Treatise on the Muslimah Hijab

18.7.24

**Treatise on the Muslimah Hijab**

**Sura Al-Ahzab 33:33**: "And stay in your houses and do not display yourselves like the display of the former times of ignorance, and establish prayer and give zakat and obey Allah and His Messenger. Allah only intends to remove from you the impurity [of sin], O people of the [Prophet's] household, and to purify you with [extensive] purification."

**Hijab - A Measure of a Muslimah's Character**

1. **The Virtues of Hijab**

- **Hijab is Obedience to Allah and His Messenger**

Allah has mandated obedience to Himself and His Messenger:

"And it is not for a believing man or a believing woman, when Allah and His Messenger have decided a matter, that they should [thereafter] have any choice about their affair. And whoever disobeys Allah and His Messenger has certainly strayed into clear error." (Q.S. Al-Ahzab: 36)

Allah also commands women to wear hijab:

"And tell the believing women to lower their gaze and guard their private parts and not expose their adornment except that which [necessarily] appears thereof." (Q.S. An-Nur: 31)

"And stay in your houses and do not display yourselves like the display of the former times of ignorance." (Q.S. Al-Ahzab: 33)

"And when you ask [his wives] for something, ask them from behind a partition. That is purer for your hearts and their hearts." (Q.S. Al-Ahzab: 53)

"O Prophet, tell your wives and your daughters and the women of the believers to bring down over themselves [part] of their outer garments." (Q.S. Al-Ahzab: 59)

The Prophet said: "Women are (like) awrah." This means they must cover their bodies.

- **Hijab is 'Iffah (Chastity)**

Hijab is a sign of chastity:

"O Prophet, tell your wives and your daughters and the women of the believers to bring down over themselves [part] of their outer garments. That is more suitable that they will be known and not be abused." (Q.S. Al-Ahzab: 59)

- **Hijab is Purity**

"And when you ask [his wives] for something, ask them from behind a partition. That is purer for your hearts and their hearts." (Q.S. Al-Ahzab: 53)

Hijab is described as purity for the hearts of believers. When eyes do not see, hearts do not desire.

- **Hijab is a Shield**

The Prophet said: "Indeed, Allah is Modest and Concealing and He loves modesty and concealment."

He also said: "Any woman who removes her clothes outside of her husband's house has torn the screen between her and Allah."

- **Hijab is Taqwa (Piety)**

"O children of Adam, We have bestowed upon you clothing to conceal your private parts and as adornment. But the clothing of righteousness - that is best." (Q.S. Al-A'raaf: 26)

- **Hijab is Faith**

Allah addresses believing women: "And tell the believing women..." (Q.S. An-Nur: 31). Aisha said to women wearing thin garments: "If you are believing women, this is not the attire of believing women."

- **Hijab is Haya' (Modesty)**

The Prophet said: "Every religion has a morality and the morality of Islam is haya'."

He also said: "Modesty is part of faith and faith is in Paradise."

- **Hijab is Ghirah (Protective Jealousy)**

Hijab aligns with the protective jealousy that a righteous man has over his female relatives. Ali ibn Abi Talib said: "I have heard that your women mix with non-Arab men in the markets. Do you not have any sense of jealousy? There is no good in a man who does not have jealousy."

2. **Conditions for Hijab**

1. Must cover the entire body.

2. Should not be an adornment in itself.

3. Must be thick, not thin or transparent.

4. Must be loose, not tight.

5. Should not be perfumed.

6. Should not resemble the clothing of unbelievers.

7. Should not resemble men's clothing.

8. Should not be worn to gain admiration.

9. Should not be brightly colored (preferably dark).

3. **Avoid Excessive Adornment**

Adhering to the conditions above shows that many so-called "hijabi" women today are not truly observing proper hijab. They confuse tabarruj (displaying beauty) with hijab and disobedience with obedience.

4. **We Hear and Obey**

A sincere Muslim follows Allah's commands out of love and respect for Islam, and pride in His laws. Allah negates the faith of those who turn away from His commands:

"And they say, 'We believe in Allah and in the Messenger, and we obey'; then a party of them turns away after that. And those are not believers. And when they are called to Allah and His Messenger to judge between them, at once a party of them turns aside." (Q.S. An-Nur: 47-48)

"The only statement of the [true] believers when they are called to Allah and His Messenger to judge between them is that they say, 'We hear and we obey.' And those are the successful. And whoever obeys Allah and His Messenger and fears Allah and is conscious of Him - it is those who are the attainers." (Q.S. An-Nur: 51-52)

Sophiyah bint Shaibah said: "When we were with Aisha, she remembered the women of Quraysh and their virtues. Aisha said: 'Indeed, the women of Quraysh have great virtues, but by Allah, I have not seen better women than the women of the Ansar in terms of belief in the Book of Allah and faith in the revelation. When the verse "And to wrap [a portion of] their headcovers over their chests" was revealed, their men went to their wives, daughters, and female relatives and recited to them what Allah had revealed. Each woman immediately took her curtain, covered her head and face with it, showing their belief in and faith in what Allah revealed. They followed the Prophet with their heads covered as if there were crows on them.'"

(Excerpted from the book: **Al Hijab**, published by Darul Qosim للنشر والتوزيع, P.O. Box 6373, Riyadh 11442)