الحمد لله والصلاة والسلام على رسول الله وعلى آله وأصحابه ومن تبعهم إلى يوم الدين وبعد

In light of my previous post I want to mention something I saw that's really strange yesterday at the mall.

I usually avoid going to malls, it's not the place for me. I don't like the things that go on in malls concerning the youth. The west... well the malls there are nothing but fitnah. But then what you see at malls you see in college or you see on the street or in wal-mart. Women wear Air as their clothing there.

But in Saudia, it's not something you like to see. Sisters are generally covered up but it doesnt mean they cover because they fear Allaah. Some fear their parents and the government more than Allaah so you find that with their physical covering, they dont observe an actual covering by their behavior or they'll expose something from their covering.

I remember one time in Jumu'ah in America, I came out of the Masjid and saw a young teenage Egyptian girl wearing a Hijaab and a short skirt exposing her legs. An utter contradiction of Hijaab, do they think they fool Allaah when they do this?

Yesterday I was looking at a donuts stand contemplating whether I should get something to drink from there or not and two girls walked up. They were not in Niqaab so I assumed that most likely they were not Sa'udiyyaat. Usually the Sa'udiyyaat wear Niqaab. But I could be wrong, some don't wear it. But I know for a fact that they were Khaleejiyyaat. Either 'Emiraati or Bahraini by their faces, from growing up in the Khaleej it's easy to tell a Khaleeji from a non-khaleeji.

I didn't really pay attention to the girls until one of them walked across my vision. Her Hijaab was just thrown over her head so her hair showed but I've seen this done often with some of the Khaleejiyyaat from Bahrain usually. Her 'Abaaya was open, which is not something strange. The strange part is that she was wearing short shorts underneath that 'Abaaya. So everything from the middle of her thigh to her ankles was showing. Allaahul Musta'aan. I averted my vision within a few seconds of seeing this and felt this feeling of sadness come over me. What has happened to us?

Many of our parents have failed in the Tarbiyyah of their children. Are these the same people talking about the liberation of Palestine? The same people who talk about how the Kuffaar over power the Muslims? Where's the fear of Allaah O Muslims?

Hvad ville du gøre hvis du overværede et racistisk overfald, verbalt eller fysisk?? Ville du tie eller ville du vise at racisme uanset mod hvem eller hvor ikke accepteres..??

Se med i videoen og find ud af hvordan folk reagere på et racistisk verbalt overfald mod en muslimsk kvinde..

" 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 veils over their bosoms and not display their beauty except to their husbands, their fathers, their husband's fathers, their sons, their husbands' sons, their brothers or their brothers' sons, or their sisters' sons, or their 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. And O ye Believers! turn ye all together towards Allah, that ye may attain Bliss." [Translation of the Qur'an - An-Nur:31]

Day to day, I struggle to keep my faith firm, to keep this piece of cloth of my head, and to keep my haya (translation: shyness caused by modesty) as my shield. When I watched this video, I had goosebumps! Because that is exactly what I faced sometimes. People kept asking, why are you covering your beautiful hair. People kept telling me, put some more make-ups on your face, no one will want to marry you if you are looking like that.

What they told is somewhat true. Many Muslim men prefer Muslim women with a piece of cloth on their heads, but not Muslim women who are observing hijaab. Hijaab is not just that piece of cloth on the head, but it contains more meaning that than. It means modesty, privacy, and morality. Hijaab is coming from a root word حجب which means to cover, to shelter.

I, myself, am struggling day to day to observe hijaab, with all these temptation around me. Of course, as a girl, I LOVE make-ups, jewelry (esp. anklets - really, really love it), beautiful designer clothes, and also, attention and praise of my beauty. Tell me, who doesn't love that!

I have to keep reminding myself, it is not that I can't have and enjoy all that, but it just has to be at a right place and at a right time.

Also, when I think again, if I dress up beautifully to gain praise from other people, and to satisfy my desire, I will be a slave of this materialistic world! People will always have something bad to comment about you even if you are the most beautiful girl in this world. If all you are thinking is to meet their expectation and to please them, then you start to torture yourself to meet their endless expectation. Who do you want to please - these mortal creatures, or God?

Let's ponder upon this question...

I personally, could not care less about my 'tudung'. The purpose I wear a headscarf is to adhere to my Islamic teaching, as far as my knowledge goes - for the time being. Again, personally I am still learning and searching about the whole subject. I am not going to comment more about my personal view.

