Hijab: private, apparent & 7 conditions
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Have you read the other articles in the "hijab" section? I particularly like this one
Men are thieves on guard
My dear daughters in Islam,
Assalamu alaikum,
I wanted to write this article because it is important that you know the nature of men to both protect yourself and gain your husband?s love.
Allah knows best the nature of men and women and thus, He (swt) has instilled some rules to follow. Islam is a wonderful religion because it gives its right to every creature on Earth and of course to all men, women and children.
The children are the weakest of the three and Allah ? with His infinite Mercy, has given them rights (and duties) but this is not the scope of this article.
Women are also weaker than men and this is not to mean that women are less important or less intelligent or less capable, it just means there are certain things that women are not as strong as men and one of such things is dealing with emotions or some aspects of our physical abilities. Thus, women are a trust in men?s hands. Yet, Allah (swt) knows the nature of men and that there is a sexual weakness in the hearts of many of them that Allah (swt) has taught us how to protect ourselves from them!
When you go out, you always make sure that your house?s door is closed and so are the windows. This preventive measures are to avoid letting thieves in. Many times you have heard ?Do not invite thieves by leaving your window open? of if you are going to park your car on the street ?Do not encourage thieves by leaving your valuables insight in your car? as this will most certainly attract thieves to your car, and the outcome of that is always not something you wish to deal with as it involves a loss in property and a loss in wealth and a shake to your emotions and nerves.
Such is the case with men! Women have to protect themselves so that men do not steal their bodies or their mind or their sharaf (Honour).
Women wear hijab because, as my father said, hijab is a shield (for French speaking sisters he said ?carapace?). I said ?yes?, then he said ?a shield from men? and I said that this is exactly the reason behind the hijab. My father is not Muslim and is in his late 70s and he told me that on his trip to Egypt. Alhamdulillah, he finally understood the meaning of it and accepted it, may Allah make his heart accept Islam.
Men whose heart are diseased will try to hold onto anything which comes from a woman. They would look at girls. If they wore no hijab, then the boys would try to chat them up. If they wore the scarf, they would try to get a smile from them, if they wore niqab, they would try to steal a look from them and if they covered their eyes, that would stop everything. So protect yourself by wearing the hijab as it is meant by Allah (swt) NOT as it is worn today! It is not called ?fashion Hijab? it?s called ?Making fun of Hijab and taking Allah?s command very lightly!?
Women are asked not to speak with a soft voice to men. Why? It is because the voice is the first door you open to him to invade your territory. And NO! it is not rude to speak with a firm voice and firm words. Again, it is about putting a shield and closing the door to the thief. It is about defending yourself just like learning self-defence is learning to defend yourself.
Women are asked not to beautify themselves when going outside nor to wear perfume because these things are all inviting to men. You see, when it comes to women, all five senses of men are in alert. You can invite them by any of those five senses. So it is up to you to close those five doors and keep your sharaf (honour) and gain respect or to open one or more of them and lose the respect of all and your honour becomes less important than your shoes.
Love yourself, respect yourself, close those doors so that you don?t let thieves enter and you will be loved, respected, not walked over. Open those doors to your husband and you will win his heart
The choice is yours.
Umm Hanifa
http//sisters.islamway.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=804
I love the contradictions. First, she says women are weaker than men and not as able to deal with / control their emotions, but then she keeps babbling about poor men being slaves to their uncontrollable instincts ?
hmmIn general, I feel such crap is not only insulting to women, but also to men. Men are NOT animals who will lose their senses at the sight of a hair or a bit of skin.
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Rana, the site you linked to is a hardcore Salafi site, I wouldn't take anything from there seriously.
I used to read in their forum for a while but had myself removed because it was making me really and truly sick. They don't even allow people to voice their own thoughts in regards to a verse, it's against the forum rules. Only fatawa of Saudi sheikhs, i.e. from Islam-QA, are allowed there.
D
I used to take a great deal of offense when I read their articles, but now they are good for the lulz. Whoever wrote those articles should change profession to comedians instead. I'd laugh. Out of agony.
Anyway, I agree the notion of "Islamic" attire, as well as gender-oriented clothing, is ridiculous. How can one define what exactly a female dressing should look like, and vice versa? Every environment has different attitude towards a certain style of clothing. A skirt is not exclusive to women in all society only, because as we can see, some Scottish men still wear the kilts as a form of cultural expressions. It is important to note, that long dresses (who are often likened to femininity) are worn by some men in Arab countries. Also, what exactly is a non-believers' clothing? By using their logic, muslim women should not wear headscarves because headscarves are worn by some religious Jewish and Christian women.
