Reading and Writing

4:15-5:15PM MTWTH

Name: Rango, Asral A. Strand: HUMSS-12

Instructor: Maghamil, Mychol C. Date:

FIRST DRAFT

THE CONCEPT OF HIJAB

A hijab is a veil that covers the head and chest, which is particularly worn by some Muslim women
beyond the age of puberty in the presence of adult males outside of their immediate family and
according to some interpretations, in the presence of adult non-Muslim females outside of their
immediate family. Moreover, The hijab in Islam is not only a sign of modesty and religious faith but also
a symbol of the defense of deen (religion), the preservation of the family, and, therefore, the identityof
Muslim society. Linguistically, hijab comes from the verb ‘hajaba’ which means “to hide from view,
conceal” and is referred to any veil placed in front of a person or an object in order to conceal it from
view or to isolate it. Scarcely anything is known of the pre-Islamic use of this word; but the Qur’an,
though it is found there only seventimes, provides as valuable information on the basic and
metaphorical meaning of the term. In general, hijab in the Qur’an means a separation:

i. It is the veil or the curtain behind which Maryam isolated herself from her family(Soorah Maryam,
19:17)

ii. On the Day of Judgment, the saved will be separated from the damned by a hijab (Soorah ar-Araf,
7:46), which is glossed as wall (sur) by the commentators, whodeduce this interpretation from Qur’an
(Soorah Al-Hadid, 57:13);

iii. “It belongs not to any mortal that God should speak to him, except by revelation, or from behind a
veil” (Soorah Ash-Shura, 42:51), a veil apparently intended to protectthe elect from the brilliance of the
Divine countenance;

iv. It is a sort of veil which envelops, either actually the sun which vanishes behind theveil of the night,
Qur’an (As-Saad, 38:32)

v. The unbelievers say to the Prophet “our hearts are veiled...; and in our ears is wall l; and between us
and thee there is a veil (Al-Fussilat, 41:5); and

vi.“We place between thee and those who do not believe in the world to come, a curtainobstructing

(hijab, mastur)” (Al-Isra, 17:45)

From the above, it is clear that the concept of the word hijabis three-dimensional, and the three
dimensions often blend into one another. The first dimension is a visual one: tohide something from
sight. The second dimension is spatial: to separate, to mark a border, to establish a threshold. And
finally, the third dimension is ethical: it belongs to the realm of the forbidden. So we have not just
tangible categories that exist in the reality of the senses visual, the spatial but also an abstract reality in
the realm of ideas.

Hijab nowadays has become almost synonymous with the head-scarf. In fact various pieces of clothing
have specific names in the Arabic language and ‘hijab’ is the word which rather refers to the whole
ensemble of the required Islamic code of dress. based on the understanding on the above analysis of its
definition.

PROOF IN DEVINE TEXTS

The orders of hijab were introduced for the first time in Soorah Al-Ahzab, which was revealed following
the battle of Ahzab after the fifth year of Hijrah. Soorah An-Noor was revealed in 6th year after Hijrah
and contains explicit commands about Hijab. Let’s understand these ayaat:

• Allah (swt) says in the Qur’an in Soorah Al-Ahzab, 33:59: “O Prophet! Tell your wives and your
daughters and the women of the believers to draw their Jalabib over their bodies. That will be better
that they should be known so as not to be annoyed. And Allah is Ever Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful."

Allah (swt) tells His Messenger (saws) to command the believing women - especially his wives and
daughters, because of their position of honor - to draw their Jilbabs over their bodies, so that they will
be distinct in their appearance from the women of the Jahiliyyah from slave women. From among the
general run of hypocrites, was they used to molest bondwomen from Muslim homes when they came
out to take care of family chores.

• Also, Allah (swt) says in the Qur’an in Soorah An-Noor, 24:30): “Tell the believing men to lower their
gaze, and protect their private parts. That is purer for them. Verily, Allah is All-Aware of what they do.”

In the above verse, the word (yaghuddu) is derived from (ghadd), which means to bring down or to
lower, (Raghib) lowering of eyes or to keep eyes down as enjoined in the verse, means to turn the eyes
from something which is prohibited to be seen by Shari'ah (Ibn Kathir). Ibn Hibban has given the
explanation that to look at a non-Mahram woman with intent to have (sexual) pleasure is totally
prohibited, and to look without any such motive is makruh (undesirable).

