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Reply:
The Virtues of Hijabscript sr
Replied by( Noman)
Replied on (26/Oct/2006)
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, ha
The Virtues of Hijab
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
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
Reply:
Top 10 excuses by women who do
Replied by( webmaster)
Replied on (21/Oct/2006)
You shall strive for the cause of God as you should strive for His cause. He has chosen you and has placed no hardship on you in practicing your religion (irtaza1@yahoo.com)
In the name of God, Most Beneficent, Most Merciful (Quran 1:1)
Peace be upon you,
God Almighty reminds in the Quran that He has placed no hardship on us,men and women both, in practicing Islam - "You shall strive for the cause of God as you should strive for His cause. He has chosen you and has placed no hardship on you in practicing your religion - the religion of your father Abraham..." (Quran 22:78)
The Quran gives us a clue that women, during the Prophet's time, were not placed in hardship and were not veiled (hijab) - "Beyond the categories described to you, you are enjoined from marrying any other women, nor can you substitute a new wife (from the prohibited categories), no matter how much you admire their beauty. You must be content with those already made lawful to you. God is watchful over all things." (Quran 33:52). Clearly, you cannot admire their beauty if they were veiled. Is it not a historical fact that the prophet's wife Ayesha took command of the army against Caliph Ali !? How could she perform that job if she was in veil !?
According to the Quran, the best garment is the "garment of righteousness" and not the "veil" (hijab) as understood from this - "O children of Adam, we have provided you with garments to cover your bodies, as well as for luxury. But the best garment is the garment of righteousness. These are some of God's signs, that they may take heed" (Quran 7:26). Obviously, our Islamic scholars do not take heed from the Quran. They consider "hijab" as the best garment even though we will find, God willing, later in this article that the word "hijab" has nothing to do with the dress code for women. Mr. Yusuf Ali translated the above verse (Quran 7:26) this way - "...but the raiment of righteousness- that is the best..." ! A question to our Islamic scholar - why God doesn't say "...but the veil (hijab)-that is the best..." in verse 7:26 above!?
Women shall cover their chest (bosom) and not the face or hair as understood from this verse - "And tell the believing women to subdue their eyes, and maintain their chastity. They shall not reveal any parts of their bodies, except that which is necessary. They shall cover (Khimar) their chests, and shall not relax this code in the presence of other than their husbands, their fathers, the fathers of their husbands, their sons, the sons of their husbands, their brothers, the sons of their brothers, the sons of their sisters, other women, the male servants or employees whose sexual drive has been nullified, or the children who have not reached puberty. They shall not strike their feet when they walk in order to shake and reveal details of their bodies. All of you shall repent to God, O you believers, that you may succeed." (Quran 24:31)
The Arabic word "Khimar" (not Hijab) in the above verse 24:31 means any cover. Most of the traditional translations are obviously influenced by so called hadith attributed to the prophet and take the word "Khimar" as "Hijab" (veil)! Mr. Yusuf Ali translated the above verse of 24:31 this way -"...they should draw their "veils" over their bosoms...". The distortion is obvious, the Arabic word for "veil" is 'hijab" and not "khimar"!
According to Quran, women shall lengthen their garments - "O prophet, tell your wives, your daughters, and the wives of the believers that they shall lengthen their garments. Thus, they will be recognized and avoid being insulted. God is Forgiver, Most Merciful." (Quran 33:59)
A woman may relax her dress code in the following situations - "The women may relax (their dress code) around their fathers, their sons, their brothers, the sons of their brothers, the sons of their sisters, the other women, and their servants. They shall reverence God. God witnesses all things." (Quran 33:55). Please note that in case of a male servant we need to refer to the Quran 24:31 mentioned earlier. Elderly women may also relax their dress code under certain conditions (Quran 24:60).
It is clear from the above verses that the dress code for the Muslim women according to the Quran is righteousness and modesty and not the veil (hijab)!
