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* They are protecting their modesty by dressing this way instead of showing their body off for everyone to see. | * They are protecting their modesty by dressing this way instead of showing their body off for everyone to see. | ||
The crux of the issue is how this mandate made its way into the Qur'an in the first place? We can find this information in the ahadith by examining the [[Revelational Circumstances of the | The crux of the issue is how this mandate made its way into the Qur'an in the first place? We can find this information in the ahadith by examining the [[Revelational Circumstances of the Quran|revelational circumstances]] of these verses. | ||
== Qur'an | == Qur'an Ayahs Regarding the Hijab == | ||
===Surah 24:31=== | |||
{{quote |{{Quran|24|31}}|'''Yusuf Ali:'''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 husband's fathers, their sons, their husbands' sons, their brothers or their brothers' sons, or their sisters' sons, or their women, or the slaves 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 ye Believers! turn ye all together towards Allah, that ye may attain Bliss. | {{quote |{{Quran|24|31}}|'''Yusuf Ali:'''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 husband's fathers, their sons, their husbands' sons, their brothers or their brothers' sons, or their sisters' sons, or their women, or the slaves 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 ye Believers! turn ye all together towards Allah, that ye may attain Bliss. | ||
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'''Shakir:''' And say to the believing women that they cast down their looks and guard their private parts and do not display their ornaments except what appears thereof, '''and let them wear their head-coverings over their bosoms''', and not display their ornaments except to their husbands or their fathers, or the fathers of their husbands, or their sons, or the sons of their husbands, or their brothers, or their brothers' sons, or their sisters' sons, or their women, or those whom their right hands possess, or the male servants not having need (of women), or the children who have not attained knowledge of what is hidden of women; and let them not strike their feet so that what they hide of their ornaments may be known; and turn to Allah all of you, O believers! so that you may be successful.}} | '''Shakir:''' And say to the believing women that they cast down their looks and guard their private parts and do not display their ornaments except what appears thereof, '''and let them wear their head-coverings over their bosoms''', and not display their ornaments except to their husbands or their fathers, or the fathers of their husbands, or their sons, or the sons of their husbands, or their brothers, or their brothers' sons, or their sisters' sons, or their women, or those whom their right hands possess, or the male servants not having need (of women), or the children who have not attained knowledge of what is hidden of women; and let them not strike their feet so that what they hide of their ornaments may be known; and turn to Allah all of you, O believers! so that you may be successful.}} | ||
===Surah 33:59=== | |||
{{ quote |{{Quran|33|59}}|'''Yusuf Ali:''' O Prophet! Tell thy wives and daughters, and the believing women, that they should cast their outer garments over their persons (when abroad): that is most convenient, that they should be known (as such) and not molested. And Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. | {{ quote |{{Quran|33|59}}|'''Yusuf Ali:''' O Prophet! Tell thy wives and daughters, and the believing women, that they should cast their outer garments over their persons (when abroad): that is most convenient, that they should be known (as such) and not molested. And Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. | ||
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The first verse above states that the purpose is to hide women's beauty from men. The second verse makes it clear that it is to prevent molestation/harassment whilst traveling. We also do not find any such requirement for Muslim men. | The first verse above states that the purpose is to hide women's [[beauty]] from men. The second verse makes it clear that it is to prevent molestation/harassment whilst traveling. We also do not find any such requirement for Muslim men. What are the possible explanations for this? | ||
* Women's beauty is so enticing that men are unable to control themselves if they see an uncovered female - This cannot be right because women do not have to cover themselves in front of those males to whom they are related. | * Women's beauty is so enticing that men are unable to control themselves if they see an uncovered female - This cannot be right because women do not have to cover themselves in front of those males to whom they are related. | ||