In response to Sis Rana's original question, I believe women should cover their bosoms and private parts. As for revealing what is apparent, I believe it differs from one society to another because each holds different modesty standard. One can wear sleeveless shirt and jeans in Western countries without attracting sexual attention, while it may not necessarily be the case in Arab or Southeast Asian countries. The key is to dress modestly, and we know well what it means to be modest when we dress. If God truly wants women to cover hands, hair, etc etc, He would have specified it in the Qur'an. However, He left it up to us to decide what to cover (apart from the bosoms and the private parts) because He knows each environment perceives modesty differently. It is relative. That being said, I personally believe that female modesty is ordained to protect women from harm/harassment, and not because female beauty is exclusive to her husband like many traditionalists would love to believe.
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They would look at girls. If they wore no hijab, then the boys would try to chat them up. If they wore the scarf, they would try to get a smile from them, if they wore niqab, they would try to steal a look from them and if they covered their eyes, that would stop everything. So protect yourself by wearing the hijab as it is meant by Allah (swt) NOT as it is worn today!
In general, I feel such crap is not only insulting to women, but also to men. Men are NOT animals who will lose their senses at the sight of a hair or a bit of skin.
That article was something, you are right. Crap probably does sum it up well. It's nice to know that I have the wonderful option of covering up every single little bit of my body and face so that I can avoid harrassment from men. You are so right about the contradiction too.
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Rana, the site you linked to is a hardcore Salafi site, I wouldn't take anything from there seriously.
I used to read in their forum for a while but had myself removed because it was making me really and truly sick. They don't even allow people to voice their own thoughts in regards to a verse, it's against the forum rules. Only fatawa of Saudi sheikhs, i.e. from Islam-QA, are allowed there.
People who adhere to the Salafi cult propagate separation, hatred of unbelievers, an arrogance toward anyone non-Muslim and so on. So statements such as that the clothes of believing women should not resemble the clothes of the unbelievers have to be seen in light of that. We all know that, practically speaking, there is no such thing as a uniform for believers, and we also know that the prophet Muhammad did not invent a particular "Muslim dress code", he wore just what everyone at those times was wearing.
The part about men's and women's clothing not being allowed to resemble each other is too ridiculous to even address.
It was Salafi...recommended by my husband at the time sigh Though in his defence I don't know if he even knew that...then again he must have been reading the Arabic version so surely he would have known hmm
The thing about men and women's clothing always strikes me as funny too. I have heard some say that women shouldn't wear pants...yet from what I can see many muslim men wear dresses P Seriously though, the men and women seem to dress quite similarly in some countries.
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The belief that whatever is given as instructions on how to dress or not in 24.31 have anything to do with not enticing men must such a lovely desease that some people will stick to it even if it kills them. But the clear texto of the Qur'an denies that, because in that 24.31 aya it is very explicitly said not to display whatever must not be displayed except here it names a series of people including the women of the family, which obviously makes it that whatever cannot be displayed must not be displayed to women who are not of the family. Must be so that they are not enticed. Considering this and the disgusting luty people, may be men should cover fully with a conveniently manly burqa so that they do not entice other men.
Could it not be, since Qur'an does not show bias according to sex one way or another, not favours virtues or vices based on sex, that since in most societies women are encouraged to vanity that what the Qur'an is pointing here above all is at vanity which mostly because of breeding and needs is promoted in women? And not a small part women's vanity is particularly promoted concerning their sexual attractiveness, but it is nonetheless vanity and not anything to do with prospects of sexual contacts.
Salaam
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I used to take a great deal of offense when I read their articles, but now they are good for the lulz. Whoever wrote those articles should change profession to comedians instead. I'd laugh. Out of agony.
Anyway, I agree the notion of "Islamic" attire, as well as gender-oriented clothing, is ridiculous. How can one define what exactly a female dressing should look like, and vice versa? Every environment has different attitude towards a certain style of clothing. A skirt is not exclusive to women in all society only, because as we can see, some Scottish men still wear the kilts as a form of cultural expressions. It is important to note, that long dresses (who are often likened to femininity) are worn by some men in Arab countries. Also, what exactly is a non-believers' clothing? By using their logic, muslim women should not wear headscarves because headscarves are worn by some religious Jewish and Christian women.
