Hijab in Islam is must and should be practiced by all the sisters across the globe. In Islam, hijab for women is mandatory. Hijab prevents women from the lustful eyes of men, hijab is the barrier between good and evil. In recent years hijab is in news as it has been banned from certain western countries, though the ban on hijab is illogical and against the law. Majority of muslim women cover the body with hijab out of their own choice. Muslim women wear hijab to obey Allah and to be known as respectable (QURAN 33:59). Hijab guard the womens looks and their body shape, hijab is the symbol of piety and it is indication of great inner strength. Women wearing hijab can be recognized as a visible sign of Islam. There is a beautiful hadith about the hijab, how verse of hijab was revealed?,Narrated Anas ibn Malik: “I know (about) the Hijab (the order of veiling of women) more than anybody else. Ubay ibn Ka’b used to ask me about it. Allah’s Apostle became the bridegroom of Zaynab bint Jahsh whom he married at Medina. After the sun had risen high in the sky, the Prophet invited the people to a meal.
Allah’s Apostle remained sitting and some people remained sitting with him after the other guests had left. Then Allah’s Apostle got up and went away, and I too, followed him till he reached the door of ‘Aisha’s room. Then he thought that the people must have left the place by then, so he returned and I also returned with him. Behold, the people were still sitting at their places. So he went back again for the second time, and I went along with him too.When we reached the door of ‘Aisha’s room, he returned and I also returned with him to see that the people had left. Thereupon the Prophet hung a curtain between me and him and the Verse regarding the order for (veiling of women) Hijab was revealed.” Sahih al-Bukhari, Hijab is a symbol of modesty and privacy, Quran mandates hijab both for men and women, 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 veil over their breasts and not display their beauty except to their husband, their fathers, their husband’s fathers, their sons, their husbands’ sons, their brothers or their brothers’ sons, or their sisters’ sons, or their (Muslim) women, or the slaves whom their right hands possess, or male servants free of physical needs, or small children who have no sense of the shame of sex; and that they should not strike their feet in order to draw attention to their hidden ornaments.
The Quran instructs both muslim men and women to dress modestly, there are two surahs in the Quran about hijab which include AN-NUR (Chapter 24) and AL-AHZAB (chapter 33) Hijab also include the behavior, character, the way women talks, the way women walks etc In surah AL-AHZAB Allah says;O Prophet! Say to your wives, your daughters, and the women of the believers that: they should let down upon themselves their Jalabib…(Quran 33:58–59) some hadiths with regard to hijab,It was narrated from Safiyyah bint Shaybah that ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her) used to say: When these words were revealed – “and to draw their veils all over Juyoobihinna (i.e. their bodies, faces, necks and bosoms)” – they took their izaars (a kind of garment) and tore them from the edges and
covered their faces with them.
Hijab uplifts the character and respect of women
Narrated by al-Bukhaari It was narrated that ‘Aasim al-Ahwaal said: We used to enter upon Hafsah bint Sireen who had put her jilbab thus and covered her face with it, and we would say to her: May Allaah have mercy on you. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “And as for women past childbearing who do not expect wedlock, it is no sin on them if they discard their (outer) clothing in such a way as not to show their adornment” [al-Noor 24:60]. And she would say to us: What comes after that? We would say: “But to refrain (i.e. not to discard their outer clothing) is better for them”. And she would say: That is confirming the idea of hijab. Narrated by al-Bayhaqi Famous Islamic orator Dr Zakir Naik gives six criteria of hijab forwomen according to Quran and sunnah 1st is extent, which is the only difference between a man and a woman.
For the man, he has to be covered from the naval to the knee. For the woman, her complete body should be covered – the only part that can be seen, should not be seen, is the face and the hands up to the wrist. If she wishes to cover them, she is most welcome, but it is not compulsory that she should cover it – Otherwise the full body should be covered. The only part that can been seen… not should not be seen, is the wrist, face and the hands, up to the wrist. This is the only criteria which differs, between the man and the woman. The second criteria is that, the clothes she wears, should not be so tight, that it reveals the figure. third point – it should not be so transparent, so that you can see through. And the fourth point – she should not wear glamorous clothes, or he should not wear glamorous clothes, which attracts the opposite sex.
The fifth point is that a person should not wear cloth, which resembles that of the opposite sex – like you find men wearing earrings. If you wear one earring, it signifies something else – if you wear two earrings, it signifies something else. It is prohibited in Islam. And the last criteria is, you should not wear clothes which
resemble of an unbeliever. Regarding the colour of the hijab, it is not necessary that it should be black only, women can wear other colours too that are worn by women only. So my dear sisters what are you waiting for, wear hijab from today
onwards, Hijab uplifts the character and respect of women.
(The author is presently Principal at Alamdar public school Bandzoo Pulwama. The views of the author are exclusively his own)
