THE MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT WOMEN IN ISLAM.

To Allah belong all praises, we seek help from Him and we ask for His pardon. We seek refuge with Allah from the evil of our souls and deeds. Whom Allah guides right, no one can lead him astray and whom He leaves to stray there will be no Guide for him. I bear witness that there is no God but Allah alone with no partner, and I testify that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger. May peace and blessings be upon the chosen servant of Allah and the ordained Messenger of Allah, his family, companions, and whoever tread their path and follow their traces till the day of recompense. But after that, O people! I admonish you and myself to fear Allah, because the fear of Allah- the exalted is a way of prosperity, a bridge to success and a symbol of righteousness. Allah says: {فَاتَّقُواْ اللَّهَ ياأُوْلِى الاْلْبَابِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ} (المائدة:100). “So fear Allah, O ye that understand; that (so) ye may prosper.” (5: 100) Brothers in Islam and faith: The culture among Muslim women, beginning from when the revelation came from Allah (SWT) upon Prophet Muhammad, was substantively the culture of hijab and a clear rejection of nudity, dazzling display of embellishment and free mix with alien men. This came to effect through the explicit command of Allah, ordering Prophet Muhammad to instruct the believing women to guard their private parts, reduce their gaze, conceal their embellishment away from the sight of alien men by drawing [a portion of] their headcovers over their chests. He also ordered them to stay more within the homes and to attend to external requests of needs from behind a screen or partition, for that makes for greater purity for the hearts of men who request and those of the women. They were instructed as well to bring down over themselves [part] of their outer garments, so that they will be known and not be abused, and not to go out in dazzling manner as was the practice in the days of former ignorance and not to stamp their feet to make known what they conceal of their adornment. Muslims remained on this practice for almost 13 centuries transmitting the custom from generation to generation till the manifest of colonization by the malicious crusaders who pitched their tents on most Muslim lands. Through their experiences they came to realize that the woman is that wide entry and greatest weapon to corrupt the Islamic society, the Islamic religion and the Muslim states. They therefore adopted deadly weapons to actualize their evil aims and purposes. These enemies spread some misconceptions about the Hijab in Islam Misconception 1:, They said that Hijab is one of the many cultures of the Arabs common during the pre-Islamic era, because the Arabs naturally protects their honour, they bury alive the girl child out of shame, hence they compel women to adorn hijab in solidarity for their tradition, which Islam came to dispraise and abolish, Hijab inclusive, thus Islam abolished the Hijab. They claimed commitment to Hijab is backwardness and under-development in civilization and progress. The Response: Verily, prior to Islam, the Arabs never knew the Hijab which Islam made obligatory for women. Rather, Allah actually condemned the display of the pre-Islamic era and guided Muslim women to disregard dazzling display of their embellishment so as not to resemble the women of the pre-Islamic era. Allah said: {وَقَرْنَ فِى بُيُوتِكُنَّ وَلاَ تَبَرَّجْنَ تَبَرُّجَ الْجَـاهِلِيَّةِ الأولَى}(الأحزاب:33). And abide in your houses and do not display yourselves as [was] the dazzling display of the former times of ignorance. (33: 33) Also the hadiths that are filled with condemnation of changing Allah’s creation, clearly show that the joining of hair and the plucking of the eyebrow were common among Jewish women before Islam, and this was one of the practices of the women who display their embellishment in dazzling manner. Truly though, Islam came to abolish the lowly traditions of the Arabs, however, in addition to that, they had some beautiful traditions which Islam ratified and never abolish, such as honouring guests, generousity, brevity and others. While some of their offensive culture includes- the going out of women exposing their faces and necks and dazzling display of their embellishment. Consequently, Allah made Hijab obligatory with Islam in order to elevate woman and preserve her dignity as well as protect her from the unchaste and the tendentious people. O Muslims, if Muslim women feel satisfied with their mode of dressing which have not made them backward or under- developed, what then is the stress of the so called advanced nations in that? It is a surprise to hear them call to personal freedom and sanctity, which no one should touch, but thereafter they interfere in the freedom of others to wear whatever cloth they want. (Al-Mutabarrijaat pg: 122) Underdevelopment has its causes so also do development. Therefore, to drag