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Post by Ummati on Dec 13, 2011 17:34:59 GMT 5
The sun doesn’t lose its beauty when covered by the clouds. The same way your beauty doesn’t fade when being covered by Hijab.
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Post by Ummati on Dec 27, 2011 20:58:45 GMT 5
Dare to be FreeBint Yousuf details her friend’s journey towards finding inner freedom.A smile in passing, an “Assalamu ‘alaykum” when our paths would cross and an occasional “whats-up-with-you?” was the limit of our contact.
However, towards the end of our first year of university together, that changed. In class, attendance was low since we were nearing the time of our term exams. Often a few of us would loiter in the back of the lecture hall and talk about every conceivable matter: talks of the Sahabah, dowries and extravagant weddings, deceiving appearances, what we heard in a lecture, and amazing incidents from the lives of people who had tawakkul upon Allah. Our talks together felt out of this world. Just as the teacher would walk out, we would instantly draw closer and immerse ourselves in iman-lifting, thought-provoking conversations.
We were changing. Together.
Being a niqabi, my change was more internal, while hers was a mix of both. Pre-university years, she was the very definition of a high-society party girl. Tights, drop-shoulder shirts, intermingling, high-fives, gossiping, back-biting –the regular stuff. I didn’t know her then, but apparently she was a lot different. It’s hard to believe that though, as I now know her to be the sweetest, friendliest person imaginable.
Once she had gone to the cinema with her friends in just such an outfit, when an auntie asked her to wear a scarf on her head. She carelessly draped it on, not really thinking about it. Later, she felt eyes on her. People were laughing at her, wearing hijab with such clothes. She felt really hurt.
When she started university, she decided she’d cover her hair and dress modestly –at least within the bounds of university. Outside, she felt conflicted. Her friends weren’t really the sort to accept this change of hers, and neither were her family.
Second year started. We started listening to Islamic lectures together. Sometimes we’d even sit in the library just to read the Tafseer of the Qur’an together.
One day, she walks up to me and a group of friends and points at her eyebrows. She had stopped getting them plucked! She looked very delighted, too. We hugged and congratulated her. She said it had just stopped mattering.
A few days later, while sitting together with her and another friend who wore an abaya, she was telling us about how this girl she knew had gone to a popular spot in Karachi and had been mistaken for a “not-so-good” girl. She admitted that had really scared her…. As we shifted onto another topic, and with a million thoughts swirling in my head, I finally asked her: so what’s stopping you from taking that next step?
She looked at me, speechless.
After a moments of screaming silence, with a new light in her eyes, she could say nothing.
“Has not the time come for the hearts of those who believe to be affected by Allah’s Reminder…?” (57:16)
She messages me the next morning, before class: she wanted to start wearing the abaya! Apparently, that question had left its mark on her. Having admitted that there was nothing stopping her as such, she was eager to plunge ahead. However, her friends were discouraging her saying she was taking things too quickly, and to first focus on changing herself internally and all that. She really wanted to start though. I hurriedly texted her a reply:
Only you know when you are ready. People will always talk, but it’s the pleasure of Allah that’s important. And eventually, you’ll see. Allah SWT will put love and acceptance into other people’s hearts as well. Go for it!
I told her what made my sister take the next step. She was sitting in a lecture during her Hajj. The Sheikh had made a du’aa: Oh Allah, we wish to adorn ourselves with the uniform, the outer appearance of a Muslim. So too adorn our insides with the character of a Muslim.
We should do what we can, I thought; whatever it is that we are ready for at this moment, and to not delay it even a second. And leave the rest to Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala.
She replies, “I know I am ready. I was planning to start in third year, but who knows whether I’ll be alive till then. If I want to swim, I’ll never learn unless I get into the pool first. Insha Allah, I’ll start and hope for the best.”
She wore an abaya the next day. Inspired by her, another of our classmates who had wanted to start for a long time but didn’t have the courage to do it alone- came wearing an abaya too. They looked gorgeous. Sweet and innocent, with an inner glow. It was a wonderful day. We were on a iman high. And it was Ramadan.
I was so happy for them; for the start of their journey to attaining the pleasure of Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala.
Her family ridiculed and mocked her. The first day she wore it, everyone took a turn to comment on her. She cried in front of her mom that day, and later in front of us. Her sister would comment, when she was going out to an iftaar party wearing perfume: “Huh! So you’re wearing perfume?!” Another time, when she was planning to visit UK, her sister would mockingly ask her, “So what will you wear there?” With tears in her eyes, she’d exclaim to us: why do people expect me to be perfect overnight?
