We live in an age where the stereotype of a Muslim is well and stubbornly in place, Hijab (please go here for analysis) for women (I will get to Niqab in a bit) and beards for men. It is also very evident that we, as Muslims have gravitated towards the comfort of physical identity as a reaction to this uncalled wholesale blasting of Muslims. The reasons behind it are many and varied but unfortunately, our response has been Johny one tone, digging our heels and reinforcing these stereotype is not helping the individual Muslim on the street but is empowering the leaders of the religious sect. They are delighted to find a large majority of Muslims demonstrating the herd mentality, which suits the leadership just fine, the more herd like you are, the easier to manipulate you are.
Our approach should have been and should be to try and diffuse the situation through the Islamic principles of moderation and peace. The more "in your face" you are going to be, the more "take that back" should be expected. Instead of concentrating on the Hijab and beard if we were to emulate the best example of the Prophet Pbuh by focusing more on God, the day of Judgment and remembrance of God as the verse Quran 33:21 clearly spells out and not twist it to mean physical appearance, Muslims will truly be obeying the message and the messenger.
Once we are able to place the verses in context and act them out, then the qualities of Momins, the qualities of truthfulness, humbleness, generosity, and courage for the right reasons will shine through. We must not spend our time forever explaining away why we look the way we look but to use every opportunity and attract non-Muslims to Islam through who we are and not how we look.
This whole issue is putting enormous undue pressure on the teenagers, Muslims must address these real concerns and encourage them to adjust to their surroundings and feel accepted and not rejected because of a misplaced notion that they will be less Muslim if they don't conform to the take of some sect leaders. The interest of leaders, any leaders is to raise armies, their interests lie in regimentation and not individuality rooted in the principles of Islam and true Sunnah.
Now Niqab is a totally different beast, first and foremost Niqab has nothing to do with Islam and is driven by cultural variables. We should not be rude towards those who at best are misguided, but it is ironic that rudeness is inherent in wearing a Niqab, one of the reasons I am not in favor of Niqab (face veil) has to do with social dishonesty, you cannot hide your face and yet be free to look at other people faces, the argument that everybody is free to wear it is not very well thought out because if taken to its logical conclusion the result will be total chaos. If on the other hand it is argued that those who wear Niqabs should be trusted that they don't look at other people faces then that even raises other issues of social mistrust, if we are to take their claim at face value :) then they should trust others not to look at them either.
New research has determined that when a human face is partially covered the total facial processing is disrupted which is used primarily to determine a nonsexual overall aesthetics or recognition. The resulting evaluation of a partially visible face takes the turn towards a sexually heavy evaluation and the partially visible specific facial features are used to determine attractiveness for the purpose of hypothetical dates or hookup partners. I would say the findings are not at all surprising.
Last but not least the argument that it prevents women being harassed is outright false, Studies across the middle east and especially one in Yemen where almost 100% women are veiled concluded that almost 90% of the women are harassed in the street. When the premise is no more than an appeal to authority we should not be surprised by the ensuing confusion. If we were to stick to the revealed words of God these kinds of unnecessary social conflicts can be easily avoided.
Our approach should have been and should be to try and diffuse the situation through the Islamic principles of moderation and peace. The more "in your face" you are going to be, the more "take that back" should be expected. Instead of concentrating on the Hijab and beard if we were to emulate the best example of the Prophet Pbuh by focusing more on God, the day of Judgment and remembrance of God as the verse Quran 33:21 clearly spells out and not twist it to mean physical appearance, Muslims will truly be obeying the message and the messenger.
Once we are able to place the verses in context and act them out, then the qualities of Momins, the qualities of truthfulness, humbleness, generosity, and courage for the right reasons will shine through. We must not spend our time forever explaining away why we look the way we look but to use every opportunity and attract non-Muslims to Islam through who we are and not how we look.
This whole issue is putting enormous undue pressure on the teenagers, Muslims must address these real concerns and encourage them to adjust to their surroundings and feel accepted and not rejected because of a misplaced notion that they will be less Muslim if they don't conform to the take of some sect leaders. The interest of leaders, any leaders is to raise armies, their interests lie in regimentation and not individuality rooted in the principles of Islam and true Sunnah.
Now Niqab is a totally different beast, first and foremost Niqab has nothing to do with Islam and is driven by cultural variables. We should not be rude towards those who at best are misguided, but it is ironic that rudeness is inherent in wearing a Niqab, one of the reasons I am not in favor of Niqab (face veil) has to do with social dishonesty, you cannot hide your face and yet be free to look at other people faces, the argument that everybody is free to wear it is not very well thought out because if taken to its logical conclusion the result will be total chaos. If on the other hand it is argued that those who wear Niqabs should be trusted that they don't look at other people faces then that even raises other issues of social mistrust, if we are to take their claim at face value :) then they should trust others not to look at them either.
New research has determined that when a human face is partially covered the total facial processing is disrupted which is used primarily to determine a nonsexual overall aesthetics or recognition. The resulting evaluation of a partially visible face takes the turn towards a sexually heavy evaluation and the partially visible specific facial features are used to determine attractiveness for the purpose of hypothetical dates or hookup partners. I would say the findings are not at all surprising.
Last but not least the argument that it prevents women being harassed is outright false, Studies across the middle east and especially one in Yemen where almost 100% women are veiled concluded that almost 90% of the women are harassed in the street. When the premise is no more than an appeal to authority we should not be surprised by the ensuing confusion. If we were to stick to the revealed words of God these kinds of unnecessary social conflicts can be easily avoided.
....but you didn't explain specifically why hijab is not required. It specifically states in the Quran that women are to take their head coverings and wear them so that their breasts are also covered. How is hijab not required, then? I'm genuinely confused.
