The Concept of Hijab in Islam
This essay attempt to briefly enumerate the basic requirements regarding Muslim women's dress (hijab) as stipulated by the Shariah. The term hijab, includes not only the covering of body, but methods of behavior before members of the same or opposite sex, promoting privacy for females and prohibiting intermingling sexes, to ensure modesty, decency, chastity and above all, respect and worship of Allah. Minor differences exist among the scholars regarding the actual number of the requirements because of varying methods used in codifying them. The ones mentioned here represent the ones agreed upon by the overwhelming majority of scholars and are all solidly backed by firm evidence taken from the Qur'an, the Sunnah and the practice of the Sahabah (the Companions). First Requirement: The Extent of Covering The dress worn in public must cover the entire body except what has been specifically excluded, based upon the following proofs: Allah says: " And tell the believing women to lower their gaze and guard their private parts from sin and not show of their adornment except only that which is apparent, and draw their headcovers over their necks and bosoms and not reveal their adornment except to And that they should not I strike their feet in order to draw attention to their hidden ornaments. And 0 you Believers! Turn you all together towards Allah in repentence that you may be successful." (24:31) The word zeenah in the Ayah above, literally means adornment and includes both the woman's natural or physical beauty, and that with which they adorn themselves, such as, jewelry, eye shadow, attractive clothing, hand dye, etc. Surah An-Nur spells out specifically the commands concerning the fact that a woman's natural beauty and her adornments are to be concealed from strangers except by what may show due to accidental or uncontrollable factors such as the blowing of the wind, etc., and what has been exempted (see explanation at end of this section). Allah says: "0 Prophet! Tell your wives and your daughters and the women of the believers to draw their outer garments above themselves ( when they go out). That is better so that they may be recognized and not molested. And Allah is Forgiving, Merciful." (33:59) Abu Dawood narrates that Aishah (raa) said: " Asma the daughter of Abu Bakr (raa) came to see the Messenger of Allah (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) wearing a thin dress; so Allah's Messenger (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) turned away from her and said: "0 Asma'a, once a woman reaches the age of puberty, no part of her body should be seen but this -and he pointed to his face and hands." The word khumur (pI. of khimar) refers to a cloth which covers the head, ears, hair, neck and bosom. The esteemed mufaasir (Quranic interpreter) Al-Qurtubi explains: Women in the past used to cover their heads with the khimar, throwing its ends over their backs. This left the neck and the upper part of the chest bare, in the manner of the Christians. Then Allah commanded them to cover those parts with the khimar. Allah states further in this Ayah:"... And let them not stamp their feet so as to reveal what they hide of their adornments " The women in the time of the Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) wore anklets which could be employed to attract attention by stamping their feet, thereby, making the anklets tinkle. This practice is not only forbidden by Allah, but shows that the legs and ankles are to be covered as well. Some of the modern day Hanafi scholars are of the mistaken view that a woman can display her feet, a portion of her forearms and the! ears; yet there is no authentic proof from the practice of the Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) or his Sahabah to uphold such a view. Amongst the authentic Ahadith which clarify this point is the following: Ibn Umar (raa) reported that the Messenger of Allah (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) said: On the Day of Resurrection, Allah will not look at the man who trails his garments along out of pride. Umm Salamah then asked: What should women do with (the hems of) their garments? He replied: Let them lower them a bandspan. She replied: Their feet would be exposed! He then said: Let them lower them a forearms length but no more. (Reported by At-Tabarani- Sahih) The major point of difference among the scholars concerns the hadith of Asma'a (raa) i.e., that the face and hands need not be covered; a number of the scholars have maintained that the face hands must also be covered, because it was the practice of the of the Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) and the wives of the Sahabah to themselves completely according to authentic Ahadith. The above point has been a topic of debate amongst the scholars both past and present and will be dealt with, Inshallah at the end of essay. Second Requirement: Thickness The garment should be thick and opaque so as not to display skin color and form of the body beneath it. Delicate or transparent clothing does not constitute a proper covering. The Sahabah were very stern on this and regarded scanty clothing in public as an indicator of a woman's lack of belief. AI-Qurtubi reports a narration from Ayesha (raa) that some women from Banu Tamim came to see her wearing transparent clothing, Ayesha said to them: If you are believing women, these are not the clothes of believing women. He also reports that a bride came to see wearing a sheer, transparent khimaar, whereupon Ayesha (raa) said: A woman who wears such clothing does not believe in Surah An-Nur. Moreover, the following hadith makes this point graphically Allah's Messenger (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) said: There will be in the last of my Ummah (nation of believers), scantily