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Name
Humed Afsar
- India
Profession
Diploma Holder
Question
Tell me the date of Haji who are going to Hajj this year from India (2006)
Answer
Editor:
We would like to apologize for not answering your question as this page is not dedicated to these types of questions. Kindly re-submit your question on the following page:
Islam is a complete way of life, and its teachings provide guidance to both men and women on how to conduct our lives with modesty, dignity and respect. As for ensuring modesty, dignity and respect, both men and women have been provided broad guidelines with respect to their clothing. For women in particular, the hijab is only one part of the many ways to maintain modesty, dignity and respect. The inspiration for the hijab comes from both the Qur'an and the Prophetic tradition.
We read in the Qur'an, "O Prophet, tell your wives and daughters and the believing women to draw their outer garments around them (when they go out or are among men). That is better in order that they may be known (to be Muslims) and not annoyed..." (Qur'an 33:59). The "mothers of the believers" are the wives of our beloved Prophet, peace be upon him, and are addressed first in this verse, followed by the daughters of the Prophet and then the believing women in general.
In addition, since a piece of cloth of some aspect of a person's garment alone will not fulfill the purpose of ensuring modesty, dignity and respect, Allah Almighty also provides equitable behavioral injunctions to both men and women. Again, we read in the Qur'an, "Say to the believing man that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty; that will make for greater purity for them; and Allah is well acquainted with all that they do. And say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty; and that they should not display their beauty and ornaments except what must ordinarily appear thereof; that they should draw their veils over their bosoms and not display their beauty except to their husbands..." (Qur'an 24:30-31)
Finally, there are some general guidelines in the Prophetic tradition about the outward appearance of a woman who is expected to conduct herself with modesty, dignity and respect. 'Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, narrates that Asma’ the daughter of Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, came to the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, while wearing thin clothing. He approached her and said: 'O Asma’! When a girl reaches the menstrual age, it is not proper that anything should remain exposed except this and this. He pointed to the face and hands." (Sunan Abu Dawud)
And Allah knows best.
Name
aasim
- Pakistan
Profession
student
Question
We talk about personal rights and freedoms and get angry when our women are not allowed to veil. But do we allow western women in their half-naked dresses? Surely not then why this double standard is?
Answer
What Islam requires of the believers is not required of those who do not submit themselves to the teachings of Islam. There is actually no double standard because Muslims do not require "western women" to wear the hijab or to dress modestly in their private lives. When in public, all women, as are men, are required to conduct themselves in accordance to the law of the land. Therefore, in most "western countries," the law of the land allows freedom of religion. So if a "western women" wants to wear "half-naked dresses," she has that freedom and so it is that we are outraged when the believing women are not allowed to wear the hijab simply because it threatens the "secular" nature of those countries.
In countries where interpretations of Islamic teachings are enforced, such as wearing modest clothing in public, there is no double standard to require all women and men for that matter, to live by the "law of the land."
Name
Sara
-
Profession
Question
As-Salamu`alaykum, if some lady wants to cover her face, why do other people have to object?
Answer
Excellent question and we believe you answered your own question. Why should other people object? One reason is that the other people might feel threatened not so much by this piece of cloth that covers the woman's face, but because they feel mistakenly that the foundation of their secular society is being threatened by the assertion of Islamic teachings in the public sphere.
Name
Lila
- United Kingdom
Profession
Question
Why do you think some politician in western countries try to stop Muslim women from wearing Niqab/Hijab?
Answer
The last people on the face of the earth to listen to or whose views we should worry about are politicians because, with a very few exceptions, most of them will change their stance on a particular issue in a heartbeat if by changing their stance they stand to gain more votes and essentially be re-elected to their positions. If society at large wishes to engage in a comprehensive dialogue about religious freedom, we should be ready and willing. But if the intent of some politicians is to curry favor with their voter base by attacking publicly Islamic teachings, then let us be ready and willing to develop our own voter base and ensure that those politicians are kept out of public office.
Name
Nazeem
- Pakistan
Profession
Question
Do you think that wearing hijab/Niqab makes a person terrorist?