What I want to talk about is the attitude Malaysian Muslim women have over the 'tudung'. We have many school of tudung here. The 'labuh-the-better' school. The 'tajam-the-better' school. The 'bulat-the-better' school. The 'pendek-the-better' school. And the most famous most synonymous with traditional Malay women is ( drum roll pleaseeeee ) 'the- more mengerlip-the-better' school!

Sorry, I couldn't resist! :P

Everybody has their own definition when it comes to fashion and personal style. I believe, that is very much up to individual. If you like glittering sequins so much you want to drape it from top to toe, go ahead - no police is going to 'tahan' you. (unless maybe a fashion police!) But what irked me is when there bound to be some people somewhere who thought that they are 'expert' on the 'correct' way to wear your 'tudung'. From religious point of view (not fashion).

Ok maybe I am more apt to talk about 'tudung' the fashion rather then 'tudung' - the 'supposed'. But I just wonder, where are all these very specific guidelines on how to wear a 'tudung' came from?

How do you know for sure - that you need to cover every single hair stray? Or how do you know what is the 'correct' length of your tudung? The 'correct' way to wear it? Or the 'correct' shape? Or the 'correct' material? How do Muslim women, come up with all these, when all it was initially asked is to 'cover your head' so that you are 'distinguishable' from other women?

Then they gossiped about it. Bitched about the women who don't wear it in their 'correct' style. They went 'tsk-tsk-tsk'. Geleng kepala, geleng kepala, geleng kepala.

As if they know it all, and got it all figured out and those who do not will go straight to hell. 'Pelik' isn't it?

Tips for Beginning to Wear the Hijab

By: Sister Al-Muhajabah

Introduction

One of the most difficult decisions many Muslim sisters face is the decision to start wearing hijab. This is certainly true for reverts, but may also be true for sisters whose families or even whose cultures are not particularly observant. As a revert myself, I have been through the whole thing. I would like to offer some advice that I hope inshallah will be helpful to sisters who are considering wearing hijab but find that something is holding them back. If you don't think that you need to wear hijab, try "Why Should I Wear Hijab?" instead.

Learning About Hijab

The first step is to learn about hijab. There is so much information out there and unfortunately much of it seems to be conflicting. Although most of what you see agrees that the sister must cover everything but her face and hands, some groups say that it is fard (compulsory) to cover everything but the eyes. Meanwhile, certain other groups are dedicated to claiming that covering the hair is not obligatory. It is very easy to get confused. And there are other questions. What is a jilbab? Is it fard to wear one? What do all the names mean?

I have spent about two years researching these issues for myself and I have written several articles that set out what to the best of my knowledge are the correct rules of hijab. Each of these is linked below for you to look at.

Special Focus on Hijab - This is a section in a larger article. It explains where the ruling on covering everything but the face and hands comes from, and the conditions of the headscarf. It also refutes the claims of those who say that covering the hair is not fard.

Evidences for Jilbab - The jilbab seems to be the forgotten obligation of hijab. This article presents dalils from Quran and Sunna, and opinions of many scholars, to show that wearing a jilbab is fard, and it also discusses the conditions and rules of the jilbab.

Examining the Dalils for Niqab - In this article I examine the dalils that are presented by those who claim that niqab is fard and I show that these are not as compelling as they seem at first. I am actually a strong supporter of the opinion that niqab is mustahabb and sunnah but I do not believe that it is fard (compulsory) and I believe that saying that it is fard is to introduce into the religion an obligation that Allah SWT and the Prophet (SAW) did not.

For your convenience, I present a brief guide to the rules of dress for the Muslim sister for different situations:

1) Around her husband, a sister may dress however she chooses. There are no restrictions on what the husband can see or touch.

2) Around the mahram (kin) relatives, women, and children (a complete list of exemptions is given in Surah an-Nur ayah 31), a sister should cover her awrah. There are different opinions on the extent of this. The most sensible that I have seen is from the upper chest to the knee. This includes the region that is also awrah in men (navel to knee) and extends upwards to cover the woman's bosom, which is a special concern for her. Display of the hair, arms, lower legs and feet, is universally agreed to be halal for this category.

3) Around non-mahram men, a sister must cover all of her body except her face and her hands. The face is the circle of the face only and does not include the ears or any of the hair. Just think about what you wash in wudu. The covering of the hair, neck, shoulders, and upper chest must specifically be accomplished by the khimar (headscarf). The arms, torso, and legs should be covered by loose, opaque clothing that obscures the shape of the figure. A long-sleeved blouse and a jumper, a long loose tunic and a long skirt, or shalwar kameez are all examples of what is acceptable. As well, most scholars say that the feet must be covered with socks and shoes although a few scholars allow the wearing of sandals.

