You May Want to Change That...

Assalam Alaykum!

May the peace, mercy and blessings of the Almighty be upon all of you! J

I’ll begin by elaborating more on why did I choose this particular title for my article…

I have seen some people covering their cars with a sheet when they aren’t using it. Sometimes it looks as if they’re putting a perfect Hijab for those cars! The reason is pretty obvious isn’t it? Of course they want to protect it.

I have also seen (I’m sure you must have too) the shopkeepers closing their shops by lowering their metal shutters and also locking it. Do they leave even an inch open? Nope. Perfectionists. They will secure their shops before they leave. Not just the shopkeepers but also the security guards at the malls switch on the burglar alarms even though they’re on duty. Do they secure one part of the mall and leave the other part open for their visitors? Nope. They don’t. Why? Obviously the stuffs inside are so “precious” and “valuable” that they cannot risk leaving it without security.

Question arises for you. Are you, O Muslimahs, any less than those stuffs? Those material, invaluable, non-living stuffs? If such materialistic things are given tight security, covered so that it doesn’t tempt anyone to loot them, how much should you be careful about yourselves? What would you call precious and valuable? You or those cars that probably follows Hijab more than us?

Of course it is undeniable that many Muslim ladies follow Hijab. And Subhan Allah it is so over whelming to see the increasing number of Muslimahs. But, there are certain things I’ve seen for myself that makes me want to share the real criteria and purpose of Hijab. And as the title states, some of you may want to change your definition of Hijab…

Hijab is not the 10 cm cloth one wraps around their head. Hijab is not the lil hair popping out of one’s scarf. Hijab is definitely not the extremely tight abaya one wears. Hijab is not the stilettoes one wears that attracts even the ladies.

So, what is Hijab? I’ll let the Quran speak for itself, after all it’s called ‘Guidance’ for a reason…

Allah azza wa jal lays down the criteria for Hijab in Surah Noor, verse 31:

§  قُلْ لِلْمُؤْمِنَاتِ يَغْضُضْنَ مِنْ أَبْصَارِهِنَّ وَ يَحْفَظْنَ فُرُوْجَهُنَّ

“Say to the believing women that: they should cast down their glances and guard their private parts (by being chaste)…”

§  وَ لاَ يُبْدِيْنَ زِيْنَتَهُنَّ إِلاَّ مَا ظَهَرَ مِنْهَا وَ لْيَضْرِبْنَ بِخُمُرِهِنَّ عَلىَ جُيُوْبِهِنَّ

“...and not display their beauty except what is apparent, and they should place their khumur over their bosoms...”

Here we come across the term:

               I.      ‘Khumur’ – This is the plural of ‘khimar’ which means something with which a women conceals her head.

Question arises, why did Allah azza wa jal ask us to place the ‘khimar’ over our bosom then?

According to the commentators of the Quran, the women of Medina in the pre-Islamic era used to put their ‘khumur’ over the head with the two ends tucked behind and tied at the back of the neck, in the process exposing their ears and neck. By saying that, “place the khumur over the bosoms,” Almighty Allah ordered the women to let the two ends of their headgear extend onto their bosoms so that they conceal their ears, the neck, and the upper part of the bosom.

§  يَا أَيُّهَا النَّبِيُّ, قُلْ لأَزْوَاجِكَ وَ بَنَاتِكَ وَ نِسآءِ الْمُؤْمِنِيْنَ: يُدْنِيْنَ عَلَيْهِنَّ مِنْ جَلاَبِيْبِهِنَّ...

“O Prophet! Say to your wives, your daughters, and the women of the believers that: they should let down upon themselves their jalabib.”

Here we have another term:

              II.      ‘Jalabib’ – This is the plural of ‘jilbab’ which means a loose outer garment.

This means that the Islamic dress code for women does not only consist of a scarf that covers the head, the neck and the bosom; it also includes the overall dress that should be long and loose.

So, for instance, the combination of a tight, short sweater with tight-fitting jeans with a scarf over the head does not fulfill the requirements of the Islamic dress code.

Another question arises in my mind and a funny one at that. :P

What happens to the shopping malls and the supermarkets when there’s a special occasion? Is there tight security or is everybody welcomed without having to go through the metal detector…?

Then how on earth can you walk around without your protection, without your hijab during a wedding or a birthday party or ‘dawats’ (so typical in Indian families)

Wallahi this makes me question a person’s intellect. -_-

Sisters! Just like the security for shopping malls increases during special occasions, you need to observe hijab during the special occasions as well! By the way hijab is the jilbab+khimar! Not just the scarf over a super shiny outfit.

I know this isn’t easy. When the rest of the world decks up and each and every person around you look like they’re gonna win the Miss World crown, it doesn’t matter. You are a creation of Allah. You are beautiful no matter what race you come from. And the fact that you are protecting and guarding the beauty Allah azza wa jal gifted you with, you already surpass the not-so-ever-lasting beauty of the Miss Worlds and Universes. Yes, you won’t realize it now. But imagine on the Day of Judgement, your face will light up with noor because you obeyed Allah azza wa jal, followed His commands and stayed away from those things He has forbidden… Do you wish for the temporary beauty in this world or the everlasting beauty in the Hereafter…?