ReplyDeleteHijab is a choice not an obligation, please go here for a detailed analysis of the issue http://lifecheat.blogspot.com/2009/07/dress-code-for-women-in-islam.html Please read the comments as well. Thanks
ReplyDeleteHere Allah tells His Messenger to command the believing women — especially his wives and daughters, because of their position of honor — to draw their Jilbabs over their bodies, so that they will be distinct in their appearance from the women of the Jahiliyyah and from slave women. The Jilbab is a Rida’, worn over the Khimar. This was the view of Ibn Mas`ud, `Ubaydah, Qatadah, Al-Hasan Al-Basri, Sa`id bin Jubayr, Ibrahim An-Nakha`i, `Ata’ Al-Khurasani and others. It is like the Izar used today. Al-Jawhari said: “The Jilbab is the outer wrapper. `Ali bin Abi Talhah reported that Ibn `Abbas said that Allah commanded the believing women, when they went out of their houses for some need, to cover their faces from above their heads with the Jilbab, leaving only one eye showing. Muhammad bin Sirin said, “I asked `Ubaydah As-Salmani about the Ayah:
ReplyDelete﴿يُدْنِينَ عَلَيْهِنَّ مِن جَلَـبِيبِهِنَّ﴾
(to draw their Jalabib over their bodies.) He covered his face and head, with just his left eye showing.”
﴿ذلِكَ أَدْنَى أَن يُعْرَفْنَ فَلاَ يُؤْذَيْنَ﴾
(That will be better that they should be known so as not to be annoyed. ) means, if they do that, it will be known that they are free, and that they are not servants or whores.
﴿وَكَانَ اللَّهُ غَفُوراً رَّحِيماً﴾
(And Allah is Ever Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.) means, with regard to what happened previously during the days of Jahiliyyah, when they did not have any knowledge about this.
Ibn Kathir Tafsir
UTHOR: Shaikh Zayd bin Muhammad Al-Madkhalee
ReplyDeleteSOURCE: His treatise “Wujoob Sitr-il-Wajhi wal-Kafayn”
PRODUCED BY: Al-Ibaanah.com
Second: An explanation of the conditions required for the Hijaab to fulfill its religious objective. Below is a list of the Hijaab’s necessary conditions:
1. The Hijaab must cover a woman’s entire body, based on Allaah’s statement: “O Prophet! Tell your wives and your daughters and the believing women to cast their jalaabeeb over themselves (i.e. their bodies).” [33:59] You have already come to know from what we have written previously that the jilbaab is a long garment that is ample enough to cover the entire body and that the meaning of the word idnaa (to cast) is “to lower” and “to let down” as was stated previously.
2. The garment must be thick, not thin and transparent. This is since the objective of the Hijaab, which is to veil a woman’s entire body and her hidden and apparent adornment, cannot be achieved with a thin garment. Therefore, that which a great amount of covered women wear today, which they call the ‘abaa’ah (cloak) or the malaa’ah (mantle), but which are transparent and describe the skin, such that the onlooker can see what lies beneath the garment, is not considered a legitimate Hijaab since it only brings about an increase in her ability to entice (men) with her attractive and alluring features. And yet they only wear it so that it could be said: “They are wearing Hijaab.” So we seek Allaah’s refuge from deception, the harm of which only falls on those who love and are infatuated with it.
3. The Hijaab must not be a source of decoration in itself, such as by it being colorful and flashy, causing eyes to turn towards it and hearts to be diseased (with temptation). We explained previously the meaning of Allaah’s saying: “And (tell the believing women) not to display their zeenah (adornment) except for that which is apparent from it.” [24:31] So since it is this way, then every Hijaab that does not prevent the display of one’s adornment in front of male-strangers, is not a valid Hijaab.
4. It must be ample and loose, since a tight garment outlines the body and reveals it in front of male strangers. So it goes against the objective that is sought after from the obligation of Hijaab. Furthermore, from the various types of tight clothes is that which is called pants, since it does not properly cover what it goes over. On top of that, it describes and outlines the body, as well as resembling the dress of men, and the Prophet (sallAllaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) cursed: “The man who wears a woman’s garment and the woman who wears a man’s garment.” [Reported by Abu Dawood and An-Nasaa’ee]
5. It is also required for the Hijaab not to be perfumed, since fragrances cause men’s desires to be incited and for them to be tempted, against their wills. So a woman who does this carries the sin of her action as well as the sin of those who respond to her active call to this type of fornication. It is reported in a hadeeth collected by the Sunan compilers and others that the Prophet (sallAllaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said: “Indeed, when a woman perfumes herself and then passes by a gathering, she is such and such” – meaning a fornicator. And in another narration, he (sallAllaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said: “Verily, when a woman perfumes herself and then passes by a group of people such that they can smell her scent, she is a fornicator.”
These, O Muslim brothers and sisters, are the conditions required for the Hijaab to achieve its intended objective. So we must fear Allaah and be dutiful to Him by obeying what He has commanded and abstaining from what He has forbidden, and by following His Messenger (sallAllaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam), for indeed this brings success in both this life and the next.
Thank you for posting the above, however as you can see from the translations, the brackets means these words are not present in the original Arabic text, I have analyzed these verses in detail here;
ReplyDeletehttp://lifecheat.blogspot.com/2009/07/dress-code-for-women-in-islam.html
As far as the secondary sources are concerned we must demand the Quranic standard of evidence before we accept reports ascribed to the Prophet Mohammad Pbuh, that must be our duty in order to protect the integrity of the messenger. If you know of any reports that can be classified as mutawatir, Sahih and preferably bil lafz then I will be interested in using it as a source. Thanks once again for visiting the blog :)