Dear sister, attitude is the practical application of the deeds of the heart. Since the deeds of the heart principally take place in the heart, they are hidden and thus, no one can see what is in the heart including truthfulness, sincerity, love for Allah, The Almighty, submission to Him, fearing Him, glorifying Him, and other acts of the heart. Hence, what is the only way to know whether these acts of the heart are practiced and to know their reality? The way to know that is the physical application as manifested by the acts of the bodily organs. If there is sincerity in the heart in acts of worship being done for the sake of Allah, The Almighty, this sincerity overflows to the entire body, and consequently the body moves in the way that is dictated by the heart of the sincere person who loves Allah, The Almighty.

Thus, your attitude is what you say, what you do, what you wear, how you deal with the texts of the Quran and with the commands of the Prophet, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, and his instructions. This attitude is a living, outward and tangible reflection of the faith, feelings, exalting and glorifying Allah, The Almighty, which are concealed in the heart.

Can you imagine the existence of truthfulness, sincerity, love for Allah, The Almighty, fearing Him, and glorifying Him in the heart of a woman whose attitude, upon leaving her country and when still on the airplane without yet setting her feet on the land of the country she is traveling to, is that she removes her cloak and Hijab (Islamic covering), folds them as if there has never been any affection between her and both of them, and thrusts them in her handbag -- like a person who hides something evil, then she exposes her beauty? I ask you, dear sister, to answer me with all honesty: Can you imagine any truthfulness and sincerity existing in the heart of a woman who acts like that? Can you imagine that she, inside her heart, exalts Allah, The Almighty, and glorifies His orders and prohibitions? Can you imagine that she, inside her heart, loves what Allah, The Almighty, loves?

Removing the Hijab and neglecting its correct form that is approved by the Sharee‘ah (Islamic legislation) is a disgraceful attitude from which I ask Allah, The Almighty, to protect you. This represents a worldly attitude, while in fact, attitude cannot be separated from what is concealed in the heart, because the heart is that which generates attitude. This is the plain truth regardless of what the arrogant people think. This also conforms with the saying of the Prophet, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam: “In the body there is a piece of flesh which, if it is sound, the entire body will be sound, and if it is corrupt, the entire body will be corrupt. It is the heart.”

Here I remind you that we have agreed on the broad and comprehensive concept of worship and that you understand it well. Worship is not a question of merely praying and fasting; for it is greater than this and has wider dimensions. To worship Allah, The Almighty, is to submit totally to Him and to acknowledge His Lordship in terms of being The Creator, The Sustainer, and The Owner of everything, and that He exclusively owns the right to issue orders and prohibitions as indicated by the verse (which means): {Unquestionably, His is the creation and the command.} [Quran 7:54] By taking this first step, you will move on to the second step by submitting to the orders of Allah, The Almighty: {We hear and we obey. [We seek] Your forgiveness, our Lord, and to You is the [final] destination.} [Quran 2:285]

Hence, the submission that entails listening and obedience is the inevitable outcome of our complete belief in the Lordship of Allah, The Almighty. Therefore, you find that Allah, The Almighty, swears by His great and Holy Self about this matter. Allah, The Almighty, swears by His own Self only about things that are very great. This great matter is the truthfulness of people’s submission to the Divine rulings and Commandments. Allah, the Almighty, Says (what means): {But no, by your Lord [here Allah The Almighty swears by His exalted Self], they will not [truly] believe until they make you, [O Muhammad], judge concerning that over which they dispute among themselves and then find within themselves no discomfort from what you have judged and submit in [full, willing] submission.} [Quran 4:65]