THE CONDITIONS OF HIJAB IN ISLAM

Praise be to Allaah, the Lord of the worlds Who says: O Children of Aadam! We have bestowed raiment upon you to cover yourselves and as an adornment, and the raiment of righteousness, that is better. Such are among the signs of Allaah that they may remember (Q7:26). We praise and thank Him abundantly. May Allaah shower is blessing on Muhammmad (SAW) who was raise as mercy upon the entirely of mankind, (May Allaah also be pleased with) his household, companions and those who follow them in righteousness until the Day of Judgment. O servants of Allaah! I admonish you and myself to fear Allaah the exalted both in secret and public since it is (the means to) success, victory and salvation. Allaah says: "وَاتَّقُوا يَوْمًا تُرْجَعُونَ فِيهِ إِلَى اللَّهِ ثُمَّ تُوَفَّى كُلُّ نَفْسٍ مَا كَسَبَتْ وَهُمْ لَا يُظْلَمُونَ (281)" {البقرة :281}. And be afraid of the day when you shall be brought back to Allaah. Then every person shall be paid what he earned, and the shall not be dealt with unjustly” Brothers in faith, this is the sixth gathering on steps towards state of a Muslim woman in Islamic perspective. We have explained important issues; for example: women rights and their position in Islam, excellence of hijaab and criticism against nudity . Today inshaa Allaah , we shall centre our discussion on The conditions of Hijab in Islam. O esteemed Muslims! There are some conditions to be met by hijaab in Islam. Certainly, a Muslim woman is not accepted until she is (dressed) according to Quran and Sunnah. Thus, she attains the success of this world and the hereafter. These are the conditions: First Condition: Covering of all the body parts except the permitted areas It is mentioned in the Quran: {وَقُلْ لِلْمُؤْمِنَاتِ يَغْضُضْنَ مِنْ أَبْصَارِهِنَّ وَيَحْفَظْنَ فُرُوجَهُنَّ وَلا يُبْدِينَ زِينَتَهُنَّ إِلَّا مَا ظَهَرَ مِنْهَا وَلْيَضْرِبْنَ بِخُمُرِهِنَّ عَلَى جُيُوبِهِنَّ وَلا يُبْدِينَ زِينَتَهُنَّ إِلَّا لِبُعُولَتِهِنَّ أَوْ آبَائِهِنَّ أَوْ آبَاءِ بُعُولَتِهِنَّ أَوْ أَبْنَائِهِنَّ أَوْ أَبْنَاءِ بُعُولَتِهِنَّ أَوْ إِخْوَانِهِنَّ أَوْ بَنِي إِخْوَانِهِنَّ أَوْ بَنِي أَخَوَاتِهِنَّ أَوْ نِسَائِهِنَّ أَوْ مَا مَلَكَتْ أَيْمَانُهُنَّ} [سورة النور: الآية 31] And tell the believing women to lower their gaze (from looking at forbidden things), and protect their private part (from illegal sexual acts, etc.) and not to show off their adornment (Q24:31). Similarly, {يَا أَيُّهَا النَّبِيُّ قُلْ لِأَزْوَاجِكَ وَبَنَاتِكَ وَنِسَاءِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ يُدْنِينَ عَلَيْهِنَّ مِنْ جَلابِيبِهِنَّ ذَلِكَ أَدْنَى أَنْ يُعْرَفْنَ فَلا يُؤْذَيْنَ وَكَانَ اللَّهُ غَفُورًا رَحِيمًا} [سورة الأحزاب: الآية 59]. O Prophet! Tell your wives and your daughters and the women of the believers to draw their cloaks (veils) (Q33:59). In the first verse, it is clear that covering all the adornment is compulsory without leaving anything bare in the presence of illegal men except what is apparent without intention to show it. ….Ibn Katheer says in his tafseer thus: “… They (women) should not show anything of their adornment to outside men except what is difficult to conceal.” Bn Mas’ uud says: “like garment and raiment, … as part of the practice of Arab women who is veiled and dignifies her cloth. What does not show from underneath the dress, there is no blame on her on that. This is because it is not easy to conceal it...” Equally, Imaam Naasirud-deen Al-albaanee said scholars are of different opinions on the interpretation of the verse Except what is apparent (Q24:31). Some said “ it is the physical garment”. Others said it is the Kuhl (Eye liner or tiro), ring, bangle, face etc. from the statements narrated by Bn Jareer in his interpretation … He said: “The most correct of the opinions is that which translate the exempted to mean the face and the two palms, including the eyeliner, the ring, the bangles and the pigmentation of the palm. It is compulsory for everyone praying to cover all the body as well as the woman, a woman could keep her face open while praying having covered every other parts. She could also leave open half part of the arm owing to the narration which stated that the Prophet permitted her to leave open half part of her arm. She is therefore permitted to expose any part not regarded as part of her privacy just like the men such would not be regarded as forbidden. 