Answer
No. That's the most simple answer because a piece of clothing never quite makes the "man" or "woman" as the expression goes. What gives a "man" or "woman" a particular identity is his or her set of beliefs, along with the desire to put those beliefs into action. As much as we would like to think that just wearing the hijab or niqab makes a woman modest, it is actually the way she conducts herself, it is her behavior which is a better gauge of her modesty and dignity. Similarly, the hijab and niqab are not the uniform of the terrorist, it is her belief that taking innocent life to further a political cause is justified. In Islam, there is absolutely no justification to terrorize anyone and to take the life of the innocent, whether you are wearing a hijab or kufi or you are not!
Name
Suzan
- United States
Profession
Question
Do you really think that if a woman wears Niqab or Hijab that she will be unable to integrate to her society.
Answer
No. We must be clear what we mean by integration into society. If by integration we mean that everyone must dress like everyone else, talk like everyone else, and eat what everyone else eats, that is not integration and it definitely cannot be the goal of any open society. Muslim women are integrating into every society where they live and are in fact outstanding examples of contributing citizens. The irony is that women who do not wear the hijab or niqab are projecting their own insecurities about themselves and their own possibly oppressed lives on to the Muslim women, contending that the hijab/niqab wearing women are oppressed. Talk to women who wear the hijab/niqab and you will find them to defy every known stereotype about Muslim women!
Name
David
- France
Profession
Question
Does wearing Niqab/Hijab make it difficult for people to be identified?
Answer
The hijab does not cover the face of a woman, but the niqab does. Yes, any covering over a face conceals the identity of the person. However, we have to ask ourselves how often do people need to be identified? And if such identification is necessary, there is absolutely no prohibition for a Muslim woman to lift her niqab to allow another woman to identify her and to confirm that in fact the niqab-wearing woman is the same person as proclaimed by her photo-identification card. The challenge of course is to ensure having women personnel who could help with the identification process since the believing women who wear the niqab are doing so because they interpret the Islamic teachings concerning hijab to mean that they must conceal their entire body and face except their hands from any man who is not a 'mahram' to them.
Name
Faysal Ahmed
- United Kingdom
Profession
Social Researcher
Question
As-Salamu`alaykum! I am aware that most of scholars say that niqab is recommended, not fard, whilst the minority say that it is fard. Now, my question is: for the sisters who believe that Niqab is fard, can they not follow the rule of necessity and take it off only - where it is required? Jazakallahu khairan.
Answer
May Allah reward you for your observations. The rule of necessity is itself somewhat relative in terms of interpretation because the question becomes, "who says it is necessary" to do such and such. If by the rule of necessity we are talking about "being identified" then it makes total sense to say to a sister who wears niqab to please uncover your face in private so that a woman official can ascertain her identity. But if by the rule of necessity we are implying that there is a "war on terror" going on and that Muslims are already seen as "extremists," etc, then there is no justification for asking the sister to uncover her face because by doing so, we are falling into the trap of equating terrorism and the acts of terrorists with our religion and its teachings.
Name
Mohamad
- Egypt
Profession
Question
As-Salamu`alykum, do you think wearing Niqab is obligatory? And if it is not, as some scholars think, why do women insist on wearing it?
Answer
I resist saying what I "think" about Islamic teachings but I do agree with you that there is a difference of opinion among the learned scholars about whether or not the niqab is obligatory. If we accept for the sake of example the interpretation that the niqab is not obligatory, then the question becomes, by what right are we to insist that the sister who chooses to believe that the niqab is obligatory should accept the alternative interpretation? Rather than focusing on the "insistence" of the women to wear the niqab, we should be focusing inward and reflecting upon our own insecurities and possible discomfort with having to explain the choice those sisters are making. The best thing we can do as men, and even women who do not wear the niqab, is to let the sisters who do wear the niqab speak for themselves.
Name
Noora
- Egypt
Profession
Question
As-Salamu`alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatu. Why do you think men sexually harass women in general and even women in Hijab/Niqab?
Answer
Sexual harassment has no justification whatsoever. Men who engage in sexual harassment do so not because of what women are wearing or not wearing rather they do so because of a disease in their own hearts.