4) Outdoors and in open public places (such as the market or the masjid), a sister must wear a jilbab as an outer garment, that is, over her other clothes. If she is wearing a khimar, then the jilbab only needs to cover from the shoulders to the ankles, such as a long coat. If she is not wearing a khimar, then the jilbab should cover the head and neck as well.

The above rules set out what you need to wear in each situation in order to be observing correct hijab.

Note: Most sisters, including myself, approached hijab in several stages. Usually the first stage is the modest clothing such as the blouse and jumper, tunic and skirt, or shalwar kameez. The second stage is to add the headscarf (properly called khimar). The third stage, often taken much later after reading up on the dalils, is to add the jilbab when outdoors. In the way of things, I expect that most sisters who are reading this have already adopted the modest clothing and are worried about the khimar.

Deciding to Wear Hijab

This is where the difficulties usually come in. For many sisters, it truly is a jihad (struggle). I remember very vividly how scared I was the first day I put on the headscarf and went out into public. As long as you are just wearing the modest clothes, nobody has to know that you are a Muslim. Once you complete your hijab with the headscarf, you are suddenly announcing to everyone who sees you that "I am a Muslim". Here is some advice based on my own experiences.

Wear it for the sake of Allah SWT

Various statements are made about why you should wear hijab, such as for modesty or for protection, but the real reason that we wear hijab is that Allah SWT has commanded it. Whenever anyone asks you, why do you dress like that, that's the only answer you need to give them.

Allah SWT is the source of everything we have, our existence, our life, our capability, even our goodness. If He ever stopped sustaining us, we would vanish in that instant. If He ever took away what he gives us, we would never have even a speck of it. If we worked for millions of years, we could never repay Him for all that He has given us. And yet He does give it to us, and all He asks in return is that we do our best to obey what He has commanded us. Surely wearing hijab is a very small thing that you can do for Him compared to what He does for you!

Wear it for the hope of Jannah

Allah SWT makes tests for us in this world. He makes things difficult for us. He wants to see if we will remember Him, if we will have faith in Him, and if we will trust in Him. These qualities are what is meant by "sabr" (patience).

Allah SWT does not lose the work of anyone, ever (see Surah Ali Imran ayah 195). Even if it seems like nobody is paying attention to you or notices or appreciates good things that you do, Allah SWT has seen them, and He will not forget them. Even when it seems like the whole world is against you, Allah SWT is always there for you when you turn to Him. Remember this.

Allah SWT always wants the best for us and in His wisdom He knows why each thing that happens to us is in fact best for us. When it seems like everything is going wrong and life is just one disaster after another, it is easy to forget this and to become bitter and skeptical. Yet we must remember always to have faith that Allah SWT knows best why He has willed this for us, and we must always ask Him only "Make me pleased with what You have willed for me".

This world we live in, although it seems at times to be the only real thing, is actually fleeting compared to the Hereafter, which is better and more abiding. The trials of this world will seem as fleeting as a nightmare when seen from the Hereafter, and the pleasures of this world will also seem as fleeting as a dream when seen from the Hereafter. It's our happiness in the Hereafter that we should be most worried about attaining, because it is what will last forever; and it's our suffering in the Hereafter that we should be most worried about avoiding, because it also will last forever.

Allah SWT has promised Jannah to those who remain steadfast in their faith in Him and who trust in Him. The more difficult it is for you to have sabr, the greater the reward for it. So what will it be? Ease in this world, and perhaps the eternal sufferings in Hell, or difficulty in this world, and inshallah the eternal bliss of Jannah? Let's face it, the old clichés are true: there's no such thing as a free lunch and you can almost never have your cake and eat it too. We've all got to face difficulties some time. Better by far that they be in the world than in the Hereafter.

So that's what you should set your mind to. Yes, it's difficult to wear hijab. You may be rejected by your family or your friends, you may face harassment and persecution or be fired from your job. These are very scary thoughts. But if you have sabr (patience) and keep trusting in Allah SWT, I swear to you sister, this is the path to Jannah, and when you look back on the Day of Qiyamah (judgment) you will know that it was worth it and have no regrets.

Wear it today and trust in Allah SWT for tomorrow

What do I mean by that? What I mean is that you should take it one day at a time, or even one outing at a time. Sometimes the future seems to stretch on forever and ever and you don't think you can make it that long. You want to give up before you even begin.