The Arabic word "hijab" appeared in the following seven verses of the Quran which tell us something other than the dress code for women! :
" A barrier separates them (Wa bayna-humaa hijaab), while the Purgatory is occupied by people who recognize each side by their looks. They will call dwellers of paradise:"Peace be upon you." They did not enter (paradise) through wishful thinking." (Quran 7:46)
"When you read the Quran, we place between you and those who do not believe in the Hereafter an invisible barrier (hijaabam-mastuu- raa)." (Quran 17:45)
" While a barrier separated her from them (Fattakhazat min duunihim hijaabaa), we sent to her our Spirit. He went to her in the form of a human being." (Quran 19:17)
" O you who believe, do not enter the prophet's homes unless you are given permission to eat, nor shall you force such an invitation in any manner. If you are invited, you may enter. When you finish eating, you shall leave; do not engage him in lengthy conversations. This used to hurt the prophet, and he was too shy to tell you. But God does not shy away from the truth. If you have to ask his wives for something, ask them from behind a barrier (Wa izaa saaltumuu-hunna mataa-an fasaluuhunna minw-waraaa- i hijaab). This is purer for your hearts and their hearts. You are not to hurt the messenger of God. You shall not marry his wives after him, for this would be a gross offense in the sight of God." (Quran 33:53)
" He then said, "I enjoyed the material things more than I enjoyed worshiping my Lord, until the sun was gone (hatta tawaarat bilhijaab)." (Quran 38:32)
" They said, "Our minds are made up, our ears are deaf to your message, and a barrier separates us from you (wa baynika hijaabun-fa- mal innanaa aamiluun). Do what you want, and so will we" (Quran 41:5)
" No human being can communicate with God except through inspiration, or from behind a barrier (aw minw-waraaai hijaabin), or by sending a messenger through whom He reveals what He wills. He is the Most High, Most Wise." (Quran 42:51)
The Quran imposes the responsibility on both men and women to subdue their eyes, and definitely, not to veil the woman (hijab) as understood from this - "Tell the believing men that they shall subdue their eyes, and to maintain their chastity. This is purer for them. God is fully Cognizant of everything they do. And tell the believing women to subdue their eyes, and maintain their chastity...." (Quran 24:30-31)
Thanks and may God guide us,
M. Irtaza
Reply:
i totally accept your words as
Replied by( Noman)
Replied on (16/Oct/2006)
i totally accept your words as Islam is not only qurran and Sunnah is the essential part of Islam.
i totally accept your words as Islam is not only qurran and Sunnah is the essential part of Islam. and i m with the grace of Allah, not baised at all. but i dont want to go deep in discussion over this issue, as i am not islamic scholar, if you are then u can carry on with this discusion , but i will get back to u once i got good evidance. but only point i will discuss with u is tht, covering the face is little controvercial among differnt sects/scholars of islam, and there is not exact evidence available as well. what u said are elaborations of sunnah/hadith and qurran, (i am not at all saying , you are wrong) the ref of hadith which u gave in which Holy Prophet (PBUH) gave permission to see the face of to - be married girl, the meaning of this could be like this, as God has forbidden men to see the second sight of women , (some one asked wht if i saw a women and then keep on seeing her without blinking then will it be consider as second sight??) ofcourse it will be "aap naa-mehrum ko aankh bur kur nahin dekh suktay", so may be holy prophet (PBUH) gave permission to see the face with full attention as in one sight it is impossible to judge or see the face clearly. but i personally like my wife/sisters/mothers to cover there faces as well. i said covering the face is not compeltion in islam coz of these two reasons 1-i couldnt find exact hadith/verses abt covering the face, 2-it is an issue which is desputed among muslim scholars, if today all muslim scholars or majority of muslim scholars declares tht covering the face is mandatory , i will go by them, infact i currently beieves in it myself, but there is not enough evidence to convince others. now for you ref i will quote one incident of hazrat Aysha R.A which is in favour of your point of view and this incident people who favour the concept to cover the face always use. you must be well aware of the incident when hazrat Aysha R.A got seperated from her caravan, people asked how the person, who took her back to cravan, recognized her , the answer in hadith is like this, after waiting alot for his caravan, she got tired and got asleep, when she was sleeping on the ground then wind was blowing and due to wind her face got uncovered (it means her face was covered). According to customs of Caravan, one man always travel behind the caravan from the distance. the duty of this man is to see if some one or some thing caravan forgot. so this man recoginzed her as he was aware of her looks coz he had seen her face before the veil's verses (it means after the verses hazrat Aysha r.a started veil with her face covered).
