Rulings on hijab for womens

Rulings on hijab for womens According to Islam.

List of Contents

1.  What is Hijab ?

2.  Why we need to do hijab ?

3.  Does Hijab is limited  only for woman ?

4.  Is it an oppression for woman in Islam ? 

5.  Right way of following hijab .

6.  Rewards of doing hijab .

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 1.  What is Hijab ?

The term hijab in Arabic literally means “a screen or curtain” and is used in the Qur'an to refer to a partition. 

Another meaning is a veil that covers the head and chest, which is particularly worn by a Muslim female beyond the age of puberty in the presence of adult males. It can further refer to any head, face or body covering worn by Muslim women that conforms to a certain standard ofmodesty.

It not only refers to the physical body covering, but also embodies a metaphysical dimension, where al-hijab refers to "the veil which separates man or the world from God”.Hijab can also be used to refer to the seclusion of women from men in the public sphere.

Most often, it is worn by Muslim women as a symbol of modesty, privacy and morality.

 Modesty in the Qur'an concerns both men's and women's gaze, gait, garments, and genitalia." Although the Qur'an stresses modesty, it does not specifically require women to keep their heads or faces covered. In fact, the Qur'an never explicitly uses the term hijab in reference to body veiling in any context, instead utilizing the words ‹See Tfd›khimār (خمار- conceal or to cover ) and jilbāb (جلباب), not hijab. Hijab or Hejab refers to The Rules of covering up. It never references the specific item or items of clothing used to cover up.

     وَ لْيَضْرِبْنَ بِخُمُرِهِنَّ عَلىَ جُيُوْبِهِنَّ...  

(and they should place their khumur over their bosoms...”)  

 Khumurخُمُرٌ is plural of khimarخِمَارٌ, the veil covering the head. See any Arabic dictionary like Lisanu ’l-‘Arab, Majma‘u ’l-Bahrayn or al-Munjid.

Al-Munjid, which is the most popular dictionary in the Arab world, defines al-khimar as “something with which a woman conceals her head—ما تغطى به المرأة رأسها .”

   

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2.  Why we need to do Hijab ?

Before anyone can have a true and complete understanding of hijab and its real meaning, one needs to take a step back and start at the beginning. Allah says in the Quran, which Muslims believe is the word of God, what means:

[Not for (idle) sport did We create the heavens and the earth and all that is between!] (Al-Anbiyaa' 21:16)

In this verse Allah makes clear that everything He created has a purpose. Every star in the sky, every fish in the ocean, and every leaf on a tree was made for a specific reason. So too was the human being created for a specific purpose. And Allah explains this purpose clearly in the Quran. He says what means:

[And I did not create the jinn and mankind except to worship Me.] (Adh-Dhariyat  51:56)

It is important to note even the construction of this statement. Allah did not just say that He created jinn and mankind to worship Him. He began with a negation. He said: "I did not create the jinn and mankind." By saying it in this way, Allah begins by clearing the board from any other purpose before He states what our one and only purpose is: to worship Him and Him alone.

Now, it is in that context that one should begin to understand hijab. Hijab should properly be seen as simply another show of devotion to our Creator. Just as we pray and fast because He commanded us to do so, we should view hijab in the very same light.

Just as praying and fasting sincerely for Allah's pleasure brings us closer to Him, so too does wearing hijab — if done with the same sincerity. By obeying Allah's commandments, hijab is just another way to worship our Lord. And in so doing, it brings us closer to realizing our purpose of creation.

That purpose can be reflected even in the clothes that we choose to wear. If when we choose our dress, our intention is to please Allah, that action in itself is an act of worship. In the very choice of one piece of clothing over another, is an act of worship.

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3.  Does Hijab is limited only for woman ?

Islam has strongly emphasized the concept of decency and modesty in the interaction between members of the opposite sex. Dress code is part of that overall teaching. There are two verses in the Qur’an in which Almighty Allah talks about the issue of decency and hijab as defined earlier.

In Chapter 24 known as an-Nūr (the Light), in verse 30, Allah commands Prophet Muhammad as follows:

قُلْ لِلْمُؤْمِنِيْنَ يَغُضُّوْا مِنْ أَبْصَارِهِمْ وَ يَحْفَظُوْا فُرُوْجَهُمْ, ذَلِكَ أَزْكَى لَهُمْ.

“Say to the believing men that: they should cast down their glances and guard their private parts (by being chaste). This is better for them.”