So sometimes the best thing to do is to keep you mind focused on what is immediately at hand. Allah SWT will take care of the future. If you have to go out to the market, then concentrate on being able to wear hijab just for this activity and on getting through it. If you do get through it and nothing bad happened, then give thanks to Allah SWT for making it easy for you, and turn your mind to your next outing.

Or if you have to go out to school or work, then concentrate on being able to wear hijab just for this one day and on getting through it. And give thanks to Allah SWT when you have made it, and turn your mind to the next day.

Eventually the outings will turn into days and the days into weeks, and the weeks into months. One day you will realize that you have been wearing hijab for quite a long time and it isn't really as bad as you feared, and Allah SWT helped you get through it. Don't be ashamed. Sometimes it is like this. The most important thing is to have sabr and keep your trust in Allah SWT always.

Wear it and spite the shaytan

My dear sister, the worries and fears in your mind are the whisperings of the shaytan. He wants to talk you out of obeying Allah SWT.

It is very easy to keep going around in circles in your mind and to dwell on all the things that could go wrong. I know that I myself have a tendency to do this, I put it off and I dither and I wait for "the perfect time". If I let myself, I would never do anything at all!

So the thing you have to remember is that you do not need to be perfect in iman to wear hijab. If perfection were a qualification, where is the sister who could wear it??

You must also not fall into the trap of thinking that you should wait until all your worries and fears have disappeared. They never will! Trust me on this, sister.

True courage is going ahead to do what's right even though you are still nervous and scared. So don't listen to the shaytan. Ignore the worries and fears he whispers into your mind. Tell him that you will not let him keep you from obeying Allah SWT and you will not let him rule your life.

Make the decision to wear it

Once you have come to know in your heart that you must wear hijab, then you have to set a day and

JUST DO IT

This is the only way. Set a day and when that day comes, you have to do it. Don't back down. Don't give up. Do it.

Offer salat al-istikhara. Make du'a. Make lots of du'a. Do not stop making du'a. Ask Allah SWT to give you strength. Ask Him to make it easy for you. Ask Him to help you. He will, I swear it to you. He is always there for you when you turn to Him. Remember how much He has given you, how everything that you have, even your very existence, is due to Him. Remember that He deserves this from you. Remember the promise of Jannah. Remember that remaining patient and faithful through difficulty now may lead to Jannah, inshaAllah. Even if bad things happen, keep these thoughts in your mind. Don't worry about tomorrow. Just concentrate on getting through today, and leave tomorrow to Allah SWT until it gets here.

That's how you do it!

To read more of Sr. Al-Muhajabah’s fascinating articles, click on the link to view her website.

Hvem siger at tørklæde er undertrykkende??

Jeg har den personlige mening at hverken islam eller tørklæde er en forhindring for en muslimsk kvinde at udfolde sig, sålænge det ikke modstrider islams principper.

Da jeg arbejdede som vikar på en privatskole fik jeg en klage fra en lærer hvis elev ikke ville tage sikkerhedsbriller på i fysik/kemi, fordi det måtte hun ikke, havde pigen påstået.

Men sikke noget sludder og vrøvl! Vi må huske at Allah swt ikke er ond til at forbyde sikkerhedsbriller når man har med farlige stoffer at gøre.

Eller i dette tilfælde, hvad er der så forkert i at stå på snowboard som en muslimsk kvinde og opdage Allah swt Smukhed og Almægtighed ud fra et helt andet perspektiv??

Men tilbage til disse muslimske snowboarders. Undertegnende har ikke prøvet snowboard, men til gengæld har jeg stået på ski i en uge. Kan anbefale en skitur til alle og enhver derude ;) Det er noget af en oplevelse! At opdage naturen iklædt sne og se Allah swts smukhed "afspejle" stedet, hvis træer, jord og bjerge er dækket af sne...

SubhanaAllah..

What is Haya? Haya itself is derived from the word hayat which means life. But that is something that we will get into later on in this essay. This term covers a large number of concepts. In English, it may be translated as modesty, shyness, self-respect, bashfulness, shame, honor, etc. The original meaning of Haya according to a believer's nature, refers to a bad and painful feeling accompanied by embarrassment, caused by one's fear of being exposed or censured for some unworthy or indecent conduct. Islamicaly Haya is an attribute which pushes the believer to avoid anything distasteful or abominable. It keeps him/her from being neglectful in giving everyone what is due upon them, and if for any reason he/she is not able to keep up with his/her commitment then they will feel extremely bad and ashamed about this. The reason being that he/she will have displeased Allah by breaking a commitment.