In response to Sis Rana's original question, I believe women should cover their bosoms and private parts. As for revealing what is apparent, I believe it differs from one society to another because each holds different modesty standard. One can wear sleeveless shirt and jeans in Western countries without attracting sexual attention, while it may not necessarily be the case in Arab or Southeast Asian countries. The key is to dress modestly, and we know well what it means to be modest when we dress. If God truly wants women to cover hands, hair, etc etc, He would have specified it in the Qur'an. However, He left it up to us to decide what to cover (apart from the bosoms and the private parts) because He knows each environment perceives modesty differently. It is relative. That being said, I personally believe that female modesty is ordained to protect women from harm/harassment, and not because female beauty is exclusive to her husband like many traditionalists would love to believe.
Haha you just mentioned the ''long dresses'' of men in Arab countries - I said something about that too
Your points make a lot of sense
- "If God truly wants women to cover hands, hair, etc etc, He would have specified it in the Qur'an."
- "each environment perceives modesty differently"
- "female modesty is ordained to protect women from harm/harassment" - whether it is ordained for that or not it certainly helps...but is by no means all that is involved because even in countries where women cover more there is still harrassment and rape. But there are things that help and often commonsense and being modest in actions is better. For example not walking alone late at night.
This is slightly off-topic but I've never been able to understand why/how so many Muslims accept the differences in modesty between men and women. I have even mentioned the point at the mosque before but (particularly as a single woman) one has to be careful - I don't want to be labelled something I'm not or have them think I will snatch away a husband lol. But for example there is a hadith or something that allows men to wear aftershave while a woman is akin to an adulteress if she does it. My friends at the mosque argued that it is because men will be affected by this while women will not. However I beg to differ.
Back to topic now. It feels like the key points with dress are dress modestly and "each environment perceives modesty differently" therefore we have options. This also means it becomes pretty hard to be too judgemental about how people dress, letting others decide for themself and leaving God to be the final judge.
Thanks for all the comments so far everyone )
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The belief that whatever is given as instructions on how to dress or not in 24.31 have anything to do with not enticing men must such a lovely desease that some people will stick to it even if it kills them. But the clear texto of the Qur'an denies that, because in that 24.31 aya it is very explicitly said not to display whatever must not be displayed except here it names a series of people including the women of the family, which obviously makes it that whatever cannot be displayed must not be displayed to women who are not of the family. Must be so that they are not enticed. Considering this and the disgusting luty people, may be men should cover fully with a conveniently manly burqa so that they do not entice other men.
Could it not be, since Qur'an does not show bias according to sex one way or another, not favours virtues or vices based on sex, that since in most societies women are encouraged to vanity that what the Qur'an is pointing here above all is at vanity which mostly because of breeding and needs is promoted in women? And not a small part women's vanity is particularly promoted concerning their sexual attractiveness, but it is nonetheless vanity and not anything to do with prospects of sexual contacts.
Salaam
The whole 'enticement' thing doesn't really stand up to scrutiny does it. Yet it can be tricky not to fall into that trap. The thing is that if you cover up everything then women will still be enticing to men and vice versa because that is how we were created - we were created to pair up (well basically...not saying it's a rule that you have to follow or anything D). It does seem a much better idea to learn how to relate to each other in a natural and non-sexual way rather than be constantly concerned about covering, not speaking with each other, not looking at each other, not socialising - omg I feel dizzy writing all that.
"Must be so that they are not enticed." Funny point ) I would like to see a few more men wearing this ''manly burqa" laugh
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Rana, this whole obsession with dress has nothing to with "protecting women from harassment" of men. At the end of the day what's behind all this is a desire to control women by assigning the responsibility for other people's thoughts and actions to them, by making them responsible for the moral status of a society.
Once you got someone so caught up in guilt, constantly worried about their dress and behaviour, they are easily being controlled.
Women are being kept perpetually at fault. Look at the lingo of the Salafis (and many strict Sunnis) when it comes to women-related issues. They are constantly trying to send us on a guilt trip. Men misbehaving and harassing women on the street on a daily basis (as is the case here in Egypt, for example)? It must be the fault of women; they are dressing too provocatively, going out too much and so on.
Women being raped? It must be somehow her fault, she must have encouraged the guy in a way. There are many official fatwas and articles by scholars out there claming that rape is all about how women dress, and they even go as far as saying that the number of rapes is much, much higher in Western societies because women cover less and go out by themselves.
Men cheating on their wifes? Widespread fornication? If women focussed on being good, obedient wifes, if they were properly controlled at all times by their fathers, brothers, husbands, and ? most importantly ? if they wore hijab and only left the house in cases of necessity, preferably with a mahram, this wouldn't happen.
Those phenomena, we hear from the sheikhs, are almost exclusively found in Western societies who give their womenfolk too much freedom. Look at the results ? disaster, families falling apart, societies with no values. And if those things happen in Islamic societies (which we all know they do), then surely it is a result of Westernization and of women turning their back on Islamic values and ? most importantly ? proper Islamic dress.
