Fathwa, - Good Hijab, Bad Hijab?

Question:
Is it haram or not preferable to wear colorful ornately decorated
hijabs? Should one stick to solid colors? I have oftentimes heard
different views. I was told that wearing solid, colored, undecorated
scarves is "good hijab" because it is more modest. On the other hand,
I have heard others argue that wearing beautiful scarves is being
modest enough, and that although the ornate scarves are obviously more
pleasing to the eye than the solid colored scarves, that is acceptable
because women should not look horrible either. I am confused. What
then really constitutes good hijab?
Answer:
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful Praise be to Allah.
May the peace and blessings of Allah shower upon our Beloved
Messenger, his family, companions, and those who follow them.
Our understanding of hijab comes from two verses of the Qur'an. The
first, in Surat al-Nur, reads, �And say to the believing women that
they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty; that they should
not display their beauty and ornaments except what must ordinarily
appear thereof; that they should draw their veils over their bosoms
and not display their beauty except to their husbands, their fathers,
their husbands' fathers, their sons, their husbands' sons, their
brothers, or their brothers' sons or their sisters' sons, or their
women or the servants whom their right hands possess, or male servants
free of physical needs, or small children who have no sense of the
shame of sex, and that they should not strike their feet in order to
draw attention to their hidden ornaments. And O you Believers, turn
you all together towards Allah, that you may attain Bliss.� (Quran
24:31).
The other verse in Surat al-Ahzab says, �O Prophet, tell your wives
and your daughters and the women of the believers to draw their cloaks
close round them (when they go abroad). That will be better, so that
they may be recognized and not annoyed. Allah is ever Forgiving,
Merciful.� (Quran 33:59)
One of the most famous hadith proofs for hijab is the following,
"A'isha (may Allah be pleased with her) reported that Asma�, the
daughter of Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) came to the
Messenger of Allah (may peace and blessings be upon him) while wearing
thin clothing. He approached her and said: 'O Asma�! When a girl
reaches the menstrual age, it is not proper that anything should
remain exposed except this and this. He pointed to the face and
hands." [Abu Dawud]
These are the evidences for hijab. As to what form the hijab takes,
that can vary depending upon local custom. Scholars are unanimous that
the hijab must cover every part of the woman's body, except for the
face and hands. Some Hanafi scholars say that the face, hands, and
feet are all exempted. The clothing used to cover the body should be
opaque and loose-fitting. In other words, the color of the skin and
the contours of the body should not show through the clothing. The
head should be covered with some form of a khimar or head veil. The
head veil should cover the hair, neck, ears, and bosom. Furthermore,
women should not make themselves up or use perfume when they go out.
Using makeup and perfume would defeat the whole purpose of hijab. It
is easy to see how the West has built a whole industry revolving
around making the female as seductive as possible with makeup,
perfume, revealing clothing, and constantly changing hair styles. This
is not an image that we Muslim women want.
As to what fabrics, colors, or styles of clothing you use, that is up
to you, as long as you have satisfied these basic requirements. It is
recommended to wear a jilbab, or over-garment. However, a long,
loose-fitting tunic with a long skirt also satisfies the requirement
for covering the body modestly. If you look at styles in the Muslim
world, you will see everything from an Arab abaya to an Iranian
chador, from Afghani burqas to Malaysian skirt and tunic sets, from
smart business suits to Indo-Pak shalvar qamiz. You will see a
diversity of fabrics, colors, and designs. All of these can fulfill
the basic requirement of hijab, which is the modest covering of the
hair and body. As far as color is concerned, a lot of that is
cultural. While wearing black in Iran or the Arab world is customary,
in Africa and Southeast Asia it is customary to be colorful and this
is not inappropriate. Diversity is one of the strengths of the Umma. I
don't think it's appropriate for people to tell you that if you wear a
black hijab, your hijab is good, but if you wear a hijab with flowers
on it, your hijab is bad. As long as you are modest and have not
dressed in a way that will attract attention to yourself, you are
fine. You can tell if you are wearing something that is showy or
flashy. What colors you wear are entirely up to you. Just use
discretion.
And Allah knows best. And Allah alone gives success.

The World of Jinn -I

The Quran and Sunnah )Prophet's sayings and actions( indicate that the
jinn exist, and that there is a purpose for their existence in this
life, which is to worship Allaah Alone, with no partner or associate.
