Is Hijab Mandatory in Islam: Part II

Say [O Muhammad]: "Who forbids the nice things God has created for His creatures, and the good provisions?" Say: "Such provisions are to be enjoyed in this life by those who believe. Moreover, the good provisions will be exclusively theirs on the Day of Resurrection." We thus explain the revelations for people who know. [Quran 7:32]

INTRODUCTION

If you haven't read Part I, it can be read here. The above verse was revealed to Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), with God ordering him to "say", in response to something that he was facing at that time, as seen with the context. It was most likely similar to things that Jews forbid when Jesus came to them with clear signs. So why do many Muslims keep forbidding hair, the filamentous biomaterial that grows from follicles found in the dermis? Why do they treat the head like a private part, when really it is no different (in attractiveness) than their face, or many would say it doesn't even come close to being more attractive than the face! And even if hair was to be covered, why would this include ears?

OTHER SCHOLARLY INTERPRETATIONS

There are people who attest that khimar does not mean head-cover, and they are definitely not alone in questioning this notion. Check out scholars of Indonesia, Turkey, Libya, and Iraq; or see works by Khaled Abou El Fadl, Amina Wadud, Fatima Mernissi, Leila Ahmed, Dr. Ibrahim B. Syed (President of Islamic Research Foundation International, Inc). Majority of salafi/wahhabi scholars and their translators insist that khimar means head-cover, only because they resort to ahadith which possibly imply that the women (culture and norms of that time) did cover their heads (but as did men also). Perhaps it is orthodox vs un-orthodox? However, this is a poor way to translate the Qur'an. We should not fall into this trap, because khā mīm rā (خ م ر)  or khimar (in Quran, 24:31) is also mentioned in reference to wine and intoxicants, describing them as "covering" the intellect. Therefore, khimar or khā mīm rā (خ م ر)  should be properly translated as cover. If you have not read our previous blog post, please read it here.

"If you think the difference between heaven and hell is 45 inches of material, boy will you be surprised..." [Amina Wadud]

Sahih International (the Saudi Mullah version) translates khimar as head cover; Muhsin Khan even goes to a further biased extreme, suggesting it means face cover. These people have their own religious agenda and interpretations. On the contrary, other scholars such as Yusuf Ali, Pickthall, and Dr.Ghali have chosen to use the  word "veil". Since a veil's purpose is to cover, khimar should simply be translated as "cover". Even if we were to believe that it means head cover, which it does not, we can look at some historical context. One respected scholar and translator, Muhammad Asad (in reference to Quran, 24:31), states:

"The noun khimar (of which khumur is plural) denotes the head-covering customarily used by Arabian women before and after the advent of Islam. According to most of the classical commentators, it was worn in pre-Islamic times more or less as an ornament and was let down loosely over the wearer's back; and since, in accordance with the fashion prevalent at the time, the upper part of a woman's tunic had a wide opening in the front, her breasts were left bare. Hence, the injunction to cover the bosom by means of a khimar (a term so familiar to the contemporaries of the Prophet) does not necessarily relate to the use of a khimar as such but is, rather, meant to make it clear that a woman's breasts are not included in the concept of "what may decently be apparent" of her body and [bosoms] should not, therefore, be displayed." 

So why are we stressing on covering hair when Allah is stressing on covering bosoms in 24:31. The bosom, jayb (جَيْب), is mentioned by name, but not the hair or face. Furthermore, the word 'hijab' is used several times throughout the Qur'an, but there is no use of the word 'hijab' in terms of women's dress code or head scarf. One may only begin to wonder what other teachings have been made a part of our deen which have no basis in Islam or that which was revealed unto Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). 

CULTURAL CONFUSION

Culture vs Religion

How many other cultural practices and norms that were not originally a part of Islam have now been made Islamic today? The face veil is just one example. This is noted by historians and scholars alike:

"The veil was first introduced by the Assyrian kings in the near east. The practice of hiding ones face was also prevalent in classical Greece, in Persia, and in the byzantine Christian world. Later on, Islam embraced these regional practices of covering ones face and in the second Islamic century the veil became common. It was considered as a status symbol as it signified power and was first used among rich women. Around the 10th century the veil appeared as a common rule and in the Middle Ages various laws were enacted regarding the wearing of the veil. Some urged strictness in veiling and forced women to remain inside the four walls of their homes. It became known as the attire of the oppression among women."