Women, we learn, are at the core of all evil that can befall a society. And we are being told that the prophet said ?I did not leave any fitna more harmful than the fitna of women upon men.?
What else is there to say? Seems being born as a woman is a really tough fate. Not only am I weak and unstable, a slave to my emotions, intellectually deficient and not being able to make proper decisions and survive without the control and guidance of a man ? no, I am also responsible for the behaviour and emotions of the men, be they family members, husbands, or complete strangers in the street. Sounds like a tough burden to me!
If you understand the logic behind all this, it becomes obvious why hijab and women's dress in general, has become such a ridiculously important issue in current discourse. And if anyone thinks I have been exaggerating above by tying all those issues to dress code, I suggest they take some time to read through a few articles, fatwas, books about hijab.
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peace Rana,
The misconceptions site article tries to use 2431 as a yardstick in order to determine what is apparent/hidden from zeenat/beauty, rather than external sources or tradition etc as is commonly done by various sects/commentators, hence one of the reasons you see variation in their views.
That is why there is a difference between the two sites you referenced.
Applying logic and bracketing to 2431 can only give a certain set of results. If one's inner compass is in tune with the message, the right interpretation becomes obvious. In part, that is the beauty of AQ, as it contains many internal distinguishing mechanisms. He guides many by it and can lead many astray by it .
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If one's inner compass is in tune with the message, the right interpretation becomes obvious. In part, that is the beauty of AQ, as it contains many internal distinguishing mechanisms. He guides many by it and can lead many astray by it .
Would be interesting if you made a separate topic covering your findings on inner compass and how AQ contains many internal distinguishing mechanisms. Reason why I say this is because I couldn't find topics going into detail on this subject.
PEACE
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Rana, this whole obsession with dress has nothing to with "protecting women from harassment" of men. At the end of the day what's behind all this is a desire to control women by assigning the responsibility for other people's thoughts and actions to them, by making them responsible for the moral status of a society.
I hope I haven't given you the wrong impression. I am in agreement.
Once you got someone so caught up in guilt, constantly worried about their dress and behaviour, they are easily being controlled.
Omg you are not wrong there. It might start with how you dress - longer, darker, plainer, no makeup, no lipstick, no jewellery - but before long if you aren't careful you can't go out at night, you can't go swimming, you can't be on facebook, you can't meet a friend in a cafe, you can't watch movies, listen to music, dance at home when there is nobody to see or even hum to yourself while you do the dishes - you are missing out on many opportunities in life....and you wonder 'where did my life go?' Yes, people can become easily controlled.
No doubt it goes for men too. I mean I can only imagine how guilt ridden some ''practicing'' men must be - life is pretty hard for them really. It's like the life gets sucked right out of you and is replaced with rules that don't make any sense and many of which are hard to keep to.
Seems being born as a woman is a really tough fate. Not only am I weak and unstable, a slave to my emotions, intellectually deficient and not being able to make proper decisions and survive without the control and guidance of a man ? no, I am also responsible for the behaviour and emotions of the men, be they family members, husbands, or complete strangers in the street. Sounds like a tough burden to me!
You are right about all that. From everything I have read it does seem like we are often to blame for all this stuff. Maybe those men who believe in it need somewhere to place the blame since the only other place to lay it would be with the religion itself - hadith and scholars...and they don't seem to want to do that.
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If one's inner compass is in tune with the message, the right interpretation becomes obvious. In part, that is the beauty of AQ, as it contains many internal distinguishing mechanisms. He guides many by it and can lead many astray by it .
& Perhaps my inner compass is not working. I have to admit that I don't find it easy. However maybe that is because I am still quite affected by hadith in this particular area even now that I no longer believe it. I do have a vague memory of things being much simpler to understand when I first converted. Oh to have my time again....
What I wonder about is when discussing private and apparent how do we know that we are right. If we work from 2431 then, since it doesn't spell things out, we still have to work out for ourselves what to keep private. It makes complete sense to me that I should cover my chest, hips etc and that my face, arms etc are ''apparent''. But isn't that only correct because I'm using the society I know as the yardstick and who is to say that is correct?
Aren't we all just doing that? And maybe that is ok. Maybe that is what we are meant to do. I just feel like I don't know right now. I'm lacking that ''sure'' feeling I guess.
