Hijab: Not just a Head Cover, but a Code of Conduct for a Believing Woman
Faiza Abdullatif
Sydney, New South Wales
Lecture presentation on the 11 November 2000 at the Canterbury Community Centre (Lakemba),
organised by the Bangladesh Community Womens Committee.
http://www.famsy.com/salam/Hijab.htm
The issues relating to womens dress in Islam have been dealt with on many occasions, nevertheless it keeps recurring! Muslim women seem to be confused or unclear about what the Quran and the ahadith state on this subject of great importance. Thus in this discussion will be presented a summary of what is available on the subject; focusing on the evidences from the Quran and ahadith relating to hijab and its requirements. It is hoped that this discussion will, inshaAllah, help us realise that hijab is not only the way that we Muslim women dress, but also the way we behave and conduct ourselves in public and in the presence of non-mahram (strange, marriageable) men.
At the beginning, it should be clarified that there is absolutely no doubt that hijab is an order from Allah (swt) and not a cultural practice as claimed by some Muslims.
Evidence from Quran and Hadith
First verse relating to hijab: "Tell the believing men to lower their gaze and to guard their modesty. That is purer for them. Verily, Allah is acquainted with all that they do. And tell the believing women to lower their gaze and to guard their modesty, and not to display their adornments, except that which ordinarily appears thereof, and to draw their head-veils over their necks and bosoms, and not to reveal their adornments except to their own husbands, or their fathers, or their husbands fathers, or their sons, or their husbands sons, or their brothers, or their brothers sons, or their sisters sons, or their women, or their slaves, or male attendants free of physical desires, or small children who have no sense of womens nakedness. Let them not stamp their feet so as to reveal what they conceal of their hidden ornaments. And turn unto Allah altogether, O you Believers; in order that you may attain success." An Nur (24:30-31)
The general meaning of this verse is clear except for the intent of Allahs (swt) command: " and not to display their adornments, except that which ordinarily appears thereof ". According to Al-Kanadi its meaning has been translated as: "The believing women are not to display anything of their adornments except that which ordinarily appears thereof". The scholars have differed over the precise meaning of the phrase "except that which ordinarily appears thereof".
As mentioned by Al-Qurtubi (cited in Al-Kanadi) the view of the Companion Ibn Masood is that: "By the appearance of adornments is meant the (womans) clothes". Ibn Jubairs view was that it is "The face". Saeed bin Jubair, Ata and Al-Awzaai include the face, the two hands and the garments. Ibn Abbas, Qataadah and Al-Miswar bin Makhrama said: "By this phrase is meant the wearing of kuhl, bracelets, hand dye and other things of that nature, which are permitted for a woman to wear and for others to see displayed on her." At-Tabari mentions similar ahadith to those mentioned previously in his commentary of the Quran. At-Tabari stated that the intended meaning regarding what may be displayed of the womans body is "the face and the hands."
The Hanbali School of Fiqh (Jurisprudence) as well as some Shafiee scholars are of the view that a womans entire body should be covered and that the meaning of the verse is as follows: "The woman is not to display any of her adornments whether they be natural (like the beauty of the face) or acquired (like jewelry, hand-dye, or eye-shadow). However she is exempted from blame for whatever accidentally appears thereof, without any willful intention to show them on her part. According to this view a woman must make every effort to cover her whole body at all times in front of a male stranger. Sheikh Yusuf Qaradawi and Abu Bilal Al-Kanadi state that this view is of a minority of the scholars of Fiqh.
Thus, the view of At-Tabari, Sheikh Qaradawi and Al-Kanadi is that the most correct of all the rulings is that the intended meaning is "the face and the two hands." This view is also supported by the fact that all scholars agree that a woman is allowed to uncover her face and hands during acts of worship such as salah and hajj (i.e. it is not considered to be part of the awrah, if it were `awrah then it would have to be covered). [Al-Qurtubi cited in Qaradawi] Thus the obvious meaning for the exception made in the verse mentioned is that it refers to the face and hands. Further proof is a hadith of the Prophet (s) reported by Aishah (ra) which states: "Asmaa the daughter of Abu Bakr (ra) entered into the presence of Allahs Messenger (s), wearing thin transparent clothing, so the Messenger of Allah turned away from her saying: O Asmaa, if a woman reaches the age of menstruation, it is not allowed that any of her should be seen except this - and he pointed to his face and two hands".
