Solidifying the Root of the Family

There is no doubt that anything which confirms the roots of the family and increases the perception of marital relations is good for the family unit.
The greatest efforts must be made to have this happen.
The opposite is also true.
Anything which causes the relationship between a husband and wife to grow cold is detrimental to a family and must be struggled against.

Finding the fulfillment of sexual desires within the family environment and within the framework of a legal marriage will strengthen the relationship between a husband and wife causing their union to become more stable.

The philosophy of the modest dress and the control of sexual desires other than with a legal wife, from the point of view of the family unit, is so that one legal partner will be the cause for the wellbeing of the other, whereas in the system of free sexual relationships, one's legal partner is psychologically considered as a competitor, someone who gets in the way of that person's 'fun' like a prison guard.
As a result, the basis for the family becomes enmity and hatred.

The youth of today have fled from marriage and whenever marriage is suggested to them, they say, "It is too soon.
I am still too young," or give some other excuse because of this very reason.
In the past, one of the greatest desires of the young people was to get married.
They were not so particular before about the blessings of Europe which introduced so many women as goods.

Marriage in the past was undertaken after a time of anticipation and wishful thinking.
For this very reason, the partners saw their happiness and well-being in their partner.
But today, sexual desires are so freely satisfied outside of marriage that there is no longer any reason to have the former feelings.
Free relationships of girls and boys have made marriage look like a duty and a limitation to them. It then becomes necessary to speak to them about ethics, morals, etc.
As some magazines suggest, it must be forced upon the young people.

The difference between the society which limits sexual relations to the family environment and a legal marriage with a society which promotes free relationships is that marriage in the first society is the end to the anticipation and deprivation whereas in the latter, it is the beginning of deprivation and limitation.
In the system of free sexual relationships, the marriage contract ends the free period of boys and girls and it obliges them to learn to be loyal to each other whereas in the Islamic system, their deprivation and anticipation is met.

The system of free relationships, in the first place, causes boys to become soldiers of fortune because of marriage and the formation of a family and not until their high, young spirits tend to become weak, do they turn to marriage.
Then a girl is taken because she will bear children or clean the house or act as a maid.
In the second place, it weakens the roots of the existing marriage.
Instead of the marriage being based upon a pure love and deep affection where they know their partner to be the person who shares in their happiness, the reverse happens.
They look at their partner with the eyes of a competitor, as a person who prevents freedom and brings limitations.
As they say, each one becomes the other's prison guard .
When a boy or girl want to say, "I am married," they say instead, "I have taken on a prison guard." What does this mean?
This means that before marriage they were free to go wherever they wanted to flirt.
There was no one to tell them what to do.
But after marriage, these freedoms were limited.
If a man goes home late one night, there will be an argument with his partner. "Where were you?" If he talks with a young girl, his wife objects.
It is clear to what extent family relations become weakened and cold in such a system.

Some people like Bertrand Russell believe that the prevention of free relationships is not just for the certainty of men in relationship to future generations because methods of birth control have been developed to solve this difficulty.
Thus, the issue is not just the knowledge of who the father is.
The other issue is that the purest of emotions exist between the marriage partners and the relationship should be based on unity and solidarity.
These goals can only be met when the partners close their eyes to other relationships, when the man closes his eyes to other women, when the wife is not bent on stimulating and attracting anyone but her husband and when the principle of forbidding the satisfaction of sexual desires outside of the family, even before marriage, exists.

In addition, when a woman who has progressed following Russell and people like him and in accordance with the 'new sexual ethics' still seeks her love in another in spite of having a legal husband.
When she sleeps with a man who has become the love of her life, what assurance is there that she will take preventing measures with a man who is her legal husband whom she does not love and not get pregnant by the man she now loves and then claims her legal husband to be the father of the child?
It is clear that such a woman will prefer to have her child be the product of the man she now loves, not of the man who the law says is her legal husband and the only person by whom she should have children.
It is natural that a man should have children by a woman who loves him and not by a woman who is forced upon him by the law.
Europe has clearly shown that the statistics for illegitimate children has risen at an alarming rate despite the modern means for preventing pregnancy.

