The Hijaab – The Mark of Faithfulness
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Faten Elayoubi
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British politician Jack Straw recently commented that he thought the hijaab was "a visible statement of separation and difference", whilst Prime Minister Tony Blair backed his comments. Instead of concentrating on trying to bridge the gaps between the community, a minority are dividing it even more. As a Muslim woman who wears the hijaab I feel that it is the people who are speaking out against the hijaab who are separating us from the rest of society. I feel that they do not truly understand the reasons behind why we choose to wear it; hence you will find them speaking without wisdom.
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Our lives as Muslims center on trying to please our Lord through following His commandments. We believe that He is the One who knows what is best for His creation for He is the All-Knowing, the All-Wise. He explains to us through His revelation that He created mankind and jinn (creation made of smokeless fire) only to worship Him. One of the commandments brought down by Allaah is for both men and women to be modest.
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Lo! men who surrender unto Allah, and women who surrender, and men who believe and women who believe, and men who obey and women who obey, and men who speak the truth and women who speak the truth, and men who persevere (in righteousness) and women who persevere, and men who are humble and women who are humble, and men who give alms and women who give alms, and men who fast and women who fast, and men who guard their modesty and women who guard (their modesty), and men who remember Allah much and women who remember Allah hath prepared for them forgiveness and a vast reward. Al-Qur'aan, 33:35
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One of the ways that both men and women have been commanded to be modest, is to dress in an appropriate manner. For women this includes wearing the hijaab, or as many know it, the headscarf.
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And tell the believing women 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. Al-Qur'aan 24:31
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O Prophet! Tell thy wives and thy daughters and the women of the believers to draw their cloaks close round them (when they go abroad). That will be better, that so they may be recognized and not annoyed. Allah is ever Forgiving, Merciful. Al-Qur'aan 33:59
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The hijaab is a protection against abuse and temptation from the outside world. It protects a woman from the prying eyes of strangers. The hijaab forces people to judge her based on her personality and the way she carries herself as a woman, instead of judging her based on her looks, the way she is dressed, or what brand of clothing she is wearing. She is a woman who looks after herself, keeps her beauty hidden to everyone except those whom Allaah has made an exception to and carries herself with dignity lessening the chances of someone annoying her, as the ayah itself states. In his tafsir (explanation) of the Qur'aan, Ibn Kathir interprets the ayah:
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"…that so they may be recognised and not annoyed" Al-Qur'aan 33:59
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to mean "That if they do that (i.e. draw their cloaks around them); it will be known that they are free, and that they are not servants or whores."
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Ibn Kathir also explains the ayah:
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"And tell the believing women 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…" Al-Qur'aan 24:31
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to signify that "This is a command from Allah to the believing women, and jealousy on His part over the wives of His believing servants. It is also to distinguish the believing women from the women of the Jahiliyyah (ignorance) and the deeds of the pagan women."
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So from this we can see that a woman in hijaab is recognised as a Muslim woman, a woman who respects herself and the people around her, and this in turn demands respect to be shown to her.
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In conclusion, a woman who wears the hijaab, including the one who chooses to include the face veil as part of her dress code, is different. She is different to a woman who chooses to show off her beauty to the rest of the world, and she should not feel pressured into doing something she is not comfortable with. A woman in hijaab does not separate herself from the outside world as a whole; instead she separates herself from the filth that one can come across in this world; she moves away from the things that may harm her and brings herself closer to her Lord. She allows the hijaab to be a cover between her and the corruption that may lie ahead of her.
