Hijaab, - “Hijaab is Ultimate Freedom”

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:-> Hijaab)Islamic covering( has become a highly controversial issue in the West in general and in France in particular after the ban on wearingHijaabin its public schools and other places. This ban came as part of the policy of racial discrimination and negative attitudes towards Islam, which aims at eliminating the means of understating the importance ofHijaaband its role in society. However, this pressure should not prevent the Muslim woman from adhering to herHijaabeven if this requires leaving the country that fights it. We interviewed some non-Arab Muslim women and some employed sisters to shed light on the importance ofHijaaband its influence on their lives through their own experiences, and whetherHijaabhinders their progress. Hijaabis a great blessing: Yugoslavian, ‎Dr. Suzan Habib, 38 years old, who currently lives in Lebanon with her family, spoke about the importance ofHijaabin her life since she began wearing it 15 years ago, saying, "Hijaabis the greatest blessing that Allaah The Exalted bestowed upon me and I thank Him for it, in spite of the difficulties that I faced in my life since I left my family in Yugoslavia to marry a Muslim man. I became accustomed to a new lifestyle. Indeed, I left the material life behind me, but I am happy and pleased." Dr. Suzan has worn theHijaabsince the late eighties, when adherence to theHijaabwas still rare in Yugoslavia. Her family opposed the idea, but she insisted on wearing theHijaab, as what was important to her was to please Allaah The Almighty. She says, "I am assured and satisfied in spite of the fact that some people think ofHijaabas old fashioned. However, many people respected my decision to wear theHijaaband blessed it considering it a step to what is better." When we asked her about her opinion about the ban onHijaabin France, she said, "FightingHijaabmeans fighting Islam and hating it. I wonder! Where is the freedom that France claims, while it sets regulations on the personal freedom of Muslims? How can they banHijaab? Is it acceptable to grant freedom only to immorality and corruption? This shows their utter ignorance. Is the woman who adheres toHijaabto protect herself considered unworthy of freedom? How is a woman judged in such cases as these?" Dr. Suzan adds, "Hijaabgives the woman the freedom to move and work. MyHijaabis not an obstacle in the way of my work as a physician and I do my work with absolute freedom and deal with all social classes. The woman who wearsHijaabcan respectably work in many job. Islam gave women the right to wearHijaabin order to protect her from corruption and preserve her as a human, and maintain her dignity." Why do they interfere with people’s choices regarding what they wear? A French Muslim sister, Marian Jose )Maryam(, 36 years old speaks about how she began wearing theHijaab14 years ago, saying, "Before wearing theHijaab, I was living in a community dominated by the values of moral dissolution and absurdity. The youth in particular went over to the life of recklessness that encouraged them to spend their time in nightclubs, drinking alcohol, taking drugs, and having unlawful sexual relations. These evils take place under the pretext of "personal freedom" that the French enjoy. This continued until I met some Muslim students who influenced me greatly especially regarding my religiousness. I then realized that personal freedom is not about abandoning values and morals or keeping away from religion; on the contrary, theHijaaband Islam in general gave me freedom that allowed me to recognize my true value as a respectable human and not a cheap commodity that is available to everyone." She commented on the ban onHijaab, saying, "Adherence toHijaabdoes not accord with the fancies of many people; therefore, they ban and fight it especially that the woman in many societies has become a tool for promoting various goods and products. That is why the woman’s wearingHijaabis inconvenient for them because it will constrain their greed and exploitation of women. I believe that issuing a law targeting a particular social group in French society is based on a racial policy that contradicts the spirit of modern constitutions and legislation, which call for equality between all citizens regarding their rights and duties." Maryam wonders, "Imposing a ban onHijaabpractically means imposing a particular style of clothes on girls and this is essentially inconsistent with the principles of personal freedom firstly as well as contradicting religious freedom. Consequently, it imposes principles of a new secular creed." Hijaabis necessary to achieve equality between men and women: An American Muslim woman, Julia Wayne, 29 years old, who has been wearingHijaabfor ten years, takes pride in herHijaabsaying, "Hijaabis what distinguishes me, especially when I go to America…I feel that I am distinguished from other women.Hijaabenables me to keep my femininity to myself and it is no longer available for everyone to see. Islam considers the woman a jewel that must be protected, respected, and honored. This is what I call the personal freedom of the woman. I managed to complete my study in the field of commerce and myHijaabdid not prevent me from it. This is because the opinion of the men and students of me was different from other women who do not wear theHijaab, theHijaabforced them to respect me. Some people depictHijaabas a means for excluding women from mainstream society and keeping her at home away from participation in the political and cultural movement of the society. They also present theHijaabas an example of discrimination in Islam against women. I believe that this way of thinking is the cause of injustice and denying women’s rights. In fact, Islam introduced theHijaabto provide the woman with protection and to enable her to engage in public life." As for the real cause behind the campaign against theHijaab, she said, "I think that the campaign againstHijaabis due to the background of the deep-rooted fear of the natural increase in the Muslim population in France, particularly that the average age of the European population ‎in general and France in particular is high. In addition, France considers this as a warning against the global spread of Islam as a creed, culture, and identity. We should also not forget that Islam is the second religion in France. In my opinion, the IslamicHijaabis a personal choice and an integral part of the public, personal, and religious freedoms." A civil engineer, ‘Aa’ishah ‘Abdur-Rahmaan, 24 years old, who wanted to travel to France to complete her studies, said, "Hijaabis an integral part of a woman’s personality through which she protects herself and society against immorality. It is better for us to be aware of what is wrong before committing it, because prevention is better than treatment. Why do we wait until we fall into mistakes and then find ourselves forced to face the evil consequences? No one can make a mistake without being affected by his environment. In such a case, protection is a virtue because it protects one against falling into what is worse. They deny the woman some of her sought rights, asHijaabgives the woman freedom.Hijaabdoes not impose limitations on the woman, but it deters those who are immoral. In such a case, your freedom will be limited." As for her own experience withHijaab, she said, "I believe thatHijaabdoes not create an obstacle as it only veils a woman’s beauty, not her mind or freedom and it increases people’s respect for her." Ghaadah Amhaz, 28 years old, said about the ban onHijaab, "The campaign againstHijaabis a campaign against the Muslim woman who is responsible for her family. The Muslim woman all over the world plays a vital role on all political and social levels, while taking care of her family at the same time.Hijaabnever hinders educational progress, as seeking knowledge is a duty on every Muslim man and woman. In addition, there is no Islamic text separating the woman’sHijaaband her work and knowledge. Of course, this is what we call Divine Justice. Cultural and political attempts to eliminate the values of the community seek to spread immorality. Of course, this does not accord with the presence of women who adhere to theHijaab. Moreover, the mass media helps this invasion through exploiting the body and beauty of the woman in a cheap way. This is contrary to the woman who wears theHijaaband behaves as a human being with dignity and true value. Hijaabnever deprived me of my personal rights. Finally, I take this opportunity to say that the mass media must present purposeful programs that enlighten the youth and warn them against the dangers of falling into immorality and abandoning their values and beliefs."