ALLAH BRINGS YOU EASE

Let us not forget how hard it is for women to have their heads suffocated all day, and with the head being a major source of heat loss, that's a lot of trapped heat! Along with not being able to air out her tightly squeezed head, her hair follicles (if she has bangs) are being pulled back with great pressure. This kind of practice promotes headaches and itchy scalp syndrome. But Allah reminds us:

He desires not hardship for you . . . you should magnify Allah for having guided you, and that peradventure you may be thankful. [Quran, 2:185]

And strive for Allah with the endeavor which is His right. He has chosen you and has not laid upon you in religion any hardship; the faith of your father Abraham. He has named you Muslims of old time and in this (Scripture) ... [Quran 22:78]

And again Allah reminds us that those who forbid what God has made lawful invent a lie against Allah. This appears to be very common in our communities, and should also include the forbidding of a women's head:

"And do not speak lies for what your tongues describe: "This is HALAL and that is HARAM, to forge a lie against Allah." [Quran 16:116]

Is this not interesting? How many imams and conservatives do you hear yelling haram and halal ? By telling people lawful things are haram, they are stating that God says so, and since it is not true, this is (unintentionally) forging a lie against Allah. Yusuf Ali similarly translates the last part as "ascribe false things to Allah", because one is making people believe God said something when He (in fact) did not. This is a perfect example for those who forbid the head of women, making their exposed hair strands seem haram. It is as though Allah knew future Muslims would fall into this very thinking that the "righteous" Jews of Jesus' time did, when really it is they who were inventing what was haram and what was halal (and not God). Furthermore, in response to our hijab debates today, our Lord instructs us about dress code:

O ye Children of Adam! We have bestowed garment upon you to cover your shame, as well as to be an adornment to you. But the garment of righteousness - that is the best. Such are among the Signs of Allah, that they may receive admonition (7:26)

Another instance where Allah could have chose to mention the garment covering of the head as a religious requirement, but He did not.

WHAT ABOUT THE HIJAB HADITH?

There is not one statement in the hadith literature where the Prophet (pbuh) is reported to have directly instructed women to cover their heads. The closest we can find that I am aware of is in Abu Dawud. Keep in mind that this hadith I am about to show you is compiled by Abu Dawud, in order to please his teacher Imam Ahmad. It was not written down by the Prophet or his disciples (i.e. his sahaba). The hadith was not even written down by Aisha. This hadith has only been ascribed to Aisha, passed down through the many narrators from generation to generation. So, even to say that Aisha surely said this, can be doubtful:

Aisha said, "Asma (Aishia's sister), daughter of Abu Bakr, entered upon the Apostle of God (pbuh) wearing thin clothes. The Apostle of God turned his attention from her and said, "O Asma, when a woman reaches the age of menstruation, it does not suit her except that she displays parts of her body except this and this," and he pointed to her face and hands. (Sunan Abu Dawud)

What do you know about Bukhari?

Keep in mind that Asma was wearing thin or little clothes, depending on who translated this. If the Prophet was telling her to cover up and not display parts of her body, it would make more sense that she was wearing little coverage. Also keep in mind that the observer (Aishia) said he is pointing towards her facial area, which can also include the head. If I pointed towards your face, it can imply that part of the body, meaning the head also, could it not? If I pointed to the bosom, would that imply center chest only, or back area and breasts also? Should we really be so literal when interpreting one's speech? In the end, it's all merely interpretation. This hadith is found only in the hadith collection of Abu Dawud (no. 4095). According to Abu Dawud, it is considered weak (da'if) because the narrator who transmitted it from Aisha is not known (mursal).This hadith, which may most likely be untrue, has been the sole reason why Muslim female have to wear the hijab (headscarves). Many Muslim scholars of Morocco have decreed that hijab is NOT mandated by Islam.

HOW ACCURATE ARE HADITHS?

Now a little background information about the compiler of the above hadith would be useful for the devout Muslim. That hadith which you read was compiled by Abu Dawud, more than 200 years after the Prophet's departure. Here is a short biography of him:

"Imam Abu Dawud heard hadith from 300 persons who were his teachers. Some were: Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Ishaq ibn Rahawaiy, Abu Thaur, Yahya ibn Ma'in. For one to grasp his elevated status, he narrated hadith to the teachers of Imam Ahmad. He completed its compilation at Bagdad in 241 A.H. He presented the completed compilation to his beloved teacher Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal, who was greatly pleased at this collection."

It's interesting how many times you hear the mention of Imam Ahmad. It sounds very similar to how the Gospels were written. Here is one example from the writer of Luke, presenting his hadith work to his beloved leader:  "...it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent The-oph'ilus". An example of how people can use ahadith to mislead the masses:

Abu Ya’la narrated in his Musnad from Ibn ‘Abbaas that the Prophet said: “The bonds of Islam and the bases of religion are three, on which Islam was founded. Whoever gives up one of them becomes a kaafir thereby and it is permissible to shed his blood: the testimony that there is no god but Allah, the prescribed prayers and fasting Ramadan.”