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The current perception in Islamic society is that an unveiled woman is asking to be sexually harassed or assaulted. Although not a guarantee, they believe that the wearing of a veil is added protection against the chance of assault. However as we look at the ahadith, we find that ''none'' of the above reasons are correct as we see when studying the revelational circumstances of these verses. The Hijab verses were sent down in response to a specific situation occurring at the time. | The current perception in Islamic society is that an unveiled woman is asking to be sexually harassed or assaulted. Although not a guarantee, they believe that the wearing of a veil is added protection against the chance of assault. However as we look at the ahadith, we find that ''none'' of the above reasons are correct as we see when studying the revelational circumstances of these verses. The Hijab verses were sent down in response to a specific situation occurring at the time. | ||
==Ahadith | ==Ahadith Regarding the Hijab== | ||
===Umar bin Al-Khattab's | ===Umar bin Al-Khattab's Involvement=== | ||
{{ quote |{{Bukhari|1|4|148}}|Narrated 'Aisha: | {{ quote |{{Bukhari|1|4|148}}|Narrated 'Aisha: | ||
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Of course this brings up some obvious questions: | Of course this brings up some obvious questions: | ||
* If Muhammad is just a messenger, relating Allah's word, why did Umar ask Muhammad for the hijab revelation? Why | * If Muhammad is just a messenger, relating Allah's word, why did Umar ask Muhammad for the hijab revelation? Why did he not just pray to Allah and ask directly? | ||
* No revelation was sent down until Umar spied on Muhammad's own wives. Why did Umar do this? How did he know (or at least suspect) it would be successful? Why does Allah care about toilet privacy so much that he revealed a verse pertaining to | * No revelation was sent down until Umar spied on Muhammad's own wives. Why did Umar do this? How did he know (or at least suspect) it would be successful? Why does Allah care about toilet privacy so much that he revealed a verse pertaining to ''all'' Muslim women that will ever live? | ||
A common | A common apologetic for this is that Allah was waiting for Umar to do this so that the situational revelation could come down. However this is not mentioned anywhere, thus there is no evidence for it. Moreover, Umar confirms that he came up with the idea first and then Allah "agreed with him". | ||
====Allah | ====Allah Agrees with Umar==== | ||
{{ quote | {{Bukhari|6|60|10}}|Narrated Anas: | {{ quote | {{Bukhari|6|60|10}}|Narrated Anas: | ||
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It appears however, that Umar was a serial toilet-place loiterer, because after the revelation of the verses he had so wanted, he was at it again. | It appears however, that Umar was a serial toilet-place loiterer, because after the revelation of the verses he had so wanted, he was at it again. | ||
====Umar | ====Umar Spies Again==== | ||
{{ quote |{{Bukhari|6|60|318}}|Narrated Aisha: | {{ quote |{{Bukhari|6|60|318}}|Narrated Aisha: | ||
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{{ quote | {{Muslim|26|5395}}| A'isha reported that Sauda (Allah be pleased with her) went out (in the fields) in order to answer the call of nature even after the time when veil had been prescribed for women. She had been a bulky lady, significant in height amongst the women, and she could not conceal herself from him who had known her. 'Umar b. Khattab saw her and said: Sauda, by Allah, you cannot conceal from us. Therefore, be careful when you go out. She ('A'isha) said: She turned back. Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) was at that time in my house having his evening meal and there was a bone in his hand. She (Sauda) cline and said: Allah's Messenger. I went out and 'Umar said to me so and so. She ('A'isha) reported: There came the revelation to him and then it was over; the bone was then in his hand and he had not thrown it and he said:" Permission has been granted to you that you may go out for your needs."}} | {{ quote | {{Muslim|26|5395}}| A'isha reported that Sauda (Allah be pleased with her) went out (in the fields) in order to answer the call of nature even after the time when veil had been prescribed for women. She had been a bulky lady, significant in height amongst the women, and she could not conceal herself from him who had known her. 'Umar b. Khattab saw her and said: Sauda, by Allah, you cannot conceal from us. Therefore, be careful when you go out. She ('A'isha) said: She turned back. Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) was at that time in my house having his evening meal and there was a bone in his hand. She (Sauda) cline and said: Allah's Messenger. I went out and 'Umar said to me so and so. She ('A'isha) reported: There came the revelation to him and then it was over; the bone was then in his hand and he had not thrown it and he said:" Permission has been granted to you that you may go out for your needs."}} | ||