Haya plays a huge role in the lives of Muslims because it is a very important part of our eeman (faith/belief). If we do not have any form of haya in us then it is most likely that our eeman is very weak. For as it states in the following hadith:

Narrated by Abu Huraira (ra): The Prophet said, "Faith (Belief) consists of more than sixty branches (i.e. parts). And Haya (This term "Haya" covers a large number of concepts which are to be taken together; amongst them are self respect, modesty, bashfulness, and scruple, etc.) is a part of faith." (Bukhari)

We also learn from the Prophet (saw) the importance of having haya and how it is not something to be ashamed about, but instead one should be ashamed if they do not have it.

Narrated Abdullah ibn Umar (ra): The Prophet passed by a man who was admonishing his brother regarding Haya and was saying, "You are very shy, and I am afraid that might harm you." On that, Allah's Apostle said, "Leave him, for Haya is (a part) of Faith." (Bukhari)

Now the above hadith is also a form of proof that "shyness" is not just something regarding women but also an attribute that believing men should have, for it is an indication if their fear of Allah and an indication of the value of their deen.

Now to discuss the different types of haya. How many types of haya are there?

Haya' is of two kinds: good and bad:

The good Hayâ' is to be ashamed to commit a crime or a thing which Allah and His Messenger (saw) has forbidden, and bad Hayâ' is to be ashamed to do a thing, which Allah and His Messenger (saw) ordered to do.

Firstly, to talk about the types of Good haya. For example, anyone who is believer, he/she should build their personalities and their character with the good dimensions of haya. The most important is that he/she must be shy of doing ANYTHING displeasing to Allah (azw), with the belief that he/she will have to answer to all their deeds. If one develops a sense such as this one, it will help the believer to obey all of Allah's command and to stay away from the sins. Once the believer realizes that Allah (azw) is watching us all the time and we will have to answer to very move we make in this dunya, he/she would not neglect any order from Allah or His Messenger (saw). So the stronger this sense of haya becomes, the more it motivates one to make sure that Allah (swt) doesn't see him/hr doing anything forbidden. The way to develop this haya is that one must keep learning and absorbing more and more knowledge of our deen.

Another type of haya is more of a social aspect concerning others besides Allah (swt). Normally these things often come in regard with ones relationship with family. For instance a child not wanting to do something displeasing to his mother, or a wife not wanting to do something displeasing to her husband or even a student who is careful about saying something incorrect infront of his teacher (dai'i). Last but not least is the type of haya in which the believers become shy of themselves. This is when they have reached the peek of their eeman. What this means is that if they do, or say, or see, anything wrong or even commit the tiniest sin, they start to feel extremely bad and embarrassed or they feel extreme guilt in their heart. This builds a high degree of self-consciousness and that is what strengthens the believers commitment to Allah (azw).

After discussing the various types of "beneficial" haya, it is time to discuss the type of haya which is not only against the teachings of our Prophet (saw) but it is also solid proof of the weakness of someone's eeman. This negative aspect revolves around a person's shamefulness or shyness of doing something that Allah (swt) has ordered us to do through the Quran or our Prophet's (saw) sunnah. This constitutes the shamefulness or embarrassment of doing a lawful act or something that is ordered upon us from Allah (azw). Meaning for someone not to follow an obligation of Islam, due the fact of being shy infront of others about it. This is totally forbidden because then one is giving the people of this dunya more respect than the One who Created this whole universe. It also means if someone is shy or afraid to seek knowledge of Islam for worldly reasons, because they do not want others to see them or to know of their ignorance. This once again goes contrary to what Allah (swt) has told us in the Quran, which is to seek knowledge and preach it to others. In this society there are many examples. People will go out an get degrees in law schools, or science, or engineering and they will put four to six years of their lives studying for this stuff that will only benefit them in this world. Why? You ask? Well most likely, in this society people including Muslims, choose their careers according to how much money they will make and what status they will have in this society as to being a lawyer or a doctor etc. They do not realize that in Islam the BEST stature of a Muslim is that of a "dai'i" or a teacher of Islam. These Islamic teachers and scholars are even higher in the eyes of Allah (azw) then one who only sits at home and preaches or does ibaadah. If they want to study law, why not Islamic Shariah? If they want to study science, why not Islamic Science? So this explains how people consider the worldly careers to be of higher value and are embarrassed to even express an interest in Islamic Studies. Only because they will not be considered as high as the other "educated" people. This is having the bad haya or "shame" of something that is encouraged to us by Allah (azw) and His Messenger (saw).