THE CONDITIONS FOR HIJAB

Based on the understanding of the concept of hijab in the divine revelations, thefollowing conditions are
to be observed:
• It should cover the awrah : There is difference of opinion among the scholars as to the permissibility of
uncovering the face and the hands of the woman; some scholars permit, as long as there is no fitna
caused by her or inflicted upon her. They see that if she is beautiful and beautifies her face and hands
with external substances or if thesociety around her is corrupt where men do not lower their gaze, then
it is prohibitedfor her to uncover her face and hands.

• It must not be transparent: The Messenger of Allah (saws) said: "There shall be, in the latter part of my
nation, women who are dressed but (in fact) naked, on their heads are humps like those of Bukht (one
kind of camels), curse them for they are surely cursed.

•It must be roomy, flowing and not tight: It should not outline the shape of the body; the purpose of the
clothes is to disguise the shape of the body.

•It must not be perfumed with incense : The Messenger of Allah (saws) said: “Any woman who perfumes
herself and passes by some people that they smell her scent, then she is a Zaniyah (prostitute)."

• It should not resemble men's dress: The Messenger of Allah (saws) said: "Women who assume the
manners of men are not from us and also those of men who assume the manners of women." (Reported
by Imam Ahmad and Abu Na'eem. Al-Albaniauthenticated it in his book "Al-Hijab", pg 66-67)

Abu-Hurayrah (ra) narrated that: "The prophet (saws) cursed the man who wears thedress of a woman
and the woman who wears the dress of a man."

What is awrah?

The ‘awrah of a woman in front of her mahrams such as her father, brother and nephew is her entire
body except that which usually appears such as the face, hair, neck, forearms and feet. Allah says
(interpretation of the meaning):

“And not to show off their adornment except only that which is apparent (like both eyes for necessity to
see the way, or outer palms of hands or one eye or dress like veil, gloves, headcover, apron), and to
draw their veils all over Juyubihinna (i.e. their bodies, faces, necks and bosoms) and not to reveal their
adornment except to their husbands, or their fathers, or their husband’s fathers, or their sons, or their
husband’s sons, or their brothers or their brother’s sons, or their sister’s sons, or their (Muslim)
women.” [al-Nur 24:31]

HIJAB FOR MEN

This discussion will be inconclusive if there is no reference to hijab for men. As mentioned earlier,
Allah (swt) commands men to lower their gaze and guard their modesty in ayah 24:30 which precedes
the ayah 24:31 referring to hijab for women. Hence first, men are required to take the lead in respecting
women. They should not engage in or approve of any activity which objectifies or demeans a woman.
They are also required to cast down their gazes in humility and to observe the general philosophy of
modesty of the heart and dress. They must wear decent clothing and avoid activities and places that will
cause them to witness that which they should not. All the conditions relating to hijab mentioned above
for women are equally applicable to men except for the afirst one, which refer to awrah. The awrah of a
man is from below his navel up to (and including) the knee. On the authority of `Ata' ibn Yisar, on the
authority of Abu Ayyub, who said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (saws) say, "That which is above the
knees is part of nakedness, and that which is below the navel is part of nakedness."

The Hijab is an act of obedience, iffat (modesty), tahara (purity), shield, taqwah (righteousness),
emaan (belief) and haya’ (bashfulness). Hijab is indeed a religious duty that Allah (swt) has enjoined
upon the believing men and women for their own protection and success. It is a manifestation of
adherence to the Qur’an and Sunnah. It indicates obedience to Allah (swt) and His Messenger (saws).
For women, it is a sign of her strength that would safeguard her dignity and honor against the
wickedness of some men; and accordingly, it is a protection of the society where she belongs. The
"restrictions" placed upon her regarding her dress and the display of her beauty and ornament is only
toguard against all ways of corruption arising from such dazzling displays. What Islam has established is
not a restriction on the freedom of women but is a firm protection for her from falling down to the
lowest levels of humility. The woman wearing her Hijab may be looked upon as “reactionary, old
fashioned, awalking tent.” But, she will be the winner on the Day of Judgment and it shows her
preference for the Hereafter where she will be among those who will be given the honor to see Allah's
Face; and those who mock her, subject themselves to the Wrath of Allah(swt). Indeed, Hijab is
camouflage in a world of flux.