Allah The Almighty made Hijab (Islamic covering) obligatory upon women in order to protect their chastity, preserve their honor, and for it to be a symbol of their true faith.
That is why we see that when any society deviates from the right path and the divine methodology, it becomes corrupt and plagued and needs treatment to heal and regain happiness. Indeed, there has been a remarkable increase in the adherence to Hijab, but the painful phenomena of non-adherence to the Hijab approved by the Shari‘ah (Islamic legislation) and illegal exposure of women’s adornment have plagued our Muslim society.
Therefore, we will discuss the causes of this phenomena based on a survey that included many girls. This survey showed that there were ten main excuses given by women behind this phenomena. When we studied these excuses, we discovered how fragile and unreasonable they are!
Let us discuss these causes which make women refrain from Hijab one at a time:
The first excuse: “I am not yet convinced about Hijab”
We ask two questions of the sister who says this:
1- Are you convinced of the soundness and truthfulness of the religion of Islam?
She will certainly answer, “Of course, I am convinced.” That is because they believe that there is none truly worthy of worship except Allah The Almighty, which means that she is convinced by the Islamic creed. She also believes that Muhammad, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is the Messenger of Allah, which means that she is convinced with the Shari‘ah (Islamic legislation). This means that she is convinced with Islam in terms of creed, legislation, and as a methodology for life.
2- Is Hijab considered part of the Islamic Shari‘ah and its duties or not?
Any sister who is sincere in her quest for the truth would answer in the affirmative, because Allah The Almighty, Whom she believes to be the true Lord, commands the Muslim woman to wear Hijab in the Quran, and the Prophet, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, whom she believes to be the true messenger of Allah The Almighty commanded the Muslim woman to wear Hijab in his Sunnah (tradition).
The second excuse: “I am convinced of the obligation of wearing the Shari‘ah-approved Hijab, but my mother prevents me from wearing it, and I will enter Hell if I disobey her.”
The Prophet, sallAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, refuted this excuse wisely and concisely saying: “No creature is to be obeyed regarding (an act which includes) disobedience to the Creator.”
The status of one’s parents in Islam is sublime, particularly the mother, and kindness to them comes next to the greatest religious duty, that is, worshipping Allah The Almighty and believing in His Oneness in many Quranic verses.
Allah The Almighty Says (what means): {Worship Allah and associate nothing with Him, and to parents do good…} [Quran 4:36]
Indeed, obedience to one’s parents should be absolute, except when they order their child to disobey Allah The Almighty. Allah The Almighty Says (what means): {But if they endeavor to make you associate with Me that of which you have no knowledge, do not obey them.} [Quran 31:15]
Nevertheless, disobeying one’s parents when they order him to disobey Allah The Exalted, does not mean that they should not be treated kindly. Allah The Almighty Says (what means): {But if they endeavor to make you associate with Me that of which you have no knowledge, do not obey them but accompany them in [this] world with appropriate kindness and follow..} [Quran 31:15]
The third excuse: “The weather is very hot in our country and I can hardly endure it without Hijab, not to mention wearing the Hijab.”
We say to this sister what Allah The Almighty Says: {Say, "The fire of Hell is more intensive in heat" -- if they would but understand.} [Quran 9:81]
How could you compare the hot weather of your country with the heat of Hell?
You should know that Satan has caught you in one of his false traps, when he persuaded you that he wants to save you from the hot weather in this worldly life, while he is driving you to Hell in the Hereafter.
So, free yourself from his traps and transform the heat of the sun into a blessing and not a curse, by remembering the severity of the torment of Allah The Exalted, which will exceed this heat countless times.
The fourth excuse: “I am afraid of removing the Hijab after wearing it as it happened with some girls.”
We say to this sister, if everyone thought this way, they would have abandoned all the duties of this religion. For example, they would have said that we will not perform prayer or fast because we fear that we may abandon them later.
Do you see how Satan has caught you in one of his traps to prevent you from following guidance!
The Prophet, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said that the most lovable deeds to Allah The Almighty are the ones performed regularly, even if they are little.
Why did you not search for the causes that made those girls abandon the Hijab after wearing it to avoid them?