by Ayatullah Murtadha Mutahhari, The Islamic Modest Dress
www.ahlulbaytportal.com

Hijab; A Divine Value

"Tell the believing men that they shall subdue their eyes, and safeguard their private parts (from being seen).
This is purer for them.
God is fully Cognizant of everything they do.
And tell the believing women to subdue their eyes, and safeguard their private parts (from being seen).
And they shall not display their beauty and ornaments, except what is apparent of it. And they shall draw their scarves over their bosoms." Nur24:30, 31

Throughout the whole history of the human race, people have wanted to change the appearance of their bodies.
Archeological evidence and contemporary practices around the world have shown that humans add clothing, paint, or jewelry, and even alter the shape of their body parts.


The Functions of Clothing

Man without clothes appears to be a peculiarly, perhaps uniquely, naked animal, or a hairless naked ape.
There is, however, a false implication in this title, which is that other apes are clothed by hair or fur.
That is apart from not being up righting which requires less covering.

The question, therefore, is why people adorn their bodies, why people wear and have worn clothes, and what are the functions of clothing?


In general there are two main theories in regards to the functions of clothing:

1. Seduction:

It may be surprising to learn that some of the psychologists of today suggest that the motivation of wearing clothes is precisely that of immodesty or exhibitionism.
They argue that it is the job of clothing to attract attention to the body rather than to deflect or repel that attention.
The body, then is more openly on display according to this theory. Rudofsky[1], for example, is explicit on this matter; he argues that the woman has to keep her mate ‘perpetually excited by changing her shape and colours.
Women's clothes, he says, are governed by the Seduction Principle and men's clothes are governed by Hierarchical Principle.
His theory has been also associated with what has become known as the ‘theory of the shifting erogenous zone'.
Erogenous zones or body hot spots are different parts of the body of a female, which are seen as more attractive.
Such as hair, breast, bottom, legs, etc.


2. Protection:

According to this theory the primary motivation of clothing has been to protect the body against physical and psychological ( moral ) dangers.

www,islamic-laws.com

Why Hijab?

Summary:

The Non-Muslim Western Woman makes a judgment call out of ignorance towards an intelligent, well-informed and eager to express her opinion, Muslim/Hijabi woman.

Back story:
The Muslim hijabi woman, born and raised in Ontario, Canada.
A firm believer in women's rights in Islam and a strong advocate for hijab.
This woman has lectured on the virtues of hijab and has been confronted many, many times about her veil and has prepared herself more each time she is confronted.

The western woman immigrated to Canada at the age of four. Grew up unhappy feeling pressured as a teenager to look a specific way but could not fit in.
Eventually finding her womanhood and a new body she exploits herself regularly to vie for the attention of men everywhere she goes.
She knows little about Islam and Muslims but she likes to think she knows it all.
An outspoken woman willing to speak on matters she knows nothing about.


The scene: Non-Muslim woman meets Muslim woman on the streets of Toronto.

Facts: This type of confrontation, of 'Western Woman/man' meets 'Hijabi Woman, takes place by thousands around the world every day'.
There are some westerners who feel comfortable with confronting a hijabi woman.
However, some confrontations are combative and others are simple minded individuals who don't even understand their own ignorance and so they offer all the wrong advice with little time to listen or seek out the facts about hijab on their own.
Women who wear hijab are scrutinized by the public and seem to be fair game for rude remarks and even harassment.
It is my hope that this story, this scenerio enlightens.

The story begins...as the non-Muslim woman tells her tale...