This is a command to Muslim men that they should not lustfully look at women (other than their own wives); and in order to prevent any possibility of temptation, they are required to cast their glances downwards.This is known as “hijab of the eyes”.

Then in the next verse, Allah commands the Prophet to address the women:

قُلْ لِلْمُؤْمِنَاتِ يَغْضُضْنَ مِنْ أَبْصَارِهِنَّ وَ يَحْفَظْنَ فُرُوْجَهُنَّ...

“Say to the believing women that: they should cast down their glances and guard their private parts (by being chaste)…”

This is a similar command as given to the men in the previous verse regarding “hijab of the eyes”.

After “hijab of the eyes” came the order describing the dress code for women:

وَ لاَ يُبْدِيْنَ زِيْنَتَهُنَّ إِلاَّ مَا ظَهَرَ مِنْهَا وَ لْيَضْرِبْنَ بِخُمُرِهِنَّ عَلىَ جُيُوْبِهِنَّ...

“...and not display their beauty except what is apparent, and they should place their khumur over their bosoms...”

There are two issues about this sentence.

  First is that women should not display her beauty infront of everyone except which is displayed by it self ..like hands ,feets etc.

Second thing is that they(the believing women) should place khumur over their blossoms . As we already know the meaning of khumur plural ..khimar singular  .(So the word khimar, by definition, means a piece of cloth that covers the head. ) 

 According to the commentators of the Qur’an, the women of Medina in the pre-Islamic era used to put their khumur over the head with the two ends tucked behind and tied at the back of the neck, in the process exposing their ears and neck. By saying that, “place the khumur over the bosoms,” Almighty Allah ordered the women to let the two ends of their headgear extend onto their bosoms so that they conceal their ears, the neck, and the upper part of the bosom also.  This is confirmed by the way the Muslim women of the Prophet’s era understood this commandment of Almighty Allah. 

The Sunni sources quote Ummu ’l-mu’minin ‘A’isha, the Prophet’s wife, as follows: “I have not seen women better than those of al-Ansar (the inhabitants of Medina): when this verse was revealed, all of them got hold of their aprons, tore them apart, and used them to cover their heads...”

The meaning of khimar and the context in which the verse was revealed clearly talks about concealing the head and then using the loose ends of the scarf to conceal the neck and the bosom. It is absurd to believe that the Qur’an would use the wordkhimar (which, by definition, means a cloth that covers the head) only to conceal the bosom with the exclusion of the head! It would be like saying to put on your shirt only around the belly or the waist without covering the chest!

Thus types of hijab has be described above one is the hijab of eye and hijab regarding dress code (hijab of dressing .) 

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4.  Is it an oppression for woman in Islam ?

Alhamdulillah it has been made clear from verses of Quran ruling of hijab is ordered first for man followed by woman .Hijab for woman is the same and a bit extended too.In the sense that as man ,woman should also lower her gaze and apart from that she showed cover her modesty in order to avoid attraction towards other gender ..as woman's physical appearance is different from man. In following the command of ALLAH woman will be safe and feels protected too.

Attractive Hijab & Shariyah :

Lets come to the ruling of hijab , now a days a kind of modernized  way of hijab is being practiced .

In this verse of the Quran, Allah does not just talk about the dress of modesty, but also the demeanor of modesty. In fact, both internal and external modesty is so important that the Prophet (peace be upon him) connected it with faith itself.

Unfortunately, we live in a society that teaches the exact opposite. In our society today, modesty is viewed as a sign of weakness and insecurity, when in fact modesty is a sign of dignity and self-respect.

True modesty means not only being modest in front of people, but also in front of Allah. 

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5.  Right way of following hijab .

In Chapter 33 known as al-Ahzab, verse 59, Allah gives the following command to Prophet Muhammad:

يَا أَيُّهَا النَّبِيُّ, قُلْ لأَزْوَاجِكَ وَ بَنَاتِكَ وَ نِسآءِ الْمُؤْمِنِيْنَ: يُدْنِيْنَ عَلَيْهِنَّ مِنْ جَلاَبِيْبِهِنَّ...

“O Prophet! Say toyour wives, your daughters, and the women of the believers that: they should let down upon themselves their jalabib.”

What is the meaning of “jalabib”?

