There is an aim after striving for Allah's sake. I want to focus on the first implementation of modesty. It is not for the men, but for the women. The most important thing in a woman's life is the Hijab. I'll start with the women for a reason.
The First Excuse: I Am Not Convinced of the Hijab
If we all had modesty, I swear that society will be guided on the right path. I am not here to criticise or judge the sisters. May Allah reward you for taking time to listen to these words. So I want to begin the first colour of the colours of modesty, and that is the modesty of the woman.
Why am I going to start with the modesty of the woman? Am I attempting to criticise or judge the woman? Maybe I don't want to upset the men? No, I would never do that! However, I must stress that if the woman was guided on the right path and protected her modesty, then society would also be on the right path.
When the enemy of Islam wants to destroy something, the first thing they look to destroy is the woman. This is since when the woman loses her modesty, it is easy for the youth to become misguided. In turn, it is easy for the whole society to lose their modesty. This is why the first thing I will talk about is the modesty of the woman. If we say that modesty for the man is obligatory, then modesty for the woman are obligations; for her it is a crucial duty. This is since the nature of the woman is easy for modesty- she is closest to modesty.
Surely the greatest thing that belongs to the woman is her hijab. Please listen to these words and kindly tell your sisters and tell your relatives. If you wear the hijab, please spread this message to your sisters in faith, and if you do not wear the hijab, please try to benefit from what will be said today.
Indeed, the most honoured thing a woman possesses is her modesty. Moreover, the most precious symbolism of modesty is the Hijab. What is the most precious thing you have? If you have something precious, a pearl, a jewel, or a briefcase of money, will you protect it? Will you hide it? You will put it in a safe box surely! The more valuable it becomes, the more you want to protect it. So will you hide it from people or show it off? Will you leave it in front of everyone to watch and take from it whatever they want?
Of course you are going to protect it! So what is the most important, precious thing that deserves to be protected? The woman's modesty. And the most important thing in the woman's life is her hijab.
Did you know that the pearl is protected by its shell? And the shell is not attractive, yet you cannot substitute it with anything else to protect the pearl. Therefore, you cannot do without the hijab as it protects you.
So why is the hijab an obligation for women and not an obligation for men? Is it just to pressurise the woman? No. It is because 100 men will never be able to seduce or make one woman fall for them. No matter what they do, if the woman is not interested, those 100 men cannot do anything to attract her. However, one woman can succeed to attract 100 men in a few minutes. Therefore it is obligatory for the woman, since she is the source of attraction. So the hijab in her right is a must for her.
Before Islam was sent to the world, the Arabs and Romans believed that the most valuable beauty was found in the body. So the Romans, Arabs and other nations recognised the beauty of the body. Islam came to change that perception of the body. Islam came to raise the human's spiritual level. Islam came to say: purify your tastes and manners. As humankind progresses, their manners and tastes have to progress too. It was never a written law that the woman has to show her body. Islam stresses that a woman is not judged by her body but her intellect and manners. These are the most important things in our values. So the man will not judge the woman by her beauty. Islam taught the man and transferred his thoughts to judge the woman by her manners and her intellect.
Nobody should see or enjoy her physical body except for her husband. I wonder will any intellectual person accept these words? Who are those who respect and value the woman and who are those who don't? Some people argue that the hijab is not obligatory and that it was not mentioned in the Qur'an. Let's refer to the Qur'anic verses that make the hijab obligatory to Muslim women.
"O Prophet! Tell your wives and your daughters and the women of the believers to draw their cloaks (veils) all over their bodies. That will be better, that they should be known (as free respectable women) so as not to be annoyed. And Allah is Ever Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful."
[33: 59]
Pay attention that when Allah talks about the hijab as an obligation, He also includes the women of the believers, meaning all of the Muslim women. So no one can argue that this verse is only referring to the family of the Prophet. The meaning of this verse is that all of the female believers must wear the hijab so that they will be recognised as pious women, therefore respected and valued by their modesty. No one will harm her because she is respecting herself by what she is wearing.
Brothers and sisters in faith, the hijab is obligatory! It is not a Sunnah (practice of the Prophet). Allah also says:
"And say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty; that they should not display their beauty and ornaments except what (must ordinarily) appear thereof; that they should draw their veils over their bosoms display their beauty......And O ye Believers! Turn ye all together towards Allah, that ye may attain Bliss."