- PUBLISHERNajimudeeN M

Hijaab, - A Message to the Woman Who Does not Adhere to the Hijaab

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:-> Tabarrujmeans impermissible exposure of women's adornment and beauty beforenon-Mahram)marriageable( men. This applies to exposure of jewels, arms, legs, chest, neck, face, and so on. Shaykh Abu Al-A‘la Al-Mawdoodi, may Allaah have mercy upon him, said: Tabarrujfor women means: Exposure of the beauty of the face and body beforenon-Mahrammen. Exposure of the beauty of the clothing and jewelry before ‎non-Mahrammen. Behaving in an alluring manner )walking, strutting, speaking, and so on( beforenon-Mahrammen. The ruling on the woman’s impermissible exposure of beauty: Exposure of woman’s beauty beforenon-Mahrammen is prohibited as proved by the Quran,Sunnah)tradition( and consensus of the Muslim scholars. The whole body of the woman is‘Awrah)part of the body that must not be exposed( and none but herMahrams)non-marriageable men( are allowed to see any part of her body, hair, jewelry or underclothes. What most women today do by exposing their beauty, adornment and jewelry in the streets, is in fact committing sins openly, imitating the disbelieving women, and arousingFitnah)trial(. The woman who leaves her house uncovering her head, neck, arms or legs, commits a major violation of the rules of the pureSharee‘ah)Islamic legislation(. This also applies to going out wearing clothes that expose the woman’s beauty or transparent clothes that do not cover her body, because all this falls under the prohibited exposure of beauty. One of the gravest sins and most harmful temptation is what most women do today by going out exposing their beauty and adornment and wearing perfume and intermixing with men -- an act that incurs the wrath and punishment of Allaah The Exalted. Proofs of the prohibition of the exposure of woman’s beauty: The main two sources of legislation in Islam, the Quran and theSunnah,forbid the woman’s exposure of her beauty and warn the woman who does this of a severe punishment because of the evil consequences that result from this attitude: 1-Allaah The Almighty Says )what means(:}And abide in your houses and do not display yourselves as ]was[ the display of the former times of ignorance.{]Quran 33:33[ i.e., stay in your houses and never go out without a necessity because this is safer for you. The Prophet,sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said:“The woman is ‘Awrah )i.e. should not be exposed(. If she goes out of her house, the devil looks at her and beautifies her in the eyes of men.”]Al-Bazzaar and At-Tirmithi[ We notice that the previous verse addresses the wives of the Prophet,sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, in particular, and all the Muslim women in general. That is because the wives of the Prophet,sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, are the Mothers of the Believers and the role model for all Muslim women everywhere and at all times. This is proved by the fact that there are other general rulings that preceded and followed this verse, such as ‎the prohibition of softness in speech and the display of adornment and beauty, like the former times of ignorance, in addition to the obligation of speaking in an appropriate way, observing prayers, payingZakaah)purifying alms( and obeying Allaah The Almighty and His Messenger,sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam.All these are general rulings that apply equally to the wives of the Prophet,sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, as well as other women. Al-Qurtubi, may Allaah have mercy upon him, said, "This verse implies a command for the wives of the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, to abide in their houses. This command applies to all Muslim women even if it was the only proof in this regard; nevertheless, there are countless commands and evidence proving that the Muslim woman should abide in her house and refrain from leaving it without a necessity. Sawdah bint Zam‘ah, may Allaah be pleased with her, the wife of the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, was asked, “Why do you not perform Hajj and ‘Umrah like your sisters )other wives of the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam(?” She answered, “I have already performed Hajj and ‘Umrah and Allaah The Almighty Commanded me to abide in my house.” The narrator said, “By Allaah, she did not leave her house until she died.” Allaah The Almighty Says )what means(:}Do not display yourselves as ]was[ the display of theformer times of ignorance{i.e., do not leave your houses frequently to show your adornment and beauty like the women during the former times of ignorance )pre-Islamic era( who were void of knowledge and religion. 