Hijab protects against corruption

27/01/2016| IslamWeb

Allah The Almighty Says (what means): {O Prophet, tell your wives and your daughters and the women of the believers to bring down over themselves [part] of their outer garments. That is more suitable that they will be known and not be abused. And ever is Allah Forgiving and Merciful.} [Quran 33:59]

Consider with me how Allah The Almighty starts with the wives and daughters of Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa salam. He starts with the chaste, pure, righteous, ascetic women, whom He commands to adhere to Hijab (Islamic covering) and put on the outer garment, and forbade to display their beauty or expose themselves, as they are the Mothers of the Believers and the mistresses of the women of Paradise. Moreover, from which men were they commanded to veil and screen themselves? From the Companions of the Messenger of Allah may Allah be pleased with them, the possessors of pure and chaste hearts.

Then, what do you think, my sister, of the men and women of our days? What do you think of those who spend long hours watching the channels of corruption and destruction, and their hearts are replete with love for shameful desires, and they are about to lose their minds longing to meet a lover, seeing a beautiful girl, or hearing the voice of a girlfriend?

By Him in whose Hand is my soul, the command to adhere to Hijab should be adhered to with greater strictness these days; and you are responsible before Allah The Almighty, for you are a source of Fitnah (trial), which is the greatest Fitnah on the Ummah (nation) of Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa salam. He, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa salam, said: "I have not left after me a Fitnah more harmful to men than women."

In these days, the hearts of men are diseased, except for him upon whom my Lord bestows mercy, and how few are they! Their eyes turn here and there in the communities of women, and their souls are longing for evil and corruption. Amidst that, the girl displays her adornment and exposes the beauty of her body to ignite the fire of Fitnah in their chests, and urge them to come close to her and fall, along with her, into corruption and shame. Then, in the end, that young man comes out to wash the dirt and impurities of his actions with the water of repentance, and starts a new life, that is if he has a living heart that fears the punishment of Allah The Almighty. But as for you, you would remain a source of shame on yourself and your family, and the community would never forgive for you your slip, nor overlook your crime; even if you wash your heart with the water of repentance and return to Allah The Almighty, who will wash away the damage and destruction that will have afflicted your body?

I think you understand what I mean. So, please be careful before it is too late and before you fall and, subsequently, are filled with regret. But at that time, neither regret nor weeping, nor grief nor tears would benefit you.

A pious woman once said, "The rational person, is the one who considers the current state of women nowadays and would consequently burn with grief, dissolve in shyness, be burnt with agony, and blaze with pain. The believing hearts have the right to rupture in pain, and the sincere eyes to shed blood. How could a faithful believer feel the pleasure of food and drink, how could he rejoice in cheerfulness and sleep in comfort while he sees what embitters the bodies, tears and breaks the hearts? It seems that those women have realized the hope of the Jew Oskar Levi when he said, 'We, Jews, are but masters and corruptors of this world, rousers and harbingers of trials and the ones who inflict pain.'

The Jews have a long history of destroying nations through women. The Islamic Sharee‘ah (Islamic legislation) has taken excellent care of the Muslim woman, which ensures the maintenance of her chastity and has made her cherished and lofty. The conditions imposed upon her in her adornment and clothing are only meant to eliminate the means that lead to corruption. That is not to restrict her freedom, but rather to protect her from falling to the bottom of abasement and the mire of degradation.

The Messenger of Allah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa salam, said: "Indeed Allah is Bashful and the Sitteer (Concealer of faults), and He loves (that His servants should adhere to) bashfulness and concealment (of faults)." [Abu Daawood and An-Nasaa‘i]"

The war is being waged against you, my dear sister, and you are its target and aim. Our enemies from the West hold long sessions to design attractive fashionable clothes for you, in order to bewitch the minds, dazzle the sights and cause hearts to be fascinated by you. Do you know what these clothes are for? It is for your Abaaya that was imposed on you to screen your body and divert eyes from you, causing you to live a chaste and pure life.

They have drawn you in to get you to remove your Hijab, achieving victory over you, and to make you leave your house uncovered, bare-faced and displaying your beauty, having removed your modesty before you removed your outer garment.

In his lecture, "The Story of an Abaaya", Shaykh Muhammad Al-Habdaan, may Allah protect him, shows the gradual approach made to drive women into removing their Hijab:

They began with the step of a transparent chiffon Abaaya and continued along these lines for a long time, after which they moved to another step, i.e., the short Abaaya, until when a long time passed and the believing hearts took the initiative to revive the (traditional) long Abaaya, they were disturbed by it, but said, "No problem! Let it be long, but with lace at its ends." They paused a little at that step, and when they found none objected, but rather a lot of women admired it, and increasingly bought it, then, let the model of the on-shoulder Abaaya come into existence, since it is easier for the woman and religion is to make things easy.

After that, the gate was opened wide, and a torrent of afflictions started to pour in, once by a variety of laces on the right and on the left (of the Abaaya), and once by the broad decorative bands of glittering beads, followed by beautiful embellishments to make the hand look more beautiful, and then the Abaaya with lace and with embroidery on the front and on the back, ending with the Abaaya with various colors."

They also added many different colors like yellow, red, green, and orange. Some of them designed an Abaaya for the bride, another for university, a third for school, a fourth for a soiree and a fifth for a physician.

What makes matters worse, burns the heart, and causes the eye to shed tears is that the ones who design those clothes for the various purposes are Muslim women: we ask Allah The Almighty to guide them, and return them to Him with good return. They have indeed abandoned their religion, manners and (real) beauty, and forgotten, or seemed to forget, that the woman's head cover beautifies her and increases her in reverence and elegance, in so much as when she enters Paradise (we ask Allah The Almighty to make us among its inhabitants), she would beautify herself for her husband therein with that head cover.

It is narrated in a particular Hadeeth (prophetic narration): "And indeed a woman (of Paradise)'s head cover on her head is better than this world and what it contains."

According to the narration of Imaam Ahmad : "And the head cover of a woman from Paradise is better than this world and the like of it along with it."

According to the narration of Al-Bazzaar and Ibn Abi Ad-Dunya : "… and if one of the Hoor (maidens) reveals her head cover, the sun would seem, compared to its beauty, like a lightless wick in the sun."

If this beauty lies only in the head cover, then, what about the beauty of she who wears the head cover? Exalted be Allah Who made all things perfect! On the occasion of mentioning the headcover, let me say to her who has abandoned it, let alone the headcover and full Hijab: consider how the head cover is among the elements of beauty on the head of the Hoor in Paradise, whereas many of you argue to abstain from wearing it, saying that she does not look fashionable in it, and that it does not suit her; and another argues that she will wear it after marriage. But at the same time, another, astonishingly, puts on the head cover for she sees, as she states, her beauty, intelligence and personality in it. To this latter, let me say, "Make (this deed) for (the countenance of) Allah The Almighty, since the (rewards of) deeds depend on intentions."

Do you have any doubt, after this, about the obligation of covering the face?