I'm sorry to everyone if this seems circular with me. I'm just trying to work it all out in my head and I sometimes things do go around and around before they settle brickwall
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& Perhaps my inner compass is not working. I have to admit that I don't find it easy. However maybe that is because I am still quite affected by hadith in this particular area even now that I no longer believe it. I do have a vague memory of things being much simpler to understand when I first converted. Oh to have my time again.... )
What I wonder about is when discussing private and apparent how do we know that we are right. If we work from 2431 then, since it doesn't spell things out, we still have to work out for ourselves what to keep private. It makes complete sense to me that I should cover my chest, hips etc and that my face, arms etc are ''apparent''. But isn't that only correct because I'm using the society I know as the yardstick and who is to say that is correct?
Aren't we all just doing that? And maybe that is ok. Maybe that is what we are meant to do. I just feel like I don't know right now. I'm lacking that ''sure'' feeling I guess.
I'm sorry to everyone if this seems circular with me. I'm just trying to work it all out in my head and I sometimes things do go around and around before they settle brickwall
I am not a woman, nor am I graced with a body fit for sultry dress...however, I always viewed quranic modesty by being able to ask the question am I wearing this explicitly to be viewed as sexually provocative? Most women and men will naturally put on clothes that they feel look nice and pleasing, but some people dress with the intention of catching eyes. There is a definite difference between trying to look nice and remain comfortable, and being a hoochie...and that goes for men and women. I think worrying about pleasing Allah in your mode of dress and social interaction is necessary, but I don't think it's necessary to worry about showing your arms or legs.
I forget the thread it was on, but someone made a good comment about dressing appropriately as defined (and I paraphrase) if you're swimming, you should wear socially accepted swimwear, as long as your breasts and private parts are covered. If you are in public, dress in a way that is considered normal but not intentionally provocative. Again, this goes for men and women. Some people are adorned with ...more...than others, so maybe this can be a factor, but I think we can all be safe if we don't try to appear as mean / women of the evening.
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the eastern parts of the world sees women as sex objects to be covered from head to toe. the western parts of the world sees women as sex objects to be uncovered head to toe.
islam taught me not to see myself as a sex object but as a woman to walk and talk with self-respect, dignity and honor.
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@ captainneckbeard - Oh I don't know...neckbeard's sound very sultry lol. Seriously though, I really liked the way of thinking upon this that you have suggested "am I wearing this explicitly to be viewed as sexually provocative?" You are right - it is natural to dress nicely and while I think sometimes there might be a grey area I do think that is a good way to question your motives.
"I think we can all be safe if we don't try to appear as mean / women of the evening." rotfl Love it!
@ justamuslim - Isn't it funny to think of things like that. I'm glad you've got such a good message from Islam though. )
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I hope I haven't given you the wrong impression. I am in agreement.
No, you didn't! peace
Sometimes I find it entertaining to read texts on sites such as the one we were talking about. I particularly like the hijab-advertising texts written by converts, they often follow a similar pattern ? Western woman thinks Islam suppresses women and that hijab is a nuisance. Then she converts and ? boom ? the hijab and its magical properties liberate her and make her an entirely different person. It strengthens her faith, gives her a feeling of belonging, protects her and so and so forth. And of course after discovering the truth she feels utterly sorry for her Western sisters who are leading a superficial life, exposing their flesh, being playthings for lecherous man etc.
I found this piece of literature quite amusing. Note the language in which the hijab and its properties are being described!
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I have worn the hijab since embracing Islam in Paris. The exact form of the hijab varies according to the country one is in, or the degree of the individual' s religious awareness. In France I wore a simple scarf which matched my dress and perched lightly on my head so that it was almost fashionable! Now, in Saudi Arabia, I wear an all-covering black cape; not even my eyes are visible. Thus, I have experienced the hijab from its simplest to its most complete form.
What does the hijab mean to me? Although there have been many books and articles about the hijab, they always tend to be written from an outsider's point of view; I hope this will allow me to explain what I can observe from the inside, so to speak. When I decided to declare my Islam, I did not think whether I could pray five times a day or wear the hijab. Maybe I was scared that if I had given it serious thought I would have reached a negative conclusion, and that would affect my decision to become a Muslim. Until I visited the main mosque in Paris I had nothing to do with Islam; neither the prayers nor the hijab were familiar to me. In fact, both were unimaginable but my desire to be a Muslim was too strong (Alhamdulilah) for me to be overly concerned with what awaited me on the "other side" of my conversion.
The benefits of observing hijab became clear to me following a lecture at the mosque when I kept my scarf on even after leaving the building. The lecture had filled me with such a previously unknown spiritual satisfaction that I simply did not want to remove it. Because of the cold weather, I did not attract too much attention but I did feel different, somehow purified and protected; I felt as if I was in Allah' s company. As a foreigner in Paris, I sometimes felt uneasy about being stared at by men. In my hijab I went unnoticed, protected from impolite stares.
