Question: Now, I have always seen the islamic background and isnad for the idea of modesty and covering in general, yet there has always been in my mind a cloud of doubt around the exact isnad for the very specific modern hijab Muslim women wear today, i.e. covering the hair. For example, with the ayah in the quran, people have contested the meaning of the word joyoobihinna to mean chest. Others have had various understandings of the hadith when the Prophet PBUH tells Asmaa to cover. Can you please refer me to these isnadaat or some books that describe the exact isnad for the specific modern idea of hijab? Furthermore, I have never understood why hijab is so incredibly emphasized in todays Muslim society. Much more even than the essentials in our deen. Does this have some Islamic basis, or is it just societys obsession with al-thahir? Thank you. Since you mentioned in your question the issue of having doubts about the specific ruling on hijab, inshaAllah let us first address some basic issues of beliefs. In order for us to understand any aspect of Islam it is important to know the context first in which a specific issue falls under. We cannot possibly move on without clarifying the purpose of creation as defined by Allah (azza wajal). Without this, all else remains a futile attempt, and often people get caught up in useless discussions based on conjecture as to why Allah (azza wajal) ordained certain things such as hijab. So in order for us to be clear we need to state the purpose of creation. Allah (azza wajal) says: And I (Allah) created not the jinns and humans except they should worship Me (Alone). [51:56] Here we see the purpose of creation- to worship Allah (azza wajal) alone. On the same note Allah (azza wajal) commands us: And verily, We have sent among every community a Messenger [proclaiming]: Worship Allah [Alone] and avoid the Taaghoot. Then of them were some whom Allah guided, and of them were some upon whom the straying was justified. So travel through the land and see what was the end of those who denied [the truth] (Quran 16:36) Here we see that Allah (azza wajal) sent every people a Messenger with one message which is to worship Allah (azza wajal) alone and one command to avoid Taghoot. It is not enough to worship Allah (azza wajal) alone, but we MUST also avoid taghoot. Taghoot, in its linguistic definition, refers to that which goes over and beyond boundaries. In a sharia definition, Taghoot means anything that is worshipped besides Allah (azza wajal) (ie. leaders, sorcerers, a sheikh, communism, capitalism, etc.) This ayah is very important to understand because it is very much misunderstood. Many believe the prophets came to tell them to believe in Allah (azza wajal) , that there is only one god, and it is enough to do good actions. But this is false because people already believed in Allah (azza wajal) when the Prophets were sent. The problem was that they associated partners with Him, and this had to be eliminated. From this ayah we also must understand that La Ilaha ilallah is not affirmed until there is baraa (enmity, hatred, avoidance of that thing) to the taghoot. That taghoot can be the general taghoot or specific tawagheet. It is important to note that if anyone places anything such as secular knowledge above Allahs words, and makes it their source of standard for truth and falsehood, that secular knowledge becomes a form of taghoot. As Allah (azza wajal) says: (This is the) Book (the Quran) sent down unto you (O Muhammad), so let not your breast be narrow therefrom, that you warn thereby, and a reminder unto the believers. [Say (O Muhammad) to these idolaters (pagan Arabs) of your folk:] Follow what has been sent down unto you from your Lord (the Quran and Prophet Muhammads Sunnah), and follow not any Auliya (protectors and helpers, etc. who order you to associate partners in worship with Allah), besides Him (Allah). Little do you remember! 7:2-3 In the same Surah Allah (azza wajal) warns us not to be of those who take Allahs words with a grain of salt while believing wholeheartedly in the proofs from the mundane: Have you seen those (hyprocrites) who claim that they believe in that which has been sent down to you, and that which was sent down before you, and they wish to go for judgment (in their disputes) to the Taghut while they have been ordered to reject them. But Shaitan (Satan) wishes to lead them far astray. And when it is a said to them: Come to what Allah has sent down and to the Messenger (Muhammad), you (Muhammad) see the hypocrites turn away from you (Muhammad) with aversion. Having said this, we learn that we take the understanding of the Quran and the Sunnah according to how the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) understood it, taught it and described it. The ones closest to the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) were ofcourse his companions. His companions then taught their students after the Prophets death. Then these students taught their students and so on, until this knowledge has become preserved to the scholars of Ahlus Sunnah wal Jamaah today. Basically, the science of studying Islam, its rulings, and what you have chosen to call isnadaat are not from our own conjecture but from knowledge that has been passed from the time of the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) to the scholars who are the heirs of the prophets. Last, before we finally address the issue of hijab, it must be noted that there is no separation between what you describe as al-thahir and what is essential in our deen. If we make the mistake of splitting our deen into two matters (what is essential and what is not) then who is to say what is essential and what is not essential in our deen? And what is the proof for each one? By pitting the issue of hijab against what is supposedly essential is posing a false dilemma. It is not an issue of either or. All of Islam is one. For instance, hijab and prayer are important because because everything we do as Muslims comes from the Shariah of Allah (azza wajal) . So one cannot say that there is too much emphasis on hijab and not enough on prayer. Both must be observed as they both are observances of Allahs commands. We are incomplete without either one of them. Meaning, if the internal is sound then the outward should be sound as well. Narrated Umar bin Al-Khattab: People were judged by the revealing of a Divine Inspiration during the lifetime of Allahs Apostle but now there is no longer any more (new revelation). Now we judge you by the deeds you practice publicly, so we will trust and favor the one who does good deeds in front of us, and we will not call him to account about what he is really doing in secret, for Allah will judge him for that; but we will not trust or believe the one who presents to us with an evil deed even if he claims that his intentions were good. [Sahih Bukhari 3 / 809
Posted on: Fri, 21 Mar 2014 07:01:48 +0000
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