteous predecessors) differed whether the veil cover of the body must include the hands and face or not. Today, respected scholars say that the hands and face must be covered. Other respected scholars say it is preferable for women to cover their whole bodies.

2.The Hijab is IFFAH (Modesty).

Allah (subhana wa'atala) made the adherence to the hijab a manifestation for chastity and modesty. Allah says: 'O Prophet! Tell your wives and your daughters and the women of the believers to draw their cloaks (veils) over their bodies (when outdoors). That is most convenient that they should be known and not molested.' (S33:59). In the above Ayaah there is an evidence that the recognition of the apparent beauty of the woman is harmful to her. When the cause of attraction ends, the restriction is removed. This is illustrated in the case of elderly women who may have lost every aspect of attraction. Allah (swt) made it permissible for them to lay aside their outer garments and expose their faces and hands reminding, however, that is still better for them to keep their modesty.

3.The hijab is Tahara (Purity)

Allah (swt) had shown us the hikma (wisdom) behind the legislation of the hijab: `And when you ask them (the Prophet's wives) for anything you want, ask them from behind a screen, that is purer for your hearts and their hearts.' (S33:53).

The hijab makes for greater purity for the hearts of believing men and women because it screens against the desire of the heart. Without the hijab, the heart may or may not desire. That is why the heart is more pure when the sight is blocked (by hijab) and thus the prevention of fitna (evil actions is very much manifested. The hijab cuts off the ill thoughts and the greed of the sick hearts:

`Be not soft in speech, lest he in whose heart is a disease (of hypocrisy or evil desire for adultery, etc) should be moved with desire, but speak in an honourable manner.' (S33:32)

4.The hijab is a Shield

The prophet (pbuh) said: "Allah, Most High, is Heaven, is Ha'yeii (Bashful), Sit'teer (Shielder). He loves Haya' (Bashfulness) and Sitr (Shielding; Covering)." The Prophet (pbuh) also said: "Any woman who takes off her clothes in other than her husband's house (to show off for unlawful purposes), has broken Allah's shield upon her. "The hadith demonstrates that depending upon the kind of action committed there will be either reward (if good) or punishment (if bad).

5. The hijab is Taqwah (Righteousness)

Allah (swt) says in the Qur'an: `O children of Adam! We have bestowed raiment upon you to cover yourselves (screen your private parts, etc) and as an adornment. But the raiment of righteousness, that is better.'(S7:26). The widespread forms of dresses in the world today are mostly for show off and hardly taken as a cover and shield of the woman's body. To the believing women, however the purpose is to safeguard their bodies and cover their private parts as a manifestation of the order of Allah. It is an act of Taqwah (righteousness).

6.The hijab is Eemaan (Belief or Faith)

Allah (swt) did not address His words about the hijab except to the believing women, Al-Mo'minat. In many cases in the Qur'an Allah refers to the "the believing women". Aisha (RA), the wife of the prophet (pbuh), addressed some women from the tribe of Banu Tameem who came to visit her and had light clothes on them, they were improperly dressed: "If indeed you are believing women, then truly this is not the dress of the believing women, and if you are not believing women, then enjoy it."

7. The hijab is Haya' (Bashfulness)

There are two authentic hadith which state: "Each religion has a morality and the morality of Islam is haya'" AND "Bashfulness is from belief, and belief is in Al-Jannah (paradise)". The hijab fits the natural bashfulness which is a part of the nature of women.

8.The hijab is Gheerah (Jealousy) The hijab fits the natural feeling of Gheerah, which is intrinsic in the straight man who does not like people to look at his wife or daughters. Gheerah is a driving emotion that drives the straight man to safeguard women who are related to him from strangers. The straight MUSLIM man has Gheerah for ALL MUSLIM women In response to lust and desire, men look (with desire) at other women while they do not mind that other men do the same to their wives or daughters. The mixing of sexes and absence of hijab destroys the Gheera in men. Islam considers Gheerah an integral part of faith. The dignity of the wife or daughter or any other Muslim woman must be highly respected and defended.