My hijab made me happy; it was both a sign of my obedience to Allah and a manifestation of my faith. I did not need to utter beliefs, the hijab stated them clearly for all to see, especially fellow Muslims, and thus it helped to strengthen the bonds of sisterhood in Islam. Wearing the hijab soon became spontaneous, albeit purely voluntary. No human being could force me to wear it; if they had, perhaps I would have rebelled and rejected it. However, the first Islamic book I read used very moderate language in this respect, saying that "Allah recommends it (the hijab) strongly" and since Islam (as the word itself indicates) means we are to obey Allah' s will I accomplished my Islamic duties willingly and without difficulty, Alhamdulilah.
The hijab reminds people who see it that God exists, and it serves as a constant reminder to me that I should conduct myself as a Muslim. Just as police officers are more professionally aware while in uniform, so I had a stronger sense of being a Muslim wearing my hijab.
Two weeks after my return to Islam, I went back to Japan for a family wedding and took the decision not to return to my studies in France; French literature had lost its appeal and the desire to study Arabic had replaced it. As a new Muslim with very little knowledge of Islam it was a big test for me to live in a small town in Japan completely isolated from Muslims. However, this isolation intensified my Islamic consciousness, and I knew that I was not alone as Allah was with me. I had to abandon many of my clothes and, with some help from a friend who knew dress- making, I made some pantaloons, similar to Pakistani dress. I was not bothered by the strange looks the people gave me!
After six months in Japan, my desire to study Arabic grew so much that I decided to go to Cairo, where I knew someone. None of my host family there spoke English (or Japanese!) and the lady who took my hand to lead me into the house was covered from head to toe in black. Even her face was covered. Although this is now familiar to me here in Riyadh, I remember being surprised at the time, recalling an incident in France when I had seen such dress and thought, "there is a woman enslaved by Arabic tradition, unaware of real Islam," (which, I believed, taught that covering the face was not a necessity, but an ethnic tradition).
I wanted to tell the lady in Cairo that she was exaggerating her dress, that it was unnatural and abnormal. Instead, I was told that my self-made dress was not suitable to go out in, something I disagreed with since I understood that it satisfied the requirements for a Muslimah. But, when in Rome . . . So I bought some cloth and made a long dress, called khimar, which covered the loins and the arms completely. I was even ready to cover my face, something most of the sisters with whom I became acquainted did. They were, though, a small minority in Cairo.
Generally-speaking, young Egyptians, more or less fully westernized, kept their distance from women wearing khimar and called them "the sisters." Men treated us with respect and special politeness. Women wearing a khimar shared a sisterhood which lived up to the Prophet' s saying (Allah' s blessings and peace on him) that "a Muslim gives his salaam to the person he crosses in the street, whether he knows him or not." The sisters were, it is probably true to say, more conscious of their faith than those who wear scarves for the sake of custom, rather than for the sake of Allah.
Before becoming a Muslimah, my preference was for active pants-style clothes, not the more feminine skirt, but the long dress I wore in Cairo pleased me; I felt elegant and more relaxed. In the western sense, black is a favorite color for evening wear as it accentuates the beauty of the wearer. My new sisters were truly beautiful in their black khimar, and a light akin to saintliness shone from their faces. Indeed, they are not unlike Roman Catholic nuns, something I noticed particularly when I had occasion to visit Paris soon after arriving in Saudi Arabia. I was in the same Metro carriage as a nun and I smiled at our similarity of dress. Hers was the symbol of her devotion to God, as is that of a Muslimah. I often wonder why people say nothing about the veil of the Catholic nun but criticize vehemently the veil of a Muslimah, regarding it as a symbol of` "terrorism" and "oppression." I did not mind abandoning colorful clothes in favor of black; in fact, I had always had a sense of longing for the religious lifestyle of a nun even before becoming a Muslimah!
Nevertheless, I balked at the suggestion that I should wear my khimar back in Japan. I was angry at the sister' s lack of understanding Islam commands us to cover our bodies, and as long as this is done, one may dress as desired. Every society has its own fashions and such long black clothes in Japan could make people think I am crazy, and reject Islam even before I could explain its teachings. Our argument revolved around this aspect.
After another six months in Cairo, however, I was so accustomed to my long dress that I started to think that I would wear it on my return to Japan. My concession was that I had some dresses made in light colors, and some white khimars, in the belief that they would be less shocking in Japan than the black variety.