Reply:
you have raised very good poin
Replied by( Noman)
Replied on (16/Oct/2006)
you have raised very good points but brother I want to tell you that in Islam it is mandatory for a muslim women to cover her face (split_fire_2002@hotmail.com)
Assalam o alaykum, Brother Noman Zafar you have raised very good points but brother I want to tell you that in Islam it is mandatory for a muslim women to cover her face, Islam is not just the name of Quran, it is the combination of Quran and the sunnah, it is proved by the Quran and the sunnah that muslim women should cover her face, let me give some references for authenticity. Surah Noor (Ayah 27 to 32) there is a list of mehrams in front of which women can display their beauty, people offen says that face is not included in the beauty. sorry to say but this is a foolish belief, because ifthis is the case then what this hadith is for which says that; If someone has an intention to marry a woman he is allowed to see her face (sorry because i dont remember the reference of this hadith right now but you can find it in the 6 Authentic books of Hadith). If face is already uncover then why Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)emphasized upon seeing the face??? Surah Al-Ahzaab (Ayah 53 to 59) tell us about the Hijab which women must do before na-Mehrams, Islam gives women two hijabs one infornt of mehrams and one infront of Na-Mehrams, Hazarat Ali quoted a hadith which means; Oh ! Ali, dont make second sight after first sight, first sight is forgiven by Allah but not second sight is not. form this Hadith we come to know that if we see the face of a woman intentionally we are accountable, so you can easily think if we are just by seeing accountable then what would be the responsibility of a woman? in another Hadith Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) said that ; After my death women will be the biggest fitnah for my ummat. We offen got confused but this that if a cloth covers the face during the hajj or umrah you have to give dam, brother actually if not about covering the face, the real meaning is that cloth should not be touched with the face. Personally i had mistook this. Brother at the end i just want to say that if you are not bised and really want to be a practising muslim then dont relay on any one not even me, we should go and search by ourselfs and find the authenticity and the real Ehkaam-e-Shariat. The problem is this that we dont have the complete knowledge of Islam, and its worst we dont even want to have :( May Allah guide us all to the paths of Heaven, Remember me in your prayers, take care, Allah hafiz. Muhammad Hasan Akhtar.
Reply:
Hijab is a requirement for a w
Replied by( webmaster)
Replied on (14/Oct/2006)
It is rather hard to conduct a conversation with someone wearing full veil:Jack Straw ..This is the greatest fallacy about the Islamic concept of Hijab--mnaquvi@yahoo. com
This is the greatest fallacy about the Islamic concept of Hijab.
The very fact that Hijab is a requirement for a woman when she happens to be among those who are considered NON-Mahram according to the law of marriage, points to the fact that she is allowed and indeed she is outside of the sanctity of her home. If woman was supposed to be confined inside her own home, there was absolutely no need for Hijab.
The message will be more clearly understood if we have a quick look at the history of how the law was imposed gradually over a period of time and as a consequence to some social problems that were faced by the early Muslims in Madinah.
In the pre-Islamic Arab society, women would go out and about and meet with men in the Bazaars and the temples. That continued in the twelve years of the Makkan period during the Islamic mission. No major law-giving occurred in Makka.
Then during the Madinan period, the Prophet married many women, some of them were much younger than he himself. That was fertile ground for scandal.
Once a male cousin of one of the Ummahaat-ul- Momineen came to see her in her apartment. He asked her for some object. She extended her hand holding that object towards him. As he took hold of the object their hands touched and as a reaction both looked at each other and then they just laughed. This whole scene was enacted at the door and therefore, it was in full public view. The news reached the Prophet. This could have been a trigger point for a scandal. The following verse (Q.33:53) was revealed at that point.
