though Islam has ordained Hijab for both men and women. In fact, many of us would be surprised to note that Allah states in the Holy Quran: Tell the believing men to cast down their looks and guard their private parts; that is purer for them; surely Allah is Aware of what they do. And tell the believing women that they cast down their looks and guard their private parts and do not display their ornaments except what appears thereof.... (24:30-31) Indeed, before addressing women and telling them to conceal their bodies, Allah first addresses the believing men and tells us to lower our gaze! When discussing the issue of Hijab for men, it is essential to keep in mind the Golden Rule: do unto others as you would have them do unto you. A man once came to the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his progeny) and told him he wished to commit fornication. As the companions got up to strike him, the Prophet restrained them and then said to the man, My son, how would you feel if someone wished to do the same thing with your mother or sister or wife or daughter? The man replied that naturally he would want to kill the person. The Prophet then said, If you do not wish for someone to do such an act with your mother or sister or wife or daughter, then why entertain such a thought about someone elses mother or sister or wife or daughter?! Islamic teachings on Hijab for males can be divided into three categories: The Physical Hijab Lets face it – if it wasnt for those skin-tight t-shirts, many brothers would not spend hours working the dumbbells every day. Yet although it may not be obligatory on men to completely conceal our bodies like it is for women, the issue of modesty and humility cannot be neglected. Pride and boastfulness are among the greatest sins in Islam, and attempting to impress others (both males and females) using our physique and attracting attention to ourselves in such a manner certainly falls into this category. Again, the Golden Rule comes into play here: next time you go out in public wearing clothes that reveal your chest and biceps so that girls can check you out, imagine how you would feel if your own sister or wife was checking out other men who were dressed in a similar manner. The answer should be obvious. Social Hijab In addition to the physical Hijab, Islam has clear teachings about social Hijab. An alarming number of otherwise religious and pious boys these days think it is perfectly acceptable to have female friends and to openly socialize and hang out with them, as long as we dont do anything Haram and as long as she is wearing a scarf! The Holy Prophet is reported to have said, One who believes in Allah and the Day of Judgment does not remain in a place where even the sound of breathing of non-Mahram women is perceived. (Wasail al-Shia) It is one thing that Islam permits us to meet with non-Mahrams for school-/ work-related or otherwise unavoidable reasons – and even then, complete modesty should be observed – but these days it is a common sight to see boys and girls mingling so freely and casually in the pretense of youth groups, student organizations, camps, retreats, conferences, and meet-and-greet programs. However confident we may be in our ability to avoid Haram, let us not forget that Shaitan even tried to misguide Prophet Ibrahim and Prophet Ismail (peace be upon them). So what special spiritual powers do we possess that make us think we can completely avoid his evil whispers? Indeed, Shaitan works slowly and patiently. It all starts innocently enough: a social gathering where boys and girls are sitting and respectfully talking to each other. That is, until someone cracks a joke, and then someone else makes a somewhat crass remark, and very soon this Islamic discussion devolves into an unspoken flirt-fest. Honestly, who are we kidding here? The people who claim to be so overly confident about their ability to avoid Haram are the same ones who often complain about how difficult and challenging it is for them to practice Hijab and avoid music and keep beards. How funny that we easily blame shortcomings of faith when it comes to observing the other obligations of Islam, yet when it comes to mixed gatherings, our Eimaan is so incredibly strong that we can be 100 percent sure we will not get involved in anything prohibited whatsoever! The sad reality is that the same brothers who are so incredibly steadfast when it comes to the other obligations of Islam are the very ones who falter in this category, precisely because they are so overly- confident about their ability to avoid Haram. On a related note, it is quite unfortunate to see the double standard many parents apply here with boys and girls. According to many parents, it is perfectly acceptable for their son to go to a female friends birthday party where they know there will be complete mixing of the genders, but if they hear even an unfounded rumor about their daughter doing something questionable, all hell breaks loose! It is certainly not being argued that we should extend the same kind of careless, unrestrained freedom to our daughters; rather, Islamic principles of justice demand that parents should be applying the same standards and scrutiny to their sons as they do with their daughters.
Posted on: Thu, 13 Mar 2014 10:04:53 +0000
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