Apparently, Umar | Apparently, Umar was not satisfied once he had gotten the Hijab verses he eagerly bothered Muhammad about. He wanted women to be completely unrecognizable. | ||
===Reasoning on the | ===Reasoning on the Hijab=== | ||
A common claim by | A common claim by [[apologists]] is that the Hijab protects women against unwanted sexual attention from men. Well known apologist [[Dr.]] [[Zakir Naik]] takes this line of reasoning in his [[Zakir_Naik:_His_Background,_Views_and_Debates#Hijab|defense of the hijab]] mandate. Before evaluating this claim we must examine a few more ahadith: | ||
{{ quote |{{Muslim|26|5416}}|'A'isha reported that a eunuch used to come to the wives of Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him) and they did not And anything objectionable in his visit considering him to be a male without any sexual desire. Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him) one day came as he was sitting with some of his wives and he was busy in describing the bodily characteristics of a lady and saying: As the comes in front four folds appear on her front side and as she turns her back eight folds appear on the back side. Thereupon Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him) said: I me that he knows these things; do not, therefore. allow him to cater. She (" A'isha) said: Then they began to observe veil from him.}} | {{ quote |{{Muslim|26|5416}}|'A'isha reported that a eunuch used to come to the wives of Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him) and they did not And anything objectionable in his visit considering him to be a male without any sexual desire. Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him) one day came as he was sitting with some of his wives and he was busy in describing the bodily characteristics of a lady and saying: As the comes in front four folds appear on her front side and as she turns her back eight folds appear on the back side. Thereupon Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him) said: I me that he knows these things; do not, therefore. allow him to cater. She (" A'isha) said: Then they began to observe veil from him.}} | ||
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A mukhannath (eunuch) used to enter upon the wives of Prophet (peace be upon him). They (the people) counted him among those who were free of physical needs. One day the Prophet (peace be upon him) entered upon us when he was with one of his wives, and was describing the qualities of a woman, saying: When she comes forward, she comes forward with four (folds in her stomach), and when she goes backward, she goes backward with eight (folds in her stomach). The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: Do I not see that this (man) knows what here lies. Then they (the wives) observed veil from him. }} | A mukhannath (eunuch) used to enter upon the wives of Prophet (peace be upon him). They (the people) counted him among those who were free of physical needs. One day the Prophet (peace be upon him) entered upon us when he was with one of his wives, and was describing the qualities of a woman, saying: When she comes forward, she comes forward with four (folds in her stomach), and when she goes backward, she goes backward with eight (folds in her stomach). The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: Do I not see that this (man) knows what here lies. Then they (the wives) observed veil from him. }} | ||
== | ====Evaluating the "Protection" Claim==== | ||
Given the fact that the verses were first revealed after Umar verbally harassed Muhammad's wives while they were going to the toilet, and that Muhammad told women to wear the veil even in the presence of a eunuch, we must conclude that the veil is only intended to prevent men from evaluating the physical attributes of females. Since eunuchs have no sexual desire, the claim that it is to prevent sexual molestation and not just gossip/verbal harassment is scripturally invalid. | |||
