The Hijab

[Rainbow Mage]

I have a few questions about the Hijab, please and thank you.

1) Is the hijab manditory in Islam, or elective?

2) If the hijab is elective, why in some countries women are punished for not wearing it?

 

[beenie]

you are going to get varying answers on this.

most will say hijab is obligatory, and some will say it's obligatory but too difficult, and others will say it's not obligatory.

women being punished for not wearing a headscarf is not appropriate; our Prophet never punished anyone, nor did he (or more importantly) the Qur'an does not prescribe a punishment for not wearing a headscarf.

hijab is complicated and goes far beyond clothing; it's a presentation and attitude that in theory (because there are good and bad in everyone) exudes humility and modesty. it's mostly spiritual in nature; therefore, it, like every other rule in any religion, is a choice. no one can "force" another to do anything.

punishments by the so-called "religion police" is an abomination and against Islam itself.

 

[Rainbow Mage]

Thank you Ssainhu

 

[Gharib]

[SIZE=+1]Quranic Verses about Hijab[/SIZE]

• [SIZE=-1]“O you Children of Adam! We have bestowed on you raiment to cover your shame as well as to be an adornment to you. But the raiment of righteousness, that is the best. Such are among the Signs of Allah, that they may receive admonition.” (Quran 7:26)[/SIZE][SIZE=-1][/SIZE]

• [SIZE=-1]“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).[/SIZE][SIZE=-1][/SIZE]

• [SIZE=-1]“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)[/SIZE]

Clearly the Hijab is mandatory. Allah knows best

any further questions?

 

[jarofthoughts]

[SIZE=+1]Quranic Verses about Hijab[/SIZE]

• [SIZE=-1]“O you Children of Adam! We have bestowed on you raiment to cover your shame as well as to be an adornment to you. But the raiment of righteousness, that is the best. Such are among the Signs of Allah, that they may receive admonition.” (Quran 7:26)[/SIZE]

• [SIZE=-1]“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).[/SIZE]

• [SIZE=-1]“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)[/SIZE]

Clearly the Hijab is mandatory. Allah knows best

any further questions?

Yes. I don't see the word "hijab", "headscarf" or anything similar in the quotes above. Are you sure you're not overly interpreting them?

 

[Gharib]

you are going to get varying answers on this.

most will say hijab is obligatory, and some will say it's obligatory but too difficult, and others will say it's not obligatory.

women being punished for not wearing a headscarf is not appropriate; our Prophet never punished anyone, nor did he (or more importantly) the Qur'an does not prescribe a punishment for not wearing a headscarf.

hijab is complicated and goes far beyond clothing; it's a presentation and attitude that in theory (because there are good and bad in everyone) exudes humility and modesty. it's mostly spiritual in nature; therefore, it, like every other rule in any religion, is a choice. no one can "force" another to do anything.

punishments by the so-called "religion police" is an abomination and against Islam itself.

Salamu Alaykum sister, unfortunately i have to dissagree with pretty much everything you have said.

firstly using the sentence of the prophet (saws) never punishing anyone as a means to support your view is wrong, since it didn't have to be the prophet (saws) personally to punish people. he also never punished apostates, but Abu Bakr (ra) did. so would this mean Abu Bakr dissobeyed the Qur'an and the Prophet (saws) due to no such punishment having been prescribed in the quran nor practiced by the prophet (saws). remeber Abu Bakr (ra) was one of the 10 people who were promised paradise while they were still alive, so if you say that Abu Bakr (ra) went against islamic teachings by killing apostates then that means Allah made a mistake in promising Abu Bakr (ra) paradise before he had died. Allah makes no mistakes, he is perfect in every aspect.

i know from having read one of your posts on the same subject that you do not wear the hijab. but because you think it is ok not to wear it, it may not be so. for example atheists don't believe in Allah, so just because they don't believe in the existence of Allah does that make them right?
strive to increase your iman (faith) you will see yourself without having been told by anyone that the hijab must be worn by women. don't take my word for it, try it.

and thirdly, the choice thing applies to those who have not accepted islam, they have a choice to accept it or not, but once you accept it then there is no such thing as i choose to do this but not this because thats how it is convenient to me. the law of Allah must be respected, a muslim is someone who has submitted fully to the will of Allah, once you do that how can one possibly choose that this is right only because thats what i think?

i posted the verses from the quran in my above post, please read them if you have the time. Allah knows best

salam to you sister.

