True meaning of Hijab

Assalamu Alaykum,

I Hope InshahAllah this note will help sisters to understand the true meaning of "HIJAB".

Just because some of the sisters have their head covered, they think that the requirement of Hijaab is fulfilled. They don’t realize that wearing a Hijaab requires much more than just covering your head.

Actually, if you think about it, Hijaab is the way you talk…..the way you walk….the very way you carry yourself. In fact, Hijaab is an attitude in itself. Its a whole way of life.

Allaah says:

“And say to the believing women to lower their gazes, and to guard their private parts, and not to display their beauty (zeenah) except what is apparent of it, and to extend their headcoverings (khimars) to cover their bosoms (jaybs), and not to display their beauty except to their husbands, or their fathers, or their husband's fathers, or their sons, or their husband's sons, or their brothers, or their brothers' sons, or their sisters' sons, or their womenfolk, or what their right hands rule (slaves), or the followers from the men who do not feel sexual desire, or the small children to whom the nakedness of women is not apparent, and not to strike their feet (on the ground) so as to make known what they hide of their adornments. And turn in repentance to Allah together, O you believers, in order that you are successful.” (Surat-un-Nur: 31).

some sister says

Well, my head is covered. What more do you want?

If you look carefully at the ayah, it clearly states that the head covers (khumur) should be drawn over the neck slits (juyoob). Khumur is the plural of the Arabic word "khimar" which means a headcover. Juyoob is the plural of the Arabic word "jaiyb" ,which refers to the neck slit (of the dress).

Yet, some sisters just cover their head with something, and think they are fulfilling the rights of Hijaab, although part of their hair or body is showing, or their whole neck and chest area are exposed. Actually, that was the way of the women of Jahilliyah.

Al-Qurtubi said: "Women in those days used to cover their heads with the khimar, throwing its ends upon their backs. This left the neck and the upper part of the chest bare, along with the ears. Then Allah commanded them to cover those parts with the khimar."

So secure the scarf well around your face, covering your neck/chest area, and keep those half sleeves and capri pants for your Mahrams

Sorry.…tight jeans and short shirt just don’t cut it

You can’t wear tight jeans and a short shirt with a piece of cloth on your head and think this is Hijaab. Nor can you wear anything else that is tight, describing the shape of the body in any way, even if it is long. The Prophet (Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam) said:

"In later (generations) of my ummah there will be women who will be dressed but naked. On top of their heads (what looks) like camel humps. They will not enter into paradise or (even) get a smell of it." (Muslim)

If it is see-through, its NOT Hijaab

You CANNOT use chiffon or other see through material to cover your hair and body. Everything should be covered and the color of the skin underneath should not be visible.

The Prophet (Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam) once received a thick garment as a gift. He gave it to Osamah b. Zayd, who in turn gave it to his wife. When asked by the Prophet why he did not wear it, Osamah indicated that he gave it to his wife. The Prophet then said to Osamah "ask her to use a "gholalah" under it (the garment) for I fear that it (the garment) may describe the size of her bones." (Ahmad, Abi-Dawood)

(The word gholalah in Arabic means a thick fabric worn under the dress to prevent it from describing the shape of the body).

The Hijaab shouldn’t attract attention

The dress should not be such that it attracts men's attention to the woman's beauty. Allaah clearly states “not to display their beauty (zeenah).” Yet, Subhaan Allaah, some Hijaabi sisters are dressed in such a way that they attract more attention to themselves than they would if they didn’t wear Hijaab!! How could such zeenah be concealed if the dress is designed in a way that it attracts men's eyes to the woman? It beats the purpose of Hijaab.

Allaah tells us:

“And stay in your houses, and do not display yourselves like that of the times of ignorance…” [al-Ahzaab:32]

What about make-up and perfume???

Wearing make up is also part of the zeenah that Allaah orders us NOT to display. So if your head and body are appropriately covered yet you are wearing bright red lipstick or dark eyeliner such that people confuse between you and a raccoon….uh sorry, that’s not Hijaab. And keep those nice fragrances for the home, between you and your husband. That’s part of Hijaab too, even if you are going to the Masjid.