Another interesting thing to note is that all of the verses and ahadith examined so far are to do with ''Muslim men'' harassing ''Muslim females''. Thus Allah has revealed this verse to protect the believing women from the believing men. | |||
In non-Islamic societies, women are generally free to walk around unveiled and not be harassed/assaulted every few blocks by men, but in an Islamic society (e.g. in [[Egypt]] where women and young girls are harassed 7 times every 200 meters<ref>[{{Reference archive|1=http://www.ghanamedianews.com/us/sports/item/1072-egypt’s-ncw-chief-says-women-harassed-7-times-every-200-meters.html|2=2012-12-31}} Egypt’s NCW chief says women harassed 7 times every 200 meters] - GhanaMed, September 6, 2012</ref><ref>Manar Ammar - [{{Reference archive|1=http://www.bikyamasr.com/77158/sexual-harassment-and-pedophilia-await-egyptian-girls-outside-schools/|2=2012-09-14}} Sexual harassment awaits Egyptian girls outside schools] - Bikya Masr, September 10, 2012</ref> or in [[Saudi Arabia]] where the observance of hijab is strictly enforced but the country still has one of the highest [[rape]] scales in the world<ref>{{cite web|url= http://womanstats.wordpress.com/2013/01/16/the-high-rape-scale-in-saudi-arabia/|title= The High Rape-Scale in Saudi Arabia|publisher= WomanStats Project (blog)|author= |date= January 16, 2013|archiveurl= http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwomanstats.wordpress.com%2F2013%2F01%2F16%2Fthe-high-rape-scale-in-saudi-arabia%2F&date=2013-07-13|deadurl=no}}</ref>) this would not be the case. If not arrested under indecency laws, women would be constantly harassed and/or assaulted by Muslim men. | |||
Furthermore, certain studies carried out in the Muslim world have proven that the widely-held belief that a veil is added protection against the chance of assault is actually false (i.e. the majority of victims wear the hijab).<ref>Magdi Abdelhadi - [{{Reference archive|1=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/7514567.stm|2=2012-12-31}} Egypt's sexual harassment 'cancer'] - BBC News, July 18, 2008</ref> Thus we can conclude that the hypothetical situations like that presented by Naik and other apologist, in favor of the Hijab, are not only scripturally invalid, but also technically invalid, even in Islamic societies. | |||
===Different | ===Different Types of Veiling=== | ||
There are other ahadith that talk of the 'verses of al-hijab' but these are concerning a [[Sex Segregation in Islam|different type of hijab]] (veil) with, of course, a different set of revelational circumstances. | There are other ahadith that talk of the 'verses of al-hijab' but these are concerning a [[Sex Segregation in Islam|different type of hijab]] (veil) with, of course, a different set of revelational circumstances. | ||
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that he was a boy of ten at the time when the Prophet emigrated to Medina. He added: I served Allah's Apostle for ten years (the last part of his life time) and I know more than the people about the occasion whereupon the order of Al-Hijab was revealed (to the Prophet). Ubai b n Ka'b used to ask me about it. It was revealed (for the first time) during the marriage of Allah's Apostle with Zainab bint Jahsh. In the morning, the Prophet was a bride-groom of her and he Invited the people, who took their meals and went away, but a group of them remained with Allah's Apostle and they prolonged their stay. Allah's Apostle got up and went out, and I too, went out along with him till he came to the lintel of 'Aisha's dwelling place. Allah's Apostle thought that those people had left by then, so he returned, and I too, returned with him till he entered upon Zainab and found that they were still sitting there and had not yet gone. The Prophet went out again, and so did I with him till he reached the lintel of 'Aisha's dwelling place, and then he thought that those people must have left by then, so he returned, and so did I with him, and found those people had gone.''' At that time the Divine Verse of Al-Hijab was revealed, and the Prophet set a screen between me and him (his family).''' }} | that he was a boy of ten at the time when the Prophet emigrated to Medina. He added: I served Allah's Apostle for ten years (the last part of his life time) and I know more than the people about the occasion whereupon the order of Al-Hijab was revealed (to the Prophet). Ubai b n Ka'b used to ask me about it. It was revealed (for the first time) during the marriage of Allah's Apostle with Zainab bint Jahsh. In the morning, the Prophet was a bride-groom of her and he Invited the people, who took their meals and went away, but a group of them remained with Allah's Apostle and