We refer you to a previous live dialog on "Surviving Sexual Abuse," for further reading on a topic related to sexual harassment:
What do Muslim men think of women who don't wear Hijab/Niqab. Do they respect them less?
Answer
The respect we are to accord believing men and women is not based on the clothing they wear rather it is based on their conduct. Mutual respect is something that all believers should strive for in order to elevate and uplift our relations with one and other.
Name
Adnan
- Pakistan
Profession
Question
As-Salamu`alaykum Br. Altaf. Isn't it time that Muslims isolate themselves from non-Muslims because the fitna (challenge; turmoil) is too great?
Answer
Thank you for participating in this live dialog. The fitna is indeed too great but Islamic teachings tell us to persevere and through meaningful participation in society, not by running to the mountains and living in isolation. Indeed, by struggling ceaselessly to live our lives according to Islamic teachings, with the help of Allah, we can insha'Allah reduce the fitna instead of running from it.
Name
Hassan
- Kuwait
Profession
Question
As-Salamu`alaykum all brothers and sisters. I thought that wearing Hijab/Niqab means a woman should try to appear unattractive when she go out, but what I see now is women wearing what "they call" hijab but which is really tight, seductive, and attractive. Aren't we heading in the wrong direction? What do you think?
Answer
Thank you for participating. We should be clear that the purpose of the hijab/niqab is not to make the women "unattractive," rather it is to ensure modesty, dignity and respect. In addition, there are many ways to wear the hijab/niqab which can suit and reflect the women's personal tastes. The colors of the hijab, the styles of the hijab, etc. are all such examples of how the believing women are being creative in living their lives according to Islamic teachings.
As to your point about the hijab and other women's clothing being "tight, seductive and attractive," you are correct that a woman or a man whose clothing is not loose-fitting and potentially seductive is following the teaching while violating the meaning. The goal is to ensure modesty and dignity and tight, translucent clothing does not ensure either modesty or dignity. However, the hijab which appears "attractive" is something relative since beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Perhaps we should all be focusing a little more on lowering our gazes in general.
Name
wonder
- Denmark
Profession
Question
People in the west seen to have more self-control when it comes to women dress. They have learned to respect women and like many men in Arab countries. Is it necessary that a woman wear hijab in the west when she can just wear plain cloth to serve the purpose?
Answer
This is an interesting observation. We would like to know upon what data you base your observation that "people in the west seem to have more self-control when it comes to women's dress" and that "they have learned to respect women." While we do not disagree with your observations, we do question how pervasive the self-control and respect are whether in the west or the east for that matter.
The problem with your logic is that the underlying assumption seems to be, based on what you have written, that once a certain group of people develop enough self-control and respect, that certain Islamic teachings will no longer apply. Islamic teachings are universal, comprehensive and timeless, so we do not see any indication in the teachings that the injunction on modest and dignified clothing for men and women, and especially the hijab for women, has an expiration date.
Name
dhariq
- United Kingdom
Profession
electronic Eng.
Question
As-Salamu`alykum.I would like to know, if there is a cover up from a crime of the west towards the cruelty actions facing in Islam like Afghanistan, Iraq and not to mention in Palestine? Isn’t a blame Game here in this world and who ever can play that with a good skill, and good intelligent? Does the Muslim look now a wakening the fact of that the Rest is momentously gathering the force to gather (to equip them selfish the latest Weapons, economic and education so that they remind unchallenged). What can ordinary person can do? I mean the Question related with the dialogue is that we Muslims not looking at horoughly why is small issues go as a huge like the Niqqab or any other issues.
Answer
Thank you for your observations. The believers must indeed focus on prioritizing our affairs and in dealing with issues based on the priority we assign to them. To be fair, Muslims in the UK and France have not made the hijab/niqab an issue rather they are dealing with the fuss that has been created in society about the hijab/niqab by some misguided individuals. While all our energies cannot obviously be devoted to address these few individuals, we must be vigilant to ensure that the civil liberties of our sisters are not violated. And Allah knows best.
Name
Editor
-
Profession
Answer
Finally, we would like to thank brother Altaf Husain for taking the time to answer the questions of Islamonline viewers today, and we also thank all those who participated in this dialogue. We encourage our readers to join us in upcoming sessions.