Another proof of bad haya is that which is extremely popular amongst our sisters in this western society. That is what the rest of this essay will be focused on. One of the most important aspects of haya, for women, is that of guarding their chastity and their modesty. To do this they must follow the order from Allah (azw) telling them to keep hidden themselves and their adornments from all men unlawful to them in marriage. Now this order involves all the aspects of haya for those who do follow it. The believing and following women are ashamed of disobeying Allah (swt). They are shy of the opposite gender in this society because of what they might experience if strange men look at them and lastly they have haya because they are ashamed of going out in public and committing this grave sin of displaying their beauty is public. There are many women in this society who claim that they have haya but to follow the order of hijab is backwards and that women in this society shouldn't have to cover, is obviously disbelief. For if someone really had haya they would never contradict ANYTHING that Allah (swt) has ordained upon us even if they did not exactly like the idea. A women's haya comes from her modesty and her shyness and her fear of Allah, so how can she have haya if she walks around in public un-veiled? Proof lies in the following hadith.

Abdullah ibn Umar (ra) narrated that the Prophet (saw) said: "Indeed haya (modesty) and Iman are Companions. When one of them is lifted, the other leaves as well." (Baihaqi)

There are many verses in the Quran and many ahadith explaining the reasons behind observing Hijab. The Islamic Shariah has not stopped at giving the Commandments of Hijab, it has also clarified every such thing which directly relates to these commandments and, with the slightest carelessness, may result in vulgarity and immodesty. In other words such things have also been forbidden in order to close the doors to indecency and lewdness, in return providing a stronger pillar for haya.

Modesty (haya) and maintaining one's honor are of primary importance in preserving the moral fiber of any society. This is why modesty has been called the ornament of a woman, which protects her from many sins and which prevents ill-intentioned men from daring to have bad thoughts about her. This haya has been made a part of her nature to safeguard her from being abused by immoral men.

Narrated on the authority of Anas bin Malik, the Prophet (saw) said: When lewdness is a part of anything, it becomes defective; and when haya is a part of anything it becomes beautiful. (Tirmidhi)

So it is only obvious that Hijab plays and extremely important role in regards to Haya. For Hijab prevents lewdness and Haya backs this up and then person's eeman becomes even stronger. So both things work together in a partnership. At the time of our beloved Prophet (saw) as soon as the verses of Hijab were revealed, all the Quraish and Ansar ran home to their wives and daughters and close female relatives to tell them to cover themselves. The ones who had veils used them and the ones who did not have veils made some right away. For instance the following hadith tells us:

Narrated by Aisha (ra):May Allah have mercy on the early immigrant women. When the verse "That they should draw their veils over their bosoms" was revealed, they tore their thick outer garments and made veils from them. And when the verse "That they should cast their outer garments over themselves" was revealed, the women of Ansar came out as if they had crows over their heads by wearing outer garments. (Abu Dawood)

This indicates that all these women wanted to guard their modesty which is why they followed out the orders of Allah. Yet, another verse talk about the level of modesty in Aisha (ra):

Narrated Aisha (ra): "I used to enter my house where Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) was and take off my garment, saying that only my husband and my father were there; but when Umar was buried along with them, I swear by Allah that I did not enter it without having my clothes wrapped round me owing to modesty regarding Umar." (at-Tirmidhi and Ahmed)

If women in today's society choose not to wear the veils, but some belief in their hearts, than they might be categorized as Muslim women but not Mumineen. The truth is that Haya is a special characteristic of a Mu'min. People who are ignorant of the teachings of the Prophet (saw) do not concern themselves with Haya and Honor. Haya and Iman are interdependent; therefore either they both exist together or they both perish. Thus, the Prophet (saw) has said in one hadith, "When there is no haya left, then do as you please."

Today vulgarity and all its ingredients have become a common place even among well-known Muslims in the zeal of imitating the non-believers. It is these people who have been struggling to bring Muslim women out of Hijab into immodesty "be'hayai" and indecency. They have adopted the lifestyles of the Christians more than the traditions of the Prophet (saw). Such people are in a dilemma. On the one hand, they desire to freely look at the half-clad bodies of the wives and daughters of other Muslims on the streets; and on the other hand, they do not have the courage to deny the teachings of the Holy Quran and the Prophet (saw). Neither can they say they have given up Islam, nor can they bear to see Muslim women wear Hijab and showing some Haya. Actually the fact is, indulging in indecency for so long has killed the sense of modesty (haya) which Islam had commanded them to preserve. It is this natural desire of maintaining one's honor which compels men to protect the respect and honor of their women. What these men and women do not understand is that if the women do not observe Hijab and do not develop Haya inside of them, they will be entertaining those who have taken the path of shaitaan. Such as the following hadith:

Malik b Uhaimir reported that he heard the Prophet (saw) saying that, "Allah (swt) will not accept any good deeds or worship of an immodest and vulgar person." We asked "Who is a vulgar and immodest person?" He replied, "A man who's wife entertains Ghair-mehram men."