Almighty Allaah Says )what means(:"And I did not create the jinn and
mankind except to worship Me."]Quran 51:56[ and also )what means(:"O
company of jinn and mankind, did there not come to you messengers from
among you, relating to you My verses …?"]Quran 6:130[
The world of the jinn is an independent and separate world, with its
own distinct nature and features that are hidden from the world of
humans. Jinn and humans have some things in common, such as the
possession of understanding and the choice between the way of good and
the way of evil. The word jinn comes from an Arabic root meaning
"hidden from sight". Allaah Says )what means(:"… Indeed, he )Satan(
sees you, he and his tribe, from where you do not see them. …"]Quran
7:27[
Allaah has told us in the Noble Quran the essence from which the jinn
were created. He Says )what means(:"And the jinn We created before
from scorching fire."]Quran 15:27[
And also )what means(:"And He created the jinn from a smokeless flame
of fire."]Quran 55:15[
According to one prophetic narration that was narrated by 'Aa'ishahthe
Prophetsaid:"The angels were created from light, the jinn were created
from fire, and Aadam was created from that which has been described to
you )soil(."]Muslim[
Types of jinn
Allaah, the Most Exalted, has created different types of jinn. Among
them are some that can take on different forms, such as dogs and
snakes; some who are like flying winds with wings; and some that can
travel and rest. The Messenger of Allaahsaid:"The jinn are of three
types: a type that has wings, they fly through the air; a type that
looks like snakes and dogs; and a type that stops for a rest then
resumes its journey."]At-Tabaraani and others[
The jinn and the Children of Aadam
Every individual among the Children of Aadam has a jinn who has been
appointed to be his constant companion )Qareen(. Ibn Mas'oodsaid: "The
Messenger of Allaahsaid:"There is not one of you who does not have a
jinn appointed to be his constant companion." They )present
companions( said: "And you too, O Messenger of Allaah?"Hesaid:"And me
too, but Allaah has helped me and he has submitted )became a believing
Muslim(, so that he only helps me to do good."]Muslim[
Their powers
Almighty Allaah has given the jinn powers that He has not given to
humans. He has told us about some of their powers, such as the ability
to move and travel quickly. A genie from among the jinn guaranteed to
the Prophet Sulaymaan )Solomon(that he would bring the throne of the
Queen of Yemen toJerusalemin a moment faster than that needed for a
man to get up from where he was sitting. Allaah says )what means(:"A
powerful one from among the jinn said, "I will bring it to you before
you rise from your place, and indeed, I am for this ]task[ strong and
trustworthy." Said one who had knowledge from the Scripture, "I will
bring it to you before your glance returns to you." And when ]Solomon[
saw it placed before him, he said, "This is from the favor of my Lord
..."]Quran 27:39-40[
The food and drink of the jinn
The jinn eat and drink. Ibn Mas'oodsaid: "The Messenger of
Allaahsaid:"One the jinn called me, and I went with him and recited
Quran for them.' He took me and showed me the traces of where they had
been and the traces of their fires. They )his fellow jinn( asked him
for food and he said: "You can have every bone on which the name of
Allaah has been mentioned that comes into your possession, as meat,
and all the droppings as food for your animals." The Prophetsaid, "So
do not use ]these things[ for cleaning yourselves ]after relieving
oneself[, for they are the food and provision of your
brothers.'"]Muslim[
The believing jinn may eat any bone on which the name of Allaah has
been mentioned, because the Messengerdid not permit them to have
anything on which Allaah's name has not been mentioned - those are for
the disbelievers among the jinn.
The beasts of the jinn
According to the narration that was narrated by Ibn Mas'oodthat we
have quoted above, the jinn asked the Messengerfor provision, and he
said to them: "…and ]you can have[ all the droppings as food for your
animals."