Once, she was advising one of her hijabi friends in class how it is just not okay to talk to guys so freely. It really touched me how sweetly, entreatingly, she was saying: “Listen you know me. You know how I was. And now I’m not like that anymore, I feel so good. It feels so right inside.”
Another time she came up to me and told me how she wore an abaya to her first big gathering. A lot of people appreciated her step, but one auntie was like, “Hmm, this isn’t fun… oh well, its okay. You’re just going through a phase. Even my daughter in Ohio went through a two-year abaya period. She got over it.”
With that light in her eye, she said to me: “I will not get over it. I don’t understand how anyone can.”
Hijab isn’t just something on the outside. And she’s taken that to heart. To give another example of how ready she was to change, she told me, “I know I cant shake hands with my brother-in-law anymore. Or uncles. But I don’t know what to do when they approach me. I just sort of shuffle my hands and hold them close to give them a hint.”
Her brother-in-law even said to her, “Hey so now you’re not going to celebrate your birthday, right? I hope it means you’ll still give us presents when its ours.”
That got me thinking: inside, we all really do know what’s right and what isn’t, but we just aren’t willing to accept it. We know there’s one God and that we obey Him because that’s what’s right; why don’t we just embrace it?
So are you ready to take that next step? It won’t be easy, or hey –it just may be a joy ride if you’ve got the support! But remember this: insha Allah it will be oh-so-worth-it in the end.
“And whosoever is conscious of Allah, He will make a way for him to get out (from every difficulty). And He will provide him from (sources) he never could imagine. And whoever puts his trust in Allah, then He will suffice him. Verily, Allah will accomplish His purpose. Indeed Allah has sent a measure for all things.” (65:2-3)
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Post by Mujaahid on May 2, 2012 23:20:51 GMT 5
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Post by Mujaahid on May 2, 2012 23:34:39 GMT 5
The conditions of hijaab:
Firstly:
(It should cover all the body apart from whatever has been exempted).
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“O Prophet! Tell your wives and your daughters and the women of the believers to draw their cloaks (veils) all over their bodies (i.e. screen themselves completely except the eyes or one eye to see the way).That will be better, that they should be known (as free respectable women) so as not to be annoyed. And Allaah is Ever Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.”
This aayah clearly states that it is obligatory to cover all of a woman’s beauty and adornments and not to display any part of that before non-mahram men (“strangers”) except for whatever appears unintentionally, in which case there will be no sin on them if they hasten to cover it up.
Secondly
(it should not be an adornment in and of itself).
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“… and not to show off their adornment…” [al-Noor 24:31].
The general meaning of this phrase includes the outer garment, because if it is decorated it will attract men’s attention to her. This is supported by the aayah in Soorat al-Ahzaab (interpretation of the meaning):
“And stay in your houses, and do not display yourselves like that of the times of ignorance” [al-Ahzaab 33:33].
It is also supported by the hadeeth in which the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “There are three, do not ask me about them: a man who leaves the jamaa’ah, disobeys his leader and dies disobedient; a female or male slave who runs away then dies; and a woman whose husband is absent and left her with everything she needs, and after he left she made a wanton display of herself. Do not ask about them.” (Narrated by al-Haakim, 1/119; Ahmad, 6/19; from the hadeeth of Faddaalah bint ‘Ubayd. Its isnaad is saheeh and it is in al-Adab al-Mufrad).
Thirdly:
(It should be thick and not transparent or “see-thru”)
- because it cannot cover properly otherwise. Transparent or see-thru clothing makes a woman more tempting and beautiful. Concerning this the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:
“During the last days of my ummah there will be women who are clothed but naked, with something on their heads like the humps of camels. Curse them, for they are cursed.” Another hadeeth adds: “They will not enter Paradise or even smell its fragrance, although its fragrance can be detected from such and such a distance.” (Narrated by Muslim from the report of Abu Hurayrah).
Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr said: what the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) meant was women who wear clothes made of light fabric which describes and does not cover. They are clothed in name but naked in reality. Transmitted by al-Suyooti in Tanweer al-Hawaalik, 3/103.