2- Second Condition: It should not be an ornament in itself: Based on the verse earlier mentioned in Suratu-Nuur: ({وَلا يُبْدِينَ زِينَتَهُنَّ} [النور: 31]) And should not show their adornment” (Q24:31) Generally, adornment comprises the apparent dress when the adornment is an ornament which attracts men’s sight towards her. That is evident in the verse (Q33:33): ({وَقَرْنَ فِي بُيُوتِكُنَّ وَلا تَبَرَّجْنَ تَبَرُّجَ الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ الأُولَى}) “And stay in your houses, and do not display yourselves like that of the times of ignorance …” The Holy Prophet says: “There are three kinds of people you should not ask about them (because they doomed): a man who dissociated from the Jamaa’ah and disobey his Imam and died disobedient. And a slave male or female, who runaway from the master and died, and a woman whose husband was absent having provided for her every worldly provision and she wantonly displayed her beauties in his absence, never ask about them.” (Bukhari, ibn hibaan, hakim & ahmad) The intention of hijab is to cover woman’s adornment. It is not reasonable that the Hijab in itself be an adornment as it is commonly practiced today in women’s appearance. For this reason, Imaam Dhahabiy says in his book “Kitaabul-Kabaair, page 131: Among the acts which bring curses on a woman is exposure of her adornment, gold and diamond under the veil, and applying the Musk, ambergris, perfume when she goes out. Also wearing (colourfully) dyed cloths, silky loin wrappers, short blouses, with expanded long sleeves etc all these are part of the tabarruj which deserve the wrath of Allah in this world and the hereafter. The Prophet said: “I looked at the hell and found that women are most of its inhabitants” Al-Imaam Al-Albaanee said: Islaam has sought the peak of caution against nudity and compared it to shirk (associating partner with Allaah), Zinaa (fornication), theft and others among the prohibited. That is why it was mentioned among the prohibited act during the oath of allegiance sworn by new female converts. Narrated Abdullah bn Umar: Umaymah bint Ruqayqah came to take pledge of Allegiance to Islam from the prophet (pbuh) and he said: “I took pledge with you that you will not associate anything with Allah, nor will you steal, nor will you commit unlawful sexual intercourse, nor will you kill your child, nor will you bring forth a slander you have invented between your arms and legs, nor will you engage in wailing over the dead, nor will you engage in tabarruj of the days of ignorance …” (Ahmad) It should not be misconstrued that wearing colours other than black and white is part of adornment, two reasons could be set to erode this misconception: One: The Prophet said: “The perfume of women is that which the colour is shown and the odour concealed” Two: The common practices of the female companions as narrated by Abu Shaybah in “Al-Musannaf” 8/371- 372 as follow: - Narrated Ibrahim An-Nakh’iyy, that he used to accompany Alqamah and Al-Aswad to visit the wives of the Prophet (pbuh). And he saw them wearing red quilt. - Narrated Abu Malikah: he said: I saw Ummu salamah wearing a coat and a garment dye in yellow. - Narrated Qasim bn Muhammad bn Abubakr As-sideeq that ‘Aisha did wore a yellow cloth while in state of ihram. - Saeed bn Jubair also narrated that he saw some wives of the Prophet (pbuh) circumambulating the Ka’bah with yellow clothes. 3- Third Condition: The Hijab should be thick and not transparent: Covering is achieved with thick clothes while transparent clothes increase women temptation and adornments. The The prophet said: “The end time of my ummah shall witness some women who are clothed but naked, on their heads will be the like of the humps of the camels. Curse them, they are cursed.” (Tabaraaniy) In another narration: “… They will not enter Paradise nor even smell its fragrance, and its fragrance can be smelled from such and such a distance.” Ummu ‘Alqamah said: “I saw Hafsah the daughter of Abdur-Rahman bn Abubakr came to ‘Aisha wearing a thin khimar (an head cover) which reveals her forehead, and ‘Aisha (R.A) tore it and said: “Don’t you know what Allah revealed in Suratu-n-Nur? Then, She called for a khimar (head cover) and covered her” (by Ibn Sa’d, 8/46) Narrated Abdullah bn Abi Salamah, that Umar bn Khattab (R.A) Qubtiyyah - an Egypt-made cloth to people, (it was a thin material made in Egypt). Then he said: “Let not your women use it (the cloth) as excuse (to wear light or thin cloth). A man said: “O leader of the believers, I have clothed my wife with it, and I inspected her in it by going forth and back at home, I did not see it transparent.” Umar (R.A) said: “If it is not transparent, it will depict the shape” (Al-bayhaqi, 2/234- 235). These two references show that for a cloth to be transparent or descriptive of body shape in unacceptable among them, and that the transparent one is worse than the descriptive one. This account for the saying of ‘Aisha (R.A) thus: “The khimar (head cover) is that which covers the skin and hair.” (Al-bayhaqi, 2/ 235). 