The dwelling-places of the jinn
The jinn live on this earth where we do. They are mostly to be found
in ruins and unclean places like bathrooms, dunghills, garbage dumps
and graveyards. Hence, the Prophettaught us to take precautions when
entering such places, by reciting the Athkaar )supplications(
prescribed by Islam. One of these was reported by Anas Ibn Maalikwho
said: "When the Messenger of Allaahused to relieve himself, he would
say:"Allaahumma inni a'oothu bika min al-khubuthi wa'l-khabaa'ith )O
Allaah, I seek refuge with You from the evil ones, male and
female(.'"]Al-Bukhaari[

The World of Jinn -II

Jinn: Muslims and non-Muslims
Almighty Allaah tells us in the Noble Quran that some of the jinn said
)what means(:"And among us are Muslims ]in submission to Allaah[, and
among us are the unjust. And whoever has become Muslim — those have
sought out the right course. But as for the unjust, they will be, for
Hell, firewood.'"]Quran 72:14-15[
The Muslims among the jinn are of different levels as regards
righteousness and piety. Allaah Says )what means(:"And among us are
the righteous, and among us are ]others[ not so; we were ]of[ divided
ways."]Quran 72:11[
The story of the first jinn who became Muslim was narrated by
'Abdullaah Ibn 'Abbaaswho said: "The Prophetwent out with a group of
his Companions )( heading for the marketplace of 'Ukaath. This was
when the devils were prevented from getting any news from heaven, and
shooting stars had been sent against them. The devils went back to
their people, who said, 'What is the matter with you?' They said, 'We
cannot get news from heaven, and shooting stars were sent against us.'
Their people said, 'Nothing is stopping you from hearing news from
heaven except some new event that must have happened. Go and look in
the east and the west of the earth, and see if you can find out what
it is that is stopping you from hearing news from heaven."
Those who went out in the direction of Tihaamah came upon the
Prophetin )a place called( Nakhlah, when he was on his way to 'Ukaath,
and found him leading his Companions in Fajr )dawn( prayer. When they
heard the Quran, they listened to it and said, 'By Allaah, this is
what is stopping us from hearing news from heaven.' When they went
back to their people, they said as Allaah tells us in the Quran )what
means(:"Indeed, we have heard an amazing Quran ]i.e. recitation[. It
guides to the right course, and we have believed in it. And we will
never associate with our Lord anyone."]Quran 72:1-2[
Then Allaah revealed to His Prophetthe verse )which means(:"Say, ]O
Muhammad[, "It has been revealed to me that a group of the jinn
listened and said, "Indeed, we have heard an amazing
Quran..."]Al-Bukhaari[
Their reckoning on the Day of Resurrection
The jinn will be called to account on the day of Resurrection.
Mujaahidsaid, concerning the verse )which means(:"…but the jinn have
already known that they ]who made such claims[ will be brought ]to
punishment[."]Quran 37:158[
"They will be brought to judgement."]Al-Bukhaari[
Protection from the harm of the jinn
Because the jinn can see us while we cannot see them, the
Prophettaught us many ways to protect ourselves from their harm, such
as seeking refuge with Allaah from the accursed Shaytaan )Satan(,
reciting chapters Al-Falaq and An-Naas )the last two chapters of the
Quran(, and reciting the words taught by Allaah in the Quran )which
mean(:"And say, "My Lord, I seek refuge in You from the incitements of
the devils. And I seek refuge in You, my Lord, lest they be present
with me."]Quran 23:97-98[
Saying Bismillaah )in the Name of Allaah( before entering one's home,
before eating or drinking, and before having intercourse with one's
spouse will also keep the devil from entering the house or partaking
with a person in his food, drink and sexual activity.
Similarly, mentioning the name of Allaah before entering the toilet or
taking off one's clothes will prevent the jinn from seeing a person's
private parts or harming him, as the Prophetsaid:"To put a barrier
that will prevent the jinn from seeing the 'Awrah )parts of the body
that must be covered in Islam( of the Children of Aadam, let any one
of you say 'Bismillaah' when entering the toilet."]At-Tirmithi[
Strength of faith and religion in general will also prevent the jinn
from harming a person, so much so that if they were to fight, the one
who has faith would win. 'Abdullaah Ibn Mas'oodsaid: "A man from among
the Companions of Muhammadmet a male jinn. They wrestled, and the man
knocked down the jinn. The man said to him, 'You look small and skinny
to me, and your forearms look like the front paws of a dog. Do all the
jinn look like this, or only you?' He said, 'No, by Allaah, among them
I am strong, but let us wrestle again, and if you defeat me I will
teach you something that will do you good.' The man said, 'Fine.' He
)the jinn( said, 'Recite )the verse, which means(:"Allaah- there is no
deity except Him, the Ever- Living, the Sustainer of ]all[ existence
…"]Quran 2: 255[
The man said, 'Fine.' He said, 'You will never recite this in your
house but the Satan will come out of it like a donkey breaking wind,
and he will never come back in until the next morning.'" ]Ad-Daarimi[

Fataawa Regarding Mother's Day-II

5- Shaykh 'Abdul-'Azeez ibn Baazsaid,
I read the article that was published by An-Nadwah Journal, on
30-11-1384 AH, under the title "Honoring the Mother and Honoring the
Family", and felt that the writer appreciated, from many perspectives,
the Western innovation of fixing a day in the year to celebrate the
mother. He mentioned in his article something of which the advocates
of that day were heedless. I mean the state of melancholy and grief
that afflicts the motherless children when seeing their friends
celebrating and honoring their mothers. He, instead, proposed to
extend the celebration to include all family members, apologizing for
the fact that Islam did not bring this day, because the Islamic
Sharee'ah has made honoring the mother an obligation.