The Prophet (Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam) said:

“Any woman who puts on perfume and passes by people so that they can smell her fragrance, is an adulteress.” (al-Nasaa’i, Tirmidhi: hasan by Albaani)

Tinkling Jewelry and Jingling bracelets

‘Loud’ and tinkling anything, be it jewelry, bracelets, clip-clopping shoes, little bells on clothes, you name it, if it jingles or makes noise, it is against the principles of Hijaab, because it attracts attention to the one wearing it.

That is what is meant when Allaah orders us in the above verse…

“not to strike their feet (on the ground) so as to make known what they hide of their adornments.”

No laughing, joking, or hanging out with non-Mahrams

Some sisters assume that since they are properly covered, its okay for them to sit around and talk, laugh, joke, etc. with the men, but that’s not right, even if he is ‘the Shaikh’. Allaah says:

". . . then be not soft in speech, lest he in whose heart is a disease should be moved with desire, but speak in an honorable manner." [al-Ahzaab:32]

So talk to them when there is a specific need, and in a manner that is not necessarily rude, yet it is polite but firm.

Staring at the brothers or ‘checking them out’ is NOT Hijaab

Allaah orders us to “lower your gaze” in the above verse. Why? Because a single ‘look’ can say more than a thousand words. So, even if you are properly covered, keep those eyes down, conduct yourself with ‘Hayaa’, and avoid ‘fitnah’

‘Chatting’ on the internet/phone is not part of Hijaab, either

There is no such thing as “we’re just friends”. Talking to non-Mahrams is wrong even if it is through the internet or telephone. There are too many stories of illegal relationships, fornications, broken homes, extra-marital affairs and runaway brides to even mention. That is why in Islam anything that leads to haraam is also haraam. Allaah says:

“Do not (even) come close to fornication, for it is an indecency, and its way is evil.” (Surah Israa:32)

Be careful, even in the way you walk

Remember, you are not a runway model displaying the latest fashion. Walk with modesty and hayaa and you will be respected. The Prophet (Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam) said:

“There are two types of the people of Hell that I have not seen yet….women who are clothed yet naked, walking with an enticing gait…..” (Muslim).

Don’t shake hands with non-Mahrams. Its part of Hijaab

It is not permissible to shake hands with a non-Mahram, because the Prophet (Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam) said:

“For one of you to be stabbed in the head with an iron needle is better for him than to touch a woman who is not permissible for him.” (at-Tabaraani saheeh by al-Albaani).

And no, it is not rude to refuse to shake hands with non-Muslims. Simply politely explain that its part of your religion and they are very understanding.

Stay away from the men’s areas

I see many sisters entering the Masjid from the men’s entrance, or standing idle in the hallways or where there is a chance of unnecessary mixing with the brothers. What for?

Don’t we have a separate entrance for ourselves? Why do you think Allaah ordained the Hijaab in the first place? To avoid fitnah, by reducing temptation and separating the genders.

“The Prophet (Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam) said to the women on his way out of the mosque when he saw men and women mixing together on their way home: ‘Give way (i.e., walk to the sides) as it is not appropriate for you to walk in the middle the road.’ Thereafter, women would walk so close to the wall that their dresses would get caught on it.” (Abu Dawood)

Hijaab is also to conceal your sister

Although some sisters wear the Hijaab themselves, they forget that they cannot talk about another sister and her beauty in front of their own husbands, brothers, etc. Remember, part of your Hijaab is to cover your sisters ‘awrah’ as well.

The Prophet (Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam) said:

“No woman should mix with a woman and describe her to her husband so that it is as if he can see her.” (Muslim)

May Allah guide sisters,and protect them from all kind of evils.
Ameen.

[Pls correct me,if i'm wrong at any place]

JazakAllahku khair for reading,

by
King
slave of Allah

To be a devoted Slave of Allah

1 – You have to revive the faith in your heart. Faith is what will bring the Muslim everything he seeks in this world and in the Hereafter. Faith is the key to all goodness and locks the door to all evil. The means of reviving and strengthening faith in one’s heart are many and varied, including doing a lot of acts of worship and righteous deeds.

2 – You must turn to your Lord sincerely, as it says in the report: “If My slave turns to me inwardly and outwardly, I will turn the hearts of My slaves to him with love and mercy.”