In sha Allah in my next article I will share with you a lil secret that will make all your struggles seem like a piece of cake… ;)

Until then,

Assalam Alaykum. :)

Reward Reward All The Way! - Exclusive for Muslimahs

Assalam Alaykum!

May the peace and the blessings of Allah the Almighty be upon you!

The soft gentle breeze caressing your face… The sky is immensely blue with white silvery clouds gliding almost imperceptibly against it… The air crisp and cool… Isn’t it a beautiful day? No it isn’t. As in most countries, the temperature is soaring high. Inspite of the heat, we keep up with our day to day activities. And inspite of the heat, we do our best to keep up with our Salah. And as for the Muslimahs, we do our best to keep up with our Hijab… Well most of us do, isn’t it?

Here’s the thing. The heat on Earth or let’s say the heat in this world might be a lil above 50 degrees… But imagine the heat in the Hell fire! Allah (SWT) mentions in Surah Baqarah, verse 24 that the fuel of the Hell fire are men and stones! Imagine that! One of the names of the Hell fire is سَقَرْ (Saqar). Saqar simply means ‘burn’ and it has been mentioned 4 times in the Quran. But let’s look into its root meaning to see it’s intricacy.

The root meaning of Saqar means to ‘injure’ and ‘to change the form of something by heat’ and ‘to scorch something’. The use of Saqar gives 2 meanings:

1.   Extreme heat that will cause alteration in the complexion and skin. (Have you ever had a skin burn?)

2.  Extreme heat that will cause pain. (Have you ever received a headache after a long day in the heat?)

Allah azza wa jal asks us in Surah Muddathir,

وَمَا أَدْرَاكَ مَا سَقَرُ

“And what will make you know (exactly) what Saqar is?” (74:27)

Then He gives us the definition of Saqar:

لَا تُبْقِي وَلَا تَذَرُ

“It spares not, nor does it leave!” (74:28)

لَوَّاحَةٌ لِّلْبَشَرِ

“Burning and blackening the skins!” (74:29)

So Saqar does not let anything remain. Everything that goes into this fire will be burned.

So that’s how hot Jahannum is and it’s just one description of it… Ofcourse it isn’t that hot here. So why not deal with the heat in this life and get to experience the bliss in the Hereafter…?

Imagine a day in Jannah… A caller will refer to you as a Jannati (people of Jannah) and tell you that Allah wants to meet you… Imagine that day! Allah, the Lord of the worlds! The One whom you had worshipped and obeyed all your life! The One you used to talk to in dua! The one you cried to when you were feeling lost and confused! The One in whom you seeked refuge! The One whom you trusted more than yourself! The One who’s mercy and forgiveness made you a Jannati! And He wants to meet you! Subhan Allah!

And then when you reach your destination, where the rest of the people of Paradise are gathered, pulpits of lights will emerge… pulpits of pearls, gemstones, gold and silver. And then Allah, The Blessed and The Exalted will order His Chair to be brought. And when you are comfortable and secure in your places, the caller will call out, “O People of Paradise! You have an appointment with Allah in which He wishes to reward you!” And you will say, “What is that reward? Has He not already made our faces bright, made our scales heavy, entered us into Paradise, and pushed us away from the Fire?”

And suddenly a light will shine that will encompass all of Jannah. And when you raise your head, behold! The Majestic, The Compeller, The Exalted, The Almighty has come to meet you and He will say, “O People of Paradise! Peace be upon you!”. All our life we greeted our fellow Muslims and now, Allah Himself is exchanging words of peace with you! And this greeting will not be responded to with anything better than: “O Allah! You are Peace, and from You is Peace! Blessed are You, O Possessor of Majesty and Honour!”.

And then the moment you were waiting for all your life… The People of Jannah will ask Allah to show His Face. Then Allah – The Mighty and Majestic will remove His covering and will majestify them and will cover them with His Light, which, if Allah had not willed not to burn them, would have burned them.

And there will not remain a single person in this gathering except that Allah will speak to them and say: “Do you remember the day that you did this and that?” and He will remind him of some of his bad deeds in the worldy life, so he will say: “O Lord! Will you not forgive me?”. So, Allah will say: “Of course! You have not reached this position of yours (in Paradise) except by my forgiveness.”

Is wearing Hijab too much to ask for to experience this amazing meeting with Allah…?

Sisters! Let not shaytan distract you from your obligations! Hijab is infact protecting you not only from the evil eyes but also from extreme weather. Health officials have perfectly described the ‘Islamic dress code’ by recommending that the best form of clothing to wear should be good quality, loose fitting clothing that cover the maximum amount of skin. The headscarf provides protection from both extremes of temperatures and guards the vital organs from sustaining damage from each of the extremes. The Islamic dress maintains a state of balance within the human body that helps keep it healthy through out its lifetime.

This proves that there are always valid reasons behind any divine rulings and regulations given to mankind and it is clear that the wisdom of Allah in prescribing such rulings related to hijab and the Islamic dress code provides protection not only from sociological and psychological issues but from a health perspective too.

So dear sisters! Let us all make the best use of this summer to please Allah so that we gain the rewards not only in this life but in the Hereafter as well! In sha Allah!