The Hijab In The Face Of The Notorious Campaign

Praise be to Allah (SWT) who revealed to us this Deen, and made it our safe passage to righteousness and success

The woman represents half the society, and Islam has come to establish her respect, provide her with the goodness and prosperity and guarantee her happiness in this life and in the hereafter. However, the enemies of Islam have vowed to pursue their evil schemes in order to undermine Islam and Muslims. One of the most devilish schemes they concocted was to use the woman as their bait; so they began inviting her to Tabarruj (the dazzlign dispaly) and Sufur (unveiling). They concentrated their campaign on the rule of Hijab by subjecting it to criticism, objection and defiance. They sharpened their pencils against the rule of Hijab, describing it as backward, and reactionary, claiming that it causes the woman a great deal of hardship, strips her of her dignity and restricts her freedom.

This should not come as a surprise since these people have not understood the wisdom behind this rule, and since they could not grasp the logical, rational and natural effects of such a rule, and since they failed to realise its advantages.

What is in fact tragic is the fact that our Muslim brothers have been dragged along behind this rethorics without realising that they were led like sheep to the slaughterhouse, rather than to the grazing land, not realising that behind these shiny rethorics, lie the despicable objectives, and the wicked intentions.

Let us begin our topic with the evidences from the Qur'an and the Sunnah, which conclusively confirm the obligation of Hijab, in answer to those who claim that the Hijab is desirable and not a Sharia'a obligation:

Allah (SWT) says: [33 - 59 ] "O Prophet! Tell thy wives and daughters, and the believing women, that they should cast their outer garments over their persons (when abroad): that is most convenient, that they should be known (as such) and not molested. And Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful."


Allah (SWT) says: [ 33 - 53] "O you who believe! do not enter the houses of the Prophet unless permission is given to you for a meal, not waiting for its cooking being finished-- but when you are invited, enter, and when you have taken the food, then disperse-- not seeking to listen to talk; surely this gives the Prophet trouble, but he forbears from you, and Allah does not forbear from the truth And when you ask of them any goods, ask of them from behind a curtain; this is purer for your hearts and (for) their hearts; and it does not behove you that you should give trouble to the Messenger of Allah, nor that you should marry his wives after him ever; surely this is grievous in the sight of Allah"

Allah (SWT) also says: [ 33-33] "And stay quietly in your houses, and make not a dazzling display, like that of the former Times of Ignorance; and establish regular Prayer, and give regular Charity; and obey Allah and His Messenger. And Allah only wishes to remove all abomination from you, ye members of the Family, and to make you pure and spotless."


Allah (SWT) says in Surah Al-Nur: [24 - 31] "And tell the believing woomen to lower their gaze and be modest, and to display of their adornment only that which is apparent, and to draw their veils over their bosoms, and not to reveal their adornment save to their own husbands or fathers or husbands' fathers, or their sons or their husbands' sons, or their brothers or their brothers' sons or sisters' sons, or their women, or their slaves, or male attendants who lack vigour, or children who know naught of women's nakedness. And let them not stamp their feet so as to reveal what they hide of their adornment. And turn unto Allah together, O believers, in order that ye may succeed."

Abu Hurayra reported that the Messenger of Allah (SAW) said: Two are the types of the denizens of Hell whom I did not see: People having flogs like the tails of the ox with them and they would be beating people, and the women who would be dressed but appear to be naked, who would be inclined to evil and make their husbands incline towards it. Their heads would be like the humps of the Bukht camel inclined to one side. They will not enter Paradise and they would not smell its odour whereas its odour would be smelt from such and such distance.

Abdullah Ibnu Amru reported that the Messenger of Allah (SAW) said: In the last era of my Ummah there will be men who would ride camel like cells, they would descend before the doors of the mosques, their women would be dressed but they would appear naked, their headdress would resemble the humps of the Bukht camel, do curse them, for they are cursed. (reported by Ahmed and Al-Tabarani).

These evidences make it absolutely clear that the Hijab is an obligation from the Lord of the universe, therefore, it is obligatory to wear it and to believe in its validity and suitability for the woman.

Having mentioned the evidences, we shall endeavor Inshallah to prove some of the practical advantages of wearing the Hijab in the hope that they would be recognised by every rational person, and in reply to those who claim that Islam oppresses women.

Some Muslim women may claim that they have adhered to Islam and that they have abided by the Sharia'a and kept their chastity without the Hijab, others may claim that it is reactionary to wear tha Hijab, while others say that they would wear the Hijab once they are convinced or once they grow older. It is to those sisters, and to all the Muslim brothers and sisters, who have doubt about the advantages of the Hihab, that we say the following, in the hope that Allah (SWT) would enlighten their hearts and guide them to the Truth.