2-Allaah The Almighty Says )what means(:}And not expose their adornment except that which ]necessarily[ appears thereof{]Quran 24:31[ Adornment here means three things: ·Beautiful clothes ·Jewelry ·Cosmetics. These three things form the adornment that Allaah The Almighty commanded women not to show before men except those who were excluded by Allaah The Almighty. Allaah The Almighty Says )what means(:}Except that which ]necessarily[ appears thereof{i.e., what cannot be concealed such as the outer clothes as well as what appears unintentionally. This verse proves that it is forbidden for women to show their adornment deliberately. Al-Qurtubi, may Allaah have mercy upon him, said, "There are two types of adornment: natural and artificial. The natural adornment is embodied in the face, as it is the origin of adornment and beauty. Artificial adornment applies to the things through which a woman tries to beautify herself such as clothes and jewels. These two types of adornment should be concealed in implementation of the command of Allaah The Almighty )which means(:}and not expose their adornment{." 3-Allaah The Almighty Says )what means(:}And women of post-menstrual age who have no desire for marriage -- there is no blame upon them for putting aside their outer garments ]but[ not displaying adornment.{]Quran 24:60[ This verse allows menopausal women who are no longer desired by men to put aside their outer garments andKhimaars)external covering garment(. Nevertheless, the verse states that it is better for them to modestly refrain from doing so:}But to modestly refrain ]from that[ is better for them.{]Quran 24:60[ If this is the case with older women, then, what about the young women who can still tempt men? The Prophet,sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said:“I am not leaving behind me a more harmful temptation to men than women.”]Al-Bukhaari and Muslim[ He also said:“Beware of this worldly life and of women. The first trial of the Children of Israel was through women.”]Muslim[ 4-It was narrated on the authority of Abu Hurayrah, may Allaah be pleased with him, that the Prophet,sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam,said:“There are two types of the people of Hell whom I have not seen: ]…[ and women who will be dressed but appear to be naked, inviting to evil; and they themselves will be inclined to it. Their heads will appear like the humps of camels inclined to one side. They will not enter Paradise and they will not smell its fragrance, which could be smelled from such-and-such a distance.”]Muslim[ This is a dire warning against the woman’s impermissible exposure of beauty, uncovering her face and wearing transparent and short clothes. This is a terrible threat of being deprived of Paradise for any woman who commits this sin. ThisHadeethalso implies a miracle of the Prophet,sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, because he foretold that women will do such things after his death, as he did not see them during his lifetime. Indeed, the prophecy came true and we see the women who are dressed in short or transparent clothes and headscarves but appear to be naked and even worse, because wearing such clothes may be more attractive than appearing naked. Such evil and disobedient women wear this hairstyle and do it for other women.“Their heads will appear like the humps ofcamels inclined to one side”i.e., they make their heads look larger by wearing a headband as it is common among women today who gather their hair over their heads and foreheads. Some harms of the woman’s impermissible exposure of beauty: Based on all that we have said, we can say that the woman’s impermissible exposure of beauty has adverse effects on both men and women in this world and in the Hereafter. It also degrades the woman and indicates her ignorance. It is prohibited for the young woman, the old woman, the beautiful woman and all other women. The danger of the woman’s impermissible exposure of beauty is very serious because it destroys the fabric of society, brings shame and disgrace and calls for temptation and dissolution. The woman who impermissibly exposes her beauty or adornment has followed the steps of the devil, disobeyed the commands of the Quran and theSunnahand transgressed the limits of Allaah The Exalted. It is extremely painful to see some Muslim women and girls in the streets, hospitals, and so on, uncovering their faces, arms, and legs ignoring the commands of Allaah The Almighty and His Messenger,sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, that forbid this and impose concealment and adherence to Hijaab. My dear Muslim sister, Beware of exposing your beauty and adornment beforenon-Mahrammen. Beware of going out frequently without aSharee‘ah-approved excuse to be truly obedient to Allaah The Almighty and His Messenger,sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, and protect your religion and honor. Imitation of the disbelieving women is one of the greatest evildoings. This imitation includes dressing like them, uncovering the hair, exposing the adornment, wearing their hairstyles, wigs, and so on. The Prophet,sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said:“Whoever imitates a people is one of them.”]Ahmad and Abu Daawood[ ]Ibn Hibbaan:Saheeh[

