I WROTE THIS FOR MY UNIVERSITY'S NEWSLETTER
AND IT WAS PUBLISHED
I WANT TO SHARE IT WITH YOU
HERE AND GET YOUR FEEDBACKS
Allah’s gift to Muslim women
Assalamu Alaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh
Alhumdu Lillah for giving us the right path of
Islam and the ability to distinguish the right
from the wrong. I ask Allah, then anyone else
who reads this, to forgive me for what I might
say wrong. Brothers and sisters Islam is not a
hard or complicated religion. Allah, in Surat
Al-Baqarah verse 185, says (in the meaning of
the verse): “Allah intends for you ease, and He
does not want to make things difficult for you.”1
So, we might sometimes think that Islam is a
difficult religion because it requires us to do so
much, but if we think about it, it completes our
lives in every beautifully possible way.1
Islam in the Middle East is not different from
Islam inthe west, or it SHOULD NOT be. People
say communities enforce their own rules on the
way we dress or act. Yes they do, but do we have
to follow them? Or should we follow Islam instead?
I’m trying to say that the Quran in America is the
same book in Yemen, for example, or any other
country. Practicing Islam may be more difficult
in one place than another, but Allah will greatly award
those who face the most difficulties in practicing
Islam. In this article, I will talk about the Muslim
woman and her hijab in today’s society.1
One of the things Allah awarded the Muslim
woman with is the hijab, with which a Muslim
woman receives her honor, dignity, virtues and
utmost respect from her community. Thus, by
receiving all this, it is, in fact designed to complete
her beauty. However, it seemslike there is a big
misconception of the meaning of hijab, so let’s
define it. Hhijab is the prevention or dividing point
between two things, where one cannot see the
other; and the emphasis here is on eye sight.1
In religion, hijab is meant to protect the Muslim
woman from men’s eyes staring at her, for the
purpose of preserving the woman’s beauty, purity,
virtues and, most of all, her piety. Therefore, hijab
is not just the scarf that a Muslim woman puts on
her head; it the clothing that a Muslim woman
covers her whole body with. Islam has set precise
instructions on how the Muslim woman’s hijab
should or should not be, of which some are listed
below:1
1- Hijab should cover not only the woman’s
hair but all body parts. Allah says in Surat Al-Ahzab,
verse 59, (in the meaning of the verse) “O Prophet! Tell
your wives and your daughters, and the women of the
believers to draw their cloaks, veils, (jilbab) all over
their bodies. That is more likely that they may be
recognized (as free respectable women) and not
annoyed. And Allah is Most Forgiving, Merciful.” The
word jilbab is mentioned in the verse, and it is interpreted
as the long dress that drops down to feet level.1
2- In Surat Al-Noor, verse 31, Allah says “Tell
the believing women not to show off their adornment
except that which cannot be hidden (such as the hands
and face, according to some olama’a). Hijab is part of
the woman’s adornment and, therefore, should not be
worn for the purpose of deliberately attracting men. 1
The intention behind it should be the covering of the
Muslim woman’s body and keeping her self-piety and
dignity. 1
3- Hijab should be wide enough not show
the body features very clearly and subsequently
attracting ill (perverted) people, with the sick (weak)1
hearts, to harass them. Therefore, it is senseless for
a Muslim woman to cover her hair with a scarf and
wear very tight clothes. In a Hadith, by Abu Hureyrah,
the prophet (pbuh) said “There are two types of the
inmates of Hell whom I have not seen in my time: People
having flogs like the tails of oxen beating people with
them, and women who would be dressed but appear
to be naked, who would be inclined to evil and make
their husbands incline towards it; their hair would be
like the humps of the bukht camel inclined to one side.1
They will not enter Paradise nor will they smell its odour,
whereas its odour will be smelled from long distances.1
( Muslim )
Sisters: hijab, besides being an order from Allah,
is an identity. It is the message sent and method
used to show one’s Islamic identity; just as one
would carry his/her identification card or passport
to identify himself/herself. Here is a real story to
illustrate this point. It happened once that an
American professor met two Muslim girls. The first
one was without hijab and the second one had hijab.1
So, he shook the hand of the first one and said to
the second one, “I know you are Muslim because
you wear the hijab and I respect your religion and
will not shake your hand,” at which point, the first
girl was shocked! 1
Another real example happened with a Sudanese
Muslim. As he was awaiting boarding his flight in
one of Europe’s airports, a woman approached him
and asked him why the Muslim women cover with
hijab and jilbab. The brother answered her with a
counter question: “When you go to buy fruits, do
you buy the covered ones or do you buy the un
covered ones that are exposed to flies, dust and
touching by filthy hands?” The woman replied by
saying: “Of course, I buy from the covered ones;”1
and then smiled in admiration to the Islamic logic.
Last but not least, a point to be taken from this is
that Islam is the best thing in our lives and following
it with all its rules that might sometimes seem hard
on us to do is the greatest gift. I will leave you with
the words of the second caliphate of Islam, Omar
Ibn Al-Khattab (rAa’). He is the one who said: “We
are a nation whom Allah honored by Islam, so however
we might seek honor by any means other than which
Allah has honored us, Allah, then, will certainly humiliate
us.”1
By: Tawfic Kassim (TK)
LET ME HEAR YOUR FEEDBACKS
MY REGARDS
TK