 

[Angel{">i<"}tears]

الله يعطيكي العافية اختي
تحياتي لكي

 

[iBrian]

It would be great to have discussions in English, thanks.

 

[Angel{">i<"}tears]

i told here thanks and Allah give here healthy
thats all
i did not know about rules here
i'm sorry

 

[Friend]

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Thanks ,,very informative subject.


I,Brian


Waw,,I like truculence,,,so I will use Arabic in all my post and replies


Jazaky Allah 5ayran

 

[Promethium]

The explanation you provided for Gheera was interesting. In that sense the Hijab becomes a tool for allowing spiritual growth in men.

 

[Ahanu]

1.An act of obedience.

The hijab is an act of obedience to Allah and to his prophet (pbuh), Allah says in the Qur'an: `It is not for a believer, man or woman, when Allah and His messenger have decreed a matter that they should have an option in their decision. And whoever disobeys Allah and His Messenger, has indeed strayed in a plain error.' (S33:36).

Allah also said: 'And tell the believing women to lower their gaze (from looking at forbidden things) and protect their private parts (from illegal sexual acts, etc) and not to show off their adornment except what must (ordinarily) appear thereof, that they should draw their veils over their Juyubihinna.'(S24:31).

Juyubihinna: The respected scholars from As-Salaf As-Saleh (righteous predecessors) differed whether the veil cover of the body must include the hands and face or not. Today, respected scholars say that the hands and face must be covered. Other respected scholars say it is preferable for women to cover their whole bodies.

Where does the Prophet say women are required to wear the hijab? Koran 33.53 is addressed to Muhammad's wives, not the Ummah. Koran 24.31-32 uses the word khamr for "cover," not hijab.

 

[Ahmad232]

Where does the Prophet say women are required to wear the hijab? Koran 33.53 is addressed to Muhammad's wives, not the Ummah. Koran 24.31-32 uses the word khamr for "cover," not hijab.

it addresses all believing women too; khmar is a head covering that comes over the bosoms too

 

[Ahanu]

it addresses all believing women too; khmar is a head covering that comes over the bosoms too

Reza Aslan, in No god but God: the Origins, Evolution, and Future of Islam, has an alternative way of looking at it:

"Believers, do not enter the Prophet's house . . . unless asked. And if you are invited . . . do not linger. And when you ask something from the Prophet's wives, do so from behind a hijab. This will assure the purity of your hearts as well as theirs" (Koran 33:53).

This restriction makes perfect sense when one recalls that Muhammad's house was also the community's mosque: the center of religious and social life in the Ummah. People were constantly coming in and out of this compound at all hours of the day. When delegations from other tribes came to speak with Muhammad, they would set up their tents for days at a time inside the open courtyard,j just a few feet away from the apartments in which Muhammad's wives slept . . .

When Muhammad was little more than a tribal Shaykh, this constant commotion could be tolerated. But by the year 627, when he had become the supremely powerful leader of an increasingly expanding community, some kind of segregation had to be enforced to maintain the inviolability of his wives. Thus the tradition, borrowed from the upper classes of Iranian and Syrian women, of veiling and secluding the most important women in society . . .

That the veil applied soley to Muhammad wives is further demonstrated by the fact that the term for donning the veil, darabat al-hijab, was used synonymously with 'becoming Muhammad's wife.' For this reason, during the Prophet's lifetime, no other women in the Ummah observed hijab . . . modesty was enjoined on both male and female believers, while women in particular were instructed to follow in the footsteps of the Prophet's wives and 'draw their clothes around them a little to be recognized as believers so that no harm will come to them' (Koran 33.59). More specifically, women should 'guard their private parts . . . and drape a cover over their breasts' when in the presence of strange men (Koran 24.31-32). However, as Leila Ahmed correctly observes, nowhere in the whole of the Quran is the term hijab applied to any woman other than the wives of Muhammad.

