Virtues of Hijab

[MuslimHeart]

1. An act of obedience:

The hijab is an act of obedience to Allah and to his prophet (may Allah bless and grant him peace), Allah says in the Qur'an what means:


`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.' (Noble Qur'an 33:36).


Allah also says what means:

'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 (all praise and glory be to Him) made the adherence to the hijab a manifestation for chastity and modesty. Allah says what means:

'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.' (Noble Quran 33:59).

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 (all praise and glory be to Him) 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.' (Noble Quran 33:32)
4. The hijab is a Shield

The Prophet (may Allah bless and grant him peace) said:

"Allah, Most High, is Heaven, is Ha'yeii (Bashful), Sit'teer (Shielder). He loves Haya' (Bashfulness) and Sitr (Shielding; Covering)."

The Prophet (may Allah bless and grant him peace) 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 (all praise and glory be to Him) says in the Qur'an what means:

"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.'(Noble Qur'an 7:26).

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 (all praise and glory be to Him) 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 (may Allah be pleased with her), the wife of the prophet (may Allah bless and grant him peace), 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.

islaam.net

[MuslimHeart]

When someone has a jewel or any precious item one always treats it with great respect and protects it against any loss. One may even build a special place to keep it or place it in a vault for security. Perhaps one may even hire a guard to insure that it will not be stolen. These things are most obvious to all of us and nothing here seems strange at all.

By the way, someone may say, 'Why do we compare women to jewels and pearls? Doesn't this sound as describing women as objects or mere possessions in this world?'

In reply to that, I say: Comparing women to jewels and pearls doesn't mean that women are mere objects or worldly possessions. The intended item or object here is what the woman possesses, as mentioned by Allah in His Book. Allah is ordering us to tell the believing woman to lower her gaze and to protect her, guard her private parts and protect her chastity. She is being well advised by her father, brother, husband, son and all of us, to cover herself.

Somehow we have been deluded into thinking that women exhibiting their beauty in front of others and men encouraging this is warranted. Many large corporations protect their shareholders from losses while at the same time producing cosmetics, jewelry and clothing that do exactly the opposite for our ladies. Money and vain desires are the primary reasons for this type of exploitation in the world today.

It should be that we would be asking the question: 'Why are women exposed in public in a way that men do not even see them in the privacy of your home?' The problem today is that society is so far away from the basic concepts of moral and correct behavior that was originally ordained by the Almighty Lord of the Universe (Allah). As each year passes, we see more and more deviation away from the proper attire and behavior in public. Fashion designers, cosmetic companies and women’s magazines make huge fortunes selling the poor beguiled women on the idea of presenting themselves as if on display in a market for others to stare at them and then decide how they 'rate.'

So actually, Islam has been preserving the correct and proper dress code, not only for ladies, but for men as well. In addition to defining the proper attire for the sexes, Islam also carefully instructs both men and women on how to behave toward each other. For instance the Qur’an tells us in surat An-Nur in verses 30 and 31 exactly how to act in the presence of the opposite sex: “Tell the believing men to LOWER THEIR GAZE…” And then “Tell the believing women to LOWER THEIR GAZE….”

So, immediately we understand that it is more than just the clothing that is desired. It is the proper respect and behavior of the two sexes toward each other at all times. Keep in mind that Islam is not just another religion. Islam (Total Surrender, Submission, Obedience, Sincerity and Peace with Allah) is for all people, in all places and in all times.

Source: http://www.islamonline.net/fatwa/english/FatwaDisplay.asp?hFatwaID=42290

[MuslimHeart]

Hijab Basics:

The Requirements of the Muslim Woman's Dress

Muslim women are required in Islam to cover themselves whenever they are outside of their homes or in the presence of non-mahrem men. This provides many benefits to the Muslim woman herself as well as to the society as a whole. Allah willing, I plan on discussing many of these benefits in future articles. This article, however, will simply describe the physical requirements of hijab. My hope is that it will serve as a reference for Muslim women as well as a basic introduction to hijab for non-Muslims.

The word hijab is derived from the Arabic root hajaba, which means to hide from view or to conceal. Many people use it to refer to the headscarf which Muslim women wear (as in: I bought this hijab for $10 yesterday), but hijab is much more than a headscarf: it is an entire way of dressing, behaving and believing. It is acceptable to name the scarf hijab so long as it does not lead to the wrong impression that a headscarf is the only requirement of true hijab. After all, anyone can wear a headscarf (gypsies, fashion models, etc.), but it takes much more than that to fufill the conditions of Islamic dress.



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1. Proper hijab (concealment for the Muslim woman) dictates that the entire body must be covered, although the face and hands may be exposed. Some women choose to cover themselves further by means of a face veil and gloves, and this is perfectly fine.

2. The clothing must be long and loose-fitting so that the shape of the woman is not outlined in her garments. The preferred coverings include the jelbab and the abaya which are floor-length cloaks which come in various types of fabric and may be worn over a woman's regular house clothing. Pants are unacceptable unless they are worn underneath the outer garments.

3. Garments should not be transparent as to reveal the color of a woman's skin or to expose the hair or body in any way. With regards to the headscarf, it must cover all of the hair and be long enough to cover the woman's ears, neck and chest. Women should take care to ensure that the scarf is securely fastened, usually with pins, and that her hair is arranged so that it will not slip out of her scarf.

4. Colors and styles should be as plain as possible so that unnecessary attention is not drawn to the woman. In addition, the clothing should not be excessively rich and fancy in order to gain admiration nor excessively poor and ragged in order to gain sympathy. Modesty is the main goal.

5. Jewelry must not be displayed, and it is especially important that it does not make noise as a woman walks (an ankle-bracelet with bells, for example). Women in pre-Islamic Arabia used to wear such bracelets and stamp their feet in the markets in order to entice and attract men.

6. The dress should not resemble the garments of men, nor should it imitate the dress of non-Muslims.

7. Make-up (unless it is completely covered by a face-veil) and perfume are strictly prohibited for Muslim women when outdoors or in the presence of non-mahrem men.

8. A Muslim woman who wears hijab should also strive to make her actions consistent with her dress with regards to Islamic guidelines for speech, manners and behavior.

Source: http://www.islamicgarden.com/article1016.html