Allah (SWT) has stressed in the Quran:
"O Prophet ! Tell your
wives and daughters and all other believing women that they should cast their
outer garments over themselves [when in public]: this is more conducive to their
being recognised (as decent women) and not annoyed. Indeed, Allah is much
Forgiving, Most Merciful." [Al-Ahzab: 59]
"And abide quitely in your
homes , and do not flaunt your charms as they used to flaunt them in the old
days of pagen ignorance." [Al-Ahzab:33]
Also it is narrated by Aaisha (ra)
that she appeared before her cousin Abdullah bin Al-Tufail, with decorations.
The Prophet (SAW) did not approve of it. I said "O Apostle of Allah, he is
my cousin" The Prophet replied; "When a women attains maturity, it is
not lawful for her to uncover any part of her body except the face and
this" - and then he put his hand on his wrist joint so as to leave only a
little space between the place he gripped and the palm (Ibn Majah)
These evidences provide us with clear
proof that the wearing of hijab is fard (obligatory). Any women not wearing a
hijab in public is considered by the criteria of Islam to be naked. Today we
find that some Muslims are sinful by not following this divine law and some are
commiting clear kufr by even denying it exists! Having said this we should go
into explaining some of the reasons and practicalities of this rule so that
misconceptions can be corrected.
The wearing of the hijab plays a vital
part in maintaining the modesty of the women. However, the modesty that the
women possesses is not created by a garment she wears, such as the hijab but is
derived from within herself, giving her a certain standard of respectability in
her manner and conduct. It is not possible for a garment to give modesty to a
person, if the modesty itself has already been lost and does not exist within a
person.
If we look at creation then we find
that Allah has ordained for each and every valuable thing, a type of
preservative. For example, we find that the pearl is preserved in a shell, and
that the fruit and dates have a skin to protect them from decay. Also it is an
instinct of the human being to want to place safely items of value, away from
the sight and touch ofothers. We find that the jeweller puts his jewels in a
safe. Is it not natural then to want to guard the beauty of the women from the
gaze of other men and protect her body from those who may harm her?
Islam has been presented by the West
as something from the dark ages and it is the feminists of the West that asked
the Muslim women to lay aside the hijab. The sad part is that many Muslims
followed this idea, without knowing the disastrous consequences. The plan of the
West is not to benefit the Muslim women but to satisfy their own sexual desire.
Thus we find that those who ask the
women to disregard her veil are really asking her to lose her modesty. An army
of soldiers will break down the wall surrounding a castle, before destroying the
castle itself. In the same way once the hijab has been disregarded, the next
stage is to disregard other garments. We should know that those who ask the
Muslim woman to disregard her veil are asking her to become like the Westerner.
Before one admires the 'freedom' of the women in the West, one should look at
what demeaning consequences this has lead her to. In the West her body has
become a mere commodity for display. Companies cannot even sell a chewing gum
without displaying a woman who is half naked. The famous car show that is held
at the NEC is another example where women, almost bare naked, are used to add
glamour and sparkle to the cars. Can women really say that they are respected
and honoured any more than the Page 3 girls?
Just
like any other divine law the issue of hijab is that we hear and we obey, and it
is not a question of whether we have a choice in this matter. We don't. If a
doctor was to tell a women to cover her hair inorder to protect it from the sun,
she would no doubt obey. Yet if the order were to come from Allah, Who created
us and knows what is best for us, we find Muslims are reluctant to obey.
Thestraight path for us is to choose that which is ordained for us by our
Creator, and to strengthen ourselves against this misguided society.