The fifth excuse: “I am afraid of wearing the Hijab not to be classified as belonging to a certain party or group, as I hate partisanship.”
In Islam, there are only two parties and both of them were mentioned in the Quran.
The first one is the party of Allah The Almighty. The people who belong to this party obey the commands of Allah The Almighty and keep away from His forbiddances; therefore, He supports and guides them.
The other party is the party of Satan. The people who belong to this party disobey Allah The Exalted and wreak havoc on earth.
By complying with the commands of Allah The Almighty including adherence to the Hijab, you will be among the people who belong to the successful party of Allah The Almighty. On the other hand, when you unlawfully expose your adornment, you follow Satan and his allies including the disbelievers and hypocrites, and evil are those as companions.
The sixth excuse: “If I wear the Hijab, no one will marry me. So, I will not wear it until I marry.”
A husband who wants you to expose your beauty before all people and disobey Allah The Almighty is unworthy of you, because he does not feel jealous over you or object to violation of the prohibitions of Allah The Almighty. Such a husband will not help you enter Paradise and escape from Hell.
A house that is built upon the disobedience of Allah The Almighty and angering Him from the first moment deserves to be unhappy in this world and the Hereafter. Allah The Almighty Says (what means): {And whoever turns away from My Remembrance -- indeed, he will have a depressed life, and We will gather him on the Day of Resurrection blind."} [Quran 20:124]
After all, marriage is a blessing from Allah The Almighty, and He bestows it upon whom He wishes. We should not forget that many of the girls who wear Hijab were married, while many of the girls who do not adhere to Hijab did not marry.
Some girls may counter saying that the unlawful exposure of my beauty and adornment is a means for a virtuous end, which is marriage. However, under Islam, the good purpose does not justify evil means. The good purpose should be achieved through good means, because, in Islam, means have the same status of purposes.
The seventh excuse: “I know that Hijab is obligatory, but I will adhere to it when Allah The Almighty guides me.”
Let us ask this sister about the steps that she has taken to be worthy of receiving Divine guidance? We know that Allah The Almighty has made a means for everything. For example, the patient should take the medicine to be cured, the traveler should ride the car or a means of transport to reach his destination, and so on.
Does this sister endeavor to receive this guidance?
Does she do her best in this regard by supplicating to Allah The Almighty earnestly to guide her? Allah The Almighty Says (what means): {Guide us to the straight path} [Quran 1:6]?
Does she seek guidance through accompanying righteous sisters who support her and strengthen her determination until Allah The Almighty guides her to adhere to His Commands including wearing the Hijab which He has commanded the believing women to wear?
The eighth excuse: “The time has not yet come for me to wear the Hijab and I am still too young, and I will wear it when I become old or after performing Hajj”
The Angel of Death is waiting for the command of Allah The Exalted to take your soul at any moment. Allah The Almighty Says (what means): {So when their time has come, they will not remain behind an hour, nor will they precede [it].} [Quran 7:34]
Death knows no old or young age, and it may befall you while you are committing this awful sin and defying Allah The Exalted by not adhering to the Hijab and unlawfully exposing your adornment.
The ninth excuse: “I cannot afford changing my current clothes with Shari‘ah-approved clothes”
We say to such sisters, attaining the satisfaction of Allah The Almighty and entering Paradise is worthy of sacrificing everything.
The tenth excuse: “I do not wear the Hijab in implementation of the Quranic verse in which Allah The Almighty Says (what means): {But as for the favor of your Lord, report [it].} [Quran 93:11] How could I conceal the beautiful hair and fascinating beauty that Allah The Almighty bestowed upon me?”
Such sisters accept the commands of Allah The Almighty only when they are in accordance with their fancies, but when these same commands of Allah The Exalted contradict their wishes, they abandon them. If so, then why do not they comply with the following Divine commands?
• {…and not expose their adornment except that which [necessarily] appears thereof} [Quran 24:31]
• {O Prophet, tell your wives, your daughters, and the women of the believers to bring down over themselves [part] of their outer garments.} [Quran 33:59]
The greatest blessing bestowed by Allah The Almighty upon us is the blessing of faith and guidance. So, why do you not show this blessing by wearing the Shari‘ah-approved Hijab?