 This hadeeth was classed as Sahih (true) by al-Dhahabi, and as hasan (sound) by al-Haythami in Majma’ al-Zawaa’id, 1/48, and by al-Mundhiri in al-Targheeb wa’l-Tarheeb, no. 805, 1486. However, it was classed as da’eef (weak) by al-Albaani in al-Silsilah al-Da’eefah, no. 94. Shaikh Muhammad Nasir-ud-deen Al-Albaani, the famous Muhaddith and Faqeeh of our century, found over 5,000 "Weak, Spurious and Fabricated Hadeeths" that "Islam absolves" today. You can read more about this here. It is also fascinating that Allah has chosen to use the word hadith throughout the Quran, and informs us:

And there are among men those who purchase ridiculous hadiths, without knowledge, misleading (men) from the Path of Allah and throw ridicule (on the Path) (Quran, 31:6)

And one may wonder how many false hadiths have indeed mislead mankind from the path of Allah, and these are merely only a handful in the ocean of fabrications.

Let us not forget that the Jews also made their own laws (hadiths) and went astray from the teachings of Moses. This happened when they created their book of hadiths, the Talmud. Jesus told them, "You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions! Thus you nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many things like that.” (Mark 7:9-13)

CONCLUSION

As a final proof of assurance, one may go to the Quran.com search engine and search for the word "head". There are numerous results returned which use or reference the word "head", yet none of these verses tell women to cover their heads. The triliteral root rā hamza sīn (ر أ س) occurs 18 times in the Quran as the noun ras (رَأْس), the word used for head. Out of these verses, Allah speaks about how we bow our heads (2:43), wash our heads (in ablution or wudu, 5:6),  shave our heads (2:196), hold our heads (7:163), carry bread on one's head (12:36), birds eating off one's head (12:41), raising one's head (14:43), nodding our heads (17:51), and even the grey hair on our heads when we become old (19:4 and 30:54). But none of these verses mention the covering of a woman's head.

If a head cover was so mandatory for a woman, why would Allah not have mentioned covering her head? If our Lord could mention eating birds off one's head, why not simply for a woman to cover her head? It is simple logic--simply because Allah does not require a headscarf for women. It is a shame there are those who try to place words in God's mouth. If covering a woman's head was mandatory, our Lord would have said so, just as He instructs her to wash her head before prayer (5:6). Hair is not forbidden in the Qur'an, and women need not be bashed for refusing to censor their hair. A woman can still have faith and practice Islam without a head scarf. Furthermore, Allah does speak about hair in the Qur'an, and there is no mention of banning women's hair.

"Having faith without a headscarf"

Related Articles:

Is Hijab Mandatory in Islam: Part I
Hijab & Niqab in the Qur'an

Why Liberal and Conservative Muslims?

Among the people, there are those who uphold baseless hadith, and thus divert others from the path of God without knowledge, and take it in vain. These have incurred a shameful retribution. [Quran, 31:6]

INTRODUCTION

I recall having a very interesting conversation with my friend last summer. In my search for a spouse partner, I tell him how hard it is to find a girl who is in between liberal and conservative. He agrees with me that it is in fact very difficult to find a moderate grounded woman who chooses the middle path. He has been there. Either she is a beer-drinkin' liberal who eats non-halal meat, or either she is an anti-pub gelatin-hatin' conservative. She is either holding an alcoholic beverage, or she is either holding a tasbeeh. She either dresses immodestly by openly exposing her bosom in public with short sleeves and a mini-skirt, or she either wraps up her head in a hijab not exposing a single strand of forbidden hair. 


One might ask, why the two extremes? Why are Muslims either full-fledged liberals or full-fledged conservatives, and why is there no middle path. Generally speaking, Muslims are mostly on either end of the spectrum. Could a reason for this very well be the teaching of our imams and misleading scholars in many cases? I know Muslim girls who are forced to neglect praying all their life simply because they are told they cannot pray while wearing nail polish. It may sound funny, but it's true, and it is a real issue dealt with in our communities. It is an issue that may start with a man-made fatwa, but it doesn't end there, as it triggers many negative changes in people. Although it is not always so black-and-white, why is there an increasing number of anti-religious liberals and ultra-orthodox conservatives popping up in our communities?