The oppressed woman, rambling ignorant thoughts:

I was walking down the street on my way to grab some smokes at the convenient store when I happen to see a Muslim woman, she was wearing hijab (headscarf) .She was quiet and she had her head slightly down as she entered the convenient store to purchase a bottled water.
I thought to myself what a shame look at her she's so oppressed.
Here it is on a hot summer day and I'm enjoying life in a cut-off t-shirt and short-shorts not to mention getting the attention of every guy I walk by and here she's covered head to toe.
She probably never takes it off, I wonder if she showers with it on?
I thought to myself she must be so hot but yet she's likely got to dress like that or someone like her father or husband might beat her.
She's probably just come over from Iraq or Afghanistan or something.
As I walked by her to my surprise she smiled at me and so I felt as though I could say something to her.
I didn't know if she even spoke English but I was going to try.
Here was my chance to give her some real western wisdom tell her she doesn't have to put up with this crap.
She's obviously oppressed and she needs to know that she shouldn't cover up like that we are in a new millennium.
She has to know about women's rights, we have freedoms, equality and all that good stuff. I was feeling pumped.


The confrontation in the parking lot, unveiling the truth behind the veil:

I reached out and tapped her on the shoulder as she walked by me to exit the store.
She turned to me and said, to my surprise with a very English Canadian accent 'Yes, can I help you?".
I replied with a very confident voice, "Sorry to bother you miss but I wanted to ask you something" We continue walking slowly towards the parking lot adjacent to the convenient store.
I continued.."why do you feel you have to cover yourself up like that, don't you realize you're being oppressed?" ,"It's because of my faith that I choose to wear hijab" she answered, choosing to bypass my comment on oppression I thought, not considering that she's really just being polite and attempting to avoid confrontation, then I continued to say,
"Well, you should know that it's not necessary you don't have to cover up. You should be proud of what God gave you and show it off". "I am proud of what God has given me and so much so that I choose to share what God has given me with my husband only".
It was a good comeback, I'll give her that, I wasn't sure how to reply.
I wasn't expecting her to say that..hmm I thought it over and argued, "Oh, I see well that's nice but don't you think others should also be able to see you, how will anyone respect you, how can they judge who you really are?
Miss, don't you hate that other's can't see your true beauty."


Feeling uncomfortable, swallowing pride:

OK, it wasn't much of a response but it was the best I could come up with.
Thing is I was getting a bit nervous, she was so calm and polite and I was being so aggressive and even arrogant. We were standing in the parking lot and I could see people in the car next to me starring.
I was on a mission I wanted to try to convince her she was wrong and I was right, she was oppressed and I wasn't.
This is when she told me something that really made me think, and opened my mind about Islam and Muslims forever.
She went on to say, "It is my belief based on what we learn from the Qur'an, which is the word of God, and the belief of many Muslim women who wear hijab that we do so expressing our freedom to be respected as human beings rather then being judged by our physical beauty.
My true beauty is what I have to offer inside not out.
I'm very familiar with western women, because I'm a born Canadian, (When I heard that I was totally blown away, she's Canadian??) in the western culture women wear barely any clothes or wear them so tight you can see every crevasse of their bodies and they relish the fact that they are having every man look their way as the men visualize themselves with her."
I answer with a nod and a reassuring 'Yeah' in my mind I'm like.. daaa of course, who wouldn't love that?.

She had a very calm voice.
Her eyes wide and clear.
I noticed her face was glowing, she was really quite beautiful even though she had no make-up.
I tried hard to find a hair that may have slipped out past her headscarf, as I studied her face, I was curious I wanted to know what colour her hair was, but I couldn't find one hair out of place. She seemed so sure of herself.
I could see where she was going, as women we should be respected as human beings and not objects.
I know she's right in that men look at our bodies and get turned on and maybe that causes problems in a society, but who cares about the hair?
I interjected "Yeah, but who cares if your hair is showing, why wear the scarf?
it's not like anyone's hair makes that much difference or turns on a guy."
She comes back with..
"Do you realize that every year western women spend billions on hair products and in salons, I have to ask you, if hair was not that important would all these products be selling?
If you don't think your hair adds much to your beauty why do you not just shave it off?"
I could not reply, she was right.
When she said in her soft spoken but steady voice 'why don't you shave it off' I realized at that point how important my hair really was to my overall appearance.

www.sibtayn.com

Why Do Muslims Have a Dress Code?