Allaah has made worship the ultimate aim and loftiest purpose of man:

“And I (Allaah) created not the jinn and mankind except that they should worship Me (Alone)”

[al-Dhaariyaat 51:56]

3 – You should always set your sights on the highest degrees, and make your goal in life to earn the pleasure of Allaah, and strive to attain the victory of Paradise, or to attain the highest Firdaws. You should strive as hard as you can to achieve these lofty aims.

4 – You should follow the example of historical Muslim figures such as the Sahaabah, Taabi’een and righteous forebears (the salaf).

5 – You should make the most of every minute, every moment and every heartbeat to use it in such a way as to increase your faith.

6 – You should try to keep company with righteous people, because the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, “A man will follow the religion of his close friend, so let each one of you look at whom he befriends.” Narrated by Abu Dawood and al-Tirmidhi with a hasan isnaad. Good friends are one of the best means of helping you to obey Allaah and to avoid sin and error.

7 – Doing a lot of righteous deeds which will bring you happiness in this world and in the Hereafter.

8 – Praying qiyaam al-layl, making du’aa’ in the time just before dawn. The feet of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to swell because of his desire to be a thankful slave, even though Allaah had forgiven his previous and future sins.

9 – Persisting in reading a portion of Qur’aan daily, and other dhikr that helps you to think and ponder the meanings of the Qur’aan.

10 – Striving to spread the word and make da’wah for the sake of Allaah, and working for Islam as much as possible.

If you want to reach the status of devoted slave for which you long, then be as Allaah commanded His Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him):

“Say (O Muhammad): Verily, my Salaah (prayer), my sacrifice, my living, and my dying are for Allaah, the Lord of the ‘Aalameen (mankind, jinn and all that exists)”

[al-An’aam 6:162]

Being a devoted slave of Allaah means declaring one’s devotion and belonging to the Lord, which can only be achieved by applying this aayah, so that we are for Allaah, the Lord of the Worlds, in all our affairs.

Being a devoted slave of Allaah can only be fully achieved in this manner; it can only be achieved by worshipping Allaah in the fullest sense of the word, which means making our living and dying, and all our movements, for Him alone. So we only speak that which is pleasing to Allaah; we only do that which is pleasing to Allaah; we focus our intention in these words and deeds only on Allaah. Worship should not be reduced to merely raising and lowering our heads at certain times, or giving a few pennies every once in a while, or fasting a few days each year, or moving our lips to say a few words and dhikrs.

Hence the deeds that lead to this status – of being a devoted slave – are innumerable and may take many shapes in all aspects of our lives and the places where we live. This is by the bounty of Allaah towards us and towards all people.

Just look, in every place where you find yourself and every moment that comes to you, for that which will please Him, and what you think He wants to see you doing, and do it. Then you will be a devoted slave.

Be like a bee-Ibnu Qayyim Al Jawziyyah

As people are content with the world, so you should be content with Allah. As they are delighted by the world, so you should be delighted with Allah. As they are intimate with their loved ones, so you should seek intimacy with Allah. As they desire to know their kings and their leaders, and to draw near to them in order for honour and status to be conferred on them, so you should come to know Allah and seek His love: this will lead to the utmost honour and distinction.

Said one of the ascetics (zuhhåd): “I can never imagine that someone could hear about Paradise and Hellfire and can still waste an hour without performing any act of obedience to Allah; neither remembrance, prayer, reciting Qur’an nor an act of charity or kindness.” Someone said to him: I weep profusely. He replied: “That you laugh while confessing your sin is better than weeping yet being puffed-up with pride because of your deeds. For the deeds of a conceited person will never rise above his head.” The person then requested: Please counsel me. So the ascetic replied:

“Leave the world to those who hanker after it, as they leave the Afterlife to its seekers. And be in this world as the bee: it eats only good, produces only good, and when it rests upon anything it neither ruins it nor deflowers it.”

FOOTNOTES
* Al-Fawa’id (Riyadh: Maktabah al-Rushd, 2001), 187; trans. Surkheel Sharif.

