The Beloved Messenger of Allah
said, "Imaan (faith) consists of more than sixty branches. And haya (modesty) is
a part of faith."[Bukhari]
Woman, as taught by Islam since the light of Prophethood, is a precious and most
valuable treasure of this world. She is to be protected, honoured and valued.
Like a precious stone, her beauty should be respected, hidden in security and
safety so as not to be abused by unworthy eyes.
We live in times where a woman’s beauty is paraded and flaunted without limits
throughout the media, as a worthless object of lust and mindless desire. Her
body, which was created as a pure symbol of grace, is displayed in shameless
ways to corrupt minds and distort the meaning of ‘beauty’. Is it really any
wonder that society has become so unashamed in its ways?
Ultimately, Hijab is empowerment for the Muslim woman. It is her right to
preserve her modesty, to guard herself from the corruption of society. The veil
or Hijab is that distinctive symbol which identifies her as a woman of God;
humble, modest. It places her on the pedestal she is worthy of: that no male
other than her close relatives and her husband, has the right to behold her
beauty.
It is reported that Sayyida Fatima, the honourable daughter of the Beloved
Messenger, may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him, said, “A woman’s best
adornment is her modesty.”
The Verse of the Veil – al-Qur’an
To emphasise the importance of the Hijab, it should be known that Almighty Allah
revealed an entire elaborative verse in the Qur’an regarding this concept:
“And say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and guard
their modesty; and that they should not display their beauty and ornaments
except what (must ordinarily) appear thereof; that they should draw their head
veils over their bosoms and not display their beauty except to their husbands,
or their fathers or their husbands' fathers, or their sons or their husbands'
sons, or 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 desire, or small children who have no sense of sex; and that they
should not stamp their feet in order to draw attention to their hidden
ornaments. And O believers! Turn all together towards Allah, that you may attain
bliss.” [Qur’an 24:31]
• Sayyida Aisha stated, “May Allah have mercy on the early emigrant women (Muhajirun).
When the verse ‘That they should draw their head veils over their bosoms’
[24:31] was revealed, they tore their thick outer garments and made veils from
them. And when the verse ‘That they should cast their outer garments over
themselves’ [33:59] was revealed, the women of the Muhajirun came out as if they
had crows over their heads by wearing outer garments.” [Abu Dawud]