Jalabibجَلاَبِيْبٌis the plural of jilbabجِلْبَابٌ, which means a loose outer garment. See any Arabic dictionary like Lisanu ’l-‘Arab, Majma‘u ’l-Bahrayn or al-Munjid.

Al-Munjid, for instance, defines jilbab as “the shirt or a wide dress—القميص أو الثوب الواسع.” While al-Turayhi, in Majma‘u ’l-Bahrayn, defines it as “a wide dress, wider than the scarf and shorter than a robe, that a woman puts upon her head and lets it down on her bosom...”

This means that the Islamic dress code for women does not only consist of a scarf that covers the head, the neck and the bosom; it also includes the overall dress that should be long and loose.

So, for instance, the combination of a tight, short sweater with tight-fitting jeans with a scarf over the head does not fulfill the requirements of the Islamic dress code.

Finally the verse goes on to give the list of the mahram – male family members in whose presence the hijabis not required, such as the husband, the father, the father-in-law, the son(s), and others.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 4 Surah Nisaa verses 22-23:

And do not marry at all those women whom your father had married,  though what has happened in the past is excepted.   This is an indecent and abominable thing and an evil practice.

Forbidden to you are your mothers,  daughters,  sisters,  paternal aunts,  maternal aunts, brother’s daughters,  sister’s daughters,  your foster mothers who have given suckle to you, your foster sisters who have taken suckle with you,  the mothers of your wives,  the daughters of your wives whom you have brought up,  the daughters of your wives with whom you have conjugal relations,  and it is not sinful for you to marry their daughters (after having divorced them).   Also forbidden to you are the wives of your sons who are from your loins, and it is unlawful for you to keep two real sisters as wives at one and the same time,  though what has happened in the past is excepted,  for Allah is indeed Forgiving,  Merciful.

List of Mehram of the woman:

1.     Father (includes grand father,  great grand father,  great great grand father, etc.)

2.     Sons  (includes sons’s and daughter’s sons,  grand sons, and so on)

3.     Brother  ( includes brother’s  sons,  his sons, and so on)

4.     Sister’s sons (includes sister’s son’s sons,  his sons, and so on)

5.     Paternal and Maternal uncles

6.     Son in law

7.     Father in law

8.     step father

9.     step sons (includes his sons,  grand sons, etc.)

10.  All the men who have shared the suckle of the woman she suckled with.

List of Mehram of the man:

1.     Mother (includes grand mother, and so on)

2.     Daugther (includes son’s and daughter’s grand daughters, and so on)

3.     Brother’s daughters (includes their daughters, grand daughters, and so on)

4.     Sister  (includes their daughters, grand daughters, and so on)

5.     Paternal and Maternal aunties

6.     Daughter in law

7.     Mother in law

8.     Step mother

9.     Step daughter (includes her daughters, and so on)

10.  All the women who have shared the suckle of the woman she suckled with.

Saying of Bibi Fathma (R.A):
It is best for women not to see men and not to  let men see them.

Some facts about  hijab :

For both man and woman

Especially for women:

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6.  Rewards of doing hijab .

Abu Dawood Book 14, Hadith # 2482 

Narrated Thabit ibn Qays (Radhiallaahu Ánhu): A woman called Umm Khallad came to the Prophet (Sallallaahu Álayhi Wasallam) while she was veiled. She was searching for her son who had been killed (in the battle) Some of the Companions of the Prophet (Sallallaahu Álayhi Wasallam) said to her: You have come here asking for your son while veiling your face? She said: If I am afflicted with the loss of my son, I shall not suffer the loss of my modesty.  Rasulullah (Sallallaahu Álayhi Wasallam) said: You will get the reward of two martyrs for your son. She asked: Why is that so, oh Prophet of Allah? He replied: Because the people of the Book have killed him.

Lastly I will conclude by saying “Early to hijab results in declining of fitnah..!!

I pray that Allah blesses all those women who wear Hijab and makes any trial that they face, because of it, easy and minor. Respecting yourself can only done by covering and not by uncovering oneself. Men have to learn to respect their hijab wearing sisters and lower their gaze.

Ameen YA ALLAH

We hope that we have not come across as a preacher when we clearly are not a good Muslim by any stretch of the imagination. We hope this may benefit someone and they supplicate for the Muslim women and the writer.

All praise is for Allah (mighty and majestic) and may endless salutations be upon the final Messenger of Allah Muhammad (Sallallaahu Alaihi Wa Sallam).

Jazak’ALLAH Khair ..!