. . . [After Muhammad's death] Muslim women probably began wearing the veil as a way to emulate the Prophet's wives, who were revered as 'the Mothers of the Ummah.' But the veil was neither compulsory nor, for that matter, widely adopted until generations after Muhammad's death, when a large body of male scriptural and legal scholars began using their religious and political authority to regain the dominance they had lost in society as a result of the Prophet's egalitarian reforms."​

 

[A Cup Of Tea]

It sounds as if bout of you agree that Muhammad's wives wore the hijab and all other women are required to were a simpler head cover?

EDIT: nvm, was wrong

 

[Ahmad232]

Reza Aslan, in No god but God: the Origins, Evolution, and Future of Islam, has an alternative way of looking at it:

"Believers, do not enter the Prophet's house . . . unless asked. And if you are invited . . . do not linger. And when you ask something from the Prophet's wives, do so from behind a hijab. This will assure the purity of your hearts as well as theirs" (Koran 33:53).

This restriction makes perfect sense when one recalls that Muhammad's house was also the community's mosque: the center of religious and social life in the Ummah. People were constantly coming in and out of this compound at all hours of the day. When delegations from other tribes came to speak with Muhammad, they would set up their tents for days at a time inside the open courtyard,j just a few feet away from the apartments in which Muhammad's wives slept . . .

When Muhammad was little more than a tribal Shaykh, this constant commotion could be tolerated. But by the year 627, when he had become the supremely powerful leader of an increasingly expanding community, some kind of segregation had to be enforced to maintain the inviolability of his wives. Thus the tradition, borrowed from the upper classes of Iranian and Syrian women, of veiling and secluding the most important women in society . . .

That the veil applied soley to Muhammad wives is further demonstrated by the fact that the term for donning the veil, darabat al-hijab, was used synonymously with 'becoming Muhammad's wife.' For this reason, during the Prophet's lifetime, no other women in the Ummah observed hijab . . . modesty was enjoined on both male and female believers, while women in particular were instructed to follow in the footsteps of the Prophet's wives and 'draw their clothes around them a little to be recognized as believers so that no harm will come to them' (Koran 33.59). More specifically, women should 'guard their private parts . . . and drape a cover over their breasts' when in the presence of strange men (Koran 24.31-32). However, as Leila Ahmed correctly observes, nowhere in the whole of the Quran is the term hijab applied to any woman other than the wives of Muhammad.

. . . [After Muhammad's death] Muslim women probably began wearing the veil as a way to emulate the Prophet's wives, who were revered as 'the Mothers of the Ummah.' But the veil was neither compulsory nor, for that matter, widely adopted until generations after Muhammad's death, when a large body of male scriptural and legal scholars began using their religious and political authority to regain the dominance they had lost in society as a result of the Prophet's egalitarian reforms."​

there is another verse that specifically enjoins all believing women to wear hijab:

“And say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty; that they should not display their beauty and ornaments except what must ordinarily appear therof; that they should draw their veils over their bosoms and not display their beauty except to their husbands, their fathers, their husbands' fathers, their sons, their husbands' sons, their brothers, or their brothers' sons or their sisters' sons, or their women or the servants whom their right hands possess, or male servants free of physical needs, or small children who have no sense of the shame of sex, and that they should not strike their feet in order to draw attention to their hidden ornaments. And O you Believers, turn you all together towards Allah, that you may attain Bliss.” (Quran 24:31).

“O Prophet, tell your wives and your daughters and the women of the believers to draw their cloaks close round them (when they go abroad). That will be better, so that they may be recognised and not annoyed. Allah is ever Forgiving, Merciful.” (Quran 33:59)

 

[Ahanu]

Let's say you're living in Arabia around Muhammad's time period. There's a nagging question in your mind: How do I find a prostitute? You spot a friendly Arab and ask, and he responds: "You should look for the women of the red flags. They raise these flags to signal their tribe is for prostitutes. You should look for women with uncovered hair, transparent upper garments, and a slit in their lower garments to see their legs."

