Alsiraj Official Website

Actually The first image is that of the Holy virgin Mary, peace be upon her…look closely at what she is wearing in the icon that you can find every where in the world. The middle is a photo of a group of nuns all dressed in the famous traditional nun dress. This dress is considered world wide as a symbol of purity and giving. The last one is the dress of a Muslim woman, now it is considered by some prejudiced people as a symbol of terrorism and women oppression…

Christian nuns wear clothes that cover their hair and their body, leaving only their faces and hands uncovered, and the Gospel commands women to cover their hair when praying(First Epistle of Paul, the Apostle to the Corinthians, Chapter II.). Furthermore, when a woman, irrespective of her status, whether she be the wife of the Head of a Western state or a famous film star, is admitted into the presence of the Pope in the Vatican, she must cover her hair.

First lets take a look at what Islam states as the dress that the Muslim woman should wear. In Islam a woman must wear a dress which satisfies certain conditions the most important of which are:
1. It should cover the whole body except the face and hands
2. It should not be tight to show people looking at her the details of her body
3. It should not be transparent

Is Hejab a must in Islam?
In this concern, the eminent Muslim scholar, Dr. `Ali Jum`ah, Mufti of Egypt, states:
"A Muslim woman is obliged to wear hijab as soon as she reaches puberty, as indicated in the Qur'an, the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and the consensus of Muslim scholars from early ages of Islam up till now. Hijab is known to be essential and necessary in religion; it is not merely a symbol that distinguishes Muslims from non-Muslims. It is an obligation that forms part and parcel of the Islamic religion.

Allah Almighty says: "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, so that they may be recognized and not annoyed. Allah is ever Forgiving, Merciful." (Al-Ahzab: 59)

He also says: "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." (An-Nur: 31)

Also, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to Asma', daughter of Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with them): "O Asma'! Once a girl reaches puberty, nothing of her body may be seen (by non-mahrams) except this and these, (he pointed to his face and hands while saying so)."

Why did Allah order Muslim women to wear the Hijab (the veil)…?
The simple answer to this question is obvious in the Quranic verse that says: “O Prophet! say to your wives and your daughters and the women of the believers that they let down upon them their over-garments; this will be more proper, that they may be known, and thus they will not be given trouble; and Allah is Forgiving, Merciful." (Al-Ahzab – 59)

So the only purpose of the veil in Islam is protection. The Islamic veil is not a sign of man's authority over woman nor is it a sign of woman's subjection to man. The Islamic veil, unlike the veil in the Jewish tradition, is not a sign of luxury and distinction of some noble married women. The Islamic veil is only a sign of modesty with the purpose of protecting women. The Islamic philosophy is that it is always better to be safe than sorry.

A Muslim woman wears the veil only when she goes out of her family’s house. But while among her close relatives-husband, sons, brothers, uncles, grandfathers, etc…she can wear any dress as usual. Islam considers looking at other sex with desire completely forbidden. By that, Islam concentrates on the dignity and honor rather than physical attractions. When their attractions are covered, women will be dealt with based on the more dignified human qualities they enjoy rather than sexual desire. When a Muslim man chooses a Muslim woman for marriage it has to be for herself not because he is sexually attracted to her. To confirm this Islam ordered Muslim women to wear the veil

In fact, the Quran is so concerned with protecting women's bodies and women's reputation that a man who dares to falsely accuse a woman of unchastity will be severely punished:

"And those who launch a charge against chaste women, and produce not four witnesses (to support their allegations)- Flog them with eighty stripes; and reject their evidence ever after: for such men are wicked transgressors" (Quran 24:4)

Is it a MUST for the Muslim woman to cover her face (i.e. Is covering the face a condition to be wearing a correct Islamic dress ?)
The majority of Imams — including those of the four schools of fiqh as well as others — hold the opinion that a woman is not obliged to cover her face and hands. However, a group of scholars, the majority of whom belong to the Hanbali School, state that a woman must cover her face and hands as well. Islamonline: Niqab: Habitual or Ritual?

