Why hijab is obligatory?

Answer 1

Wearing Hijab by Muslim Women is an Islamic religion requirement and compulsory by god commands in Quran and prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) Sunnah (Prophet sayings and practice). Wearing Hijab is part of God command to wear cloth that covers the whole body, including hair, except the face and the hands. That cloth:

• should not be so tight to describe the woman body or sexy parts, and
• should not be so transparent to make the under cloth visible.

The part of the cloth covering the head (and hair) but not the face is called Hijab.

In addition to the fact that wearing hijab is an Islamic requirement and is a command by God and Prophet Mohamed (peace upon him), the following are some reasons and benefits of wearing hijab:

• Men would not judge the woman by her appearance but would tend to evaluate her by her personality, character, and morals.
• Wearing a hijab helps in preventing indecent acts or thoughts.
• When wearing a hijab, one feels more modest, having more self respect and confidence.
• People actually evaluate the one wearing the Hijab based on who she is and not on how beautiful she is.
• by wearing hijab, one doesn't worry about her my hair if not beautiful or needs more cosmetics.
• Hijab provides Muslims with an identity. They don't have to tell people they are Muslims. It shows.
• By wearing hijab, the woman is concealing her sexuality but allowing her femininity to shine.
• On top of the above, wearing hijab is something that is pleasing to Allah and in return one earns blessings from wearing it.

Quran says (meaning English translation):

"And say to the believing women that they cast down their looks and guard their private parts and do not display their ornaments except what appears thereof, and let them wear their head-coverings over their bosoms, and not display their ornaments except to their husbands or their fathers, or the fathers of their husbands, or their sons, or the sons of their husbands, or their brothers, or their brothers' sons, or their sisters' sons, or their women, or those whom their right hands possess, or the male servants not having need (of women), or the children who have not attained knowledge of what is hidden of women; and let them not strike their feet so that what they hide of their ornaments may be known; and turn to Allah all of you, O believers! so that you may be successful. (31)""وَقُل لِّلْمُؤْمِنَاتِ يَغْضُضْنَ مِنْ أَبْصَارِهِنَّ وَيَحْفَظْنَ فُرُوجَهُنَّ وَلَا يُبْدِينَ زِينَتَهُنَّ إِلَّا مَا ظَهَرَ مِنْهَا ۖ وَلْيَضْرِبْنَ بِخُمُرِهِنَّ عَلَىٰ جُيُوبِهِنَّ ۖ وَلَا يُبْدِينَ زِينَتَهُنَّ إِلَّا لِبُعُولَتِهِنَّ أَوْ آبَائِهِنَّ أَوْ آبَاءِ بُعُولَتِهِنَّ أَوْ أَبْنَائِهِنَّ أَوْ أَبْنَاءِ بُعُولَتِهِنَّ أَوْ إِخْوَانِهِنَّ أَوْ بَنِي إِخْوَانِهِنَّ أَوْ بَنِي أَخَوَاتِهِنَّ أَوْ نِسَائِهِنَّ أَوْ مَا مَلَكَتْ أَيْمَانُهُنَّ أَوِ التَّابِعِينَ غَيْرِ أُولِي الْإِرْبَةِ مِنَ الرِّجَالِ أَوِ الطِّفْلِ الَّذِينَ لَمْ يَظْهَرُوا عَلَىٰ عَوْرَاتِ النِّسَاءِ ۖ وَلَا يَضْرِبْنَ بِأَرْجُلِهِنَّ لِيُعْلَمَ مَا يُخْفِينَ مِن زِينَتِهِنَّ ۚ وَتُوبُوا إِلَى اللَّهِ جَمِيعًا أَيُّهَ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ ﴿٣١[Quran, chapter 24, verse 31]

In the Quran, God states: "Say to the believing men that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty...And say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty; that they should not display their beauty and adornments except what (must ordinarily) appear thereof; that they should draw their veils over their bosoms and not display their beauty except to their husbands, their fathers...(a list of exceptions)" [Chapter 24, verses 30-31] Also, "O Prophet! Tell thy wives and daughters, and the believing women, that they should cast their outer garments over their persons...that they should be known and not molested." [Chapter 33, verse 59] In general, girls are required to wear hijab at puberty, and throughout the rest of their lives, whenever they are in the company of males who are not their mahrems. A mahrem is a male so closely related that the girl/woman could never marry him. Getting started http://www.muhajabah.com/hjbscared.htm http://www.modernmuslima.com/hijabhow.htm http://www.islamzine.com/hijab/hijabcs.html http://www.islam101.com/women/hijabfaq.html http://islam.about.com/od/dress/ Includes some pictures http://www.modernmuslima.com/hijabphotos.htm http://www.almuhajabat.com/howtowearhijab.html http://www.islamiclifestyles.com/hijab-pictures.htm More pictures (commercial site) http://www.thehijabshop.com/ http://www.hilalplaza.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWCATS&Category=37 Rules http://www.fiqh.net/niqaab/conditions.htm Covering the face http://committed.to/niqab Veiling for Christians http://www.muhajabah.com/christianveil.htm Hijab for Jews http://www.beingjewish.com/faqs/faq2.html www.lajewishguide.com/html/shopping/wigs.shtml -