Somehow you get lost, ending up in Medina where you see women wearing something similar to what we call a vest in the 21st century. Although it covers her bosom, her cleavage remains exposed. You notice it's similar to a cowboy vest. You stop to take a look around. Believe it or not, you see nude pilgrimages to the Kaaba. Yes. Nude. Later, you discover this practice is well-known. Female slaves and other lower class women in this society walk around markets with their bosoms exposed.

Culture shock.

We know these things because this information comes from Arabic poetry, Islamic historical sources, and non-Muslim reports.

It is this context Muhammad is addressing:

“And say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty; that they should not display their beauty and ornaments except what is apparent outwardly; that they should draw their veils over their bosoms and not display their beauty except to their husbands, their fathers, their husbands' fathers, their sons, their husbands' sons, their brothers, or their brothers' sons or their sisters' sons, or their women or the servants whom their right hands possess, or male servants free of physical needs, or small children who have no sense of the shame of sex, and that they should not strike their feet in order to draw attention to their hidden ornaments. And O you Believers, turn you all together towards Allah, that you may attain Bliss.” (Koran 24.31).

As Khaled Abou El Fadl points out, the language (". . . they should not display their beauty and ornaments except what is apparent outwardly") isn't clear. Maybe it's saying the ornaments people usually wear externally are permissible? Maybe it's saying showing your clothes is permissible? Maybe it's saying something else is permissible? Why doesn't it say except for the hands and the face? There are no specific words here.

Can God speak clearly? Yes. The manners for entering a house are very clear:

Koran 24.27:

"O you who believe! Do not enter houses other than your own houses until you have asked permission and saluted their inmates; this is better for you, that you may be mindful."

Koran 24.28:

"But if you do not find any one therein, then do not enter them until permission is given to you; and if it is said to you: Go back, then go back; this is purer for you; and Allah is Cognizant of what you do."

According to Koran 24.27, God is saying: "Knock!" Do you need me to interpret Koran 24.28 for you too? No. Like the previous ayah, it's meaning is clear.

Maybe God, speaking in Koran 24.31, wants ambiguity here? If so, why? Next I read "that they should draw their veils over their bosoms and not display their beauty." Women of Medina used to throw their veils over their backs, and their cleavages were exposed, so God commands "they should draw their veils over their bosoms." Why doesn't it say "over their heads" too? Was the khamr above the head in the first place? Was it understood that you should bring the khamr from over your head to cover your chest? I read one scholar (Muhammad Asad) translates this as "let them draw their head-coverings over their bosoms." Here's how I read "they should draw their head-coverings over their bosoms and not display their beauty":

"Look, showing your cleavage or bosom to the world isn't dressing modestly. You can use anything to cover your bosom, as long as it is not transparent, as long as it is in the realm of dressing modestly."

Is covering your bosom mandatory? Yes.

Is covering your bosom with the hijab mandatory? No. That's a Muslim woman's choice.

 

[Ahanu]

It sounds as if bout of you agree that Muhammad's wives wore the hijab and all other women are required to were a simpler head cover?

EDIT: nvm, was wrong

Hi A Cup of Tea,

I hope my post above clears things up.

 

[Ahanu]

there is another verse that specifically enjoins all believing women to wear hijab:

Where?

See post #12.

 

[Ahmad232]

Where?

See post #12.

just below that comment

Modernists have tried to interpret those verses differently but it don't matter what they say as they don't represent Islam

Here is an article that explains the traditional view point:

Why Hijab?

Answered by Shaykh Nuh Keller

The Qur’anic verse, “Say to believing women, that they cast down their eyes and guard their private parts, and reveal not their adornment save such as is outward; and let them drape their headcoverings over their bosoms, and not reveal their adornment . . .” (Qur’an 24:31) is a specific requirement for Muslim women to cover their hair.