Now the word "entertains" implies that she is showing off her beauty instead of keeping herself covered up. If the Muslim brothers of today's society knew the benefits of haya and hijab hey would definitely not tolerate the opposite. At the time of our beloved Prophet (saw) the husbands could not even imagine their wives leaving the houses un-veiled let alone go out and beautify themselves for other men to get "free looks". The following hadith shows this fact clearly:

Narrated by Al-Mughira: Sa'd bin 'Ubada said, "I will not hesitate killing my wife with a sword if I see her with another man" This news reached Allah's Apostle who then said, "You people are astonished at Sa'd's Ghira (self-respect, honor). By Allah, I have more Ghira than he, and Allah has more Ghira than I, and because of Allah's Ghira, He has made unlawful shameful deeds and sins done in open and in secret. And there is none who likes that the people should repent to Him and beg His pardon than Allah, and for this reason He sent the warners and the givers of good news. And there is none who likes to be praised more than Allah does, and for this reason, Allah promised to grant Paradise (to the doers of good)." 'Abdul Malik said, "No person has more Ghira than Allah." (Sahih Bukhari)

So this should be enough to understand why Hijab is so important for women to establish Haya in themselves and live the lives of true mu'mineen. Sometimes the situation becomes a such that people will have done wrong/sins for such a long period of time that they will not be able to differentiate between right and wrong. Another way to put this is that, a person's exceeding indulgence in indecency results in the loss of wisdom and the ability to see good deeds from bad deeds. As the Prophet (saw) said:

"I have a sense of Honor ( a part of haya). Only a person with a darkened heart is deprived of Honor."

So one wonders…..what if this observing of Hijab and maintaining Haya is so important then how come we have nothing to show us the merits? Well the answer to that question clearly lies in the Quran and ahadith. There are many merits of Haya if one wants to know. Here are some just to list a few.

Firstly Allah loves Haya. We know this by the following hadith: " Surely Allah (is One who) has haya and is the Protector. He loves haya and people who cover each others faults."(Bukhari)

Secondly, Haya itself is a Greatness of Islam as our Prophet indicated: "Every way of life has a innate character. The character of Islam is haya." Or "Every deen has an innate character. The character of Islam is modesty (haya)." (Abu Dawood)

Thirdly, Haya only brings good and nothing else. Our Prophet (saw) said: "Haya does not bring anything except good." (Bukhari)

Fourthly, Haya is a very clear indication of our eeman. As the Prophet (saw) had mentioned to the Ansar who was condemning is brother about being shy: "Leave him, for Haya is (a part) of Faith." (Bukhari)

Fifthly, last but not least, Haya leads us to PARADISE. As the Prophet(saw) told us: "Haya comes from eeman; eeman leads to Paradise. Obscenity comes from antipathy; and antipathy leads to the fire." (Bukhari)

The actual word Haya is derived from Hayat. This means life. It is only obvious that when someone has Haya in them, they will LIVE a life of Islam. On the other hand if they do not have Haya they are living a life that is Dead "Islamicaly" but alive according to this dunya.

The Prophet (saw) said: "Haya and Trustworthiness will be the first to go from this world; therefor keep asking Allah for them."(Baihaqi)

In conclusion to this essay we must understand that Haya is important for both men and women. Men are to control themselves by getting married as young as possible or if they cannot afford that they should fast. Women are told to conceal themselves so that the men will not be over taken by the whispers of shaitaan and will not disrespect or take advantage of the women. There are many verses in the Quran that have clearly explained how we have to behave and Allah is All-Knowing therefor He knew that we would face these problems living in this society, and that is no excuse to change Islam and only practice what we feel is right. Allah (azw) has told men how to guide their modesty and has told women how to guide their modesty. If either one of them refuse to follow the commandment of their Lord, may Allah have mercy on them and may He guide them to the straight path.

"Say to the believing men 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; 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……." (Surah Nur, 30-31)

ALL PRAISE BE TO ALLAH, AND MAY HIS PEACE AND BLESSINGS BE UPON MUHAMMAD (SAW), HIS FAMILY, HIS COMPANIONS AND HIS TRUEFOLLOWERS UNTIL THE DAY OF JUDGEMENT.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

Article written by Sr. Zahra Abdul Haseeb: http://www.islamicdawah.mobilixnet.dk/islam/men/haya%20for%20men.htm

Above image courtesy of: http://www.inminds.co.uk/hijab-demo-17jan04-719.jpg

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

Legend had it that these were Isadora Duncan's last words to her friends, from the car which was to take her to her death at the age of 50 in Nice, France on September 15, 1927. It was only later that the record was set straight: Duncan had actually said "I am off to love!"