Answer:

Muslim woman's cover their hair so men don't see it. But they all so do it because men cannot judge her by her appearance but are forced to evaluate her by her personality, character, and morals. Wearing a hijab is not a responsibility, it's a rite given by the creator, who knows us best. And it's something every woman should strive for. Muslim woman's mostly cover themselves in front of men who are not direct relatives (brothers, fathers, and uncles are ok) to prevent indecent acts or thoughts. When you're wearing a hijab you feel modest, and you feel like you're covered up. You have more self respect and confidence in your self that you don't need to care about how you look. When you wear a hijab people actually evaluate her on who she is and not on her beauty. And without a hijab then you're all worried that my hairs ugly or I have to straighten my hair and ECT.

Hijab allows you to be who you actually are. And it lets you know who your real friends are. People who are friends with you because of the way you look aren't real friends. And people who judge you by your personality are true friends, because people can change looks but they don't really change personalities, and hijab can change all that. Hijab provides Muslims with an identity. They don't have to tell people they are Muslims. It shows. When a Muslim woman wears a hijab she is covering her beauty. And many women's who wear the hijab are filled with dignity and self-esteem and are happy to be identified as a Muslim woman. By wearing hijab the woman is concealing her sexuality but allowing her femininity to shine. Aside from that, it is pleasing to Allah and in return we earn blessings from wearing it.

Muslems believe that all women are expected to wear the Hijab, not for cultural values only (excessive heat and sun rays in Arabia, the cradle of Islam, where women and men alike had to cover their skins a lot so that they don't get burnt). If we go today to places in South of Morocco, East of Algeria and North of Mali, we'd find, for instance, that both men and women wear long garments, mostly in light blue or white because these colors are believed to shun these people from the aggressive rays of the sun.

Hijab is not the black garment that is worn in Iran or Gulf countries that takes off any identity from a woman. Hijab is supposed to be a cover that makes a woman not provocative 'mutabarija' and with 'afaaf' modesty. Women in Islam are supposed, hence, to cover their body and wear nice, light colored clothes; they are not allowed to wear the traditional 'khelkhaal' of feet necklace that makes noise while women are walking- that is supposed to be a sign of provocation. Finally women are supposed to cover their hair because hair is supposed to be half of their beauty. And in anyway, in some countries where Islam was originally born (Lebanon, Syria, Egypt), women are so exquisitely beautiful that it was necessary that they cover their hair.. the same way Jewish women used to cover their hair like in the film Ben Hur or the way the Christians used to cover their hair, like Holy Mary and other Christian women even until 1920 in America. Weren't American women and Western women supposed to wear a hat as a sign of humility?

So, the issue of the scarf or veil in Islam is initially a simple one. Unfortunately, so many extremists whether from the Eastern world or the Western world have totally misunderstood its meaning and reason and have applied it in a total wrong way (like black niqaab) which initially was NEVER asked in Islam. In the prophet's time, Peace be Upon him, Muslem women dressed modestly and that's about it. No hadith refer to how tight their scarves were.. not like today. And even in the Holy Koran, the hijab is alluded to in vague words.. it is stated that women should cover their feet, cover their bosoms, and cover their beauty except what is already apparent.. and it is in that phrase 'except what is apparent' that so many interpretations were made. Islam, being a religion that cherishes modesty par excellence, all it required from its women is to be modest in dress.

And guess what, unlike what most Western people focus on, this requirement was made from men as well. A moslem man is not allowed to wear Gold except for his marriage ring, can only wear garments that cover the part from the belly till the knees and cannot wear silk.

Muslem societies being patriarchal.. again the cultural element here.. the requirements of men's dress have been overlooked, even from the Western Orientalists.

ANSWER:

because the women and the girls that have reached puberty are not allowed to show their beauty to men and big boys unless it's their husbands they are allowed to show it to ladies and girls.