MUSLIM WOMEN AND THE VEIL assist us in concentrating on achieving those husband’s point of view, his wife is too
nt of view, his wife is too priceless
MODESTY
Pronunciation: 'mä-d&-stE
Function: noun
Date: 1531
1 : freedom from conceit or vanity
2 : propriety in dress, speech, or conduct
One of the biggest wisdoms behind why
Muslim women choose to wear the Islamic veil
and dress is modesty.
Muslim women are told by Allah in The
Quran (24:31, 33:59, ) to dress modestly and
wear a head scarf, and it is explained how in the
Hadith (sayings) of The Prophet Muhammad.
Understanding the wisdom behind this act of
faith will shed light on one of the most liberating
actions a woman can choose in regards to her
physical body.
According to the definition in Webster’s
dictionary found above, the first benefit in being
modest is it frees an individual from conceit or
vanity. Paying too much attention to our
appearances can create vanity. Feeling vane is
a form of arrogance. Arrogance hardens our
hearts and can stifle the spiritual growth of a
human being. When an individual is
preoccupied constantly with worrying about their
appearance, their ability to focus on their true
purpose in life becomes difficult. For the Muslim,
that purpose is worshipping the One Whom
Created us all.
Islam asks both men and women to be
more concerned for their after-lives than this life,
dedicating each second to worshiping The
Creator, and to not let the life of this world lead
them astray from the straight path. Thus, the
entire way of life Islam provides is meant to
assist us in our journey. When we die, neither
our material possessions nor our appearances
will avail us. Only our good deeds will. The
Muslim dress code is one facet of a way of life to
deeds which are pure and blessed by God.
Beauty is only one aspect of a human
being, but unfortunately, in our ‘modern’ society,
it is the aspect most heavily focused upon by
both men and women. The danger of this
obsession has now shown its face; in a society
where bulimia, anorexia, and other eating
disorders are crippling our mothers, sisters,
daughters, friends and other loved ones. If we
live long enough to grow old, the beauty of our
youth will fade no matter how hard we try to
keep it. The emphasis, therefore, seems silly
when one imagines the stress women place on
their physical bodies, which will return to dust,
instead of on their actions and deeds which will
remain.
On the other hand, Islam does not suggest
that a woman neglect herself. First and
foremost, her health is stressed over her
physical appearance. Our bodies have rights
over us; we must stay healthy for the sake of
ourselves and our families. Severe dieting, of
course, is not healthy. Nor is the reason that
motivates most women to diet: men.
It’s undeniable that women are often
jealous of the physical appearance of other
females. It creates tension between a husband
and wife. This physical competition leaves the
female to compare herself with other women,
whether on television, in a movie, a co-worker,
or just a woman passing on the street. Islam
doesn’t allow room for women to become
objects of lust and desire, and whether the
Western woman wants to admit the truth or not,
she all too often becomes just that.
Muslim women dress, respectively
speaking, as they please around their
husbands, family, and female friends. Simply,
she refrains from allowing the outside world to
use her looks as a way to judge her. From a
to trust other men to respect her, and a truly
respectable man does not take pride in having
his wife viewed in public for her appearance.
Therefore, Islam encourages modest dress to
reduce the outward display of sexuality, and
confines it to its true proper time and place.
Many women have different opinions of
what dressing modestly is; however, Islam relies
on the definition from God, The All-Knowing, and
All-Wise. The same interpretation of modesty is
found throughout Judaic and Christian tradition.
Nuns and Orthodox Jewish women also dress in
a similar fashion.
In Christian art, Mary, the mother of Jesus,
is always pictured in loose, soft flowing modest
gowns with her hair covered and she was known
for her chastity. As it says in The Qur’an: “She
(Mary) said: "How shall I have a son, seeing that
no man has touched me, and I am not
unchaste?" (19:20).She is truly a role model for
all women to look up to, especially considering
that Allah chose her for the miracle birth of
Jesus. She is also considered the best woman
who will have ever walked the earth! Therefore,
Muslim women continue to follow the same
tradition of modesty as Mary.
People often argue that those were the
“clothes of the times” for women such as Mary,
and that women have since become more
“modern”. It is important to carefully reflect on
these issues and decide what exactly being
“modern” means. If it means that women will
continue to define and redefine themselves
according to fashion trends, men, and media,
then a Muslim woman wouldn’t mind being
called “backward.”
Glancing across the Atlantic to Europe
shows what is in store for American women.
Following in the footsteps of Europe, nudity in
public will become common place, and very
sexual advertisements will entertain the eyes of
TV viewers during normal television hours.
Again, women are being taken advantage of for
their looks.
Islam makes it very clear to men that
women are to be highly respected and treated
with kindness and gentleness. It is intolerable
for her to be reduced to an icon, selling beer,
food, a movie, a TV show, etc. To protect
privacy, husbands may not tell other men about
his intimate relationship with his wife.
Furthermore, dating women and having
pre-marital relations with them because they
“love” them, often resulting in the girl being
regretful, hurt, and left with nothing, is not
permissible. Many relationships are based in the
American culture on desire, filling in the word
love to erase internal guilt people have in
participating in pre-marital relations.
The popular form of dress is has become no
more than a daily fashion show in our schools
with girls being convinced they much flaunt their
sexuality in order to be admired, loved, and
popular. In return, guys get to talk and think
about, and stare at these girls as much as they
desire. In return, they will tell a girl they are “in
love” with them, and soon after, the girl will give
away everything about herself, for free.
A Muslim man may not look at or touch a
woman until she is his wife and until he has
gone through the proper channels to know her.
He must involve her family; obtain her
agreement to marry him, and pay her a dowry,
proving that he can financially support her. This
is the bare minimum any woman deserves.
Returning to the concept of the veil we
understand it is more than just a piece of cloth,
or style of dress; rather, it represents an entire
ideology. Women are equal to men, but we are www.themodernreligion.com
different in nature, and this must be accounted
for. Women today are not ‘celebrating their
femininity,’ as modern pop culture claims. They
Muslim
are selling their femininity, sexuality, and
everything in between, for free.
The Islamic veil is not only a physical
covering, but a spiritual expression. Muslim
women all over the world live with modesty,
inner `strength, and character. Islam frees
Women
And
women from conceit and vanity, frees women
from being mere sexual objects, frees women
from spending their time to please the eyes of
The Veil
men instead of their Creator. This true liberation
gives women the respect they deserve and
shows that the creation of Allah is beautiful and
perfect in its natural form. The beauty and
softness of a woman should not be taken for
granted.
“O man! What has deluded you in respect of
your Noble Lord?
He created you and formed you and
proportioned you and assembled you in
whatever way
He willed”
(Qur’an: Surah Al-infitar:6-8)
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A Glimpse
At the
Wisdom
Behind
Modest Dress!