THE STORY OF FATIMA AND AISHA

As an example, here is a story of Fatima and Aisha who are sitting together in the mosque, listening to a khutba (sermon) given by the legislating imam. The ladies are told that menstruating women are impure and therefore cannot pray, so they are forced to avoid spiritual activities. They are brainwashed into believing that being a good Muslim means praying 5 times a day and suffocating their hair with a hijab. The imam leaves each girl with a subconscious choice: it's either she prays 5 times a day, or she doesn't pray at all. If she prays, she is forced to cover up all of her hair, which means she must wear the hijab. If she doesn't wear hijab or pray, this Catholic-seeming God will send her to the Hell-fire. So what most likely can end up happening: Fatima turns away from religion and leaves the mosque, plunging her hands in her ears at any mention of Islam or God; while Aisha stays to become a conservative fanatic, blindly following everything that her imam preaches. As you can see, both of the Muslima girls had pure intentions and started with an earnest desire to become a better person.

Instead of turning towards God, Fatima turns away in the opposite direction. Instead of turning to the Qur'an which she is forbidden to touch since she does not have wudu, she turns away from Al-Islam. Even when she does read or hear the Qur'an, it is only in mere Arabic, and she can only understand English. When she does decide to pray, she finds her thoughts wandering off, as the meaningless words of Arabic echo through the room. Since Fatima doesn't fit in with the righteous Muslim girls who also judge her for not wearing a hijab, she finds her own place of belonging, with other not-so-good friends. Leading towards the path of sin and self-destruction, she may even resort to alcohol or unchaste ways, all because of this notion of what was preached to her as religion. Her soul may begin to rot inside, as it longs to soar free. Remember, all of this started with the imam's speech, turning her away from religion.

Luckily, Aisha turns towards God. But she offers lip-service salah with her meaningless words, quickly pecking her head down like a chicken in her ritual sajdah, and after prayer she enjoys gossiping (back-biting) about others. Aisha observes all of the man-made rituals and outwardly orthodox teachings set in stone, but she doesn't realize that her soul is rotten inside. While she is busy judging Fatima, Aisha is filled with religious ego (pride) and unable to see her own corruption, resulting in her being rather deaf, dumb, and blind. She thinks of herself higher than others, and in fact more righteous than the non-hijabi girls. She fits in nicely with her righteous Muslim girlfriends, yet she is prone to the same unchaste sins as Fatima.

WHO IS TRULY RIGHTEOUS?

Surely, those who believe, those who are Jewish, the Christians, and the converts; anyone who believes in God, and believes in the Last Day, and leads a righteous life, will receive their recompense from their Lord. They have nothing to fear, nor will they grieve. [Qur'an, 2:62]

Is Aisha not the righteous girl, who chose to obey her imam and went in the opposite direction as Fatima? Fatima may give up drinking, and after realizing she is not an object that is solely used for the pleasure of men, she may even start to dress more modestly. Fatima can in fact repent and turn back to God, since the angels rejoice more for a sinner who repents than a righteous one who thinks he/she is sinless. On the one hand you may have an earnest Muslima Fatima, who respects and has love for all peoples, reading her Qur'an in English, yet not praying 5 times a day. And on the other hand you may have a conservative Muslima Aisha who treats people with ill, reciting her Qur'an in Arabic, and praying 5 times a day. Fatima feeds the poor and needy, holding the hands of the orphans, while Aisha simply gives her meaningless 2.5% zakah each year, slamming her door in the face of a homeless man. 

Why is Aisha considered more righteous or religious than Fatima simply because she observes the hijab and prays 5 times a day? Does this make her more godly or virtuous than Fatima? Is this not the very twisted notion observed in our communities when imams preach outer values over the inner values? Does this illustrate how twisted our notion of religious teaching and true righteousness has become? It is the same law-abiding hypocrisy and backwardness that Jesus (Isa) faced when he confronted the Rabbis of his time. The Rabbis were allowed to divorce, according to the Law of Moses, yet some of them used this as a means of sampling different women. They scorned people for committing adultery, yet they married and re-married women as if it was nothing. They scoffed and ridiculed at the eating of un-halal (unlawful) meat that goes into one's mouth, yet they were careless and paid no attention to such harsh words that came out of their mouths. Does this not remind you of someone?

MISINTERPRETATION OF AL-QUR'AN

Had Fatima (or Aisha) been given a chance to read the Qur'an in her own language, she will be surprised to find that her Lord is Most-Merciful, and Oft-Forgiving (39:53). She will be amazed at how God will grant "those who believe and do good deeds" gardens (greenery) beneath which rivers flow (4:57). She is told that good deeds include acts of humanity, done for the sake of Allah (2:215). She is told that the al-Muttaqun, "those who guard" from evil, will be successful in the Hereafter (26:90). She will also be surprised to find that Allah only warns "those who deny" (kafir) the good ways, spread mischief on the earth, transgress, oppress people and do evil works--it is those individuals who God warns of the Hell-fire (16:88).