Second verse relating to hijab: "O Prophet! Tell your wives and daughters and the womenfolk of the Believers to draw their outer garments about themselves (when they go abroad). That is better, so that they may be recognized and not molested. And Allah is forgiving, Merciful." Al-Ahzab (33:59)
This verse is also self-explanatory. There is however, some question as to what the exact meaning of the word jalaabeeb (pl. for jilbaab) is and how it should be worn.
According to Ibn Katheer the jilbaab (an outer garment) is in effect the ridaa (a large piece of cloth, much larger than the ladies usual head covering). This was also the view of the companion Ibn Masood and a number of the taabieen scholars (Al-Hassan Al-Basri, Qataadah, Ibraheem An-Nakhai and others). Al-Qurtubi stated that: "The correct view is that the jilbaab is a cloth which covers the complete outer body." Al-Kanadi states that the purpose of the jilbaab is to better cover the womans regular casual house-dress which is normally not sufficient to be worn in public. Thus wearing a full length coat or cloak such as the abaaya is the most appropriate form of dress for achieving the aims of hijab. However, if a similar floor-length, long-sleeved dress (worn along with a headscarf) achieves the same objective, then it will be sufficient in fulfilling the purpose as the jilbaab.
It should be pointed out that although the argument is inclined toward the permissibility of uncovering the hands and face, if a woman wishes to cover these areas this act is regarded as Mustahab (praiseworthy) - this is the view of Al-Albaani & Al-Qaradawi. This is because the woman is making an additional effort to guard her adornments, to nurture a spirit of modesty and to strive for purity, decency and honour in her role as an integral part of a strong, healthy Muslim society. Hence, according to the scholars, there is reward for covering the face and hands and of course no sin for not doing so.
Conditions for the acceptability of hijab
These are not the only conditions but the most important ones. Conditions may also vary from one scholar to another. The conditions covered here are the most obvious requirements of hijab according to Qaradawi and Al-Kanadi.
1. The clothing must cover the entire body except that which has been allowed to be uncovered i.e. the face and hands.
2. The fabric that the womans clothing is made of must not be so thin or delicate so as to display the bodys form or skin colour. Allahs Messenger (s) said: "There will be found amongst the latter day people of my nation (of Muslims), women who are (ostensibly) dressed, but (in reality) naked, their hair will be rolled up in a bun at the tops of their heads like the camels hump. Curse them for verily they are cursed." (Related by At-Tabarani, an authentic chain)
3. The clothing must hang loosely on the body and must not be tight fitting such that it shows the shape and size of the limbs. Usaama bin Zaid (ra) said: "Allahs Messenger (s) gave me a gift of thick Coptian cloth which he had previously received as a gift from Dahiah Al-Kalby, so I gave it to my wife to use for her clothing. The Prophet (s) (later) asked me: Whats with you that you dont wear the Coptian cloth? I replied: I gave it to my wife to wear. The Prophet (s) then said: Order her to wear a gown under the Coptian cloth, for verily I fear that it might reveal the size and shape of her body parts". (Ahmad and Al-Baihaqi with an authentic chain) The reason for wearing loose fitting clothing is to remove the attraction and fascination of her body from the eyes of the beholder. It is obvious that tight fitting clothes clearly display the shape and size of the body and this goes against the order given by the Prophet (s) in the hadith mentioned.