[24: 31]
According to the majority of the scholars, women must cover everything except for her hands and face (some include feet as well).
Allah (swt) went into very fine details to describe the way women should cover the ears, the neck and the chest. Have you ever seen something described so clearly in the way that we should dress? When Allah (swt) says: to wear the khimar [basically to cover the whole body with loose clothing] it doesn't mean the woman has to wear a very long scarf, it means you have to cover the most important things with the scarf; the hair, the neck and the chest. Therefore, tucking in the small scarf into your neck is an invalid hijab because it will reveal what you have, i.e. your chest, and so on.
Allah says women have to cover. Who can say after that that the hijab is not obligatory? And the verse with, "Turn all together to Allah, in other words, Repent you believers."
It is a duty of a husband to encourage (not force) and persuade his wife and female relatives to wear the hijab in order for her to be respected and be valued as a pious woman. In another verse, Allah (swt) addresses the Muslim women not to show off and dress in such a way that the pre-Islamic women used to. How did the pre-Islamic women dress? Did they wear short skirts? No, they didn't. Can you guess how they used to show off their beauty? They used to wear better than short skirts that's for sure. The pre-Islamic women used to cover everything, so they would wear long dresses, but they would show their chest, necks, forehead and the front of their hair.
What will you do when you stand in front of Allah and He asks you, where is your hijab? Do not be upset by my words sister, I am only stressing this out of concern. When the verses of the hijab were revealed, all of the women covered immediately. However, never force your daughters and sisters to wear the hijab, they will not value it and will rebel against it. Rather, advise them in the best of ways so that they can see the true wisdom behind the hijab.
When the verses of the Hijab were revealed, the men informed the women about the meaning of the verses. The women were so eager to obey Allah's command exactly the way it was described in the Qur'an. Since they couldn't afford to buy new materials for a hijab, they took a dress and tore it into two and used it as a Hijab and went out like that immediately.
This is contrary to the way women of today are like; they make excuses for not wearing the proper Hijab. The Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) said: "A group of women will never enter Paradise. They are those who wear tight, revealing clothes and do not listen to Allah's command of wearing the hijab. Not only will they not enter Paradise, but they will not even smell paradise, although one can smell Paradise from a 500 year distance." This hadith is from Sahih Muslim (an authentic saying of the Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam)).
To stress how important it is to cover yourself, there is another example. The Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) had to go into battle against a tribe of Jews who ridiculed a Muslim woman in the market. They tricked her by tying up her dress, so when she moved, she tripped over and her dress tore so she became uncovered. So a Muslim man who saw this stood up and killed the Jewish man who had done this indecent, evil act. So the Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) took the Muslim army and threw the Jewish tribe out of Madinah.
I wonder what the Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) would have done if he saw the way women dress at present. Another example is of the famous scholar Ahmad Ibn Hanbal (rahimullah). He was walking in the market and a light wind lifted a woman's dress and he saw her ankle accidentally. He was shocked and angry, stating: "These are truly the days of corruption!" And he walked the rest of the way home with a piece of his clothes over his eyes! He reacted like this over a uncovered ankle! I wonder what he would have done if he saw today's women. I could not have spoken about modesty without talking about the hijab, since modesty is indeed a branch of faith.
What is your excuse for not wearing the hijab? Let us go through a list of excuses.
To this, I would respond; what are religion are you from? You would reply, I'm a Muslim. What is the meaning of a Muslim, brothers and sisters? The meaning of a Muslim is to submit completely to Allah. The sister who does not want to practice the hijab has not submitted to Allah. She does not want to submit to the will of Allah.
Brothers and sisters, how can we disobey and argue against what Allah and His Messenger have given to us? Prophet Ibrahim (alayhis salam) had to sacrifice his own son because of a vision, and he did not understand why he had to do such a thing, but he submitted to Allah completely. So this teaches us how to submit to Allah's Word. I would rather hear you say that you are not strong enough to practice the Hijab, rather to hear you to say that you are not convinced with Allah's very own words.
The Second Excuse: It is Whats Inside is Most Important
The Third Excuse: The Hijab and Hot Weather
The woman can complain that she loses her hair when she puts the hijab on, because of the heat. "So come on, do you want me to lose my hair and get bald? I won't put it on because my hair falls off!" Sister, Allah says: "Say that the Hell fire is stronger than the heat of the world."
The Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) said: "Hell is surrounded by our desires, and Paradise is surrounded by the good things." Is it still difficult for you to put on the hijab? You will gain many deeds for following Allah's command!
The Forth Excuse: Some Wear Hijab and are Bad People, Others Don't and are Good
Claiming that they knew women that wore the hijab but they had the worst of manners and did very bad things. "So I don't want to put the hijab on because I don't want to be like them." Well brothers and sisters, I know people who pray, but do bad things, does that mean we shouldn't pray? Some people go to Hajj (pilgrimage) so that they can hide under the title of a "Hajji" (person who has performed Hajj) and do bad things. Does that mean we should not go to Hajj? So sister, the wrong is not in the religion, but in the people themselves. Surely the hijab is innocent from their actions.
The Fifth Excuse: Allah swt Has Not Guided me
"Allah has not guided me yet. I will eventually put the hijab on, but Allah hasn't guided me to do that at present. I think when I am 50 years old and have enjoyed my life, I'll put it on."
No sister, this excuse is totally wrong. Allah says: "Allah does not change a people's situation unless they change what is within themselves."
You will not put the hijab on until you change what is within yourself and work towards fulfilling Allah's commandment. It is not acceptable to say that Allah has not guided you! No, He has, and the proof is that you are listening to these words. The reason you are listening to these words is because Allah is opening the journey of guidance to you. Allah will never leave a person unless He gives him guidance, so it is up to that person to obey or disobey.
The Sixth Excuse: When I'm Married I'll Practice the Hijab
To this I would say, many men look for the pious, religious woman who respects herself with her hijab, more than those men who look for the other women who do not. Plus Allah has written who you will marry anyway! So you won't marry anyone other than the person Allah has destined you to marry. Do not be afraid sister, put your trust in Allah. Allah will give you the pious husband, who will respect and cherish you. So when you marry, marry someone who will respect and love you for your faith.
A man once came to a scholar and asked him: "If I'm going to marry my sister to someone, who should it be to?" The scholar replied, "Marry her to a man who is a friend of Islam, so if he loved her, he will respect her, and if he hated her, he will not treat her badly." Marry the man who will protect you, respect you, and be happy that you are a wearing the hijab.
The Seventh Excuse: I Am Still Young
Do you know when you are going to die, sister? The death rate among the youth is increasing! I will give you a real life example that happened in Egypt, in the city of Alexandria, in the month of Ramadan last year.
A man told me that his wife wears the hijab. Their next door neighbour was a young girl who was not wearing the hijab. This girl is pure and has much goodness in her heart, like all of our sisters in Islam. However, she did not understand the concept of the hijab and its importance in Islam. The man continued to recall that his wife had a good relationship with this girl (and this is obligatory for all the women who wear the hijab). She didn't ignore her just because she didn't wear the hijab!
One day the young girl had come to ask the wife if she would come shopping with her to buy some jeans. So the intelligent wife who knows that she has to call the girl towards Allah agreed to go shopping with her, but under one condition: that the girl comes with the wife to an Islamic lecture that was going to start. The girl agreed.
So they went to the lecture, the topic that day was about repentance to Allah. The girl was so inspired by the lecture and started to weep until she repeated: "I have repented Allah, please someone cover me." The people attempted to calm her and reassure her they would take her home and there she could begin to practice the hijab. However she refused, expressing her wish to be covered immediately. She could not go out without it. So the sisters brought her a scarf and a dress. She put them on, determined to follow Allah's command, and left the building with it on. As soon as she left to cross the road, a car hit her and she died.
This is a true story. She died after she had repented. She is lucky that she had the opportunity to repent before she died. This is a lesson for us to never give the excuse that we are still young to follow Allah's commands, because we do not know when death will approach us.
The Eighth Excuse: I Like Fashion. If I Wear the Hijab I Will Be Out of Fashion!
Is Allah dearer to you than the latest fashion? I swear, when you put the Hijab on you will have light shinning from within you, and you will be more beautiful with your hijab.
The Ninth Excuse: I Want to Follow the Westerners
Who respects the woman more? Islam, or the ones who cannot even sell a box of matches without painting a half naked woman on it? Or they cannot sell a shampoo without degrading the woman? Are they the ones who have respected the woman or are they the ones who have indeed exploited the woman? Who has respected the woman? Islam has respected the woman and covered her and liberated her from exploitation.