The word “headcoverings” (Ar. singular khimar, plural khumur), more familiar in our times as the hijab, is a word of well-known signification among scholars of Arabic, at their forefront the authors of the classical lexical reference dictionaries like Zabidi’s encyclopedic Taj al-‘arus or Mutarrizi’s al-Mughrib, both of which define khimar as “a woman’s headcovering”; or Fayumi’s al-Misbah or Fayruzabadi’s al-Qamus, which both define it as “a cloth with which a woman covers her head.” The Taj al-‘arus also notes that a man's turban is sometimes referred to as a khimar “because a man covers his head with it in like manner as a woman covers her head with her khimar when he disposes it in the Arab manner, turning part of it under the jaws nearly in the same manner in which a woman disposes her khimar.” These authorities are cited in the eight-volume Arabic-English Lexicon of Edward William Lane, who describes the khimar as “a woman’s muffler or veil with which she covers her head and the lower part of her face.”

There is no other lexical sense in which the word khimar may be construed. The wording of the command, however, “and let them drape their headcoverings over their bosoms,” sometimes confuses nonspecialists in the sciences of the Qur’an, and in truth, interpreting the Qur’an does sometimes require in-depth knowledge of the historical circumstances in which the various verses were revealed. In this instance, the elliptical form of the divine command is because women at the time of the revelation wore their headcovers tied back behind their necks, as some village women still do in Muslim countries, leaving the front of the neck bare, as well as the opening (Ar. singular jayb, plural juyub, translated as “bosoms” in the above verse) at the top of the dress. The Islamic revelation confirmed the practice of covering the head, understood from the use of the word khimar in the verse, but also explained that the custom of the time was not sufficient and that women were henceforth to tie the headcover in front and let it drape down to conceal the throat and the dress’s opening at the top.

This is why Muslim women cover their heads: because the Qur’an unambiguously orders them to, and there is no qualifying text or hadith or even other lexical possibility to show that the Qur’anic order might mean anything besides obligation. Rather, the hadiths all bear this meaning out, Muslim scholars are in unanimous agreement about it and have been from the time of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) down to our own day, and it is even known by all non-Muslim peoples about them.

There was thus nothing new or surprising in the Islamic legal opinion promulgated in December 2003 by the Grand Mufti of Egypt, Sheikh ‘Ali Jumu‘a of the Egyptian Fatwa Authority (Dar al-Ifta’ al-Misriyya) that “the hijab is an obligation on all Muslim female adults, as firmly established in the Holy Qur’an and the Prophet Muhammad’s hadiths, as well as unanimously agreed upon by Muslim scholars.” He pointed out that unlike the cross sometimes worn by Christians, or the skullcap worn by Jews, the hijab is not a “symbol” of Islam but rather that “Islam orders female adults to wear hijab as obligatory religious clothing.” It is part of every Muslim woman’s religious practice.

Some ink and words have been spent by some contemporary ethnic Muslim women writers (and an occasional convert) trying to do away with the covering of hair mandated by the Qur’an and the unanimous consensus of Muslims. They say—accurately enough, for a Muslim does not leave Islam merely by committing a sin—that one can take off the hijab and still remain a Muslim. But such a person remains a bad Muslim, who deems aping non-Muslims better than practicing Islam. For what? The Supreme Being knows our benefit better than we do; and if one believes in Allah, Master of every atom in the universe, it is only plain sense to follow Him. When all else fails, read the directions. Those who refuse to wear the hijab are acting out of ignorance or bad faith, and when one meets them, one seldom finds they manage to practice the other aspects of their religion. In the end, it is a matter of hearts. The heart that is alive has a sense of eternity, and knows that the infinite is greater than the finite. The heart that is dead follows the trends of the trend makers because it has turned its back on the Divine and forgotten endless time.

https://www.mail-archive.com/islamcity@yahoogroups.com/msg05607.html