Islam does not forbid men and women to interact, but enjoins them to adopt a code of behavior characterized by modesty so that they may treat one another with full and appropriate respect.
Islamic modest behavior consists of piety and mutual respect, as well as a standard of dress often identified by the headscarves worn by Muslim women.


Lower Your Gaze for the Good of Your Spirit

The philosophy behind what is commonly called hijab – Islamic modest dress – is rooted in the concept of guarding one’s senses from anything that may lessen one’s innocence.
Imam ‘Ali, the cousin and son-in-law of the Prophet of Islam (may peace be upon him and his family), said,

“The eye is the spy of the hearts and the messenger of the intellect; therefore lower your gaze from whatever is not appropriate to your faith...”


Lantern of the Path

In the modern world, our senses are bombarded from all directions with a plethora of sights, sounds, and smells.
Islam teaches us to control what our senses are exposed to since our experiences affect us externally as well as spiritually.
A smell of perfume may call to mind a distant memory of one’s grandmother; the sound of fireworks may startle and bring forth an image of war; the sight of a beautiful woman in a revealing dress may bring feelings of unwanted and inappropriate arousal.

When our senses witness immorality, crime, or debauchery, even though we are not guilty of committing the offense, we lose a degree of innocence.
We all hold childhood memories of a moment when we went through such a loss of innocence.
What was once something shocking or held in special status falls into the realm of the ordinary.

In Islam, it is not only for parents to carefully guard what their children are exposed to, but it is for the adults to also guard themselves.
Failure to do so can eventually lead to spiritual sickness.

Thus, the larger philosophy behind hijab is one of maintaining dignity and purity and applies to all facets of life and not exclusively to dress.
We must prevent ourselves from looking at the opposite sex in a lustful way, and we must dress so that we are regarded with respect.

www.islamic-laws.com

What do Muslim Women Really Think About Hijab?

“I can feel the extra respect coming my way.
People take me more seriously, and I feel protected and confident when I step out.” Dr. Mrs. N.Z. Vakil, M.D.

“In the modern society of today, a woman has always been looked upon as just another sexual object for the men.
Why should one display one’s beauty for unwanted eyes to feast upon?
The Hijab protects a woman’s honor and doesn’t arouse unwanted passion from the opposite sex.
I feel if the women were to universally adopt the Islamic code of dressing, the rate of incidences of teasing, molestation, rape, etc.
would be negligible. Wearing the hijab gives me more confidence in myself as a woman and it doesn’t obstruct me in any way in my profession.”
Mrs. Salva I Rasool, Graphic Designer.

“I am a convert to Islam and so I can compare the experiences of life with and without Islamic Modest Dress.
I am well aware of the attitude in Western society that hijab is repressive or hinders the freedom of a woman.
My experience with hijab and my study of Islam allows me to understand that this is not the case.
Non-Muslim people may sometimes stare, but in hijab I am always treated with respect.
I have never had trouble getting or maintaining a job, I no longer face unwanted advances or lewd comments from the opposite sex, and I feel more dignified than without hijab.
I realize now I can be accepted and interact with others as my true self once my appearance is not allowed to be the controlling factor.
Even in bad neighborhoods, men that are normally lewd just step out of my way.
The overall concept in Islamic Dress of maintaining proper respect and my experience that it does indeed increase respectful interaction creates an added sense of security when I go out in public.
Knowing what hijab gives me, I would never go back to living without it. I go out in public as a recognized Muslim woman – a reminder to myself and all who see me that I seek to live in a manner which is decent and pure.
I am one who seeks to obey God in all matters. People know this of nuns when they see them, and they know the same of me.
Even if they cannot understand my reasons for a style of dress that is unusual here in the United States, they express admiration for someone who isn’t afraid to live by her principles.” Mrs.
Diana Beatty, Teacher.

