"An Ungendered State of Being": Part I
Disclaimer: The phrase, "an ungendered state of being," has been borrowed from Taqee Khalid without permission.
Hijāb, as an Islamic concept, is perhaps the most used, and being that, the most misunderstood of all. Several misconceptions have found roots in the current Muslim society (I am talking more specifically about the American Muslim society) and its practice. More important of them being that Hijāb is only prescribed for women; that it is the name given to a piece of cloth; and that it has something to do with the hair.
Before I start off, I would like to say that I truly and deeply respect and honor all my sisters in Islam, who against all societal odds, put on this piece of clothing in accordance with the command of Allāh (Subhānahū Wa Ta’ālā). This alone, I strongly believe, is a complete struggle, or Jihād. I also understand that many sisters are still trying to perfect their hijāb, and in no way do I intend to undermine their efforts. Moreover, I perfectly am aware of my shortcomings in this area and hope that this acts more as a reminder to myself than to anyone else.
Hijāb, as the term is used nowadays, refers to the piece of clothing used by women to cover themselves up according to the commands of Allāh (SWT). I would like to argue here, that this hijāb is just a practical implementation of the Islamic quality of hayā, best described as shyness. The Apostle (Sallallāhu ‘Alayhi Wasallam) of Allāh (SWT) placed great importance on it when he described it as being a part from the 70 parts of Imān. Thus, when we talk about hijāb here, not only do we talk about this particular implementation of it, but the concept of hayā on the whole. I am, therefore, going to use these two terms interchangeably.
Having that said, let’s take dissect these misconceptions one by one.
Women do not have a monopoly over hayā, although it is one of the things that they are better at. It is as equally required of men as it is of women, just the means differ and the apparent results vary. It is said in the Glorious Qur’ān:
To be continued insha'Allah...
Hijāb, as an Islamic concept, is perhaps the most used, and being that, the most misunderstood of all. Several misconceptions have found roots in the current Muslim society (I am talking more specifically about the American Muslim society) and its practice. More important of them being that Hijāb is only prescribed for women; that it is the name given to a piece of cloth; and that it has something to do with the hair.
Before I start off, I would like to say that I truly and deeply respect and honor all my sisters in Islam, who against all societal odds, put on this piece of clothing in accordance with the command of Allāh (Subhānahū Wa Ta’ālā). This alone, I strongly believe, is a complete struggle, or Jihād. I also understand that many sisters are still trying to perfect their hijāb, and in no way do I intend to undermine their efforts. Moreover, I perfectly am aware of my shortcomings in this area and hope that this acts more as a reminder to myself than to anyone else.
Hijāb, as the term is used nowadays, refers to the piece of clothing used by women to cover themselves up according to the commands of Allāh (SWT). I would like to argue here, that this hijāb is just a practical implementation of the Islamic quality of hayā, best described as shyness. The Apostle (Sallallāhu ‘Alayhi Wasallam) of Allāh (SWT) placed great importance on it when he described it as being a part from the 70 parts of Imān. Thus, when we talk about hijāb here, not only do we talk about this particular implementation of it, but the concept of hayā on the whole. I am, therefore, going to use these two terms interchangeably.
Having that said, let’s take dissect these misconceptions one by one.
Women do not have a monopoly over hayā, although it is one of the things that they are better at. It is as equally required of men as it is of women, just the means differ and the apparent results vary. It is said in the Glorious Qur’ān:
Tell the believing men to lower their gaze, and protect their private parts. That is purer for them. Verily, Allāh is All-Aware of what they do.Thus the hijāb for men is simple: protect your eyes from seeing evil and protect your body from committing it. The Rasūlallāh (SAW) was the person with the most hayā amongst the people, and so were his companions after him. The emphasis that has been placed on this quality can by no means be overstressed. The narrations regarding this issue are countless and well-known, and therefore I am not going to go into a lot of detail about it.
[al-Nur - 24: 30].
To be continued insha'Allah...
posted by MH at 11:48 AM
3 Comments:
Don't you ever take my quotes without asking again, you treacherous snake.
I like lamp.
Musab can you please finish this. And write more often too. I am using Ramla's screen name, but this is really Fathiya.
and I am not really Samira...(?)
You guys...so so funny.
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