Hijab: Difference between revisions
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All [[Madh'hab|schools]] of [[Shari'ah (Islamic Law)|Islamic law]] require that Muslim [[Islam and Women|women]] wear observe the '''''hijab'''''. Conceptually, the hijab is a set of requirements according to which both women and men must cover certain parts of their body. While the requirements for men are similar to common expectations of public decency in the modern world, those for women extend to cover the entirety of the body except for their face and hands, with legal schools differing on the requirements for women to cover their feet, face, and wrists. Colloquially, the word "hijab" refers to the headgear employed by Muslim women to cover their hair and neck. There are many cultural variations on the hijab garment, many of which provide different degrees of coverage, including famously the ''burqa'', ''niqab'', and ''dupata''. | All [[Madh'hab|schools]] of [[Shari'ah (Islamic Law)|Islamic law]] require that Muslim [[Islam and Women|women]] wear observe the '''''hijab'''''. Conceptually, the hijab is a set of requirements according to which both women and men must cover certain parts of their body. While the requirements for men are similar to common expectations of public decency in the modern world, those for women extend to cover the entirety of the body except for their face and hands, with legal schools differing on the requirements for women to cover their feet, face, and wrists. Colloquially, the word "hijab" refers to the headgear employed by Muslim women to cover their hair and neck. There are many cultural variations on the hijab garment, many of which provide different degrees of coverage, including famously the ''burqa'', ''niqab'', and ''dupata''. | ||
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All schools of Islamic law require that Muslim women wear observe the hijab. Conceptually, the hijab is a set of requirements according to which both women and men must cover certain parts of their body. While the requirements for men are similar to common expectations of public decency in the modern world, those for women extend to cover the entirety of the body except for their face and hands, with legal schools differing on the requirements for women to cover their feet, face, and wrists. Colloquially, the word "hijab" refers to the headgear employed by Muslim women to cover their hair and neck. There are many cultural variations on the hijab garment, many of which provide different degrees of coverage, including famously the burqa, niqab, and dupata.
While the Quran contains general guidelines on why and how the hijab should be observed, the hadith literature is more particular in its discussion of what the circumstances behind the revelation of the hijab requirements were and what precisely it entails. The reasoning and requirements found in the Quran and hadith differ, with the account in the hadith suggesting the hijab is intended to protect the anonymity of women, particularly Muhammad's wives who were being targeted and harassed by his close companion Umar (also the second of the rightly-guided caliphs), and the account in the Quran suggesting that the hijab is intended to hide women's beauty so as to prevent molestation.
Classically, both of these accounts have been embraced and attempts have been made to reconcile them. But in recent times, both accounts have proven problematic. The Quranic account has been objected to because it suggests that women somehow share responsibility for their harassment on the basis of their attire and the hadith account has proven difficult both because it paints Umar, a highly-revered religious figure and friend of Muhammad's, as an unsavory character and because it suggests that Muhammad was not alone responsible for the formulation of the Sharia, which is supposed to be divinely-revealed and unchanging.
In the Quran
The Qur'an generally advances the view that an unveiled woman is to some extent deliberately exposing herself to the increased possibility of harassment or assault. Consequently, the idea that the criminal's culpability in some way reduced as a result of this "encouragement" is widespread among Islamic scholars and societies.
This reasoning differ significantly from the story found in the hadith regarding the reason for the revelation of the hijab requirements, where ideas of modesty and protection against assault are absent. Critics have suggested that if the story found in the hadith regarding the revelation of the hijab verses is reliable, then the reasoning of modesty given in the verses was most likely a latter rationalization of the practice on Muhammad's part rather than the original motivation.
Quran 24:31
Quran 24:31 states that the purpose of the hijab is to hide women's beauty from men.
Yusuf Ali: 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.
Pickthal: 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, and not to reveal their adornment save to their own husbands or fathers or husbands' fathers, or their sons or their husbands' sons, or their brothers or their brothers' sons or sisters' sons, or their women, or their slaves, or male attendants who lack vigour, or children who know naught of women's nakedness. And let them not stamp their feet so as to reveal what they hide of their adornment. And turn unto Allah together, O believers, in order that ye may succeed.
Quran 33:59
Quran 33:59 states that the purpose of the hijab is to distinguish free Muslim women (presumably from non-Muslim or slave women, who do not have to observe the hijab) in order to prevent them from being molested/harassed.
Yusuf Ali: O Prophet! Tell thy wives and daughters, and the believing women, that they should cast their outer garments over their persons (when abroad): that is most convenient, that they should be known (as such) and not molested. And Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.
Pickthal: 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.