“I found I liked wearing the hijab.
Actually, 'like' is not the right word, because it isn't positive enough. I loved it.
For the first time in my life as an American woman, I felt that my body finally belonged to me.
I felt as though I finally had what I can only describe, for lack of a better phrase, as the integrity of my own bodily privacy.
I found that I was treated very well, much more respectfully, and I noted a definite tendency on the part of men, especially young men, to leave me alone and give me a wide berth.
The way this manifested itself most powerfully was the degree to which I found I was no longer followed by men's eyes.
The hijab gave me a message, not even so much 'not available,' although I think that is a part of it, but something stronger…”
A non-Muslim American participant in the post-September 11th Scarves for Solidarity Campaign, as quoted in a letter to the San Francisco Chronicle, May 9, 2002.

www.islamic-laws.com

Turkish parliament should end hijab ban: Tawakkul Karman nobel laureate tawakkul karman

Nobel laureate Tawakkul Karman has said the rights of Muslim women who wear the hijab must be respected and Turkish women MPs should be allowed to wear the Islamic headscarf in the parliament building, Press TV reports.

The Yemeni activist made the remarks in the Turkish capital Ankara on Sunday in response to a question about the situation in the Turkish parliament, which bans women who wear the hijab, Turkish news websites reported.

“I think that women must participate in all political life fields and they should be in the institutions of the public life, even without speaking about her religion or (saying) if she is wearing hijab or not wearing hijab. It is freedom,”? Karman stated.
She went on to say that all women should be allowed to participate in political activities, regardless of their religious beliefs or manner of dress.
Karman, who shared the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize with Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and Liberian peace activist Leymah Gbowee, has played a key role in the campaigns for women's rights and democracy in Yemen.

www.presstv.com

Turkey rallies against hijab ban

More than a hundred thousand people in Turkey have staged a demonstration in the Turkish southeastern city of Diyarbakir in protest to the government’s Hijab ban.

Demonstrators called for the freedom to wear Islamic hijab, urging the government to guarantee this right in Turkey’s new Constitution.
Chanting slogans in support of the right to hijab, protesters demanded the ban on wearing hijab in governmental and educational centers to be lifted.

The rally was organized by a group of Turkish non-governmental organizations, Fars News Agency reported on Tuesday.

Despite electoral promises, Turkish government officials have not taken any practical measures to lift the ban on wearing Islamic hijab in country.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has been in power for seven years, has failed to lift the ban on hijab.

www.presstv.com

Iranian girl attacked in UK over hijab

An Iranian Muslim girl has reportedly come under attack in Britain after refusing to remove her hijab amid a new wave of Islamophobia in Western countries.

The incident occurred on Wednesday when London resident Zahra Kazemi Saleh was attacked by four young British women as she was going home from school, Tabnak reported on Thursday.

The Iranian member of the Muslim Student Council was attacked in broad daylight by the girls who did not like Zahra’s refusal to take off her hijab.

Zahra sustained facial injuries in the encounter, which is not the first act of violence against a Muslim in Europe.

London’s Muslim Student Council condemned the attack, and blamed the British government for supporting the spread of Islamophobic opinions in the country.

The anti-hijab campaign in Europe is not limited to the UK, where Muslims account for three million of the country’s 60 million-strong population.

France has also put into effect a new ban on Islamic hijab, enforcing a fine worth EUR 150 (USD 216) on Muslim women who appear in public places wearing a burqa or niqab.

There is a similar ban in Belgium and lawmakers in the Netherlands are also working on a bill to forbid women from covering their faces in schools and government institutions.

www.presstv.com

Bible Verses regarding Head Covering

Bible verses regarding head covering or Hijab. It clearly states that the woman needs to cover up her hair.

King James Bible CORINTHIANS 11:1-18


11:1 Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.

11:2 Now I praise you, brethren, that ye remember me in all things, and keep the ordinances, as I delivered them to you.

11:3 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.

11:4 Every man praying or prophesying, having his head covered, dishonoureth his head.

11:5 But every woman that prayeth or prophesieth with her head uncovered dishonoureth her head: for that is even all one as if she were shaven.

11:6 For if the woman be not covered, let her also be shorn: but if it be a shame for a woman to be shorn or shaven, let her be covered.

11:7 For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, forasmuch as he is the image and glory of God: but the woman is the glory of the man.