An-Nahlu:31

جَنَّاتُ عَدْنٍ يَدْخُلُونَهَا تَجْرِي مِنْ تَحْتِهَا الْأَنْهَارُ لَهُمْ فِيهَا مَا يَشَاءُونَ كَذَلِكَ يَجْزِي اللَّهُ الْمُتَّقِينَ

(AnNahl:31)

"There will be gardens for their permanent residence into which they will enter: canals will be flowing underneath them: above all, they will find there everything as they would desire"

This is the best blessing of Paradise. The dweller will get there whatever he will desire and wish and there will be nothing at all to offend him. This is the blessing that has never been attained even by the richest and the most powerful people in this world. On the contrary, every dweller of Paradise will enjoy this blessing to his fill because he will always have everything to his desire and liking, and will have each and every wish and desire fulfilled.

My sister, Allah would rewards you,inshaallah

The power you gave them to torture me, rape me and every time allow them to search me naked. I’m dead. I was dead since the very first time I was raped, searched naked, each and every time you need to present me in court – I’m searched naked… Leave me alone or send me back to my country Pakistan.’ – Dr. Aafia Siddiqui

Aafia is a Pakistani national with degrees from MIT and a doctorate in neurocognitive science from Brandeis. Despite false media reports, she’s not a microbiologist, geneticist or neurologist. Nor did her training provide expertise for WMD terrorism. As her lawyer, Elaine Whitfeld Sharp, explains:

The prosecution claimed “that Aafia was involved in biochemical warfare. She wasn’t taking brain cells and testing how they reacted to gases. But there’s all this news in the media about the changing face of Al Qaeda, the neurobiology scare, and now we’ve got this MIT graduate with a Brandeis Ph.D. who’s cooking up all these viruses.”

Boston Magazine writer Katherine Ozment explained what Aafia “was actually cooking up” – the simple concept that people learn by imitation. To study it, “she devised a computer program and used adult volunteers, who came to her office and watched various objects move randomly across the screen, then reproduced what they recalled. The point was to see how well they retained the information having seen in on the screen.”

Brandeis professor of cognitive science Paul DiZio laughed about how this could apply to terrorism. “I can’t see how it can be applied to anything. It’s not applied work. It didn’t have a medical aspect to it. And, as a computer expert, she was competent. But you know, calling her a mastermind or something (is ludicrous) – I never saw any evidence.”

She and her husband (a medical resident at the time at Brigham and Women’s Hospital) used their apartment for a 1999 nonprofit organization they began called the Institute of Islamic Research and Teaching. It had nothing to do with terrorism. According to the neighborhood Mosque’s Imam, Abdullah Faruuq: “What I know of (Aafia) is that she was living here in America, and her organization was for sharing Islamic information with the American people.”

Faruuq was impressed with her dedication. “Aafia was an American girl and a good sister.” She also wanted her husband to use his medical skills to help the less fortunate. Despite her devout faith, “there was nothing radical about Siddiqui. She just seemed like a very kind person.”

She’s also a mother of three, and a victim of extreme viciousness in detention. According to her mother, Ismet, she “left the family home in Gulshan-e-lqbal in a taxi on March 30 to catch a flight for Rawalpindi, but never reached the airport.” Inside sources claim she was picked up by intelligence agents en route, and initial reports suggest then handed over to the FBI.

She was missing for over a year when the agency posted her photographs on its web site. Shortly afterward, a story was leaked about her involvement in the 2001 Liberian diamond trade with her as an Al Qaeda operative. The family’s attorney, Elaine Whitfield Sharp, called the allegation a blessing in disguise because it placed Aafia in Liberia at a specific time when she can prove she was in Boston that week.

Aafia’s mother says that only days after her daughter’s disappearance a man on motorcycle came to her family home and warned her to say nothing about what happened if she wanted to see Aafia and her grandchildren again. She hasn’t since, and according to the Pakistani Urdu press, the family was picked up by local authorities and taken into custody. A government interior ministry spokesman and two unnamed US officials confirmed the report in the press. They then retracted their statements, but local Chicago NBC news (based on a Press Trust of India account) reported that Aafia was being interrogated by US intelligence officials.

At the time, the FBI website stated: “Although the FBI has no information indicating this individual is connected to specific terrorist activities, the FBI would like to locate and question this individual.” The agency knew full well what happened – that Aafia was in secret detention, that her horrific ordeal had begun, and that they and other US authorities were involved.