Revelation of the hijab verses
Umar bin Al-Khattab's involvement
According to hadiths found in Sahih al-Bukhari, the most authoritative hadith collection, the series of events leading up to the revelation of the requirements of the hijab was as follows. First, Umar repeatedly asked Muhammad that Allah should reveal verses of the Qur'an pertaining to the veiling of women. Next, when no such revelation was forthcoming from Muhammad, Umar went out one night and stalked one of Muhammad's wives when she went out to relieve herself (i.e. to use the restroom). Identifying the wife as Sauda bint Zam'a, he called out to her by name, noting that he had succeeded in recognizing her in her compromised circumstance. After this, Sauda presumably returned home embarrassed by the incident and reported what occurred to Muhammad, finally resulting in the revelation of the verses pertaining to the hijab.
Allah Agrees with Umar
Following the incident with Sauda and a number of other incidents where Umar had directly preceded revelation, Muhammad proclaimed that Allah had come, on multiple occasions, to agree with Umar.
Umar said, "I agreed with Allah in three things," or said, "My Lord agreed with me in three things. I said, 'O Allah's Apostle! Would that you took the station of Abraham as a place of prayer.' I also said, 'O Allah's Apostle! Good and bad persons visit you! Would that you ordered the Mothers of the believers to cover themselves with veils.' So the Divine Verses of Al-Hijab (i.e. veiling of the women) were revealed. I came to know that the Prophet had blamed some of his wives so I entered upon them and said, 'You should either stop (troubling the Prophet ) or else Allah will give His Apostle better wives than you.' When I came to one of his wives, she said to me, 'O 'Umar! Does Allah's Apostle haven't what he could advise his wives with, that you try to advise them?' " Thereupon Allah revealed:--
"It may be, if he divorced you (all) his Lord will give him instead of you, wives better than you Muslims (who submit to Allah).." (66.5)Umar Spies Again
Umar was unsatisfied with the first set of verses regarding hijab, and hoped by his second round of spying that verses would be revealed that would make all women, or at least the wives of Muhammad, totally unrecognizable.
Reasoning on the Hijab
A common claim by apologists is that the Hijab protects women against unwanted sexual attention from men. Well known apologist Zakir Naik takes this line of reasoning in his defense of the hijab mandate. Before considering this claim one should examine a few more ahadith:
Evaluating the "Protection" Claim
Given that these verses were revealed after Umar spied on Muhammad's wives while they were going to the toilet, and that Muhammad told women to wear the veil even in the presence of a eunuch, one may conclude that the veil is only intended to prevent men from evaluating the physical attributes of females. Since eunuchs have no sexual desire, the claim that it is to prevent sexual molestation and not just gossip/verbal harassment appears scripturally incorrect.
That women in Islamic societies suffer from endemic harassment seems to further problematize this line of reasoning (e.g. in Egypt where women and young girls are harassed 7 times every 200 meters[1][2] or in Saudi Arabia where the observance of hijab is strictly enforced but the country still has one of the highest rape scales in the world[3]).
Different Types of Veiling
There are other ahadith that talk of the 'verses of al-hijab' but these are concerning a different type of hijab with a different set of reported revelational circumstances.
When Allah's Apostle married Zainab bint Jahsh, he invited the people to a meal. They took the meal and remained sitting and talking. Then the Prophet (showed them) as if he is ready to get up, yet they did not get up. When he noticed that (there was no response to his movement), he got up, and the others too, got up except three persons who kept on sitting. The Prophet came back in order to enter his house, but he went away again. Then they left, whereupon I set out and went to the Prophet to tell him that they had departed, so he came and entered his house. I wanted to enter along with him, but he put a screen between me and him. Then Allah revealed:
'O you who believe! Do not enter the houses of the Prophet...' (33.53)I of all the people know best this verse of Al-Hijab. When Allah's Apostle married Zainab bint Jahsh she was with him in the house and he prepared a meal and invited the people (to it). They sat down (after finishing their meal) and started chatting. So the Prophet went out and then returned several times while they were still sitting and talking. So Allah revealed the Verse:
'O you who believe! Enter not the Prophet's houses until leave is given to you for a meal, (and then) not (so early as) to wait for its preparation .....ask them from behind a screen.' (33.53) So the screen was set up and the people went away.In addition to the personal hijab, a 'house hijab' is also required to separate the women of the house from visitors; in the form of a separating, opaque screen. This was also a situational revelation. Muhammad was annoyed that people stayed and chatted with his wives after having dinner at his house, so Allah revealed a verse requiring a separation.
See also
External links
- Does a woman’s clothing seduce rapists? - Bayo Olupohunda, Nigeria Intel, May 23, 2013 (archived), http://www.nigeriaintel.com/2013/05/23/does-a-womans-clothing-seduce-rapists/
References
- ↑ Egypt’s NCW chief says women harassed 7 times every 200 meters - GhanaMed, September 6, 2012
- ↑ Manar Ammar - Sexual harassment awaits Egyptian girls outside schools - Bikya Masr, September 10, 2012
- ↑ "The High Rape-Scale in Saudi Arabia", WomanStats Project (blog), January 16, 2013 (archived), http://womanstats.wordpress.com/2013/01/16/the-high-rape-scale-in-saudi-arabia/.