4- The fourth Condition: The Hijab should be loose, spacious, not tight that will describe the body. Narrated Usama bn Zaid: “The Prophet (pbuh) clothe me Qubtiyyah- a thick Egyptian cloth, of the gift Di’hyah Al-kalbiy presented to him. I gave my wife the cloth and he said: “Why didn’t you wear the Qubtiyyah? I said: “I have given my wife.” He said: “Instruct her to wear a light cloth under it, verily I fear that it (the Qubtiyyah) could describe the size of her body shape. (Ahmad/ Bayhaqi) This hadith describes the obligation as mentioned by Imam Ash-shaokaaniy that it is mandatory for a woman to cover her body with a cloth that will not describe her body shape and this is a basic condition for the cloth used to cover one’s nudity … and that was why an underwear was recommended by the Prophet (pbuh). ‘Aisha (R.A) said: “A woman must have three clothes with which she observes solat: a blouse, a jalbaab (outer loose gown) and a khimaar (head cover) (Ibn Sa’d; 8/71, with sound chain on the authority of Muslim) Allah says: {اتَّبِعُوا مَا أُنْزِلَ إِلَيْكُمْ مِنْ رَبِّكُمْ وَلَا تَتَّبِعُوا مِنْ دُونِهِ أَوْلِيَاءَ قَلِيلًا مَا تَذَكَّرُونَ} [الأعراف: 3] . Follow, [O mankind], what has been revealed to you from your Lord and do not follow other than Him any allies. Little do you remember. (7: 3) SECOND KHUTBAH All praises are due to Allah sufficiently. May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon the chosen Prophet, his household and his companions who were committed to their faithfulness. Allah says: :" وَإِذَا أَرَدْنَا أَنْ نُهْلِكَ قَرْيَةً أَمَرْنَا مُتْرَفِيهَا فَفَسَقُوا فِيهَا فَحَقَّ عَلَيْهَا الْقَوْلُ فَدَمَّرْنَاهَا تَدْمِيرًا " {الإسراء :16} And when We intend to destroy a city, We command its affluent but they defiantly disobey therein; so the word comes into effect upon it, and We destroy it with [complete] destruction.. (17: 16) Thereafter, O servants of Allah, in the commentary to the verse above, Dr Wa’hbah Az-Zuhailiy said: “And when We intend to destroy a city …” i.e … when the time of total destruction of a people draws nearer, we command the affluent persons on obedience and righteousness. But when they contravene the command and cause mischief, punishment becomes irrevocable in accordance with their treachery. Such destruction encompasses the entire community and all people; rich and poor. The affluent ought to be the most thankful, but when he fails, he becomes the most deserving of wrath. The affluent was mentioned in the verse to illustrate their influence on the masses in any society. Allah says: وَكَذلِكَ جَعَلْنا فِي كُلِّ قَرْيَةٍ أَكابِرَ مُجْرِمِيها لِيَمْكُرُوا فِيها [الأنعام 6/ 123] “And thus We have placed within every city the greatest of its criminals to conspire therein.” (6:123) Sins serve as the chief cause of human destruction in life and hereafter, it cause strange diseases and epidemics. Today, the EBOLA VIRUS outbreak is spreading through the neighbouring countries to Nigeria, including, Guinea where about hundred persons have died, it has reached Liberia, Ghana, Mali … The Prophet (pbuh) said: “Never does obscenity (al-faahishah) become manifest amongst a people such that they make it open, except that plagues and diseases afflict them that had never appeared in their ancestors who have passed (before them). May Allah protect our country from this contagious outbreak- Amin. In Addition is the carnage orchestrated by the dreadful sect- Boko Haram in states like Zamfara, Adamawa, Yobe, Borno. Added to this list is the latest Abuja bombing which took place on Monday morning, 13th April, 2014, by 6.45a.m in Nyanya- a densely populated area of Abuja at the urban mass transport company limited garage, Nyanya, Abuja. Over hundred innocent souls were dead at the aftermath, many were wounded, and the count is still on. Also, over 200 girls were abducted in Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok in Borno State, on Monday night by members of the Boko Haram sect. These without doubt are part of the tribulations we have caused ourselves due to sins of our own making, may Allah forgive us and ward off this evil from our nation. Amin. Oh Allah descend peace; flowing with continuous tranquility and security upon Nigeria and all other Muslim nations.