A Brief Timeline of Aafia’s Case

– March 18, 2003: the FBI issues an alert requesting information about Aafia;

– March 29: UPI reports that the FBI believes Aafia may be an Al Qaeda “fixer,” transferring money to support “terrorist” operations;

– March 30: Aafia disappears en route to the airport for a flight to Rawalpindi;

– April 3: CNN reports that Al Qaeda figure Khalid Sheikh Mohammed (arrested March 1) mentioned Aafia during interrogation; Pakistani authorities deny any knowledge of her whereabouts;

– April 4: the FBI denies that it captured and is detaining Aafia;

– May 26: John Ashcroft and FBI director Robert Mueller cite reports that Al Queda plans an attack on the US in the summer or fall; Aafia is named as an Al Qaeda “operative and facilitator” and is one of seven Al Qaeda members being sought;

– May 28, 2004: Pakistan’s Interior Ministry confirms that Aafia was turned over to US authorities in 2003 after it was unable to establish any links she may have had with Al Qaeda;

– A 2006 Amnesty International report includes Aafia as one of many of the “disappeared” in the “war on terror;”

– A 2007 Ghost Prisoner Human Rights Watch report said that Aafia “may have once been held” in secret CIA detention;

– A February 2008 Asian Human Rights Commission report said Aafia was brought to Karachi and severely tortured to secure her compliance as a government witness against Khalid Shiekh Mohammed;

– July 7, 2008: UK journalist Yvonne Ridley identifies Aafia as “Prisoner 650? at the US Bagram, Afghanistan torture-prison;

– July 11: US Lt. Col. Rumi Nielson-Green denies that any women are being held at Bagram;

– July 31: the FBI tells Aafia’s brother that she’s in US custody;

– August 4: a DOJ press release says that Afghanistan National Police arrested Aafia in Ghazni on July 17 and that she was wounded the next day while trying to shoot US Army personnel;

– August 6: US Magistrate Judge Ronald Ellis orders Aafia be held without bail; her court-appointed lawyer, Elizabeth Fink, says charges against her are “absurd;” a bail hearing was set for August 11 and another for August 18 to determine if she should be tried;

– August 12: the Washington Pakistani embassy formally requests that Aafia be repatriated to Pakistan;

– August 13: the US military in Afghanistan denies it ever held Aafia in detention and that an unnamed female prisoner was someone else;

– September 12: according to a report in MIT’s The Tech, court documents released today indicate that Aafia “was diagnosed with chronic depressive type psychosis;”

– September 23: Judge Richard Berman enters a “not guilty” plea on behalf of Aafia; she refuses to come to court because doing so requires she be strip-searched; he sets December 17 as the next hearing date to determine her fitness to stand trial; he also sets March 9, 2009 as a tentative trial date;

– September 29: World Net Daily reports that for the “first time since 9/11, counterterrorism field agents have been authorized to spy on young Muslim men and women – including American citizens – who have traveled to Pakistan without any specific evidence (suggesting) wrongdoing;”

– October 2: Aafia is moved to the Carswell Federal Medical Center, Fort Worth, TX for psychiatric evaluation; in vain, her lawyer pleaded that she not be sent because she urgently needs medical treatment;

– October 6: Pakistani senators Mushahid Hussain Syed, Sadia Abbasi Mehmood, and SM Zafar met with Aafia; Faqir Saeed of the Pakistani embassy as well; she tells them of her ordeal – that she was abducted in 2003, given an injection, found herself in a cell, and was forced to sign papers and confess to things she didn’t do; her children’s lives were threatened and she was abused grievously;

– November 17: Judge Richard Berman indicates that a psychiatric evaluation indicates that Aafia is “not competent to proceed as a result of her mental disease, which renders her unable to understand the nature and consequences of the proceedings against her;”

– December 17: the next scheduled date (in New York District Court) to determine if Aafia is fit to stand trial;

– March 9, 2009: the tentative date for Aafia’s trial to begin.

The US Bagram, Afghanistan Torture-Prison

After her abduction, Aafia disappeared into Bagram hell and was known only as “Prisoner 650.” Then later, by released prisoners, as the “Gray Lady of Bagram” because of her screams they heard for years.

http://www.draafia.org
http://www.mykhilafah.com/fokus-muslimah/1946-siapakah-yang-akan-membebaskan-aafia-siddiqui