She will also be surprised to find that nowhere does this Qur'an state that menstruating women can't pray (2:222), including nail-polish-wearing women (5:6). She will also learn that the believing women are advised to hide their bosoms with a cover (khimar), and not their individual strands of meaningless hair (24:31). She will find that nowhere does God say He will punish us for not praying 5 times a day, but rather He tells us that remembrance (dhikr) of God is far greater (29:45). Furthermore, she will discover that we are not ordered to pray 5 times a day, but rather to "glorify Him" at night and at the "two ends of the day" (24:36, 76:25). Would this not be a most shocking discovery for the knowledge-seeking spiritually-deprived Muslima, Fatima? It could very well change her life, and bring her back unto the Straight Path, but our fake scholars and backwards imams are too busy preaching the opposite of what the Glorious Qur'an teaches. They are too busy with their meaningless outwardly man-made routines and lip-service teachings, while yelling, "Biddah!" They have become like the "lost sheep of Israel" (the Jews), misinterpreting the Divine Law (31:6), and forgetting the Spirit of Islam. 

My cousin who works in the field once asked me if he must re-make his wudu for prayer, after passing gas. He also asked if he could touch the Qur'an without having wudu. After finding that the Qur'an endorses neither of these man-made beliefs, I told him he was free to glorify (not salah) his Maker even if he did not have wudu (3:191). I told him that nowhere does Allah state that the passing of gas invalidates one's wudu (5:6), and that he was free to perform salah (prayer) with his wudu. I also advised him that he can read the Scripture and verses of God freely without having to be in a state of wudu. I advised him that drinking alcohol is not good, but that doesn't mean God will indefinitely throw him in Hell. I told him even if he is committing a sin (to his own soul) or doing something which God advises us to avoid, to always turn to God and never stop praying. I told him all of this because that is what the Qur'an teaches, and that is what the Prophet (pbuh) upheld. But it is truly sad that people are forced to avoid prayer and scripture all their life, simply due to the man-made fatwas of the preaching imams.

CONCLUSION

Many people think that they either have to be a sinless saint or a sinful sap, but fail to realize that humans do make mistakes, like Adam. But learning from his repentance with prayer and constant reminders of the Holy One can help one to break free. Learning how to pray in our mother tongue (or the translation), and reciting the sacred Names of Allah need to be stressed more often than reciting meaningless Arabic words. Did our Prophet (pbuh) not pray in his mother tongue, supplicating unto his Lord in his own language? True modesty, and not simply covering one's hair, needs to be preached to our young Muslim girls. 

We need to start teaching the inner values of Islam, and how cleansing your inner thoughts in wudu is more important than missing a chunk of your nail, due to nail polish. Why not teach our youth the translation of the salah (prayer) and how to focus and cleanse inner thoughts, rather than teaching them how to be overly-obsessed with outwardly things such as, where to place your hands or playing footsies with the person next to you.


If our Prophet (pbuh) was merely observed praying a certain way (or many ways!), yet never dictated to us that our arms should be outward/inward during sajdah, then why should we dictate these things? Imams fail to recognize that what may have been the Prophet's culture or preference, was not a religious mandate. While the Prophet (pbuh) stressed us to "Pray as though you see Allah", the imams stress our Muslims to separate their feet exactly 14.2 inches, forgetting that God wants us to pray unto Him in Spirit.

We need to show our Muslims the verses of Mercy and Compassion, and not just the verses of Wrath and Punishment intended for the wicked ones, who are rather made to "taste their own deeds" as a form of karma. We need to reach out to our youth and religious followers, helping them to leap towards spiritual freedom in the middle path, lest they become an extremity of Fatima, the hardcore liberal, or Aisha, the fanatic conservative.

All that was asked of them was to worship God, devoting the religion absolutely to Him alone, observe the contact prayers (Salat), and give the obligatory charity (Zakat). Such is the perfect religion. [Qur'an 98:5]

Is Hijab Mandatory in Islam: Part I

And tell the believing women to lower their gaze and be modest, and to display of their adornment only that which is apparent, and to draw their cover over their bosoms, and not to reveal their adornment except to their own husbands ... (Quran 24:31). 

MEANING OF KHIMAR

There are many who are led to believe that khimar means head cover, and not simply cover. I find it very odd that some translate khimar as head cover, even when the word head or hair is not present; even though Allah, the All-Knowing is explicitly telling women to cover their bosoms and body parts.

Furthermore, you will notice that the word khimar is also used throughout the Qur'an in reference to wine and alcohol. Try asking an imam if crystal meth is not haram because it is not explicitly forbidden in the Quran, and he will most likely point you towards the root word of khimar being used for alcohol:

The imam will tell you that Allah chose to use the word khimar for alcohol, because it is anything that "covers" the intellect and leads one to other sins. If khimar truly meant head cover, can you imagine how odd these verses would sound if they were telling the believers to abstain from head covers? That wouldn't make much sense, would it? What's interesting is that Allah uses this same word for covering of the bosom. Therefore, the word  khimar, even according to some mistaken scholars, does in fact mean "to cover".


