Obstacles of Women and Lady Fatimah Zahra (SA): A Case Study of Hijab

Lady Fatimah Zahra (sa) and Issues of women with regarding to this Imam Ali (as) once said they were sitting with Prophet Muhammad (saw) when he (saw) asked “What is the best thing for a woman?” No one could answer his question. Imam Ali (as) aproached Lady Fatimah Zahra (sa) and discussed the issue with her and she immediately claimed to know the answer. She told “The best thing for a woman is that she is protected from the sight of strangers such that neither does she have to see them nor do they get to see her.” Imam Ali (as) returned to Prophet Muhammad (saw) and gave him the answer. He (saw) asked “Who taught you this answer?” I told him that the answer had come from Lady Fatimah Zahra (sa). Prophet Muhammad (saw) was delighted and said “Lady Fatimah Zahra (sa) is my flesh and blood.” One day Prophet Muhammad (saw) was sitting in the house with his daughter Lady Fatimah Zahra (sa) when they heard a knock on the door. The housemaid comes to Prophet Muhammad (saw) and says “Oh! Prophet of Allah (saw) your companion Abdullah ibn Umme Maqdoom (who was blind) has come to visit you.” Prophet Muhammad (saw) immediately told the housemaid to let him in. In the mean time his daughter Lady Fatimah Zahra (sa), chief of the women of the world and head of the women in Paradise, gets up to go to her room. Prophet Muhammad (saw) questioned her “Oh! My daughter Fatima, where are you going?”. Lady Fatimah Zahra (sa) replied “Since your companion (Sahabi) came to see you I am going to my room to observe my hijab from him. Prophet Muhammad (saw) said Fatima (sa) my daughter the companion is blind and cannot see you. Lady Fatimah Zahra (sa) said “My father, he cannot see me but I can see him thus I must go inside.” This is not to say that Prophet Muhammad (saw) was not aware of the matter but this question was posed to inform the women whose chief is Lady Fatimah Zahra (sa) of the importance of Hijab. And that it is not sufficient to think that we are capable of controlling our desires and will not think or look badly at someone. Who can say that Nauz Billah (God Forbid) Lady Fatimah Zahra (sa) could not have had such a control on herself and yet she followed the Shariah (Islamic Law) very strictly. Islam considers the protection of dignity and character of women for their happiness and sincerity. However, here we need to clarify that Islam does not advocate that women should never be allowed to see the light of the day. In fact, when we study the life of Lady Fatimah Zahra (sa), we find that she was very active in her personal and social life. At the same time, she was so careful in safeguarding her dignity and self-respect that in spite of her activities she never intermingled with any strangers. The presence of women has not been prohibited in the areas of culture, politics, defense, etc. rather wherever their services are required they are obliged to participate actively in their areas. For example, whenever the society requires the services of female doctors, nurses, teachers etc., the women in that society are obliged to obtain the necessary skills and qualifications. The sermons of Lady Fatimah Zahra (sa) in the Prophet’s Masjid in Madina, her serving alongside with Imam Ali (as) in the Holy Wars (Jihad) and during their migration from Makkah to Madina. Also the roles played by her great daughter Hazrat Zainab (sa) in the Battle of Karbala followed by her famous speeches in Kufa and Sham all these reflect the active and powerful roles played by these great Islamic female personalities.
Fatima Zahra’s (sa) legacy to all the muslim women of her Ummah (Community) is purity of faith and character. Her vision for all muslim women for all times to come is that they keep themselves chaste and pure like angels as per Islamic values and ethics. One Prophetic Tradition (Hadith) says “The zakat (Alms) of the beauty of a woman are her dignity and chastity.” Thus, if a woman does not guard or protect her beauty and exhibits herself to strangers, neither does she attain salvation, nor does her husband experience peace of mind and spirit. It is to be remembered here that Islam regards women like a beautiful and delicate flower that needs to be protected from hardships and dangers. Moreover if a woman is well-protected and well-secure, she can offer happiness and peace to her family and home and in this way the society would be safe, secure and progressive.
Importance of Hijab in Islam : Hijab does not mean hiding women’s beauty neither it makes women less beautiful in any way. It gives a sense of security to a women and it’s not used to disgrace her. Hijab is the first and foremost a commandment and obedience to the creator as mentioned in the holy Quran (Surah Al-Ahzab Verse 59) where Allah (SWT) says “O Prophet! Say to your wives and your daughters and the believing women to draw their cloakes over their bodies. In this way it is more likely that they will be recognized as virtuous and not be harassed. This verse has discussed the philosophy of Hijab (Islamic dress code) for women, as a kind of protection for them from being followed, teased, and disrespected from evil and lustful eyes.
Why Do Muslim Women Wear Hijab : Women have been given the utmost respect and highest status in Islam. Hijab is not just a dress code it signifies something deep, for example it is a barrier between a men and a muslim women. Hijab provides the muslim women both spiritual and physical peace and harmony. According to researchers women in hijab note that employers must interact with them based on their qualifications rather than their appearance and that therefore the hijab levels the playing field. However women find that wearing a head covering (Scarf) makes it harder to get hired. The women feel comfortable and confident while making use of head scarf as it reduces comments on women being out in public places from others (Strangers) and it reduces the incidents of harassment on the street and at working place for women.
The Six Point Criteria for Hijab: Based on the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him there is a six point criteria for observing hijab correctly as per Holy Quran:
1. The first criterion is the extent of the body that should be covered and this is different for men and women. The extent of covering that is obligatory to male person is to cover the body at least from the navel to the knees but for women the extent of covering is obligatory to cover the complete body except the face and the hands up to the wrist. If women wish she can cover even these parts of the body as well. All the remaining five criteria are same for men and women which are as follows:
2. The clothes worn should be loose and should not reveal the figure.
3. The clothes worn should not be transparent such that one can see through them.
4. The clothes worn should not be so glamorous as to attract the opposite sex.
5. The clothes worn should not resemble that of the opposite sex.
6. The clothes worn should not resemble that of Non-Muslims i.e. they should not wear clothes that are specifically identities or symbols of other religions.
( While Mohd Iqbal Dar is a Research Scholar at the Department of Commerce Punjab University, Patiala, Punjab, Aasiya Rehman is B.Sc Nursing Student at Baba Farid University of Health Science, Faridkot Punjab. Views are their own)
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