[33:53] O you who believe, do not enter the prophet's homes unless you are given permission to eat, nor shall you force such an invitation in any manner. If you are invited, you may enter. When you finish eating, you shall leave; do not engage him in lengthy conversations. This used to hurt the prophet, and he was too shy to tell you. But GOD does not shy away from the truth. If you have to ask his wives for something, ask them from behind a curtain. This is purer for your hearts and their hearts. You are not to hurt the messenger of GOD. You shall not marry his wives after him, for this would be a gross offense in the sight of GOD.
The male cousin was very unhappy that he could not go to see his female cousin (who although now was married to the Prophet) at his own convenience. During an irresponsible conversation he casually commented that after Muhammad is dead he would love to marry the widow who was his cousin in the first place. That news was spread in the community. The Prophet was obviously emotionally hurt. The second part of the verse above refers to that episode.
The wives of the Prophet, at the same time, were warned in the following verses to respect the sanctity of being Ummul-Momineen and behave in a modest way so that the office of the Prophethood is not compromised in any way.
[33:30] O wives of the prophet, if any of you commits a gross sin, the retribution will be doubled for her. This is easy for GOD to do.
[33:31] Any one of you who obeys GOD and His messenger, and leads a righteous life, we will grant her double the recompense, and we have prepared for her a generous provision.
[33:32] O wives of the prophet, you are not the same as any other women, if you observe righteousness. (You have a greater responsibility. ) Therefore, you shall not speak too softly, lest those with disease in their hearts may get the wrong ideas; you shall speak only righteousness.
Then there was the added problem that Muslim women were taunted at when they would go out on the street. To counter that problem the following verse (Q.33:59) was revealed.
The basic reason as stated in the verse is that Muslim women are recognized as such
[33:59] O prophet, tell your wives, your daughters, and the wives of the believers that they shall lengthen their garments to cover themselves fully. Thus, they will be recognized (as righteous women) and avoid being insulted. GOD is Forgiver, Most Merciful.
Then there is the additional requirement which came in the following verse (Q.24:31)
[24:31] And tell the believing women to subdue their eyes, and maintain their chastity. They shall not reveal any parts of their bodies, except that which is necessary. They shall cover their chests, and shall not relax this code in the presence of other than their husbands, their fathers, the fathers of their husbands, their sons, the sons of their husbands, their brothers, the sons of their brothers, the sons of their sisters, other women, the male servants or employees whose sexual drive has been nullified, or the children who have not reached puberty. They shall not strike their feet when they walk in order to shake and reveal certain details of their bodies. All of you shall repent to GOD, O you believers, that you may succeed.
There are other verses which together with the ones quoted here complete the legal edict of Hijab. The striking point is that nowhere does it say to women to cover their faces. According to Hadeeth that is a matter of choice given to the woman.
These young women who roam around on the streets of London wearing full face covering are actually making a political statement. They are exercising their right to dress as they wish. They are testing their own freedom of action in teh liberal British society. Yes, covering the face is a hindrance in case of identification.
Jack Straws point that he finds it difficult to converse with a woman who is not fully exposed to him is a problem in his own psychology.
During my college days, I had two girl classmates. They would attend classes fully covered in black Burqas. We had conversation about class-notes, exams and books and we never felt any inhibition. One of them went her own way and I never met her again. Another one ended up here in the USA . She is married and has now become a grandmother. I meet her occasionally and only now I know what she looks like.
The Muslim community in England is now in a bind. If they persuade the women to take off the NIQAB, that would be capitulating to a non-Muslim government authority in opposition to the Muslim culture. I don’t think that is going to happen.
My daughters, who always go out wearing Hijab, actually find niqab difficult to accept, but they also say that Jack Straw has no place saying what he said.
Thank you for reading.
Sincerely,
Syed-Mohsin Naquvi
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