The Tenth Excuse: I'm Afraid that I Will Wear it and Then Take it Off
"I don't want to practice the hijab because I'm afraid of taking it off." Sister, why don't you put it on with firm determination and faith and ask Allah to always protect you with it. Of course I'm not saying that taking the hijab off isn't a sin. Taking the hijab off is a major sin. It is a major sin because you would be encouraging other women to do the same. I urge sisters to never commit this sin. Allah would hate that. Wear the hijab and do the following three things to make sure you will never take it off:
1. Have good religious friends,
2. Attend and listen to Islamic lectures,
3. Make du'a (supplications) to ask Allah to strengthen your faith and remain firm with your hijab.
The Last Excuse: Its Embarassing
"I'm shy and embarrassed from what my friends and relatives will say if I put the hijab on."
Sister, won't you be ashamed of yourself from Allah on the Day of Judgement? Won't you be embarrassed when you see the Prophet on the Day of Judgement without your hijab?
On the Day of Judgement you will be thirsty and the Prophet will be giving water to everyone. You will run to him, but two angels will stop you going further. The Prophet will say, "Leave her! She is from my nation." The angels will say, "We cannot Prophet Muhammad, for she did not obey Allah's command." To this, the Prophet will say, "Go away, far away, I do not want to have anything to do with you because you did not listen to Allah's command."
Plus who should be embarrassed? The one who is showing off her body to everyone, or the one who is respecting and covering her body? The Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) said: "Grab Islam with your hands and teeth!"
Brothers and sisters, this was a lecture for the sisters on the issue of the hijab.
I advise you to be up to the standards of the hijab. If you want to put on the hijab, do it now, but do not put it on now if you do not pray, fast, have manners, and not close to Allah, that way you will be weak and take it off in a matter of weeks. If you can put the hijab on now, pray on time, and be in the company of the pious, read the Qur'an every day, and thank Allah every day, even if it is for a few minutes.
If you did these five things, your hijab will go with your worship, your manners, and you will be an example to all the Muslim and non-Muslim women. Do not assume that you can put the hijab on and not worship Allah or have any sort of Islamic personality. If you are wearing the hijab and you do not pray, hold those five things in your heart and practice them every day, for you are representing Islam, dear sister. Strengthen your faith so you can keep it on.
If you cannot do these types of worship although you are wearing the hijab, renew your intentions and become a practicing Muslim from today. However, for those who have not put the hijab on yet, do not assume that you will build up your acts of worship for the next six years and then put the hijab on; then you have not understood this lecture. Make it your goal to build your faith in the next month or two, build yourself within, and work towards putting the hijab on at the end of the month when you have become accustomed to those simple acts of worship mentioned above.
Another point to emphasise. You are a Muslim woman who is wearing the hijab. Never assume that the hijab means you have completed your worship and will enter heaven on this act of worship alone. On the contrary, this is only the beginning of your journey towards Allah.
A further point to emphasise; remember that you are an example to all the Muslim and non-Muslim women. With your manners, worship, smile, even when you are walking down the street; you are an example to everyone and you will indeed inspire many people, without even saying a word. You will purify your society! Your good deeds are of great value to Allah. You will guide your sisters in Islam. You are our example, our ambassador of Islam. Please, please, sisters, do not let us down.
Here are a few points of how to wear the correct hijab. If you do not follow these points, that means you are not wearing a correct hijab that is described in the Qur'an and Sunnah of the Prophet. So, please make sure that you follow each point carefully, in order to submit completely to Allah and please Him.
How to Wear the Correct Hijab
1. Your clothes must cover your body, it must be loose, it must not reveal the shape of your body. You are not supposed to you show the shape of your legs, waist, shoulders, chest. Plus, you are not supposed to tie the scarf tightly around your head, as this reveals your neck and the shape of your hair behind.
2. You must not wear see-through (transparent) clothes.
3. You must cover the whole of your body, except for the hands and face, as the majority of scholars have stated.
4. You must not wear clothes that resemble a man's clothes.
5. You must not wear perfume in the presence of men who are not your Mihrim (close relative).
By keeping to these points at all times, for the sake of fulfilling Allah's commandment, you are practicing the hijab correctly and you are a proud "Muhajaba" (a sister who wears the hijab).
|
|