dressed women, the hair on the top of their heads like a camels hump. Curse them, for verily they are cursed. In another version he said: scantily dressed women, who go astray and others go astray; will not enter Paradise nor smell its fragrance, although it can be smelled from afar. (At-Tabarani and Sahih Muslim) Scantily dressed women :are those who wear clothing which reveals more than it conceals, thereby, increasing her attractiveness while opening the path to a host of evils. Third Requirement: Looseness: The clothing must hang loosely enough and not be tight-fitting show the shape and size of the woman's body, The reason for wearing a garment which is wide and loose fitting is that the on of Muslim women's clothing is to eliminate lure and beauty of her body from the eye of the beholder. Skin-tight body etc. may conceal the skin color, yet they display the size and of the limbs and body. The following hadith proves this clearly: Usamah ibn Zaid said: Allah's Messenger (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) gave me a gift of thick Coptic cloth he had received as a gift from Dahiah Al-Kalbi, and so I gave it to my wife. Thereafter, the Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) asked thy didn't you wear the Coptic cloth? I replied: I gave it to my wife. Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) then said: Tell her to wear a thick gown under it ( the Coptic garment) for I fear that it may describe the size of her limbs. narrated by Ahmad, AI-Bayhaqi, and AI-Haakim) Fourth Requirement: Color- Appearance -Demeanor Allah says: 0 wives of the Prophet! You are not like any other women; if you fear ( Allah) , then do not be too pleasant of speech, lest one in whose heart is a disease should feel desire (for you) ." (33:32) The reason for the revelation of this verse is not the fear of distrust nor misbehavior on the part of the women, but rather to prevent them from speaking invitingly, walking seductively, or dressing revealingly so as to arouse sexual desire in the heart of lecherous and evil men. Seductive dressing and enticing speech arc the characteristics of ill-intentioned women, not Muslims. AI-Qurtubi mentions that Mujahid (raa) said: "Women (before the advent of Islam) used to walk about (alluringly) among men." Qatadah (raa) said: "They used to walk in a sensuous and seductive manner." Maqatil (raa) said: "The women used to wear an untied cloth on their heads, while provocatively toying with their necklaces, earrings and other ornamental jewelry." A garment which is intended to conceal a woman and her beauty from public view cannot be a thing which enhances her beauty. Therefore, the garment should not contain bright colors, bold designs or reflective material that draw mens attention to the wearer. Imam Adh-Dhahabi says in his book Kitab AI-Kabalir (The Book of Major Sins): " Amongst the deeds which a woman is cursed for are displaying the adornments she wears, wearing perfume when she goes out, and wearing colorful clothes " Hence, the Muslim woman is encouraged to wear muted, somber colors and to avoid bright designs, patterns and colors. The Fifth Requirement: Difference from Men's Clothing The clothing of a Muslim woman must not resemble the clothing of men. The following hadith helps to explain this. Abu Hurayrah (raa) said:Allah's Messenger (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) cursed the man who wears womens clothes and the woman who wears mens clothes. (Abu Dawood and Ibn Majah-Saheeh) The Sixth Requirement: Difference from the Clothing of Unbelievers Her clothing must not resemble the clothing of unbelievers. Indeed, dissimilarity with unbelievers is a precedent that was established by the first generation of Islam. The following hadith will help to clarify this position: Abdullah ibn Umar (raa) said: Allah's Messenger (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) stated: "Whoever resembles a people is one of them." (Abu Dawood) The Seventh Requirement: No Vain or Ostentatious Dressing The woman's dress must not be an expression of ostentation, vanity or as a status symbol by being excessively showy or expensive, nor must it be excessively tattered so as to gain admiration and fame for being humble. Ibn Umar (raa) reported that Allah's Messenger (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) said: Whoever dresses for ostentation in this world, Allah will dress that person in a dress of humiliation on the Day of Resurrection, and then set it on fire. (Abu Dawood) It has been authentically related in Sahih AI-Bukhari, the Muwatta of Imam Malik and the Sunan of Abu Dawood that the Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) forbade women from covering their faces and hands during their performance of Salah, or while in a state of Ihram. This indicates clearly that wearing the face veil was a common practice during the time of the Messenger of Allah (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam), and not as some people claim, a cultural practice that appeared years later. source-irf Permission is granted to circulate among private individuals and groups, to post on Internet sites and to publish in full text and subject title in not-for-profit publications. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LoveIslam_LiveIslam/ What Seperates our Group from the rest ? Only Authentic Information about Islam is passed backed by Quran or Hadith's. In the name of Allah, the Most-Merciful, the All-Compassionate "May the Peace and Blessings of Allah be Upon You" Praise be to Allaah, we seek His help and His forgiveness. We seek refuge with Allaah from the evil of our own souls and from our bad deeds. Whomsoever Allaah guides will never be led astray, and whomsoever Allaah leaves astray, no one can guide. 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