11:8 For the man is not of the woman: but the woman of the man.

11:9 Neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man.

11:10 For this cause ought the woman to have power on her head because of the angels.

11:11 Nevertheless neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the man, in the Lord.

11:12 For as the woman is of the man, even so is the man also by the woman; but all things of God.

11:13 Judge in yourselves: is it comely that a woman pray unto God uncovered?

11:14 Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him?

11:15 But if a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her: for her hair is given her for a covering.

11:16 But if any man seem to be contentious, we have no such custom, neither the churches of God.

11:17 Now in this that I declare unto you I praise you not, that ye come together not for the better, but for the worse

11:18 For first of all, when ye come together in the church, I hear that there be divisions among you; and I partly believe it.

www.tebyan.net

Do Muslim women have to wear veils?

In the Qur’an women are admonished to cover their heads and to pull their coverings over their bosoms.
However the style and degree of veil varies according to the situation.
The veil affords women modesty, respect and dignity and protects herself from harm and the evils of society by covering her beauty.


In Chapter 33, verse 60 of the Holy Qur’an Allah says :

‘O Prophet! tell your wives and your daughters, and the women of the believers, that they should pull down upon them of their outer cloaks from their heads over their faces.
That is more likely that they may thus be recognised and not molested.
And Allah is Most Forgiving, Merciful.’

In light of this instruction some women choose to cover their faces whereas others prefer to cover their heads only leaving their faces uncovered and bare of makeup – both of which are valid interpretations according to various schools of Islamic jurisprudence.
Some choose to adopt a compromise between the two by covering their faces when they apply make up.


The ‘veil’ can take many forms.

The Hijab generally refers to a head-covering which covers the head and the neck, leaving the face uncovered.
These head coverings come in many shapes and styles but the primary objective they all have is to cover the hair completely.

The Niqaab is generally understood as clothing that covers the face as well as the head, with the eyes showing, or with a netting over the eyes.

The burqa is a veil which covers the head, face and body of a woman from head to toe, allowing her to see from a gauze like material over the eye area.
This style of veiling is seen in the Middle East more so than in the West and is the way in which some Muslim women choose to cover themselves. (Some cultural traditions can influence the style of veil women prefer to adapt).

The covering of the head is not a concept that is unique to Islam, but is found in Biblical literature also.
The Bible taught the wearing of a veil long before Islam. In the Old Testament we read:
“When Re-bek'ah lifted up her eyes, and when she saw Isaac, she lighted off the camel.
For she had said unto the servant 'What man is this that walketh in the field to meet us?'
And the servant had said 'It is my master' Therefore she took a vail and covered herself.” [Genesis: 24:64-65]


In the New Testament we read:

“But every woman that prayeth or prophesieth with her head uncovered dishonoureth her head: for that is even all one as if she were shaven.
For if the woman be not covered, let her also be shorn: but if it be a shame for a woman to be shorn or shaven, let her be covered.”(1 Corinthians: 11: 5-6)

There is no law in Islam that punishes a woman for not wearing a veil and according to Islamic law a man has no jurisdiction in forcing a woman to wear a veil or hijab.
He can, if he has some authority over a woman (as a husband or father or brother) admonish, request, and in the case of a father to require it of his daughter, but absolutely no right in actively forcing a woman to adopt the hijab.
However women are strongly advised to veil themselves as appropriate to maintain their honour and dignity.

Perhaps the view that the veil inhibits freedom and equality is a reaction to the original Biblical edict where St. Paul teaches

For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, forasmuch as he is the image and glory of God: but the woman is the Glory of the man.
For man is not of the woman, but the woman of the man.
Neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man.
For this cause ought the woman to have power on her head because of the angels.’ (1 Corinthians, 11:7-10).

According to St. Paul the veil is a sign of man's authority over her.
It is possible that St. Paul’s pronouncements may have led many in the West to see the veil as a symbol of inferiority, subservience and degradation.
In contrast, the veil in Islam signifies modesty as well as serving as a means of protection.

www.en.rafed.net