The writer did well by his apology on behalf of Islam on one hand, and
the mention of the evil effect of this day of which its inventors were
heedless. However, at the same time, he did not refer to the
disagreement of this religious innovation with the clear texts that
were narrated on the authority of the Messenger of Islamand their
resulting harm and the imitation they imply of the polytheists and
disbelievers. By this brief word, I would like to bring to the mind of
that writer and others, the evil of this religious innovation that was
invented by the enemies and ignorant people of Islam to the extent
that they defamed it ]i.e., Islam[, and caused people to have aversion
to it. This normally results in confusion and division, whose harmful
effects and corruption are known only to Allaah The Almighty.
It is proven, in authentic Hadeeths, that the Prophetwarned us about
religious innovations, and imitating the enemies of Allaah, namely the
Jews and Christians and polytheists. A mention may be made of his
statement:"Whoever introduces anything new in our matter ]i.e.
religion[, which does not originally belong to it, it will be
rejected."]Al-Bukhaari and Muslim[ According to another version by
Muslim:"Whoever does something that is not supported by our matter
]religion[, it will be rejected."]Muslim[
Furthermore, the Prophetwould say in his Friday Khutbah )sermon(:"To
proceed, the best speech is the Book of Allaah; the best guidance is
the guidance of Muhammad; and the worst of matters are the innovations
]in religion[; and every religious innovation leads to
misguidance."]Muslim[
No doubt, fixing a day in the year to celebrate and honor the mother
or the family is among the innovations of matters ]in religion[, which
was not done by the Prophetnor by his Companions. So, it is obligatory
to leave it and warn people not to participate in it, and to be
satisfied instead with what has been ordained by Allaah The Almighty
and His Messenger.
It has already been clarified that the writer referred to the fact
that the Islamic Sharee'ah has ordered the Muslims to honor the mother
and constantly encourages dutifulness to her. Indeed, he has told the
truth in this respect. It is obligatory for the Muslims to be
satisfied with what has been ordained for them by Allaah The Almighty,
as regards dutifulness to the mother, honoring her, doing good to her
and obeying her in what is good at all times. Meanwhile, they have to
beware of the innovations of religious matters, of which Allaah The
Almighty warned them, since they lead them to imitate the enemies of
Allaah, follow in their footsteps and the innovations which they like.
This is not unique to the mother in particular, since Allaah The
Almighty ordered the Muslims to be dutiful to both parents, to honor
them, do good to them, and maintain all kinship ties; He also warned
them of undutifulness and severing ties. Allaah The Almighty has
favored the mother with more care and dutifulness because she cares
for the child more, and her suffering in pregnancy, birth and
breastfeeding is greater. In confirmation of this, Allaah The Almighty
Says )what means(:
·}And your Lord has decreed that you not worship except Him, and to
parents, good treatment.{]Quran 17:23[
·}And We have enjoined upon man ]care[ for his parents. His mother
carried him, ]increasing her[ in weakness upon weakness, and his
weaning is in two years. Be grateful to Me and to your parents; to Me
is the ]final[ destination.{]Quran: 31:14[
·}So would you perhaps, if you turned away, cause corruption on earth
and sever your ]ties of[ relationship? Those ]who do so[ are the ones
that Allaah has cursed, so He deafened them and blinded their
vision.{]Quran 47:22-23[
It was narrated in an authentic Hadeeth that the Messenger of
Allaahsaid:"Should I not tell you about the greatest of the grave
major sins?"They ]the Companions[ said, "Yes, O Messenger of Allaah."