Consequently, covering the face is not a must in Islam. Women who cover their faces i.e. wear Neqab do that to imitate the mothers of the believers (i.e. wives of the noble prophet, peace and blessings be upon him), may Allah be pleased with them, who were ordered to cover their faces in the Quranic verse:

“And when you ask of them any goods, ask of them from behind a curtain; this is purer for your hearts and (for) their hearts; and it does not behove you that you should give trouble to the Apostle of Allah, nor that you should marry his wives after him ever; surely this is grievous in the sight of Allah." (Al-Ahzab-53)

Consequently, covering the face (i.e. wearing Niqab) is something that a woman does to make her closer to Allah, but it is not a MUST according to the majority of Imams.

In general, Mothers of the believers, may Allah be pleased with them, were ordered to do things that were not obligatory on other Muslims like covering their face, not marrying after the prophet’s death and so on. This is clear in the Quranic verse :

“O wives of the Prophet! you are not like any other of the women; If you will be on your guard, then be not soft in (your) speech, lest he in whose heart is a disease yearn; and speak a good word."(Al-Ahzab:32)

Benefits of the veil (Al-Hijab)
Here is part of an article written by (Sehmina Jaffer Chopra - Samichopra@aol.com ) that I found on the internet at http://www.jannah.org/sisters/hijbene.html which I think is clearly explaining the benefits of the veil and how it enforces the value of woman as a human being not just as a beautiful creature. Please read this part of the article. It worthy your time and my special thanks to its writer

Sehmina says:
"A Muslim woman may wear whatever she pleases in the presence of her husband and family or among women friends. But when she goes out or when men other than her husband or close family are present she is expected to wear a dress which will cover [her hair and all parts of her body, and not reveal her figure. What a contrast with Western fashions which every year concentrate quite intentionally on exposing yet another erogenous zone to the public gaze! The intention of Western dress is to reveal the figure, while the intention of Muslim dress is to conceal [and cover] it, at least in public.

The Muslim woman does not feel the pressures to be beautiful or attractive, which is so apparent in the Western and Eastern cultures. She does not have to live up to expectations of what is desirable and what is not. Superficial beauty is not the Muslim woman's concern, her main goal is inner spiritual beauty. She does not have to use her body and charms to get recognition or acceptance in society. It is very different from the cruel methods that other societies subject women, in that their worth is always judged by their physical appearance. The are numerous examples of discrimination at the workplace where women are either accepted or rejected, because of their attractiveness and sex appeal.

Another benefit of adorning the veil is that it is a protection for women. Muslims believe that when women display their beauty to everybody, they degrade themselves by becoming objects of sexual desire and become vulnerable to men, who look at them as " gratification for the sexual urge". The Hijab makes them out as women belonging to the class of modest chaste women, so that transgressors and sensual men may recognize them as such and dare not tease them out of mischief". Hijab solves the problem of sexual harassment and unwanted sexual advances, which is so demeaning for women, when men get mixed signals and believe that women want their advances by the way they reveal their bodies.

The western ideology of, 'if you have it, you should flash it!' is quite opposite to the Islamic principle, where the purpose is not to bring attention to ones self, but to be modest. Women in so many societies are just treated as sex symbols and nothing more than just a body who "display themselves to get attention". A good example is in advertising, where a woman's body is used to sell products. Women are constantly degraded, and subjected to reveal more and more of themselves.

The Covering sanctifies her and forces society to hold her in high esteem. Far from humiliating the woman, Hijab actually grants the woman an aura of respect, and bestows upon her a separate and unique identity. According to the Qu'ran, the same high standards of moral conduct are for men as it is for women. Modesty is essential in a man's life, as well, whether it be in action, morals or speech. Islam also commands proper behavior and dress of men, in that they are not allowed to make a wanton show of their bodies to attract attention onto themselves, and they too must dress modestly. They have a special commandment to lower their eyes, and not to brazenly stare at women.

In Sura Nur of the Holy Qu'ran it says, " Say to the believing men that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty; that will make for greater purity for them, and God is well acquainted with what they do".

Many of the misconceptions of the Muslim woman in the west, particularly her veil stems from Arab and Muslim countries that have deviated from the true doctrines of Islam, and have " mixed up Islamic principles with pre-Islamic pagan traditions"