4. A womans clothes should not resemble a mans clothes and vice versa. Abu Hurayrah (ra) said: "Allahs Messenger (s) cursed the man who wears attire which resembles womens clothing, and he cursed the woman who wears garments resembling mens clothing." (Abu Dawud and Ibn Majah with an authentic chain)
5. The garments must not have such bold designs or consist of such bright colors that they charm and attract mens attention to the woman wearing them. Allah (swt) says in the Quran: "..And let the women not display their adornments " (An-Nur 24:30-31) This verse describes the outer garments as well as the actual body underneath. Hence the outer garment should not be attractively decorated with the result that special attention is drawn to the woman wearing it. On this condition scholars like Dr. Abu Aminah Bilal Philips argue that this point is relative to the environment one lives in. For example in Saudi Arabia it would not be recommendable for a women to go out in brightly coloured clothes because that is not the custom of Saudi women, they wear black. On the other hand, if a woman went to Malaysia (where it is customary for the women to wear floral fabrics in various colours) and wore black she would be drawing more attention to herself. Allahu alam
6. The clothing worn by a believing woman must not resemble the clothes normally worn by disbelieving women. Abdullah Ibn Umar (ra) relates that Allahs Messenger (s) said: "Whosoever resembles a people, he is one of them." (Ahmad and Abu Dawud with an authentic chain) It is a general principle of the Islamic Shariah that Muslims (men and women) should differ from the disbelievers in all of their affairs, such as religious observances and festivities, their customs, and their attire and adornment.
7. The dress must not be ostentatious for show of pride or worldliness or to gain high reputation or to be "noticed in the crowd". An example of this is the wearing of very expensive or individualistic clothing which makes the woman stand out amongst her properly dressed Muslim sisters with the aim of achieving a certain distinction among them. Abdullah Ibn Umar (ra) related that the Messenger (s) of Allah (swt) said: "Whosoever wore ostentatious dress in this worldly life, Allah will clothe him in a dress of humiliation and disgrace on the Day of Resurrection; then He will kindle it with fire." (Abu Dawud, Ibn Majah and others with a sound chain)
It is the duty of every Muslim woman to guard her modesty and conceal her adornment from all those who are forbidden to see them. Those who fulfill this obligation will surely achieve Allahs pleasure and peace in this life as well as the eternal bliss of Paradise which Allah (swt) has promised those who sincerely fear and obey Him.
Code of Conduct: An indivisible part of a Muslim womans hijab
1. Lowering the gaze. According Sheikh Yusuf Qaradawi the most precious ornament of a woman is modesty and the best _expression_ of modesty is in the lowering of the gaze. This is a Quranic injunction for both men and women. See Surat An-Nur24:30-31.
2. Not intermingling with men in such a way that their bodies come in contact or that men touch women. Maqal ibn Yasar narrated that the Messenger (s) of Allah (swt) said: "It is better for one of you to be pricked in the head with an iron pick than to touch a woman whom it is unlawful to touch". (At-Tabarani with and authentic chain)
3. The Muslim woman walks and talks in a dignified and business-like manner, avoiding flirtatiousness in her facial expressions and movements. Flirtatious and seductive behaviour are not the characteristics of a believer. Allah (swt) says in Surat Al-Ahzab, verse 32: "Then do not be too pleasant of speech, lest one in whose heart there is a disease should feel desire (for you) "
3. A believing woman does not draw mens attention to her concealed adornment by the use of perfume or by jingling or toying with her ornaments/jewelry. Allah (swt) says in Surat An-Nur, verse 31: "They should not strike their feet in order to make known what they hide of their adornment "
In conclusion, from the evidence that has been presented, it is clear what the minimum requirements of hijab are. It is also clear that the hijab is an order from Allah (swt) and not something which has been ordained by man or specific cultures. Not only is hijab the outer covering of a woman, but it is also the manner in which the believing woman behaves and conducts herself. Let us be of those whom Allah (swt) mentions in the Quran thus: "The Messenger believes in what has been sent down to him from his Lord, and (so do) the believers and they say, We hear and we obey." (Al-Baqarah,2:285).
I pray to Allah (swt) to grant us all greater strength and ability to carry out His commands. Ameen!
Bibliography
1. Ali-Hilali MT, Khan MM. The Noble Quran in the English language.
2. Philips. Abu Ameenah Bilal. Audio cassette "Removing the veil."
3. Qaradawi, Yusuf. "The Lawful and the Prohibited in Islam". Translated by El-Helbawy. K. Siddiqui. M. M. Shukry. S. American Trust Puclications. Indianapoulos. USA.
4. Al-Kanadi. Abu Bilal Mustafa. "The Islamic Ruling Regarding Womens Dress According to the Quran and Sunnah". Abul-Qasim Publishing House. Jeddah. Saudi Arabia.
5. Maududi, S Abul Ala. "Purdah and the status of Women in Islam". Islamic Publications Ltd. Lahore.
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