Hesaid:"To associate partners with Allaah ]in worship[, to be
undutiful to parents."]When he said so[ he was reclining. Then hesat
up and said:"Behold! ]I warn you about[ giving a forged statement!
Behold! ]I warn you of[ giving a false witness!"
Another Hadeeth states: "A man asked the Messenger of Allaahsaying, 'O
Messenger of Allaah, who is most entitled to my best companionship?'
The Prophetsaid:'Your mother.'The man said, 'Who comes next?' The
Prophetsaid:'Your mother.'The man further asked, 'Who comes next?' The
Prophetsaid:'Your mother.'The man asked ]for the fourth time[, 'Who
comes next?' The Prophetsaid'Your father, and then the next of kin.'"
The Prophetfurther said:"No severer, i.e. one who severs kinship ties,
shall enter Paradise."
It was narrated in an authentic Hadeeth that the Prophetsaid:"Whoever
wants his means of sustenance to be expanded for him or his lifetime
to be lengthened should maintain his kinship ties."]Muslim[
There are many famous Quranic verses and Prophetic Hadeeths that
support the obligation of dutifulness to parents, maintaining kinship
ties and confirming the mother's right. However, what we have
mentioned is sufficient. They clearly indicate the obligation of
honoring both parents, showing respect to them, doing good to them as
well as to all kith and kin constantly. They also guide to the fact
that undutifulness to parents and severing kinship ties are among the
most odious attributes and grave major sins which bring about the fire
]of Hell[ and the wrath of ]Allaah[ The Compeller; we ask Allaah to
save us from that.
Surely, this is more overwhelming and greater than the Western
innovation of favoring the mother with only one day of honoring in the
year, which leads to neglecting her all the remaining days of the year
and turning away from the right of the father and all kith and kin. It
is clear for those who are intelligent that this measure results in
great corruption, disagrees with the law of the Wisest of all the
wise, and leads to falling into evil of which His trustworthy
Messengerwarned.
Along with this innovation is the celebration held by a lot of people,
namely, Mawlids, commemoration of national independence or accessionto
the throne, and so on. These all belong to the religious innovations
in which a lot of Muslims imitate the enemies of Allaah The Almighty,
and pay no heed to the warnings and prohibitions that are mentioned in
the purified Sharee'ah.
This confirms the authentic Hadeeth where the Messenger of
Allaahsaid:"You will follow the ways of those who were before you very
closely ]i.e. so completely and literally[ that if they should go into
the hole of a lizard, you too will go there."The Companionsasked,"O
Messenger of Allaah! Do you mean the Jews and the Christians?" He
replied:"Who else?"]Al-Bukhaari and Muslim[
According to another version:"My Ummah will copy the deeds of the
previous nations, span by span and cubit by cubit ]i.e., inch by
inch[."They ]the Companions[ asked, "O Messenger of Allaah! Do you
mean by those ]nations[ the Persians and the Romans?" He said:"Who can
it be other than them?"]Al-Bukhaari[
Indeed, what was foretold by the Prophetcame true. The people of this
Ummah, except whomever Allaah willed not to, have imitated those who
were before them, from among the Jews, Christians and Magians, and
others like them of the disbelievers, in many of their morals and
deeds, to the extent that Islam has become alien to them; many people
regard the ways, morals and deeds of the disbelievers better than what
has been brought by Islam. Good has turned into evil, and evil into
good, the Sunnah into religious innovation, and the religious
innovation into Sunnah, in the sight of the majority of the people,
simply because of ignorance, and turning away from what has been
brought by Islam in terms of noble morals and righteous deeds. We ask
Allaah to help Muslims understand their religion, to set right their
affairs and guide their leaders, and to direct our scholars and
writers to publicize the good that our religion has come with, and to
warn about the religious innovations and invented heresies which
defame it and cause people to have aversion to it; He has power over
all things. May Allaah confer blessing and peace upon His slave and
Messenger - Muhammad- and upon his family and Companions, and those
who follow his way and emulate the guidance of his Sunnah till the Day
of Judgment.
According to some scholars, the man should do his best before Allaah
The Almighty when attempting to set right the affairs of his wife. The
Messenger of Allaah,said:"Whoever imitates a people becomes one of
them."