1- One may claim that the Hijab does not necessarily serve as evidence about the woman's chastity, for there are many decent and chast women who do not wear the Hijab... We say to this person that the rule of Hijab has not been decreed merely in order to measure the decency of the woman, but to protect men and women alike and maintain their chastity. Doctor Mohammed Sai'id Ramadhan Al-Booti wrote in his book entitled "The way back to Islam" the following: Truly the chastity of a woman is a hidden reality in itself, it is not a veil that she throws over herself to cover her body; the dress cannot weave for a person a lost chastity, nor bring to the person a non-existent straightness; Allah (SWT) has not decreed the woman's Hijab in order to create for her this decency and chastity in her moral conduct; He (SWT) has decreed the rule of Hijab in order to protect and maintain the decency of men whose gazes meet her charms. If the Hijab were meant to be, as some people imagine, a mere lifting of the woman's morals and decency, the Islamic Sharia'a would in this case permit the chaste and decent woman to expose herself to all men, in her best adornment and charm. Although the woman may have a sound disposition, people may still fall victims to her liberalism, for there are many young celibate men who could be harmed by her, and there are many weak persons whose desires take the better of them.

The campaign against Islam and more specifically the Hijab has begun with the orientalists and the western intellectuals, however, some of our intellectuals and writers took up the trumpet and began calling for the discarding of the Hijab. What is really sad is that some of our young men and women were dragged along, albeit with good intentions, without realising the depths of their intentions. I would like to say this to the woman: This evil scheme has not been concocted because of the sympathy that these people feel for her, nor because they felt sorry for her and wanted to help, but for a wicked intention that has not surfaced yet. Proof of this is perhaps best reflected in what Nizar Qabbani, known as the woman's poet, who appointed himself as the defender of the woman, his poem translates as follows:

No part of the beautiful woman's body - which my carts have not passed over.

No breast, be it white or red - over which I have not raised my banners.

Here we find that those who call the woman to discard the Hijab and unveil herself, they in fact are calling her to debauchery; for when the invading army wants to enter a city, they must first destroy its forteresses, one after the other; we would like to ask those who call for the woman to rid herself from the restrictions imposed upon her: What restrictions are you talking about? Do you want us to act like the west? Let us take a closer look at the woman's liberty in the west; Did the Tabarruj (dazzling dispaly) and the discarding of the Hijab give her her freedom? The situation of the woman in the western world have become very sad, to the point where her body has become like dispalyed goods. If a shoe company wanted to advertise its products, it only has to display its products on television worn by an almost naked woman. The value of the woman in the western world has become that of a shoe. Is this liberation?

3- Ever since Allah (SWT) created humankind, He created for everything precious something to protect it, we find that the precious pearls are kept in shells, fruit coverd by a skin to protect them from reottenness, then the human also with the help of his instinct, sought to safeguard everything that is precious and dear, in a place which the eyes and the hands cannot reach. The jeweller would place the jewels in boxes and lock them up; and th trader would put his money in the safe and locks it up. So would it not be more appropiriate for the woman, who is the best of Allah's creations, to be protected and guarded against the wrongdoers and their looks by the Hijab which Allah (SWT) has decreed and imposed it upon her?

4- Sayyed Qutb, may Allah bless his soul, said in his book entitled Fi Thilali-l-Qur'an the following: Islam aims at establishing a wholesome society where desires are not aroused all the time; truly the natural desire between man and woman is deep, to arouse such desire every moment would only inflame the situation; the look does excite the man, so does the smile and the flirtation; the safe way would be to reduce such arousals, and that is the way which Islam chooses, this entails moralising the character and occupying the human energy with other matters than that of the flesh.

5- Finally, I say to the sisters who claim that Islam and the Hijab form an obstacle in the face of their freedom the following: Have you at any stage of your lives looked with objecitivity at the future? Did you my dear sister think that after your marriage, once you have become a mother and an old woman, once you are no longer able to satisfy your husbands' desires, what would become of him if he were to walk down the streets only to find a young woman dazzling him with her charm, and another slapping him across the face with her scent, and the other giving him inviting looks? Did you ever think what would his feelings be then?

The solution my dear Muslim brothers and sisters in Islam is the Hijab, for it is a Shria'a rule from Allah (SWT). When we utter these words, it is not in the aim of justifying the Hijab; by Allah no, for we are already totally convinced about the validity of Allah's deen as a whole, and we are not defending the Hijab, for it is a right and a duty upon us, and once Allah (SWT) decides a matter we have no choice in the matter; we simply wanted here to look into the freedom which some people talk about . Freedom does not mean to allow ourselves to be guided by our own whims and desires, but to choose the right way and keep our self respect and dignity, and there is no better way than than the Sharia'a of Allah (SWT). Freedom here is to abide by the rule of Allah (SWT) with our own will and choice.

Finally, the aim of raising this issue is to establish some realities which some of our brothers and sisters may have forgotten, and I end with the Hadith of the Messenger of Allah (SAW) who is reported to have said: If Allah guides one single man through you, this would be better for you than the whole world and its riches.

Subhanak Allahumma wa bihamdika, Wa ash-hadoo an-laa ilaah anta, Wastaghrifooka, wa atooboo ilayak.

9/05/04

Freelance Activist