 

[Gharib]

Yes. I don't see the word "hijab", "headscarf" or anything similar in the quotes above. Are you sure you're not overly interpreting them?

the quotes above are explained by the Prophet (saws) no human can or will be able to explain the quran better than the prophet (saws) :

Obligation of Hijab as Stated in Hadith


"Aisha (rad.i-Allahu `anha) reported that Asma’ the daughter of Abu Bakr (rad.i-Allahu `anhu) came to the Messenger of Allah

while wearing thin clothing. He approached her and said: 'O Asma’! When a girl reaches the menstrual age, it is not proper that anything should remain exposed except this and this. He pointed to the face and hands." [Abu Dawud]

Ibn Qudama in al-Mughni (1:349) explained that showing the face and hands are a specific dispensation within the general meaning of the hadith "All of the woman’s body is considered her nakedness [to those outside the mahram relationship or her husband]." (al-mar'atu `awra)

`Aisha (rad.i-Allahu `anha) said: "I used to enter the room where the Messenger of Allah

and my father (Abu Bakr) were later buried in without having my garment on me, saying it is only my husband and my father. But when 'Umar ibn Al-Khattab (rad.i-Allahu `anh) was later buried in (the same place), I did not enter the room except that I had my garment on being shy from 'Umar."

i hope that answers your question.

 

[Gharib]

Yes. I don't see the word "hijab", "headscarf" or anything similar in the quotes above. Are you sure you're not overly interpreting them?

Also this for you, jarofthoughts:

The khimar (pl. khumur) actually refers to the head covering, so that a better translation of 24:31 would be: "and to draw their headcovers (khumurihinna) over their bosoms..." (24:31)

 

[jarofthoughts]

the quotes above are explained by the Prophet (saws) no human can or will be able to explain the quran better than the prophet (saws) :

Obligation of Hijab as Stated in Hadith


"Aisha (rad.i-Allahu `anha) reported that Asma’ the daughter of Abu Bakr (rad.i-Allahu `anhu) came to the Messenger of Allah

while wearing thin clothing. He approached her and said: 'O Asma’! When a girl reaches the menstrual age, it is not proper that anything should remain exposed except this and this. He pointed to the face and hands." [Abu Dawud]

Ibn Qudama in al-Mughni (1:349) explained that showing the face and hands are a specific dispensation within the general meaning of the hadith "All of the woman’s body is considered her nakedness [to those outside the mahram relationship or her husband]." (al-mar'atu `awra)

`Aisha (rad.i-Allahu `anha) said: "I used to enter the room where the Messenger of Allah

and my father (Abu Bakr) were later buried in without having my garment on me, saying it is only my husband and my father. But when 'Umar ibn Al-Khattab (rad.i-Allahu `anh) was later buried in (the same place), I did not enter the room except that I had my garment on being shy from 'Umar."

i hope that answers your question.

Are these quotes from the Hadith?
I'm sorry for all the questions. I'm just trying to understand what is actually prescribed in the Quran and what has been interpreted in addition to it.

 

[jarofthoughts]

Also this for you, jarofthoughts:

The khimar (pl. khumur) actually refers to the head covering, so that a better translation of 24:31 would be: "and to draw their headcovers (khumurihinna) over their bosoms..." (24:31)

Wait... How does it make sense to draw one's headcovers over one's bosom. Surely they should be drawn over one's head? This is very confusing...

 

[Starsoul]

Also, when the verse of hijab, Khimar came, all muslim women started observing it. Those who did not have an extra piece of cloth, tore open any cloth they found to make themselves an outer covering to cover themselves up. They did not have the guts to outrightly defend their right not to cover, they respected the message of Islam so much that whether or not they initially agreed with it, they knew it was in their best interest to follow it.

Among them , were women who were Munafiqs( who claim to be muslims, yet shy away from following any islamic practice) and there were women who were newly reverted to Islam, none of them took it as a choice to be acted upon later when THEY thought it was convenient. They all followed the Commandment from Allah as is. Apparently it seems that some women of today are more confident in denying that it is the will of Allah, and associate choice of matters Inside of religion , when all matters have been chosen by Allah for them ALREADY, how then the matter of choice arises? I don't understand.

Choice is that you follow Islam or you don't, or you say yes this is true and I InshAllah hope to follow it instead of totally twisting the essence of the message to their own desires. I have a friend who does not cover herself like muslims should, but she always says that yes i know women should cover, she is just finding it hard being stuck in a family where no one does it and being less covered is a fashion statement, and she has unfortunately been subjected to some unpleasant instances where she wishes so bad that she had covered up properly.

Ofcorse, she will have to practice some will power for herself rather than living all her life according to the wishes of the family/ friends. Once you submit to Allah, you are free from the unnecessary pressures of the society. But this I say for a woman who is already born a Muslim and has read that commandment of Allah, it is totally understandable however, if a new person has approached Islam and does not know much about it and wants to take things at their pace. I wouldn't call hijab a criteria of judgment of character of a woman,neither does Islam say that, but it is a muslim woman's identity that one embraces when they follow it.