- PUBLISHERNajimudeeN M

Dought & clear, - Ruling on burying the dead in a large underground chamber in which they are placed next to one another

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:-> Is it permissible to bury the dead other than in graves? For example, digging a large underground chamber which can hold a number of dead, in which stones are placed like shelves and the dead are placed on them, and when this chamber is full it is closed up with a large rock. Praise be to Allah Firstly: There is nothing wrong with burying more than one deceased person in one grave, when there is a need to do so, although that is contrary to the basic principle that each person should be buried in a separate grave. It says inFataawa al-Lajnah ad-Daa’imah: The basic principle in Islam is that each deceased person should be buried in a separate grave if possible, and no one else should be buried with him, whether that is someone who died at the same time as him or someone who died after him. Similarly, the basic principle is that it is not permissible to disinter the dead after a while, remove them from their graves and put them in a single hole. But if it is not possible (to bury each person in a separate grave) because of lack of space, and there is no other space available, or it will cause a great deal of hardship to bury each person on his own, because there are so many dead people due to epidemic, mass killing and so on, it is permissible to bury more than one dead person in a single grave. End quote fromFataawa al-Lajnah ad-Daa’imah, 7/285 Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him) said: What is prescribed is to bury each person in a grave on his own, as has always been the custom of the Muslims in the past and at present. But if there is a need to put two or more people together in one grave, there is nothing wrong with that, because after the battle of Uhud, the Prophet (sa) buried two or three men in each grave. In this case, the closest to the qiblah should be the one who knew most Qur’an, because he is the best, and they should be placed next to one another. The fuqaha’ said. A barrier of soil should be placed between each two. End quote fromFataawa wa Rasaa’il al-‘Uthaymeen, 17/213 See also the answer to question no. 96667 Secondly: The Sunnah with regard to graves is to dig a hole in the ground for the deceased, then make a niche (lahd) inside it, by digging a trench in the side of the grave nearest to the qiblah, then to place the deceased in it. Fataawa Noor ‘ala ad-Darb, 9/2 The scholars of the committee said: With regard to the burial, a rectangular hole should be dug in the ground, according to the size of the deceased who is to be buried, then a niche should be made at the bottom of the grave on the side nearest to the qiblah, in which the deceased is placed with his face towards the qiblah, lying on his right side. Then the bricks should be placed level over him, and the spaces between the bricks should be filled with mud to prevent dirt getting on him, then the grave should be filled in with soil. End quote fromFataawa al-Lajnah ad-Daa’imah, 8/384 Shaykh Ibn Baaz (may Allah have mercy on him) was asked: In our country structures of stone and marble are built over graves, and burial chambers are built in the form of rooms beneath the ground in which the dead are placed. Is this permissible? He replied: With regard to building over graves and erecting structures over them and plastering them, this is an evil act and is not permissible. With regard to digging a hole in the ground and placing a number of dead in it, this is contrary to the Sunnah. The Sunnah is for each deceased person to be placed in a grave on his own. A niche should be made for him and he should be placed in his grave on his own. This is the Sunnah; it is what the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) used to do in Madinah, and it is what the Muslims do. But if there is a need because there are large numbers of deceased and it is too difficult to place each one in a grave on his own, then there is nothing to prevent putting two or three together in one grave. End quote fromFataawa Noor ‘ala ad-Darb, 14/96 To sum up the above: Making a chamber beneath the ground and burying the deceased in it in the manner mentioned is an act that is not prescribed. What is prescribed is to bury each deceased person on his own in the manner prescribed in Islam, then to level his grave over him, and not to bury more than one person in a single grave except in cases of need and the necessity. Further removed than that from the Sunnah and what is prescribed in Islam is: placing the dead on stones one above another in the form of shelves. And Allah knows best.

- PUBLISHERNajimudeeN M