Fourthly:
(It should be loose, not tight so that it describes any part of the body). The purpose of clothing is to prevent fitnah (temptation), and this can only be achieved if clothes are wide and loose. Tight clothes, even if they conceal the colour of the skin, still describe the size and shape of the body or part of it, and create a vivid image in the minds of men. The corruption or invitation to corruption that is inherent in that is quite obvious. So the clothes must be wide. Usaamah ibn Zayd said:
“The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) gave me a thick Egyptian garment that was one of the gifts given to him by Duhyat al-Kalbi, and I gave it to my wife to wear. He said, ‘Why do I not see you wearing that Egyptian garment? I said, ‘I gave it to my wife to wear.’ He said, ‘Tell her to wear a gown underneath it, for I am afraid that it may describe the size of her bones.’” (Narrated by al-Diyaa’ al-Maqdisi in al-Ahaadeeth al-Mukhtaarah, 1/442, and by Ahmad and al-Bayhaqi, with a hasan isnaad).
Fifthly:
(It should not be perfumed with bakhoor or fragrance)
There are many ahaadeeth which forbid women to wear perfume when they go out of their houses. We will quote here some of those which have saheeh isnaads:
Abu Moosa al-Ash’ari said: the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Any woman who puts on perfume then passes by people so that they can smell her fragrance, is an adulteress.”
Zaynab al-Thaqafiyyah reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:
“If any one of you (women) goes out to the mosque, let her not touch any perfume.”
Abu Hurayrah said: the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:
“Any woman who has scented herself with bakhoor (incense), let her not attend ‘Ishaa’ prayers with us.”
Moosa ibn Yassaar said that a woman passed by Abu Hurayrah and her scent was overpowering. He said, “O female slave of al-Jabbaar, are you going to the mosque?” She said, “Yes,” He said, “And have you put on perfume because of that?” She said, “Yes.” He said, “Go back and wash yourself, for I heard the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say: ‘If a woman comes out to the mosque and her fragrance is overpowering, Allaah will not accept any prayer from her until she goes home and washes herself.’”
These ahaadeeth are general in implication. Just as the prohibition covers perfume applied to the body, it also covers perfume applied to the clothes, especially in the third hadeeth, where bakhoor (incense) is mentioned, because incense is used specifically to perfume the clothes.
The reason for this prohibition is quite clear, which is that women’s fragrance may cause undue provocation of desires. The scholars also included other things under this heading of things to be avoided by women who want to go to the mosque, such as beautiful clothes, jewellery that can be seen, excessive adornments and mingling with men. See Fath al-Baari, 2/279.
Sixthly:
(It should not resemble the clothing of men) [/b] It was reported in the saheeh ahaadeeth that a woman who imitates men in dress or in other ways is cursed. There follow some of the ahaadeeth that we know:
Abu Hurayrah said: “The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) cursed the man who wears women’s clothes, and the woman who wears men’s clothes.”
‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Amr said: I heard the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say: ‘They are not part of us, the women who imitate men and the men who imitate women.’”
Ibn ‘Abbaas said: “The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) cursed effeminate men and masculine women. He said, ‘Throw them out of your houses.’” He said: “The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) expelled So and so, and ‘Umar expelled So and so.” According to another version: “The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) cursed men who imitate women and women who imitate men.”
Seventhly:
(It should not resemble the dress of kaafir women). [/b] It is stated in sharee’ah that Muslims, men and women alike, should not resemble or imitate the kuffaar with regard to worship, festivals or clothing that is specific to them. This is an important Islamic principle which nowadays, unfortunately, is neglected by many Muslims, even those who care about religion and calling others to Islam. This is due either to ignorance of their religion, or because they are following their own whims and desires, or because of deviation, combined with modern customs and imitation of kaafir Europe. This was one of the causes of the Muslims’ decline and weakness, which enabled the foreigners to overwhelm and colonize them. “…Verily, Allaah will not change the condition of a people as long as they do not change their state themselves …” [al-Ra’d 13:11 – interpretation of the meaning]. If only they knew.
Eighthly:
(It should not be a garment of fame and vanity). [/b][/u] Ibn ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: “The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: ‘Whoever wears a garment of fame and vanity in this world, Allaah will clothe him in a garment of humiliation on the Day of Resurrection, then He will cause Fire to flame up around him.’”
And Allaah knows best.
Source: Hijaab al-Mar’ah al-Muslimah, p. 54-67....(S.S)
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Post by Ayesha on Sept 4, 2012 21:26:06 GMT 5
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Post by amatullah on Nov 26, 2012 0:44:33 GMT 5
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