they prolonged their stay. Allah's Apostle got up and went out, and I too, went out along with him till he came to the lintel of 'Aisha's dwelling place. Allah's Apostle thought that those people had left by then, so he returned, and I too, returned with him till he entered upon Zainab and found that they were still sitting there and had not yet gone. The Prophet went out again, and so did I with him till he reached the lintel of 'Aisha's dwelling place, and then he thought that those people must have left by then, so he returned, and so did I with him, and found those people had gone.''' At that time the Divine Verse of Al-Hijab was revealed, and the Prophet set a screen between me and him (his family).''' }} | ||
We see that in addition to the personal hijab a 'house hijab' is also required to separate the women of the house from visitors; in the form of a separating, opaque screen. Again as we see above this | We see that in addition to the personal hijab, a 'house hijab' is also required to separate the women of the house from visitors; in the form of a separating, opaque screen. Again as we see above this was a situational revelation. Muhammad was annoyed that people stayed and chatted with his wives after having dinner at the house, so Allah revealed a verse requiring a separation to put a damper on communication, thereby meaning guests do not stay as long before and after dinner. The above verses are not pertinent to the type of hijab being covered in this article, but have been presented to further highlight the silly circumstances of many of these situational revelations; also to acknowledge that 'hijab' as mentioned in the Qur'an and ahadith do not always refer to the same thing. | ||
== Conclusion == | == Conclusion == | ||
The reason that Muslim women wear the hijab today is not a spiritual one, nor is it a matter of piety. Covering the hair/face cannot be considered an act of modesty because Muslim men are not required to cover theirs. The sole reason they do it is because Umar bin Al-Khattab, a [[Sahabah|companion]] of Muhammad, wished that | The reason that Muslim women wear the hijab today is not a spiritual one, nor is it a matter of piety. Covering the hair/face cannot be considered an act of modesty because Muslim men are not required to cover theirs. The sole reason they do it is because Umar bin Al-Khattab, a [[Sahabah|companion]] of Prophet Muhammad, wished that he would reveal verses from Allah requiring women to wear it. When Muhammad did not oblige, Umar did not consider praying to Allah for assistance. Umar knew he had to make it personal for Muhammad himself in order to bring the revelation down. He followed Muhammad's wives out when they went to go to the toilet and made his presence known. When Muhammad heard of this, the revelation that Umar had so wanted was sent down from Allah. Umar knew where these revelations were really coming from, which is why he went to Muhammad and harassed his wives instead of asking Allah. | ||
Although the revelational circumstances for the hijab | Although the revelational circumstances for the hijab may seem comical, the consequences that we can see to this day, are not. The requirement for the hijab has had the effect of placing full responsibility for Muslim-male self control onto the females - freeing the men of responsibility for their actions if they see an unveiled woman. Lack of self control is not an inherent attribute to men, because men in non-Islamic societies generally do not have such self control issues; when it is rare to see a woman covered so in these societies. The hijab's purpose, as revealed and to this day, is designed to protect Muslim females from the now acceptable behavior of Muslim males; behavior which has been deemed socially acceptable precisely because of the requirement of Muslim females to wear the hijab. | ||
{{Core Women}} | {{Core Women}} | ||
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==See Also== | ==See Also== | ||
{{Hub4|Hijab|Hijab}} | |||
{{Translation-links-english|[[La_Revelation_sur_le_Hijab|French]], [[La Revelación de la Hijab|Spanish]], [[Ortunmenin Vahyolunması|Turkish]]}} | |||
==External Links== | ==External Links== | ||
* | *{{external link| url = http://www.nigeriaintel.com/2013/05/23/does-a-womans-clothing-seduce-rapists/| title = Does a woman’s clothing seduce rapists?| publisher = Nigeria Intel| author = Bayo Olupohunda| date = May 23, 2013| archiveurl = http://archive.is/ac97A| deadurl = no}} | ||
==References== | |||
{{reflist}} | |||
[[Category:Islam and Women]] | [[Category:Islam and Women]] | ||
[[Category:Islamic Law]] | [[Category:Islamic Law]] | ||
[[Category:Sani]] | [[Category:Sani]] | ||