the legislation of covering modesty and morality into this is an already exposed trick, to which only the lagging fools could fall prey to. When then have both development and civilization become connected with people’s mode of dressing? Surely, civilization, progress and development were the result of researches reached by people through employing the human mind and thought, not a matter of their clothes and appearances. (Al-Mutabarrijaat pg: 122) Misconception 2: Another misconceptions is that they claimed being naked is the right of the women which was stolen from her by the society, or looted by selfish rigid men. They also believe Hijab to be an oppression and a denial of women their right. (Women Liberation by Muhammad Qutb, p. 21.) Response: We hereby respond to them that it was men that mandate women to wear Hijab, which could have thus warranted them to raise their case against him in order to get rid of his injustice against her as was the case in Europe between women and men. However, the injunction to adorn the Hijab was ordained by her Lord and creator, whom she cannot argue with or make choice out of the instruction. Allah said: {وَمَا كَانَ لِمُؤْمِنٍ وَلاَ مُؤْمِنَةٍ إِذَا قَضَى اللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ أَمْرًا أَن يَكُونَ لَهُمُ الْخِيَرَةُ مِنْ أَمْرِهِمْ وَمَن يَعْصِ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ فَقَدْ ضَلَّ ضَلاَلاً مُّبِينًا}(الأحزاب:36) “It is not for a believing man or a believing woman, when Allah and His Messenger have decided a matter, that they should [thereafter] have any choice about their affair. And whoever disobeys Allah and His Messenger has certainly strayed into clear error.” (33: 36) (Women Liberation by Muhammad Qutb, p. 19.) And that in itself is not an issue, the Hijab law was established during the era of the Prophet (PBUH), it was implemented in his era, and then the practice continued for 13 (thirteen) centuries successively and there is no Muslim who believes in Allah and His Messenger that could say that women were unjustly treated during the Prophet’s (PBUH) era. After this era, if any injustice befell women, it would have been at a time when Muslims remained under-developed in their faith matters. Then Hijab can never be the source of such injustice to her, factually or presumptuously, because the Hijab have been in existence during the glorious era of Islam as a constant companion of moral and spiritual cleanliness, and a companion of human elevation that is unrivalled in the entire human history. (Women's Liberation by Muhammad Qutb pg:19-20) Misconception 3: The enemies also alleged that the Hijab is a symbol of extremism and fanaticism, intolerance and religious extremism, and one of the signs of extremes and hardness, which causes repulsion, antagonism and confrontation between two groups within the community, that may eventually lead to a breach of security and stability. Response: In response to that, all these claims are totally rejected. Hijab is neither a symbol of any of their claims nor is it a symbol at all to begin with. Because symbols have no functional stand except to express one’s religious affiliation, such as the cross on the neck of a Christian, or the small skull cap place on the head by a Jew, the two has no function other than advertising identity. But the Hijab has a known function and a noble reason, which include covering, modesty, purity and chastity. It should not cross the mind of the Muslim woman who wears the Hijab to think that is a way to announces herself and her religion, but that she only obeys the injunction of her Lord. The Hijab is a religious sanctity and not a symbol of extremism or creating hardship. Then, this misconception they uttered against the Muslim woman's Hijab why didn't they utter the same concerning the headgear of the Nuns? Why didn’t they say: “that veil of the Jews and Christians are symbols of religious intolerance and sectarian discrimination? Why didn’t they say that the hanging the cross is a symbol of religious extremism which dragged the calamities of the Crusade wars? Why didn’t they say that the small skull cap on the head of the Jew is a symbol of religious extremism which could cause carnage, terror in occupied Palestine? The wearing of Hijab by women was completed from the perspective of consented agreement and spiritual contentment; they were not coerced to adorn Hijab under the threat of iron and fire. Likewise, others were not invited to Hijab except with wisdom and legitimate and rational proofs. But the reverse of this is true, which can be explained thus, that compelling women to remove their Hijab and making that a binding law or injunction is a symbol of secular intolerance and extremism. Such tendencies could cause conflicts and retaliations, because it is an attack on religious freedom and personal liberty. Misconception 4: Dear Muslims, they also claimed that the Hijab leaves out half of the society idle, as it enjoins them to stay at home. (My non-hijab sister, pg: 64) Response: Women are fundamentally to stay at home. Allah says: {وَقَرْنَ فِى بُيُوتِكُنَّ وَلاَ تَبَرَّجْنَ تَبَرُّجَ الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ الأُولَى} (الأحزاب:33) And abide in your houses and do not display yourselves as [was] the dazzling display of the former times of ignorance. (33: 33) And this does not mean an insult to women or crippling of her potentiality rather it is an optimal engagement of her potential. (My non-hijab sister, pg: 64) There is nothing of women's Hijab that could prevent them from carrying out their duties, or any of the permissible work she could do, and it does not prevent them from acquiring knowledge. She can do all that while she still maintains her Hijab and avoid free mixing while walking in public. Many female university students who adorn Hijab and avoid free mixing with the male students have achieved leading positions in their exams, and they attained positions of honour and respect among teachers and students. (Fataatul-Islaam, pg. 39-40). But verily, half of the society becomes idled and incapacitated by the going out of women, by her competing with men in their works, by neglecting her work which cannot be performed by others on her behalf. This is also the reason for the breakdown of societies and the spread of corruption, crime and the disintegration of families. Because the task of caring for children and their upbringing in addition to the concern over their affairs remain the most noble task and the most serious which unfortunately ended up to be without a breadwinner or overseer. May Allah benefit me and you with the Holy Qur'aan, and the guidance of the leader of the apostles (PBUH), Having said my message, I seek Allah’s forgiveness for me and you and all Muslims, from all sins, engage in seeking forgiveness from Him, He is All-forgiving, Most- merciful. The Second Sermon All praises are due to Allah the Lord of the universe, plentiful praises, good and blessed. May the salutations and peace of our Lord be upon the messenger of mercy to the worlds, his families, and all his companions. Thereafter, Dear Muslims! By Allah, Islam is coming to lead the world because it is the religion chosen by God for humanity. {إِنَّ الدِّينَ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ اْلإِسْلاَمُ} (آل عمران : 19)، “The Religion before Allah is Islam (submission to His Will)” (3: 19) {الْيَوْمَ أَكْمَلْتُ لَكُمْ دِينَكُمْ وَأَتْمَمْتُ عَلَيْكُمْ نِعْمَتِي وَرَضِيتُ لَكُمُ الْإِسْلَامَ دِينًا (المائدة : 3) “This day have I perfected your religion for you, completed My favour upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your religion.” (5:3) There are other good news which is known to be peculiar with the nature of Islam, the tradition of Allah and His tradition with His creation. Some of which includes the fact that Islam as a religion is perfectly compatible with nature, and it seeks to actualize people’s interests and well- being in this world and the hereafter. Apparently, the earlier divine messages were abrogated, distorted, and changed. The realities of human systems and experiences are adequate in this respect to define the defects and failures in them as man-made efforts. Part of the nature of the Islamic Approach is the affirmation that the future belongs to Islam, we have clear certainty that is unwavering in the divinely ordained role of Islam in this world, and that is binding whether the enemies want or dislike it. Among the good news: The world today complains about the failure of all the human systems, it (the world) swallows the bitterness and the scourge of these systems which have destroyed humanity and wiped out all its good aspects. The closest evidence to that is the successive collapse of the Communist regimes one after the other. It is the duty of Allah to bring down anything that raises itself in pride. Therefore destruction is looming- God’s willing- for their likes including those drowned in disbelief and misguidance, who wage war against Islam and Muslims. Allah, the Almighty says: وَلا يزال الذين كفروا تصيبهم بما صنعوا قارعة أو تحل قريباً من دارهم حتى يأتي وعد الله إن الله لا يخلف الميعاد “But the Unbelievers,- never will disaster cease to seize them for their (ill) deeds, or to settle close to their homes, until the promise of Allah come to pass, for, verily, Allah will not fail in His promise.” (13: 31) The world today seeks for a saviour to save it from these evils but there is no saviour except Islam, the only solution. O Allah grant honour to Islam and Muslims, and humiliate idolatry and idolaters, protect the possession of religion, humiliate the enemies of the religion. O Allah grant us security in our country- Nigeria, make this country safe, secured, generous, comfortable, and all other Muslim countries. O Allah, grant victory to your religion and your book and your Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and your righteous servants. Oh God, make our leaders merciful to us, and guide them to the truth, O Lord of the universe.