I dont agree with the punishment part though, I think such matters have been told to be settled within the home, apart from your brothers, fathers and husbands, i don't think strange people can tell you to cover, its not going to work either anyway. And the matter of telling should be very sweet and very humble at first instead of a strict severe tone. One should discuss its merits and any confusions ( if any) or the fears of the women who hesitate from doing it. After that i don't think you can do much to make anybody cover, unless ofcorse they are dressing up immorally.

And only Allah knows best.

 

[Starsoul]

Wait... How does it make sense to draw one's headcovers over one's bosom. Surely they should be drawn over one's head? This is very confusing...

Arab women already used to cover their heads with pieces of cloth to save them from the heat, so did their men.( they were rolled into layers like a cloth tied up tight upon their heads) It is implied here to loosen their cloth and let it hang loosely over their bosoms to cover this area, from hair, part of the face and their bosoms.

It can be observed in many forms, a loose unsticthed cloth or a stiched veil, which ever is available.

 

[Gharib]

Wait... How does it make sense to draw one's headcovers over one's bosom. Surely they should be drawn over one's head? This is very confusing...

so you've never seen a covered muslim woman have you? if you have, have you never paid attention to their hijab (head covering) how it covers their chest also?

 

[Gharib]

Are these quotes from the Hadith?
I'm sorry for all the questions. I'm just trying to understand what is actually prescribed in the Quran and what has been interpreted in addition to it.

yes they are ahadith (hadiths) from one of the authentic hadith books. (sahih bukhari, sahih muslim, etc)

no problem at all regarding your questions, you may ask what you want.

 

[Badran]

Salamu Alaykum sister, unfortunately i have to dissagree with pretty much everything you have said.

firstly using the sentence of the prophet (saws) never punishing anyone as a means to support your view is wrong, since it didn't have to be the prophet (saws) personally to punish people. he also never punished apostates, but Abu Bakr (ra) did. so would this mean Abu Bakr dissobeyed the Qur'an and the Prophet (saws) due to no such punishment having been prescribed in the quran nor practiced by the prophet (saws). remeber Abu Bakr (ra) was one of the 10 people who were promised paradise while they were still alive, so if you say that Abu Bakr (ra) went against islamic teachings by killing apostates then that means Allah made a mistake in promising Abu Bakr (ra) paradise before he had died. Allah makes no mistakes, he is perfect in every aspect.

I think you misunderstood what she meant. She was saying that the prophet (pbuh) never prescribed a punishment, nor has anybody been punished in his life for this, therefore there is no punishment. I don't think she actually was talking about whether or not the prophet (pbuh) punished someone himself as in with his own hands.

and thirdly, the choice thing applies to those who have not accepted islam, they have a choice to accept it or not, but once you accept it then there is no such thing as i choose to do this but not this because thats how it is convenient to me. the law of Allah must be respected, a muslim is someone who has submitted fully to the will of Allah, once you do that how can one possibly choose that this is right only because thats what i think?

In another thread, she clarified that she doesn't think the headscarf is a requirement.

 

[Badran]

1) Is the hijab manditory in Islam, or elective?

Hijab, which is not the headscarf, is a requirement. Hijab is the modest dress in general. The headscarf is according to our understanding part of it.

2) If the hijab is elective, why in some countries women are punished for not wearing it?

Elective or not, there is no punishment. It is a requirement like i said, however thats not the part which determines is there a punishment for it or not. Just because something is a requirement does not mean its punishable.

 

[jarofthoughts]

so you've never seen a covered muslim woman have you? if you have, have you never paid attention to their hijab (head covering) how it covers their chest also?

I have seen several versions of them. Not sure if all would be called a hijab, but many versions do not cover much of the chest. Is this a requirement?

 

[jarofthoughts]

Arab women already used to cover their heads with pieces of cloth to save them from the heat, so did their men.( they were rolled into layers like a cloth tied up tight upon their heads) It is implied here to loosen their cloth and let it hang loosely over their bosoms to cover this area, from hair, part of the face and their bosoms.

It can be observed in many forms, a loose unsticthed cloth or a stiched veil, which ever is available.

Thank you.

 

[Koldo]

Is just me or this part of religion seems more like guidelines on how to live in society than commandments from a divine being?

You see, back at the time this was written they didn't have a developed society with police and everything else we have nowadays. So to cover the woman's body seems to me simply a way to try to lower the sex arousal that men may have for woman in general. Which in a POORLY developed society they had back then was also an effective manner to combat the prostitution, sex outside of marriage, rapes, and so on.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[ppɐʇɹnɯ]

The hijab is a symbol of patriarchy and differentiated gender roles, thus it's fundamentally incompatible with life in a modern progressive society. Same story as a beard, really. Mohammed maybe copied the ancient Christian practice of "keeping women silent and covered in church" and having men grow beards (Men in pre-Islamic Arabia were usually clean shaven).

The hijab is a moving prison. If you want to protect women, then punish men for their bad behavior, not the women.