If one was to translate khimar as "veil", as other translators (or niqabists) have done, one must ask the question, "What is a veil?" Is a veil not a "cover", and its purpose being "to cover"? A face veil covers the face, and a bosom veil covers the bosom. Also, a further point is that in the same chapter (24), and verse 60 of the Qur'an, Allah has allowed elderly women to be less careful in covering. However, the word used here was thiyaab, and not khimar. So why has the head cover become part of the 10 Muslim Commandments, taking its place as an Islamic norm? 

MISINTERPRETING THE QUR'AN

What one may find rather frightening is that the male-dominated scholars who originally translated khimar as head cover are the same ones who translated the "beat" your wife verse, the killing of disbelievers to spread the word of Islam, the polygamy verse, killing apostates, stoning to death, and much more of what has been labelled Islamic today. Although some more modern scholars may not agree with all of these fanatical teachings, they still base their knowledge on these same interpreters of the Qur'an.

Why do most of today's dogmatic imams and translators keep insisting that ḍarabū in 4:34 means "to strike" your wife, when this same word is used for travelling, departing, leaving, breaking apart, going forth, presenting, etc. Why can't these translators simply teach Muslim men to "leave" their harsh wives if all else failed. Why do so many Islamic sources and so-called scholars keep insisting that the Qur'an states Jesus will be a sign of the Hour (43:61), when the word ayah is not used. The word knowledge ('ilm) is used to suggest that "He [or it] is knowledge of the Hour", yet this dogmatic belief of Christianity is still preached. The list of misinterpretations and mistranslations can go on forever.

THE QUR'AN IS COMPLETE

"And We have revealed the Book to you which has clear explanation of everything, and a guidance, mercy and good news for those who submit." (Qur'an 16:89)

In the same khimar verse (24:31), after Allah lists in detail those kindred who are allowed to see the woman not fully-covered, it even gives such fine details as to tell women not to strike their feet as a means of attracting men:

And let them not stamp their feet so as to reveal what they hide of their adornment (Qur'an 24:31)

At the time of the Prophet, some women used to wear ankle bracelets and bells. Women in India and Pakistan still do, and some would stamp their feet in order to seduce men or to get their attention. Out of all the verses in the Qur'an, He clearly tells us not to eat the flesh of swine, blood, and even several different animals that are killed improperly. We are told to avoid strong drink/gambling, avoid usury, abstain from backbiting, to cover the bosom, to lower our gaze, when and how to pray, and steps in performing wudu.

Allah even explicitly tells us to wet our heads before we pray. If the hijab was truly mandatory, why wouldn't He simply order women to cover their heads, just as all the other verses of Divine Instruction? Why do we have to dig out so much ahadith interpretation in order to prove the head cover, which is still left unproven in the end? If the hijab was such an important practice, as are the many other teachings in the Qur'an, wouldn't Allah have cared to explicitly order women to cover their heads. Instead, they are told to cover their bosoms and body parts, as in 24:31.

THE WORD HIJAB IN THE QUR'AN

It is very interesting that the Qur'an does use the word hijab, but nowhere is it used in reference to a women's head cover. The word hijab is used to mean a barrier, veil, or screen:

Did Allah know in His infinite wisdom that Muslims would later make hijab as part of the religion, and deliberately chose to use this word in the Qur'an? Some imams will point towards the oral ahadith literature to prove the ordinance of the hijab, even though these ahadith were not authorized by the Prophet himself, and were put into writing 300 years after him. Yet amongst the countless poorly-compiled ahadith narrations, filled with fabrications, one will still not find a direct order where the Prophet is reported (through so and so ...) to have ordered women to cover their hair.


WHAT ABOUT MOTHER MARY?

In being unable to provide tangible proof from the Qur'an to support the notion of hijab, some may even resort to Christian teachings: 

"But every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head—it is the same as having her head shaved. For if a woman does not cover her head, she should have her hair cut off" [1 Corinthians 11:5-6]

If it was up to the Saudi mullahs, this rule would probably be made shariah! Even though Jesus did not direct his followers to cover their heads, with all due respect, some Christians do practice it. Some may even equate Mary's head covering with being righteous or chaste (modest), even though Mary may not have covered her hair fully. However, the Qur'an refutes this claim, teaching us that true chastity (modesty) is abstaining from lust:

She said: "How can I have a son when no man has touched me, neither have I been unchaste? (Qur'an 19:20)