What happened next shocked all who witnessed it and those who read about it the next morning in the New York Times:

"The automobile was going at full speed when the scarf of strong silk began winding around the wheel and with terrific force dragged Miss Duncan, around whom it was securely wrapped, bodily over the side of the car, precipitating her with violence against the cobblestone street. She was dragged for several yards before the chauffeur halted, attracted by her cries in the street. Medical aid was summoned, but it was stated that she had been strangled and killed instantly."

Upon hearing of the freak accident that claimed the life of Isadora Duncan, Gertrude Stein reportedly said: "affectations can be dangerous".

I will be 50 in 2 months and have decided to strip myself of an affectation that has never become comfortable for me. It is the same affectation that Duncan had -- the scarf -- only Duncan's was for the dramatic fashion effect and mine was for the religious piety affect. The thing is, I told myself I wore it for all kinds of reasons related to pleasing my ex-husband. In fact, I have never been convinced in my heart that the interpretation of modesty/hijaab is dependent upon covering the hair. I suspect that even when showing my hair, I am a lot more modest than most "muhajababes" in the Arab world.

I never was at ease with the scarf -- physically, emotionally, spiritually. I find it hot, itchy, even stifling. My hair was thinning. I found that people focused on me more because I have an obvious non-Arab look, which inevitably started the questions about where I was from and why I was wearing the scarf. Ironically, I attracted a lot more attention than I do now.

The worst problem was dealing with it spiritually because I became hypersensitive to the back-biting and judgment Muslims pass on each other over this piece of fabric. I have heard more than one Muslim say conspiratorially to me-the-muhajaba that we are the real Muslims and those women sans scarf had removed themselves from Islam with the loss of that one little cloth. It all further compounded the growing feelings of hypocrisy that were brewing in me.

It got to the point that every time I put it on, it felt worse. It became more oppressive and felt more pretentious. I had only ever worn it for my ex-husband and now even that was not a factor. So I took it off.

And I feel great! I feel like me again -- the me that had gone missing in May of 2005 when I got married. I was a Muslimah without the scarf for the first 5 years after I converted and that is the woman I rediscovered. She's still a Muslimah and she's still modest modest. But she likes to think for herself, as most redheads do.

In the beginning when I first converted to Islam I did not cover my hair and was encouraged by many to take my time and "let it come in its own time." I had a few friends friends who encouraged me -- mostly women from the Islamic Center where I had studied -- but even they were very relaxed about the whole thing. I had often worn an abaya over my clothes, mainly for ease and comfort, but had tossed the shayla around my neck and shoulders in my best Isadora Duncan manner. Occasionally when I would go out to the souk I would loosely cover my hair with the shayla and so after about a year I decided to give it a go and adopt hijaab. At first I was delighted when friends and students remarked upon how nice it looked and encouraged me to see it as a part of my life as a Muslim. But it wasn't long before I experienced the negative aspect of this hijaab issue.

I had Muslims approaching me and telling me that NOW I had become a "REAL" Muslim -- as if that time before didn't count. Then I heard how wone Muslimah wearing hijaab would judge the other without the scarf and backbite in the nastiest ways. On top of that, I began to notice the trend of covering the hair while wearing tight clothes, heavy make-up and ostentatious abayas. The whole issue started to sicken me so I took off my scarf -- and felt better than I had since putting it on.

When I got engaged my fiance told me how important he felt wearing hijaab was. He explained all the typical reasoning and spoke from the heart about his fears that I would be punished on judgment day for not wearing it. On top of that, he told me that he tthinks HE will be ;unished, too, because he didn't "enjoin the good" in me with regard to hijaab.

I explained that it is extremely uncomfortable for me -- hot, itchy, always coming undone. I explained the whole added dimension of having to coordinate it with everything. I even brought up the issue of how a healthy head of hair needs light and air. But in contrast to what he was saying my reasons were all about comfort in this life.

That's when I thought that it would be better to take it on to please him and insha'Allah please God. Even if God doesn't care about me covering my hair, surely he will appreciate me trying to please my husband. However, I will NEVER tell another woman to wear hijaab -- especially when I am not convinced in my own heart about its necessity.

So let's see how this work....