I was right. The Japanese reacted rather well to my white khimars, and they seemed to be able to guess that I was of a religious persuasion. I heard one girl telling her friend that I was a Buddhist nun; how similar a Muslimah, a Buddhist nun and a Christian nun are! Once, on a train, the elderly man next to me asked why I was dressed in such unusual fashion. When I explained that I was a Muslimah and that Islam commands women to cover their bodies so as not to trouble men who are weak and unable to resist temptation, he seemed impressed. When he left the train he thanked me and said that he would have liked more time to speak to me about Islam.
In this instance, the hijab prompted a discussion on Islam with a Japanese man who would not normally be accustomed to talking about religion. As in Cairo, the hijab acted as a means of identification between Muslims; I found myself on the way to a study circle wondering if I was on the right route when I saw a group of sisters wearing the hijab. We greeted each other with salaam and went on to the meeting together.
My father was worried when I went out in long sleeves and a head-cover even in the hottest weather, but I found that my hijab protected me from the sun. Indeed, it was I who also felt uneasy looking at my younger sister' s legs while she wore short pants. I have often been embarrassed, even before declaring Islam, by the sight of a women' s bosoms and hips clearly outlined by tight, thin clothing. I felt as if I was seeing something secret. If such a sight embarrasses me, one of the same sex, it is not difficult to imagine the effect on men. In Islam, men and women are commanded to dress modestly and not be naked in public, even in all male or all female situations.
It is clear that what is acceptable to be bared in society varies according to societal or individual understanding. For example, in Japan fifty years ago it was considered vulgar to swim in a swimming suit but now bikinis are the norm. If, however, a woman swam topless she would be regarded as shameless. To go topless on the south coast of France, however, is the norm. On some beaches in America, nudists lie as naked as the day they were born. If a nudist were to ask a "liberated" female who rejects the hijab why she still covers her bosoms and hips which are as natural as her hands and face could she give an honest answer? The definition of what part of a woman' s body should remain private to her is altered to suit the whims and fancies of either men or their surrogates, the so-called feminists. But in Islam we have no such problems Allah has defined what may and may not be bared, and we follow.
The way people walk around naked (or almost so), excreting or making love in public, robs them of the sense of shame and reduces them to the status of animals. In Japan, women only wear makeup when they go out and have little regard for how they look at home. In Islam a wife will try to look beautiful for her husband and her husband will try to look good for his wife. There is modesty even between husband and wife and this embellishes the relationship.
Muslims are accused of being over-sensitive about the human body but the degree of sexual harassment which occurs these days justifies modest dress. Just as a short skirt can send the signal that the wearer is available to men, so the hijab signals, loud and clear "I am forbidden for you."
The Prophet, Allah's blessings and peace on him, once asked his daughter Fatima, May Allah be pleased with her, "What is the best for a woman?" And she replied "Not to see men and not to be seen by them." The Prophet, Allah' s blessings and peace on him, was pleased and said "You are truly my daughter." This shows that it is preferable for a woman to stay at home and avoid contact with male strangers as much as possible. Observing the hijab, when one goes outside, has the same effect.
Having married, I left Japan for Saudi Arabia, where it is customary for the women to cover their face outdoors. I was impatient to try the niqab (face cover), and curious to know how it felt. Of course, non-Muslim women generally wear a black cloak, rather non-chalantly thrown over their shoulders but do not cover their faces; Non-Saudi Muslim women also often keep their faces uncovered.
Once accustomed to, the niqab is certainly not inconvenient. In fact I felt like the owner of a secret masterpiece, a treasure which you can neither know about, nor see. Whereas non-Muslims may think they are life imitating caricatures when they see Muslim couples walk in the streets, the oppressed, and the oppressor, the possessed, and the possessor, the reality is that the women feel like queens being led by servants.
My first niqab left my eyes uncovered. But in winter I wore a fine eye-covering as well. All the feelings of un-ease when a man's eyes met mine disappeared. As with sun glasses, the visual intrusion of strangers was prevented.
It is an error of judgment to think that a Muslim woman covers herself because she is a private possession of her husband. In fact, she preserves her dignity and refuses to be possessed by strangers. It is non-Muslim (and "liberated" Muslim) women who are to be pitied for displaying their private self for all to see.
Observing the hijab from outside, it is impossible to see what it hides. The gap, between being outside and looking in, and being inside and looking out, explains in part the void in the understanding of Islam. An outsider may see Islam as restricting Muslims. In side, however, there is peace, freedom, and joy, which those who experience it have never known before. Practicing Muslims, whether those born in Muslim families or those returned to Islam, choose Islam rather than the illusory freedom of secular life. If it oppresses women, why are so many well-educated young women in Europe, America, Japan, Australia, indeed all over the world, abandoning "liberty" and "independence" and embracing Islam?