And she who was chaste, therefore We breathed into her of Our Spirit and made her and her son a sign for (all) peoples. (Quran 21:91)

It is also interesting to note that many Jews and Christians who later converted to Islam during the Prophet's time and onwards brought with them much cultural/religious baggage. Some of these beliefs and teachings even made their way into the ahadith literature, seeping their way into Islamic beliefs and practices. Although they have no basis in the Qur'an, they were still adapted by later generations only to become today's Muslim or Islamic norm. The head covering is not the only Judeo-Christian teaching that has made its way into our faith, but others such as the return of Christ, the impure menstruating woman, original sin, intercession of sins, and various others have nothing to stand on when viewed in the Light of the Qur'an.


FOLLOWING THE SHARIAH LAW

The Qur'an tells believing men and women to lower their gaze (24:30-31), and so does the Gospel (Injeel). During the time of Jesus, many Jews actually followed the commandments and outwardly teachings (or shariah) just as we Muslims do. One such example was not committing adultery, or the notion of "look but don't touch". Some hearts had become corrupt, and Jesus taught them:

But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. (Matthew 5:28)

Many Jewish followers even believed that they could divorce their wives anytime they liked, and all they needed was a certificate (a statement), since this Law (shariah) was given to them by their Messenger, Moses. But Jesus tells them:

“Moses allowed you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning. I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery.” (Matthew 19:8-9)

Some Muslim men think the same way of divorce (similar to the Jews), as it is allowed in the Qur'an, yet it should really only be for valid reasons. You can't simply throw away a woman when you're done with her. I have seen some instances in a community where an imam would actually encourage a woman who is having marital problems to divorce her husband, and quickly marry her in order to get into her pants. One must ask the question, how is this different from adultery? Is he really following the shariah? Yet this is the kind of hypocrisy we deal with--the same hypocrisy and lawful shariah misunderstood even during the time of Jesus (Isa).

CULTURE VS RELIGION

Many religious followers can mistake cultural norms for religious or spiritual practices. For example, it is a known fact that most women during the Prophet's time in the Arabian Peninsula did cover their head--but so did men! And so did Mother Mary of Jerusalem. If this is the basis for our belief, how come men aren't required to cover their heads? The reality is, had they not covered their heads in the heat of the sun, they would be asking for trouble (i.e. heat stroke)! And who is to say that these were not worn as a loose head cover rather than a complete hair suffocation.

Also, men's and women's dress were very loose and open, in order to allow air circulation. Although it is fair to say that women (and men) should not wear tight bodily revealing clothes, the abayah should not be considered an Islamic dress either! Can you imagine a Muslima Eskimo freezing and tripping over the snow in her abayah, while trying to hunt a seal? Whilst not following unnecessary trends, who is to say that we cannot wear ordinary clothing, such as loose-fitted shirts and jeans? Allah reminds us in the Qur'an the purpose of clothing:

O Children of Adam! We have revealed unto you garments to cover your shame, and splendid vesture; but the garment of righteousness--that is best. This is of the revelations of Allah, that they may remember. (7:26)

PURPOSE OF HIJAB?

Many imams will tell us that the purpose of hijab is to hide a women's precious beauty, while using many other sugar-coated sayings. Although we can agree that hair is beautiful, but so are hands, nose, eyes, and mouth! In fact, the face is probably the most beautiful thing God has created on a human being! (This would be a great time for the niqabist to jump in). But let's ask ourselves the question of which is more attractive:

a) an image of a face with the hair covered or
b) an image of hair with the face covered

Almost anybody (especially the niqabist) can agree that the first option is the most-attractive. Most men may probably agree that they would rather see skin than filamentous biomaterial (i.e. hair). With this same notion of hiding her beauty, should the woman now cover her face?

Women are told that their hair should only be revealed to their husbands. They are told to hide their beauty (i.e. hair), yet they are freely able to beatify their faces with petrochemical makeup and lipstick, highlighting their eyes, brows, and lips. Also, does highlighting one's eyes with mascara, eyeliner, and eye shadow help men to "lower their gaze" (24:30) or raise their gaze to stare at those beautifully noticeable eyes? Wouldn't this directly help two eyes to meet and stare? We must be skeptical of the makeup imams and ask ourselves, why the double standards? Speaking of double standards, if hair is such a private part, should men not cover their hair as well? Picture that for a second.

While trying to sound equal, imams will also preach in the masjid that the man's hijab is lowering his gaze, whereas the woman's hijab is covering her hair. However, this doesn't agree with the Qur'an, since Allah orders both man and woman to lower their gazes. So why simply stress on the man? And it also creates a notion (which I have seen) that hijabis don't have to lower their gaze, staring at men as they walk by. This is the kind of hypocrisy we are dealing with when our imams preach fake outwardly teachings, forget about guarding one's heart from evil thoughts.


