Powerful Hijab

First of all, There is no “Hijab” word in Qur’an  related to women’s clothes.   Qur’an never mention about “Hijab.” It says  “Khimar” [1], which mean “covering”, while “Hijab” means “barrier”. Qur’an also mentions  “Jilbab” [2] that means “the long garment that cover the body including chest.” Then, the next question is  “What kind of covering and garment?” There are disagreement among Islamic scholars about what kind of “Khimar and Jilbab”,  some of them agree that the women should cover all of their body except eyes, and some of them said except face and palm hands. Even some of them order women to cover the whole body parts— Burqa, like what happens in Afghanistan under the Taliban regime. Back then, veil has been a part of patriarchy social culture that used to show the social status in society. It believes that the slaves didn’t wear veil, while the freed-high status women always wore it. Head covering/veil culture is not on...

Hijab is mandatory for a woman and she cannot leave it after reaching the age of puberty which is completing the age of nine lunar years. She must continue to wear it till she reaches the time of discontinuing the monthly cycle of menstruation which is known as the age of despair. ‘Hijab’ is an Arabic word which literally means to put on, to cover, curtain, veil or covering (noun); however, among all these meanings, curtain or veil is more common and as a result it has led many people to suppose that Islam wants women to always stay at home behind the curtains and not to go out. In this regard, the great scholar, Martyr Morteza Motahhari states: “Covering for women in Islam means that in their interactions with men, women cover their bodies and don’t try to exhibit themselves or have coquettish behavior”. [1] The related verses in Qur’an as well as jurists’ Fatwa in this regard refer to and highlight this principle. In related verses, the term ‘hijab’ is not directly used. In ot...

A common misconception is that Muslim women are the only ones who cover their hair. It may be true that Islam is the only religion in which most women follow its directives to cover the hair, but it is not the only religion to have such directives. Simply open the Bible to the First Epistle to the Corinthians, chapter 11. Read verses 3-10. “But I would have you know that the head of every man is Christ and the head of the woman is the man, and the head of Christ is God. Every man praying or prophesying with his head covered, disgraces his head. But every woman praying or prophesying with her head uncovered disgraces her head, for it is the same as if she were shaven. For if a woman is not covered, let her be shaven. But if it is a disgrace for a woman to have her hair cut off or her head shaved, let her cover her head. A man indeed ought not to cover his head, because he is the image and glory of God. But woman is the glory of man. For man was not created for woman, but woman for ...

In my early days of wearing hijab, it was because my mother kept asking me to. She even made my aunt to help her convincing me to do so. I was afraid that people will treat me differently, or expect me to be very religious. I used to be a tomboy, a t-shirt and jeans were my only preference; I thought that having to wear hijab is very troublesome. I insisted that I will wear hijab when I'm in college. After weeks of debates, I gave up and decided to try it on. It turned out that my transition to having hijab as part of my lifestyle is much easier. I was warmly welcomed by my hijabi friends; my other friends and relatives don't treat me any differently. I realized that the preparations of wearing hijab don't take more time than having my hair ready. Having people expect me to be religious (common stereotype in Indonesia) really encourages me to try being one. I'm grateful that until now I've never been in the situation where I'm not allowed to wear hijab, since my...

The Islamic hijab, which stems from the pure human nature and religious beliefs, brings safety, peace of mind, self respect, self esteem and the like for both men and women. Truly, this Islamic ruling which has been wisely made obligatory upon Muslim women, is a divine gift for all human and Islamic societies. The tendency of women in the West today to observe the hijab after years of experiencing the bad outcomes of not observing it corroborates the famous statement: "The hijab is security, not limitation". Paying attention to its benefits and outcomes helps us better comprehend how it is a godly gift and that observing it should be made part of the law in all societies; Islamic or non-Islamic. Its major benefits In general, one can point to the following as its major benefits: a) Peace of mind for the individual: One of its major personal benefits is that it prevents the arousal of others' lust. On the other hand, free interaction between men and women ...