A person blinded by prejudice may not see it, but a woman in hijab is as brightly beautiful as an angle, full of self-confidence, serenity, and dignity. No signs of oppression scar her face. "For indeed it is not the eyes that grow blind, but it is the hearts within the bosoms, that grow blind," says the Qur'an (Al-Hajj 2246). How else can we explain the great gap in understanding between us and such people?
http//sisters.islamway.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=852
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TO ALL OF MY SISTERS WEARING THE HIJAB
As i get ready to go into the outside world
I look in the mirror
What do i see?
My beauty
Then i slip on the hijab
why?
I cover my outer beauty
So you take a look at my inner beauty
I step into the cruel and unjust society
of this "free" country
i look at avoiding eyes and stares
i hear whispering from every side
i think to myself "i am not here to please everyone"
i am here to please Allah
then i hold my head with the hijab high
Allah has chosen this jihad for me to overcome
yes this is my jihadhttp//foolstown.com/sm/rev.gif http//foolstown.com/sm/rev.gif http//foolstown.com/sm/rev.gif
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I can understand and respect the explanation given by a nice and unasumming lady who explained why she wore the hijab just as a priest wears something distinctive so that people know he is a priest and therefore he is there for people to ask him for orientation or help or whatever, so I want that anybody who wants to know something about islam or help in anyway, knows that I am there for them.
This is a way to be known for good reasons, obviously. I have nothing to object to that and the lady was certainly a most helpful and sincere person. She didn't say a word about not attracting men or any other idiocy nor showed any sense of being more that any other non hijabed sisters.
Anybody who does that, man or woman and stands up to it, deserves my respect, as well as anybody who does it because that is her own personal feeling of being in peace with her or himself.
However I think the concept of it being a special obligation to God placed on women must be outright rejected as invention and fraud. God did reveal a complete Qur'an and has not mentioned any parts of the body except bossom and private parts, to add anything to that is invention. If God has not said it, it is because He did not want to, because abviously He did have a choice. And if He did not choose to impose anything, He had His reasons and He gave us freedom and wide margins to fit our garments to wathever conditions we may live in or we may feel comfortable with. Why should we give up the God given space of freedom? So that psychologically deprived males can comfortably continue believing in their magical little edge over women? According to the Qur'an they must give up any edge and accept and live with women in anyway they want to dressjust as the other way round.
Read 24.11-27. Believers must not watch out to badmouth women and invent things about them, no matter whether they find them wanting or not. I wonder the reason why so much is made of 24.31 to extract what is not there and all the previous ayas about not thinking ill or badmouth women regardless whether they dress to their satisfaction or not are simply ignored.
The hiyab imposition and magic is a modern construction. In traditional Muslim societies, socially both men and women used to cover their heads. It is normal that if the usual is to have the head covered, that everybody covers it. Now, today it has become a thing that males dress however they like, and that women... no, they have this extra little obligation, because... because? Because some males need that little edge not to loose the delusion that they are the kings of creation, that no matter what, they have somebody on whom they can pound if they feel belittled... that is, they can continue to be children and fantasize that they are men who are a degree above women... Otherwise how can this hiyab fixation be comprehended?
That tempting thing is bullshit. It is not precisely the hair of a woman what drives them wild. May be the hair of the loved woman, but for sure not the hair of any woman on the street or at work. That is ridiculous, even if they claim, true to doctrine, that oh yes, the hair does wonders of temptation. In fact what tempts the most is their own imagination. At any rate, as it has already been said, the Qur'an does not take that eventual temptation into consideration. If their imagination runs wild, they should take care of their imagination and leave people alone. But anyway, as I say, that is a lie, that hair tempts them. No way.
These things have been said over and over, but still we are besieged with hijabism of the deameaning female kind. That is a fraude on the Qur'an.
We all know what is modest and what is not, what is provonking and what is not when we do it ourselves, so the Qur'an is quite right when not setting more explicit limits on things. If it did and we did want to provoke, we would manage it, even with restrictions. And with little restrictions on actual dress people can be quite decent. And not everything that might be shocking is necessary provoking. May be shocking but not tempting at all. Also, what is there to provoke in a muscled swiming champion even with clinging gear that delineates the whole body? So, do we get upset just out of a sense of duty? So must muslims always stand out because of their filthy imagination? Is common sense completely out of place in a muslim? Are ice skating ladies, and gentlemen, provoking bitches? Ar we just a little obssessed or maniacs?
Another thing might be the completely disproportionate worship that is given to top sports today, but that should be matter for another thread.
Salaam