HIJAB CAN ATTRACT MEN

Here is one story worth sharing, from my non-hijab wearing aunt. She walked into a restaurant with her two friends, one who wore a hijab and one who let her hair out. Surprisingly, they noticed that her friend who wore the hijab got all the attention from the males. In trying to be realistic, don't you think a hijab can sometimes bring out a women's face, while hiding big ear's, old age, or unwanted features. Some men may even admit (I deem them not!) that a certain woman looks better with a hijab. But I don't think that was the case, unless all these men in the restaurant had a hijab obsession.

My aunt exclaimed how her friend actually looked far more beautiful than her non-hijab friends, with her decked out colorful hijab, cuffs, sleeves, and makeup! Worn with the right style, a hijab can actually increase a woman's attractiveness, and with men's curiosity, gain more stares than not-cares. Perhaps this is the reason why some women dye their hair pink or blue, in order to stand out and get more attention, yet this is not the righteous Muslima's intention. Nowadays, it appears as though hijab has become a fashion statement, and some non-Muslim women have even chosen to wear it for that very reason.


CONCLUSION

Whoever works any act of righteousness and has faith,- His/her endeavour will not be rejected: We shall record it in his/her favor. (21:94)

Not choosing to wear a hijab does not make a woman immodest nor unrighteous, as Allah will reward us for all our acts of goodness as mentioned in the verse above. I am not against wearing hijab, but nor am I against not wearing one. I am not against the idea of a hijab just as much as I am not against a baseball cap, a tuque, or a wig. A woman should have the right to choose if she would like to wear one or not. But Muslim women should not be discriminated against or judged for not wearing one. I know a precious girl who was righteous and modest, yet she did not wear hijab. Some of the hijab-wearing girls were out doing immodest things, and in the end, the modest non-hijabi was looked down upon by them for not wearing the hijab. How twisted and backwards have we become to think like this? Let's leave the judging to Al-Hakam, The Judge.

What has become of our Muslim society and values, as we preach outwardly things over inwardly things? We think we follow the shariah just as the Jews did, but do we? I truly have sympathy for these poor women who are commanded by their imams to cover their itchy scalps all day, suffocating their heads that long to breathe the fresh air. How sad is it for the nature-loving Muslima who cannot feel the breeze flow through her hair, since that would involve being seen in public. How unfortunate for the bird-watching Muslima whose ears are covered from hearing the distant chirps of the glorious meadowlarks. I express my sympathy for the water-loving Muslima who is unable to dip her bare head in the cool soothing sunlit waters, while running her fingers through her scalp as a way of healing.

When thinking about hijab, let us not forget the Judeo-Christian cultural influence that was rampant in Arabia. There surely was women who did not cover their hair during the Prophet's time, so why would there be no Qur'anic injunction ordering women to explicitly cover their hair? After all, they are advised to cover their bosom. We need to re-observe hijab in the Light of the Qur'an, and it should not be mandated as a fardh teaching of Islam by our imams, equated to taking off one's clothes. It should not be regarded as one of the ten commandments of Islam. Exposing one's hair should not be considered a religious taboo, and women who choose to wear it (or not) should be respected. Let's start preaching what it truly means to be modest and righteous. True chastity, as we learned from Mary in the Qur'an, comes from guarding your chastity. And true modesty comes from:

And tell the believing women to lower their gaze and be modest, and to display of their adornment only that which is apparent, and to draw their covers over their bosoms, and not to reveal their adornment ... (Quran 24:31)

Below is a more scholarly answer that may be of interest, written by Moiz Amjad:

It is true that "Khimar" is generally used for head covering. However, a close examination of the related verse of Surah Al-Noor shows that the directive entailed in it is for women to cover their bosoms. "Khimar" is only referred in this verse as a possible 'tool' for covering their bosoms. A woman who uses any other piece of cloth for this purpose would be said to have carried out the directive of the Shari`ah. This point is further substantiated by the fact that in verse 60 of Surah Al-Noor, where the Qur'an has allowed older women to be less careful in covering their bosoms, it has used the word "Thiyaab" - implying any piece of cloth that may have been used for the stated purpose.|

It is clear that had the Qur'an required women to cover their heads, it would then have given an express directive to the effect.

In view of the above, I am of the opinion that head-covering, even though it has always remained a part of the noble Muslim social traditions, is not a directive of the Shari`ah. [Source]

I hope this helps.

Regards,

Moiz Amjad

Related Articles:

Is Hijab Mandatory in Islam: Part II

Hijab & Niqab in the Qur'an